Today's cost to build a stocker ?

[B Parker]

Mr. GrapeApe have you run the car yet? Just wanted to know what the results were. What combo did you build? Was it 60k after you had the body? Who do you consider to be the best Mopar guy? Barry

[B Parker]

Mark just checked out your run at Vegas. Nice job 11:11 in F good run for Vegas.

[Ian Hill]

68 Camaro, previous old, non-updated,ex- record holder G/SA $18,000
sold power combo, added new higher end 330 hp crate motor with an ATI glide and three speed.
gutted the car and added EVERYTHING new and light weight
RIM finshed gear set
low friction bearings
new chromoly cage
new plain jane black base clear
seats, gauges etc - all light wieght
suspension all around
Throw $50k + at it, and i believe i have one of the cleanest, wheel standing camaros around.
best pass - F/CM - was a string of 10.42's this fall.

[David Lee]

And we wonder why the younger crowd is not getting involved with the class

[Glenn Hayes]

Originally Posted by David Lee

And we wonder why the younger crowd is not getting involved with the class

You got that right.

[Andy Friar]

Originally Posted by David Lee

And we wonder why the younger crowd is not getting involved with the class

Agreed, it is expensive, real expensive to get a fast stocker to be competitive. Then if you have a 'normal' under 40 yr olds budget you get to race in your class maybe 5-7 times a year. The NHRA TV coverage does nothing to get young people interested in actually racing themselves. I grew up going with Dad, so it is in my blood. My buddies here in Michigan that I went school with(we are all mechanical or product design engineers) know nothing about drag racing. Some have fast daily driver cars too. Mustang, Nissan 350, Audi S4, etc. Young people like me (I am 34) have 20-50k in student loan debt to pay off before being able to drop the same coin on a race car. My Dad and I are pooling out resources to be able race our 1969 Chevelle in C/S or H/S in the next 5 years. I would estimate the total bill to be over $30k and we can do most of the work ourselves, including designing and machining parts from scratch, where applicable.

IMHO the NHRA needs to lead the charge, hard, to get the next generation of racers to back fill the spots the previous generations of racers have made. Every 3 hour NHRA show with the pros should have at least 30 mins of normal joe sportsman coverage. Wheels up super stockers, home built stockers, etc. But actually talk to the racers of these cars. That this guy is a machinist, and he has a normal house with a normal garage and he just worked hard to get to the track. Put a face and story with the sportsman cars. Someone that the average person interested in cars can feel like they relate to or could be like. The stuff that the pro classes can do these days is flat out amazing. But I can't relate to it. I will never be able to afford to get close to those machines so it is less interesting.

I will be racing in stock eliminator before I am 40, or die trying. I love drag racing and have so many fond memories racing with my Dad that I want to duplicate with my daughter and soon to be wife.

[Superpro]

Originally Posted by B Parker

Mr. GrapeApe have you run the car yet? Just wanted to know what the results were. What combo did you build? Was it 60k after you had the body? Who do you consider to be the best Mopar guy? Barry

That ain't a car........It's a work of art!