Advice for new guy getting started

[Tom Goldman]

Originally Posted by doglover44

Never seen a Jeep in Stock before

We have a one here in D1 for many years .
A very competitive Jeep Commanche 2 WD pick up with a 4.0 L six

[oldskool]

I'm not an expert like many of the guys who post here. But here are my opinions, which many here will disagree with.

(1) IF you are not an experienced bracket racer, I HIGHLY recommend that you begin bracket racing ASAP. Unless you run against a vehicle in the same class as you, most every round of Stock Elim is a bracket race.

SO, if you aren't a good bracket racer, you won't be a good Stock Elim racer, especially if your vehicle won't run very far under it's index.

(2) Run an auto trans. It's SO much easier to learn to race & cut good lights, with an auto trans. Also much cheaper to build & maintain than with a manual trans vehicle.

Note: There are still some die hard stick racers out there. I respect that. I started with a stick, in Stock Elim, before there was any bracket racing in my area. Won quite a few local races with it. But when bracket racing took over in my area, we switched over to auto trans, & won lots of bracket races. So, I've raced both, and would not even attempt to run a competitive bracket car or Stocker, with a stick trans. Opinions differ.

Don't know your racing budget. BUT, if it is within your budget, you might consider buying a cheap race-ready bracket car.

OR, IF you can find a slow Stocker, for a reasonable price, you could use it for both Stock & bracket racing. Might check with these guys who have built these "dime rockets" they talk about & see if any of 'em will give you a good deal on one that's ready to race.

Good luck !

[Sean Marconette]

This may give you something to think about. Ellis gives out a lot of good information regarding his 91 Ranger.



Sean

[Greg Hill]

The biggest thing is,” what’s your budget”?

[5.9magnumjeep]

Originally Posted by Greg Hill

The biggest thing is,” what’s your budget”?

Right now about 4K, but can add more as paychecks come in.

I got a lot of replying to do, but my goal for this weekend is to create a list of what needs to be done on each to be ready to even get on the track. I’m sure this will factor into decision making for me.

[Larry Hill]

I built two and bought one and each one only wanted two things ; Time and Money.

[Don Kennedy]

Originally Posted by 5.9magnumjeep

Right now about 4K, but can add more as paychecks come in.

I got a lot of replying to do, but my goal for this weekend is to create a list of what needs to be done on each to be ready to even get on the track. I’m sure this will factor into decision-making for me.

If I had to start over I would go to a race and find a car that I liked and buy it a racer starting out will spend 100 times more than you think getting the car set up. Much easier to buy one first then work on the car and learn with the right stuff already done

[e vassar]

My advice is simple... Build or buy the fastest possible car or truck you can afford..or not afford.
Years ago I bracket raced almost every weekend with a friend that also raced a 65 Impala in stock. I wanted to jump into stock eliminator bad...but didn't have much 🤑 money. I told him I found a 80 something charger 2.2 turbo 4 cyl. It would go way under came with tons of spare parts and was CHEAP...he said don't do it... have you ever seen one of those really slow cars win the eliminator?...well no. A gust of wind at the 1000ft will kill it! Of course you can tow it all over the country to races that have class eliminations and win a bunch of little Wally's.

[Greg Hill]

Originally Posted by 5.9magnumjeep

Right now about 4K, but can add more as paychecks come in.

I got a lot of replying to do, but my goal for this weekend is to create a list of what needs to be done on each to be ready to even get on the track. I’m sure this will factor into decision making for me.

4K is not going to get you very far. Might get you started, but it will take more time and more money than you can even imagine. If you’re patient you can get it done over 2 or 3nyears.

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Greg Hill

4K is not going to get you very far. Might get you started, but it will take more time and more money than you can even imagine. If you’re patient you can get it done over 2 or 3nyears.

Now, THERE'S a pep talk for ya!

This is why Stocker projects don't get finished!