Where is the pride? Is it just a checkbook?

[71mavlouisville]

I don't know of anyone that actually builds a complete car in super stock. You have to start with a stock body, you didn't build that. What about stock glass? Tires? Wheels? Original front suspension? Brakes? Engine Block? Cylinder Heads? etc. etc. None of us start with a blank sheet and engineer and manufacture an engine. I think Formula One is about the only race cars that are completely engineered, manufactured and built from the ground up, and they even farm stuff out. We are modifiers by nature. We take things that others have engineered and modify for our specific use.
As far as winning, I would gladly take a win any way I could get it. If it was in my car or anyone else's. I would imagine (considering I have no personal experience with this) that when you cross the stripe and your light comes on you aren't thinking about who painted the car or who welded the cage. You won - time to celebrate! Ashton Hudson SS 4373

[Jim Bailey]

I wonder what the out come would be... IF... they sealed your engine at the scale, and you drove it to the barn. Then, after tear down, you reassembled the engine, and it was again sealed, and you drove it back to your pit.... Here's the catch... the only person allowed in the barn was the driver? Just a thought. JB.

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Jim Bailey

I wonder what the out come would be... IF... they sealed your engine at the scale, and you drove it to the barn. Then, after tear down, you reassembled the engine, and it was again sealed, and you drove it back to your pit.... Here's the catch... the only person allowed in the barn was the driver? Just a thought. JB.

A lot of the touring drivers cant change a spark plug. I remeber when A.B. couldnt tear his engine down at the IHRA finals at Bristol after winning Modified elim. in his G/ED (super stock engine in a dragster) many years ago. He didnt know how to even start. Another racer A.B. had beaten in an early round said he would do it for him. The job was done quickly and he passed and he got the win. Not all who race are mechanical wonders.

[CBS]

I think many can do it......Just don't want to....I wish I could afford to have someone do it......as we were removing the heads on our vette last night....we were talking about how nice it would be to just send it out and get it freshened.....but we can't afford it so we do it ourselves.....the pride thing doesn't come into play.......the pride thing is when the win light comes on and all 5 of us had a hand in it.....

Don't forget in the old days......you really couldn't buy a turn key race car from the dealer(not an 8.80 one anyway).....at any price.....and you had to do a lot of the work yourself.....now it looks like you can.... It's certainly hard enough to win no matter who built the car.........

Rock Haas

[mannymen]

Heck I could drywall my living room and paint my house, but it takes too much of my time. I would rather pay someone to do it for me in a weeks time and not 6 months. Not much satisfaction when it takes forever to do it yourself.

[Dick Butler]

Its about personal choices, opportunities etc. If you have the equipment, time, and skills and the desire for the pride of doing something go for it.
If you can work and earn the money faster than saving it by Doing the work it seems better of more efficient to make this choice.
The degree of technology today in many classes excludes "do it yourself" if you want to be toward the TOP of the qualificatiion sheets...
Time for a CHeap minimal spec class?

[Jeff Teuton]

Dick, how about R/W/B Run whatcha brung

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Dick Butler

Its about personal choices, opportunities etc. If you have the equipment, time, and skills and the desire for the pride of doing something go for it.
If you can work and earn the money faster than saving it by Doing the work it seems better of more efficient to make this choice.
The degree of technology today in many classes excludes "do it yourself" if you want to be toward the TOP of the qualificatiion sheets...
Time for a CHeap minimal spec class?

"CHEAP" is the operational word.....LOL.

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

A lot of the touring drivers cant change a spark plug.

Heck, I can get one APART! Now, puttin' it back together might be a different deal. I'm not fast, but have pulled/installed motors a number of times, etc.

That being said, the conversation is kind of a moot point. Technology has gone past the grassroots hot-rodder for the most part, you're not going to put that genie back in the bottle, and really there's not much reinventing of the wheel left to do. Michael Jordan probably isn't very good at making basketballs, but he can sure shoot one... and you can't buy skill!

My checkbook is awful small (although I've made some strides since the double-digit days of just a few years ago), and rely on folks like Tim Sloan, Scott Macy, Billy Nees, et.al. to do the things that they specialize in. I've done lettering for their cars. Sure, lettering isn't a performance item, but it's something that people pay me to do, because it's something they can't do themselves. There's nothing wrong with that. (Uh, that's kind of how the economy works!)

While I have a tremendous amount of respect for those that can do everything, understand that not everyone can.

[hemidup]

Our 2009 5.7 DP is a team effort as far as the old school way of building it. Don is the driver, Denny's the tuner and crew cheif and Denny and I work the wrenches. We did buy the MPR rear end kit cause we couldn't make the brackets for the labor, materials or the R&D for the price that Mike was selling it for and we only wanted to do it once. Mike's kit fit the bill and was flawless. (Thanks again Peter) Other than that, we're doing the rest from buiding the roll cage, rear end, engine assembly, header's, wiring, EFI tuning, paint, interior, yada yada. We're just 3 broke guy's trying to build a competitive DP. Our DP car is a labor of love. Doesn't cost us nothing for labor, just parts and material. Like Peter and Mack, we know every nut and bolt on this car. We're to the point of needing money for the transmission and suspention. Anyone interested in an oringinal, fresh restored 64 Dodge Polara 426 Max wedge hard top? One of 5 ever built and only one in this color. I just finished up the long block today.