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Hot Rods An altereds only racing organization similar to the SE Gassers, any interest?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Roothawg, Jul 10, 2017.

?
  1. I already have a period correct altered and I'm in.

    8 vote(s)
    18.6%
  2. I would like to build a car in the future.

    19 vote(s)
    44.2%
  3. I am already building an altered that would fit in this class.

    11 vote(s)
    25.6%
  4. I love them but my wife won't let me.

    5 vote(s)
    11.6%
  1. Thanks! I'll see if I can round up a catalog.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  2. I like the idea, and would be interested....Every time I come across an outdated bantam or t bodied altered I think it would be a neat deal Topolinos too. (There was just a nice earlier bantam altered on CL in Iowa listed for $9500 with a BBC). But I also see the recognize some of the challenges brought up (era, tranny, making it exciting for the driver and crowd).
    I like the Chicago rules idea. Best car and driver at a given track that day. Almost hate to mention a sealed motor idea like IMCA, but if you could come up with a cheap long block combo, no modern holley style 4bbl. 2,3,4,or 6 2bbl carbs (as much CFM as you want), and maybe a another quicker class with a blown (2bbl carbs only) or mechanical injected that would yield similar HP to each other. Maybe all run E85.
    If I could 4 or 5 altered deals, and maybe a few test and tune or bracket racing on other local tracks it would be a fun deal.
     
  3. pnevells
    Joined: Sep 5, 2008
    Posts: 546

    pnevells
    Member

    I have hesitated to weigh in here because we just got back from Meltdown and a lot of my opinions have changed. We race with a good local club Middle Atlantic Nostalgia Drag Racing Association and it is a pretty low key fun bunch of guys having fun. The whole conundrum of how to race with no breakout, heads up seems to confound the fans and kills the specator enjoyment of watching the old cars go down the track, Meltdown has got closer than anyone else. They filled the stands with fans that got to see heads up races first guy to the finish line wins. I have the utmost respect for what Quain has accomplished with his circuit doing real racing but the sad fact is there are not enought altereds to do this around here. We have maybe 20-25 nostalgia cars show up for each club event, maybe 4 or 5 altereds. It was worth it for us to haul 14 hours to Meltdown just to run against altereds every pass. One thought I had was the way they used to organize the Pinks all out event, you made two time runs no sandbagging, and get paired up with a similar time car. I had probably the most fun we have had with the car at Meltdown and I am willing to give up some of the purist racing things to have heads up races with similar cars
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2017
    modified1927, mad mikey and loudbang like this.
  4. Here's a couple of my thoughts. Street roadsters are closer to a street car. What if cars that fit the old rulebooks for Street Roadster are allowed to run? Probably quite a few guys who could or would run in street roadster with their street driven rods. Weight/ci breaks. Structure it kinda like what pnevells is saying. Period intakes with period carbs. No tunnel rams. No Quadrajets or Thermoquads or Carter AVS or any Edelbrock or dual feed Holleys or spread bore Holleys. Mechanical injection allowed. No HEI distributors. No two step or throttle stops. Period or reproduction wheels. No efi. Switch pitch TH400 or Powerglide or Hydramatic or Clutchflite or Hydrostick. Muncie M20/M21 or Ford Top loader or Ford top shift or Mopar 4-speed. Maybe Jericho 4-speed. No lenco or air shifters or anything like that. No radials. No NO2. No engine designed after 1965. Run flat out. Cycle fenders allowed on street roadsters. No bare or polished aluminum heads, painted only. No rusted out shit. No rat rods. No cast front axles for safety reasons. No braided lines visible.

    What do you all think?
     
    loudbang likes this.
  5. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    I think if you get to hung up on having to have all the period correct parts it will price me out of the game.
    Not that I am the one that will make or brake this.
     
    mad mikey, loudbang and pnevells like this.
  6. pnevells
    Joined: Sep 5, 2008
    Posts: 546

    pnevells
    Member

    Just an observation, but most nostalgia races i have attended with manual tranmission altereds ,don't go down the track very often. While the 4 speed idea sounds neat, flat shifting a four speed between your legs with modern safety gear on is not practical, With arm restrainrs and neck collar in a center steer car . It is different in a gasser, you are not surrounded by the chassis and cage ,and there were. clutchflites, torqueflites and hydros in many altereds back then. Not to piss anyone off but many of the keyboard purists on here have never strapped in a center steer open cockpit car and driven with todays safety gear on. and if the car is supecharged you need a -15 suit more bulky. If you let automatics in the cars will go down the track making good show for the fans. I am a large guy and could never drive such a combination nor would I want to and I have observed many more guys in the sport look more like me than a thin guy. I raced gas dragsters back in the 70's and we did have one guy that drove a top loader four speed between his legs in an old camaro funny cay but it had the old square cage you had much more room. We also drove our dragster with no fire pants, no neck collar, no arm restraints, big difference
     
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  7. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,523

    Roothawg
    Member

    Yeah, no stick cars.
     
  8. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    If one would show up with an engine like this would you be sent home?
    ED Prout The plaything boss check and atlered.JPG
     
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  9. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    If in the other lane? I'd try my damndest to send him home!
     
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  10. pnevells that makes sense. I've never driven a car with a cage at all let alone a cage like these will have so thanks for the explanation. I'm like 6'2" and 250 so I could see it being a bit tight in the car. I've been looking for a powerglide core locally anyhow. Newer ratchet shifters ok or do we need to have something older?
     
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  11. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    Even moreso if the tranny is exposed as many would be. Boots and all.
     
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  12. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    So no bitchin that it sent you home?
     
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  13. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    Absolutely none at all. But he wouldn't do it twice!
     
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  14. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    That's the spirit.
    I ask because I am going to have a big hand in building one of these engines and knowing it didn't come out tell 69 was not sure if it would fit or not.
    We have been trying to figure out what car to build that would be best suited for this engine and still fit in and not be a mustang.
     
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  15. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    Its' OT for sure, but I'd have to stuff that monster into a a Mercury Zephyr (?) a la Animal Jim! Watching him do 1/2track burnout and then opening that roof hatch backing up was the coolest thing ever! Just badassed!
     
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  16. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,523

    Roothawg
    Member

    You need to stick to your beloved 409's...... :)
     
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  17. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,594

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

    We can have one with the 409 and one with a 354 hemi also.
     
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  18. Mike Colemire
    Joined: May 18, 2013
    Posts: 1,428

    Mike Colemire
    Member

    First off whoever hates you Quain, I wouldn't loose no sleep over. You have done the impossible and all I've ever heard is praise on what you have done. You should be real proud. As far as the altered idea, I think it'd be great. If you can include some front engine dragsters, that'd be even better. I bracket raced for 30 years, several dragsters the last 15 or so. My last was a 4 link, 582 BBC, not a high dollar deal but it went 4.50's. I won several races and was around a lot of great people. It got so boring that I quit. The car would go down a dirt road, and a 10 yr old could of drove it because it went straight as a arrow. I missed when I took my 68 camaro and tried to go just a little faster every week end. Just flat out fun on a shoe string budget. Fans for the most part don't like bracket racing. I heard it all the time. If you can keep the competition close, heads up is the way to go. To much period correct will kill it. I'm building a gasser the way I can afford to, I'd love to have the correct wheels and a 4 speed, but I'm using later torque thrust and a 400 turbo. This used stuff now is going through the roof. I think they should look period correct but just not be to strict. If the big money people and the cry babies don't ruin it it'd be a really cheap way to race and drag racing needs that bad. there is nobody doing it around here, I'm going to run mine in foot brake or what ever and have fun. I don't care if it's just test and tune, I always wanted a gasser and with the steel headed 427 and 6-71 blower it won't be consistant, but I'll have a smile on my face.
     
  19. RDE
    Joined: Mar 23, 2017
    Posts: 95

    RDE
    Member

    How about run what you brung? Weight divided by cubic inches, blown or unblown, street legal............Like it somewhat was in the early 60's when Chevrolets had to have a scatter shield.
     
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  20. Street legal would be gas class not altered. Altereds are usually designated by engine setback more than 10%, no fenders no lights. ( this is overly simplified)

    The A sedan for example that I a building for a winter vehicle would fall into altered class just because of the engine setback alone.
     
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  21. DAVID KLUTTZ
    Joined: Feb 27, 2017
    Posts: 82

    DAVID KLUTTZ

    I have to say
    All the different ideas here just goes to show you
    It is hard to get 4 folks to decide what to order on a darn pizza and be satisfied--Much less get enough people that have race cars to come to an agreement--then you toss in all the opinions of folks that don't have a car who are in the thick of it--
    We HAD a great dragster club but because there are people in it--and it was a club--it is no more
    Quain has a deal that Works--it works because fans show up and buy tickets--if that did not happen you got nothing--His mantra is--if you make it heads up and really like it Was--folks will want to see it--he has proven himself correct on that--so .......
    thing is --there are 10 times more gasser - like race cars out there--that will not clear his rules--and guess what? They play here and there--but have no other organization like his to race with--so if you did build one and did not make it Southeast gasser legal I think you are just playing--and that is OK too but don't complain about his rules being too tough--they make the show according to him.
     
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  22. h
    Quain probably didn't ask anyone about his rule. I don't know him but what I know of him makes me think that he is they sort of a guy.

    That said, this is not about Quain Scott or gassers. This is about good old Root ( @Roothawg ) testing the waters and seeing if anyone wants to play. Whatever rules get laid down will be what gets laid down and the players will decide if they want to follow them or not. For me for example it would be a win win, I haven't made final plans on my actual altered build and as it sets when it gets finished I have one venue and that's it. It'll get built anyway, for personal reasons and if I get the opportunity to run it more often I will be happy as a duck. ;)

    By the way I know the show is important as has been mentioned, but my shit just stands up and cuts a straight line. All over the track is for amateurs.
     
  23. I hope there's enough people to get this started. I'd like to help however I can. Roothawg hope I wasn't stepping on your toes talking about rules, much respect. Was just trying to get some ideas out there. Take em or leave em, it's your baby. No matter what the final rules are, I'll be building a car to fit them. May take a couple years but I'll be putting one together. I like the idea of strict rules. I admit, I won't be competitive but I just want to have fun and make a few passes and watch some racing. My grandfather was a stock racer who quit after the year rule. He put over $6000 in his '57 (in '60s dollars) and sold it for practically nothing afterwards. He spent more on the '57 than his then new Corvette! He told me before his heart attack he wished he'd never put that much into it and tried to be so serious, just had fun instead. That made an impression. Building a car today to race NHRA costs was more than I feel like justifying to have fun and this is just the thing I could do without breaking the bank, not to mention these will be period looking cars! BTW, priced a Hilborn setup last night :eek:, think I'll stick with carbs!
     
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  24. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,523

    Roothawg
    Member

    Indestructible, You can't hurt my feelings, I'm too dumb for that. I'm taking all this input for future reference.
    Hilborns aren't that bad. You just need to talk to Alkydigger. They have used ones, ready to bolt on. Carbs would be easier to start out though.
     
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  25. ok. Eventually I'll buy a Hilborn setup but for now I can together some used Holleys dirt cheap. I probably still have leftover Holley parts in a box somewhere. I can put the saved money into some gears and a proper spool or something else on the car in the mean time. Thinking get the car built then start on upgrades while racing. Once I get the Hilborn, I'll stick the Holleys on my street T. Hilborn will be the first upgrade that it gets after it's to the point it can race. That is providing an Edelbrock or Offenhauser cross ram will be ok in the mean time.
     
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  26. LOL the cost of a Drag week engine is more than I will see between now and the dirt nap.

    I'll be running carbs unless I change engines. My old race motor was set up that way and the ports are too damned big for any Hilborn unit ever made, stock intakes won't even cover the holes.
     
  27. wrenchbender
    Joined: Sep 5, 2007
    Posts: 2,337

    wrenchbender
    Member

    Well roothawg I just come across this thread and I have considered this same deal so I can have someone to run with my digger hell I would be in here as building an altered wouldn't be super expensive and I could have a ton of fun on the cheap with that being said my car would be pretty era correct probly have a blower but would have a bare bones junkyard trashcan motor in it like every car I've ever owned has had lol they are not the fastest but will put on one helluva show truthfully that's what the fans wanna see anyway pm me with your rule thoughts I will help if I can 10" tires should be max for sure


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  28. Sky Six
    Joined: Mar 15, 2018
    Posts: 9,480

    Sky Six
    Member
    from Arizona

    I'll let you know when the complete rules are known. Its sure to be a great event but I don't want to bring a nostalgia altered all the way East just to find out that I can't run because of some misinterpretation of traditional, nostalgic, old, something polished, etc.
    Either way, stick to your guns and have a great and successful show. You only need two cars...one for each lane
     
    loudbang likes this.

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