Junior Stock vs IHRA Pure Stock

[Dan Fahey]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

It dosent matter to me anymore anyway. I find that street rodding is more fun these days but maybe not as exciting as a high RPM launch. Just pointing out how some want to keep "Upgrading" things until you have what you have in todays stock elim. Now you have cars that were never lisenced or titled for the street running in the 8's with blowers !. Todays stockers are much wilder than the S/S cars of yesterday. Now you can even have aftermarket racing seats so other than the 9 inch tire your stuck with you have the SUPER STOCK LOOK of today.
Best way to go about it would be to contact IHRA's Mike Baker and get a list of pure stockers that have maintained their membership and car number the last few years and take a vote on who and how many want to up grade. Present it to Mike Baker and see how it goes. When I was racing Jr. stock until 1972 and later in S/S I found the elec waterpump drive to be worth a min of .10 to .12 after they were allowed on my 7200 RPM S/S (late 70's era) Chevy small block. Of course in todays S/S the same combo turns in excess of 9000 RPM due to "UpGrading. The higher the RPM range the more you gain due to the amount of HP required to turn the pump and push the water. That was with a water pump that had every other vane ground off to cut the resistance. You still need to have the specs for spring pressures, duration and overlap on the later combos which IHRA does not have for most if the class is to be what its supposed to be plus the knowledgeable tech crew required to check a cam and spring pressures at open and closed heights. Best way out is to eliminate the pure stocks all together and make them all "stockers". To much cheating going on anyway and not enough people to keep track of whats going on. Thats how the any torque converter and reground cams came to be in factory stock (or pure stock as its now called). Converters could be made by competent manufactures to make them do whatever was needed. It was hell checking the OEM cam shaft in some combos. Not enough hours in a week much less on a Friday or Sat, evening. Been there and done that.

But you are kind of making my point.
AND I will talk to Mike Baker he is a thoughtful person.

A while back made a suggestion about Certified Cams and Springs and Engines to simpify Tear down.

Suggested a roving Tear Down Specialist go to specific meeting places to Seal and Certifiy cars as legal.

This would improve race day efficiencies and more people would be modivated to set national records.
Mine got burried but still aiming to make one.

FWIW I drive not tow my car to all the races.
It is Street Legal and sometimes passes emmisions.
Have to retune it but it will pass with the Bullet PS Cam.
Yeah it does have a Yank converter with Lock up.
In fact with street radials, using Belsteins it makes a great Autocross car.

In that sense I am meeting the concept of a Street can become racer.
Cost are lower than most racer, mileage near 20mpg, small foot print at the racetrack, do have to be fit to change tires.
The trunk is so big I can carry everything I need to race.

I get the fact that Stock is a bigger tire, valve trane and cam to Super Stock.
The fact that prepared Factory Hotrods can be bought race ready again, except this time it is not a (wink wink) hidden secret.

I think IHRA has thoughtfully considered what Stock today should be.
Like the fact you can put a V8 in a Vega or Maverick.
Smart moves to expand the base of cars over the more popular cars like Camaro and Mustangs.

I wrote a full page opinion in Super Stock Drag Illustrated way back when about Stock and updating the class for the future.

Interesting IHRA probably already thinking in that direction did 90% of what I suggested.

Dan


BTW I thank you for opinion you are giving me valid feedback.