Crate Motor Class

[Bobby Zlatkin]

Lee,

Any thought of a crate motor class being a budget class is a misconception. How can it cost any less to build a first class crate motor car than a first class regular stocker?

That may have been the original thought but it has progressed far beyond that now.

[LNorton]

Well, I will tell you all this. Whining about it on a message board really doesn't do anything. If you want changes, you need to be writing letters.

[Myron Piatek]

Originally Posted by Bobby Zlatkin

Lee,

Any thought of a crate motor class being a budget class is a misconception. How can it cost any less to build a first class crate motor car than a first class regular stocker?

That may have been the original thought but it has progressed far beyond that now.

One of the advantages of a crate motor is that you do have more options than with a regular Stocker. Holley carbs are plentiful and it seems that more people know how to work on them without having to go to a "specialist". Any unmodified, commonly available aftermarket aluminum intake can be used. IHRA also allows aftermarket roller rockers. Some combos need durability help while others don't. But bottom line is that you don't have to search junkyards hoping to find specific part numbers hoping they are still usable or paying a premium for parts that are.

While it may not add up to a big savings when compared to a fully prepped Stocker engine, it makes it easier and more economical to get it under the index when people are trying to get into class racing to begin with. There will always be a pretty big range of what people can put into it, in IHRA as well as NHRA. But that "range" is needed to get people involved and keeping the class alive. At least it is in IHRA where it saved the class from extinction. The really fast racers can still strut their stuff in qualifying, class run-offs or heads-up runs. But at least the little guy can play too, unlike NHRA where you have to jump through hoops and still not be sure if you can even qualify at a national event because of grading points, limited fields or despite a decent run under the index.

[Michael Beard]

>> When nine or ten of the top 10 qualifiers are crate motor cars and they're accross the board; it's not the HP factors being soft as much as it's the indexes being soft..

You must also consider the cars that are included in that qualifying list, and the percentage of types of classes competing. As has been pointed out earlier, throw the crate motors against the standard NHRA LODRS qualifying field, and things would look very different.

>> Why should the 9.5 lb. stock index and the 9.5 lb. crate motor index not be the same?

I've used that line of thought in terms of combining sticks & autos... that gets the NHRA guys in an uproar! LOL Theoretically, if the HP factors are correct, all classes could be based on weight factors alone rather than Stick, Auto, Truck, FI, FWD, CM, PS, GT, or what have you... but many will rationalize why that can't be done. In any case, it's an interesting mental gymnastics exercise.

>> Any thought of a crate motor class being a budget class is a misconception. ... That may have been the original thought but it has progressed far beyond that now.

I agree. You "can" do it on a budget, but if you want to be "fast", you're going to spend money, regardless of class.

Lee - nobody's "whining". We're having a discussion.

>> just cant see that alot of the current NHRA racers would be happy in a "runwhatyabrung" bracket race..

Good thing that's not what it is! It'd help if people quit propagating that incorrect assertion.

$.02,

[Brandon Peterson]

a "runwhatubrung" bracket race......let me see here.....last time i checked Crate Motor engines are built the same way traditional stocker engines are built....byt a freakin rule book......IHRA as well as NHRA have rules on building motors.....if your saying IHRA is that type of race what makes NHRA so different....there are cars that run .3 to .5 under and cars that run -1.0 under in NHRA whats the difference between that and IHRA cars being a crate motor or traditional motor.....we built our engine the same way you built your engine with a rule book telling us what we could and couldn't do to the motor...same way your engine got built....so if anyone is runnnig this so called "runwhatubrung" its everyone...i hate that saying its not like the local bracket start tolled in with his 85 mustang with a 396 chevy bb in it and raced......these motors are built by rules weather fallowed or not thats for someone else to figure out......

thats my .02

[bsa633]

Originally Posted by Brandon Peterson

a "runwhatubrung" bracket race......let me see here.....last time i checked Crate Motor engines are built the same way traditional stocker engines are built....byt a freakin rule book......IHRA as well as NHRA have rules on building motors.....if your saying IHRA is that type of race what makes NHRA so different....there are cars that run .3 to .5 under and cars that run -1.0 under in NHRA whats the difference between that and IHRA cars being a crate motor or traditional motor.....we built our engine the same way you built your engine with a rule book telling us what we could and couldn't do to the motor...same way your engine got built....so if anyone is runnnig this so called "runwhatubrung" its everyone...i hate that saying its not like the local bracket start tolled in with his 85 mustang with a 396 chevy bb in it and raced......these motors are built by rules weather fallowed or not thats for someone else to figure out......
thats my .02

What i meen is not that the cars or engines isnt built by a rule book or similar..just the wide range of cars and combos compeeting..really making it a ´bracket race" instead of a classrace...i still think that this has to do with more bracket oriented racers just "wanting in" than anything else..guy's that really wanna do NHRA-racing builds or get something allowed overthere..because those cars can run IHRA too!

mr LNorton...I am not that stupid! but why should they have an extra .15..and maybe as some say soft ratings too?