Kinda reminds me of something I read one time. "The cost of racing hasn't gone up. It cost everything you had back then--costs you everything you have now." What year was that? $7000.00 early 60's dollars is $50,000.00+ now.
Yea, they did not.. But you know what? I Bought 1 set of M/T Pontiac Hemi Heads with all hardware except the hard to make Ex rockers, from M/T Hisself in 1980 for $500... Wish I woulda bought more!! It was CHEAP to me then... just not cheap Enuff I could Afford it! at the time he had several sets for sale... He was moving...
That would equal 53690 today according to one conversion chart. It might be doable but a guy would have to be careful how he spent his racing dollar.
Safety belt and harness, $30. That comes in at less than the upholstery or the injector scoop. Well at least the scoop helped it go faster.
Looking at the car I would guess it was about 1966... (by the frame rails of the Drag-Master chassis, same as the one I owned in 1976 & it was a '66 model) Here is what I get (rounding to the nearest dollar) --- In 1966 prices were APPROXIMATELY -- Gas - .30 a Gallon -using a multiplier of 12 gets us to today's gas prices thats about $84,000.00 (Eighty Four Thousand Dollars) NOT EVEN CLOSE to what the trailer a Top Fueler is hauled in today Let alone the Race Car!! Wage wise in '66 we averaged about $3.00 an hour - using a multiplier of 16.66 (my current hourly wage before taxes as an Owner NOT Employee!) it comes out to roughly $116,000.00 (One Hundred Sixteen Thousand Dollars) That MIGHT get you a trailer...
We need the money of today and the prices of yesterday.....High for the people then and high for us now.......
In an interview one time John Force said he had less than $ 50,000 in his first funny car, and in his latest one he has $ 50,000 in the computer system. No wonder most of us don't like racing today as much as in the past. Don
I'd like to find the old issue of Hot rod that had the "high prices" of the Indy 500 parts. It listed many parts prices that I'm sure you would laugh at today. Early to mid 60s I think.
that old saying still has legs. "If you want to make one million dollars drag racing you have to start with two."
We got out of dirt go karts and microsprints because of costs and politics at the track.My son has paid alot more than cash lately with two knee surgeries doing the motocross thing.Broken collar bone,getting knocked out,bruises ,cuts and giving his mother and father fits. I dont know how even on a minor level someone without HUGE pockets can do it today.Its funny when you look at the prices in the picture and think,no big deal for all that but that was almost 50 years ago and that was huge money then. What really bugged me was when I sold off our equipment how little I got for it,even the new parts went for peanuts.I should have kept the cart and hug it on the wall next to the trophy shelf.Its worth more that way to me then a few bucks.Which brings up another point.We took the trophies over payout.Still have those,money would have been wasted on burgers on the way home.I look at those things every time I go in the shop and thats where my payout will never die.
yeah, I go by gas prices, was 36 cents gal. or so in late 50,s and around $3.60 premimum today. roughly multiply 10 times. I had a good job on the RR and made $19 a day. go figure.
Back then $7k would buy a top-cat Corvette plus you'd have money left over for some driving gloves and flavored condoms.
I have lived the good old days 1955 or so to 1970, my openion. One handicap you younger folks have is in 1960 in Indiana vehicle plates 7.50 Model A or new Caddy no difference.Now it could go to 500 dollars. No 7 parcent sales tax. A lot of fees we did not have. Today you have a shit load of used parts to pick from, we didn,t have all this to pick from. You could pick up 28-31 A for 25-35 dollars or so. Go to the strip and see 10 dragsters 8 or 9 of them were from back yard shops and every one was different design, different engines. Still a few flatheads around and a lot of GM engines. 1959 I saw Stan Lomelimo go 139 mph 10.38 et with a fuel flathead.296 flatty and 4 stromburgs. Yes they the fun days.
I know exactly what your saying. I quit racing dirt late models to build hotrods I could drive sometime besides Saturday night. The cost is unreal. I could build 2 nice nostalgic rods for the price of 1 top notch racecar. I've tried to sell but it breaks my heart to basily give it all away, compared to the original cost. Ever heard, speed cost money. How fast you want to go? Its true. Boy I miss racing.
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