Thread: My plan laid out...

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that being said still doesn't excuse the fact that i still have to put a motor into the truck because the one that is in there is gone, im surprised it still runs. And I think ill spare 500 dollars to have a good running engine that has a little bit of pop to it and will boost the resell by a 1000. The motor will be brand new, the transmission is brand new, the rear end is good, drive shaft is good, tires are good, the truck is clean inside and out, factory air, comes with a 12 inch woofer and powered by JBL amp, 2 kicker 4x10's and the factory dash speakers still work. This would be a good trade off for a wad of cash that i can buy a cheap barebone chassis and put the rest into the engine. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a good gas saver.

Hopper, the guys that have replied to your inquiries about building a 305 are not trying to bust your chops, they're speaking from YEARS of experience. Yes, you can build a blown injected 305, but it will NEVER be comparable to a larger displacement & better suited engine. I suggest that you give your 305 a stock rebuild & keep it in your truck as a daily driver. Look for an appropriate "roller" to build into what you would like to eventually have. Save you hard earned cash & spend it wisely on components that have been tried & proven. I'm not trying to be a "wise ass", but you have to crawl before you can run. You'll find the folks on this board friendly & willing to help whenever they can.

I understand that everyone on here is just trying to help and i appreciate that...I've already started looking for "rollers" that have potential...Im going to see maybe about a sponsor today that could help me out with a drag engine we'll see...everyone wish me luck.

Hopper, you need to look a car building from a realistic budget point of view. We were all 17 once and know that when you say you only have $400 a month to build a blown, alcohol dragster you need to come back down to earth. Put your plan on paper, list out all the cost information. Look at ads for used cars. Call the different manufacturers and get their cost for parts. Do you know how much a supercharger cost? Maybe 5 or 6 thousand bucks? At $400 a month, it will only take you 15 months to save up the money just for the supercharger. The motor you are talking about will cost, best I can remember, at least $20,000 to build. That means you will only need to save $400 a month for 50 months (4years, two months) just to build the motor. I don't care how good a discount you are getting, you aren't getting any of this stuff cheap. You can buy a 500 cu in Caddy motor (outstanding, high torque motor) for about $500 or cheaper. Put it in a $500 roller and your racing for less than $2000. You can have that setup paid for in 5 months at $400/month. Now, which one makes more sense on your budget? Another thing, if you plan on driving a blown alcohol car on the street, with insurance, at 17 years old your going to need more than $400 just to pay the insurance.

like i said, i went to see about sponsorship today at the garage i work at. When i asked him if he'd be interested in sponsoring a drag car, he said "well what do you need? fuel? tires?" and i said "i was thinking more around the engine type of sponsor" and he told me that i needed to find a car. SO that leads me to believe that he is thinking about it. Also, it wouldn't cost me 20,000 to build a blown alcohol motor... No im not driving it on the street, no im not using a 305, im using a big block, a 500ci engine. Im looking for a good light car with lots of room for an engine.

Nova's are good ones but if anyone has any other suggestions let me know.

The transmission will be a powerglide. ANYWAYS I'm gonna find me a car, and work all winter on installing the cage and tubs/tires/suspension. Then in the spring when the car is finished, ill hit him up again about a sponsor...ill just say "i got my car, its ready for an engine, and then we can go racing" and if he wants to help me then ill be set. If not, ill spend all of the summer and next winter building the engine.

Hooper. Take it from a guy who's running a built up 305. DO NOT PUT MONEY INTO IT. I've spend thousands, not hundreds of dollars trying to make my 305 more powerful and I'm close to 300 HP and torque which is good for mid 14's and 104MPH. My good buddy streets has been trying to sell me his 454 and I will not put another dime into this 305. The next engine is going to be a big block. Nothing against the 305 but theres just not enough there to really put any more money into it. I like your idea of a big block and being 17 and with what you make now and what you'll make in the future, you've really got alot of time to make that special car or truck you want.

Normally I wouldn't waste anymore time on this but I like your tenacity. I found you a good used blown alcohol car at http://www.alienmusclecars.com/19695...NY_0_1718.html while searching the web. You can pick up this clean little one owner for a mere $55,000.00. Notice that the seller says he has over $100,000.00 invested. I may have been a little low with my estimate of $20,000 on the engine. Probably more like $50,000 to build it new. Let's see, if you bought this one at $55,000 then it will only take you 138 months to pay it off, oh I didn't figure interest. That's 11.5 years at $400 a month. Come on, get real and take off those rose colored glasses. You will be far better off spending that kind of money on your education and training. Then you can afford to do whatever you want because you'll have the money. Keep thinking big and stay positive. That is a trait that most young people don't have.

Good luck and hope to see you in the pro racing circuit soon!

Over and out.

Originally posted by chevy 37
Hooper. Take it from a guy who's running a built up 305. DO NOT PUT MONEY INTO IT. I've spend thousands, not hundreds of dollars trying to make my 305 more powerful and I'm close to 300 HP and torque which is good for mid 14's and 104MPH. My good buddy streets has been trying to sell me his 454 and I will not put another dime into this 305. The next engine is going to be a big block. Nothing against the 305 but theres just not enough there to really put any more money into it. I like your idea of a big block and being 17 and with what you make now and what you'll make in the future, you've really got alot of time to make that special car or truck you want.

the 305 is being rebuilt and freshened so that i dont have to spend a bunch of money trying to get another car that runs good...for 500 dollars i can have another 305 built that runs like a new one...

Im not going to use the 305 as a racing engine...im going to buy another car and spend my last year of highschool getting the body and chassis ready to hit the strip, then ill worry about the engine after i get done.

yay! i think i nailed the sponsorship with the shop that i work at...he told me he's gonna contact his buddy about any new rules that were made in the last 5 years to make sure he builds legal motors. so im assuming that he is planning on supplying the motors for my car

Good luck Hopper, you're about to embark on your Hot-Rod building education. I guess everyone has to find out first hand what all is involved in building a car from scratch. When you finish, you'll have a great appreciation for all the blood, sweat, time & cash it requires......

Originally posted by Hopper111
the 305 is being rebuilt and freshened so that i dont have to spend a bunch of money trying to get another car that runs good...for 500 dollars i can have another 305 built that runs like a new one...

Im not going to use the 305 as a racing engine...im going to buy another car and spend my last year of highschool getting the body and chassis ready to hit the strip, then ill worry about the engine after i get done.

I'm not tring to be a kiljoy here, just want to offer a 2nd route to ya - just as I found out when I inquired about going circle-track racing, and I was going to build a street stock from the ground up - to build one with a semi-competiive motor and all, one that I knew could get me into the feature and possibly run consistent top 10s (NOT a consistent WINNER, mind you) would cost me in the area of 8 grand. The other option was to buy a good, solid used car that required maybe a little tweaking here and there to achieve the same results. Know what that would cost? Anywhere from $2500 to $4000... You might want to look at used equipment (guys moving up in class, getting out of racing, etc.) as an optiion to save money and get on the track more quickly. Then if you were really into it (read: if you still wanted to race after your first major wreck) - THEN spend everthing you make on building your own car!

ok, I want to go drag racing...I have an engine sponser (my garage is going to pay for my engines) all i have to do it buy a good chassis, pay to have a certified cage put in it (that i already have an estimate on, i can get it done for $600), I understand that it isn't going to be cheap to pull this off but I'm 17...I don't look to actually see a race track until im around 19. I have all the tools that i need to build a drag car on hand...Cutters, benders, welders, alignment tools, ect. I also have the skills to use all of them... I don't need a reality check on price, what i need is advice. Tips, tricks, maybe some encouragement! I know the faster you go the more money you spend. Also the faster you go, the more money you spend on safety. Ill probably start with a natural aspirated car and as soon as i get the cash/experience, ill move up to a blown car. Im also not just trying to engineer a racecar for racing, im looking for a project that i can use when im done with it.

Also, I don't want to run a wide tire car (not wide to the point that tubbing is necessary)

"Also, I don't want to run a wide tire car (not wide to the point that tubbing is necessary)"

Why not? Tubs and a 4-link rear suspension would be the FIRST things I would do to a car.

well i retract my statement about tubs, im going to tub the car i just don't want to run REAL huge slicks on it, i'm only gonna run enough tire for the engine.

tech and all of you guys have been a great help and i appreciate your patience with my ignorance, im just an upcoming hotrodder that is looking for a shot in the right direction. Thanks to all who have already given me advice and thanks to all in the future that will be giving me advice. I really appreciate it even though sometimes it doesn't seem like it. Keep the advice coming, i want to absorb as much knowledge as i can.

O.K., today's lesson is.....
Cough up 30 bucks and buy this book. There WILL be a test
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846