Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

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dfarr67
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by dfarr67 »

Kevin Johnson wrote: Wed Jun 19, 2019 6:59 pm
Orr89rocz wrote: Wed Jun 19, 2019 6:52 pm ... Not everyone is meant to be a racer or have a fast car. ,,,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LidF1gF3YQ
Looks like the same bunch of nippers here.
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by Orr89rocz »

GARY C wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:14 am
Truckedup wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2019 12:35 pm I get the impression from some of you that if you're car doesn't run 9's ,you don't know squat... :wink:
I always ran 1/8th mile so I never thought about my 1/4 mile times but looking back on old builds and time slips made me realize that 9's are not anything new.

I think all the interweb hype of easy bolt on power has made this seem like something very few people have ever achieved or that achieving it some how puts you in a small group consisting of a hand full of people.

Building a 9 second car today is simply a matter of ordering the correct parts from Jegs, Summit or Ebay... This was not the case in the mid 90's when there was very little interweb info or bolt on parts to do so.
True. Theres been many fast cars back in the day before this era of bolt on recipes and budget turbos. We had 2 local guys compete in the first few pump gas drags back in the day that were in the 9’s Back in 03-04. And before that i am sure some were around but thats about the time i got into cars and racing some.

In 2009 i was one of a handful of guys around with a turbo on a V8. It went 9.73 on the footbrake no boost leave on pump gas and just 16 psi. Our local tnt nights were mostly 11-12 sec cars and some 10’s. Very few single digits.
By 2013-2014 we had couple guys in the 8’s. Many more turbo cars. 2014 a guy broke 7’s with a eventual drag week winning bbc nitrous deal. 2015, two 7 sec cars, i was 8.24. Then i broke and been out the game for last few yrs. now our top 10 list is 7’s with many 8 sec cars.
Sooo many bolt together combos with lsx stuff. A literal stock 6.0 ls take out with a 84mm went 7.90’s in a fox body. We even have 2jz supras and tacoma trucks in the 7-8’s now that seen street time. Near 6 sec GTR that trapped 208 mph.

Its just dumb how fast you can go now. Efi systems have advanced and become easier to use. Injectors have come along way to where you can have large single injector sets that idle and drive well.

Its really impressive. The average guy with some research can easily get down into the 8’s now. Its not super expensive either anymore or custom one off parts. As long as they can tune or find a tuner.

What a time to be alive
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by GARY C »

Truckedup wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:46 am
GARY C wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:59 am
Truckedup wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 6:35 am

Well, to me, a bike guy, cars are overweight power wasters ...and many rely on so much automated crap the driver is just there to hold the steering wheel.. :D .....But seriously speed is speed...
So how do you draw the conclusion of you ET vs someone that can match it with a 3000+ pound vehicle that can carry friends, family and cargo?

In reverse analogy one could conclude your mode of transportation completely useless for ones everyday life. I am not a truck guy but with out one I would be out of work and homeless and after getting hit last week thankfully I have 2 trucks.
Bikes are toys like a hot rod muscle car or sports car...My bike, a slow for a bike high 11's in the 1/4, can carry me around getting 45 mpg and taking up very little space...I also have trucks and in the past had a few high power cars
Bikes are a whole different thing than cars..Requiring a different set of skills..There is no comparison to launching a wheelie prone bike to any automobile of equal speed..
Yes when it comes to bikes I am good enough to know I don't need to be on one... :) Learning to stop one in a panic situation does not come easy.
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THE ABOVE POST IN NO WAY REFLECTS THE VIEWS OF SPEED TALK OR IT'S MEMBERS AND SHOULD BE VIEWED AS ENTERTAINMENT ONLY...Thanks, The Management!
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by Walter R. Malik »

Racers who work-on and actually make things for what they need to support their racer are not the norm today ... almost everywhere, it seems to be, "I can probably buy whatever I want".
It used to be the innovators were common racers ... those days are long past. It is a shame, really.
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

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MotionMachine wrote: Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:57 am I once witnessed a group of stoners trying to push start a slant 6 Duster. It was an automatic, the driver was cranking it over on the starter and pumping the gas like a madman as they crawled along at 2 mph. I intervened, pulled the breather cover, held the throttle open and it managed to gurgle to life. They thought I was some sort of God. This was 1977.
I went to the auto supply to get parts to tune up my first car. At the counter I asked for 8 spark plugs and 8 sets of points. Counter man looked at me strangely. Laughed at my ignorance. He and I are still really good friends. We still talk about it. That was 1969.
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

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Walter R. Malik wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:08 pm Racers who work-on and actually make things for what they need to support their racer are not the norm today ... almost everywhere, it seems to be, "I can probably buy whatever I want".
It used to be the innovators were common racers ... those days are long past. It is a shame, really.
They also usually get shot down hard for even trying to make something themselves do something different, "just use an LS ". Unless you have a huge budget and an instagram account. Then it is cool.
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

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BenE64 wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:32 pm
Walter R. Malik wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:08 pm Racers who work-on and actually make things for what they need to support their racer are not the norm today ... almost everywhere, it seems to be, "I can probably buy whatever I want".
It used to be the innovators were common racers ... those days are long past. It is a shame, really.
They also usually get shot down hard for even trying to make something themselves do something different, "just use an LS ". Unless you have a huge budget and an instagram account. Then it is cool.
So true! Even on this site when someone goes out of the box they get ridiculed. Pretty sad!

https://www.speed-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 9&start=75
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by novafornow »

I think the lack of out of the box thinking is also related to this internet stuff. When I was young, I acquired a Vega with a smoked motor. I had seen some magazine pics of the SBC kits, so I bought one. Changed a lot of small stuff. Didn't buy the special radiator, went with a tape measure to the wrecking yard and got something that worked. Back halfed it myself, no kit. Made my own 4 link. Bent up conduit for pattern and took tubing to a shop to bend. Looking back, boy was it primitive, but I did it myself.It eventually ran in the 10's with a mostly swap meet part engine. Nowadays, I would have been laughed off the track. I feel that guys don't feel that they can make things as good as they see, so they don' try. Don't think that they can build a decent engine, so they don't try. I told more than one person that was just starting out. If you just buy a bunch of stuff it will run, but you are putting nothing in your knowledge bank for the future. That is how skills are developed.
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by Walter R. Malik »

BenE64 wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:32 pm
Walter R. Malik wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:08 pm Racers who work-on and actually make things for what they need to support their racer are not the norm today ... almost everywhere, it seems to be, "I can probably buy whatever I want".
It used to be the innovators were common racers ... those days are long past. It is a shame, really.
They also usually get shot down hard for even trying to make something themselves do something different, "just use an LS ". Unless you have a huge budget and an instagram account. Then it is cool.
So, if you get shot down, you get back on your feet and do whatever you need to do and to hell with what anyone else may think.

Having NO money to buy anything yet wanting something to fix an issue is how some problems get solved and things get invented. But, that takes a bit of intelligence, forethought and critical thinking which most of today's racers just don't posses.
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

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Having no money and making shit work is the reason we are all here. Me included to a point!
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

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Walter R. Malik wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:08 pm Racers who work-on and actually make things for what they need to support their racer are not the norm today ... almost everywhere, it seems to be, "I can probably buy whatever I want".
It used to be the innovators were common racers ... those days are long past. It is a shame, really.
Its a shame because one group had no other choice than to make what they wanted? I'd bet heavily that it'd still be going on just the same if you couldn't just buy whatever you need now.

How exactly is it a shame that intelligence, technology and manufacturing have progressed past 1950s?

It's a shame they didn't have access to more and better parts without having to design and manufacture the parts themselves. See what I did there?
JC -

bigjoe1 wrote:By the way, I had a long talk with Harold(Brookshire) last year at the PRI show. We met at the airport and he told me everything he knew about everything.It was a nice visit. JOE SHERMAN RACING
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by jake197000 »

i come from a long line of mechanics my dad was one and a good one i was grinding valves and seats at 10.for some its in there blood.now ask my to keep my own books at the shop.forget it dont want to know thats why have an book keeper.there are a lot of hacks out there though.i see so called technitions out there that arent into cars.too each there own but i dont get it plumbers get paid a lot more.most young folks dont want to get dirty or are brainwashed in to thinking with out a college degree youll get now where.i love my work but am getting burned out from owning a shop for 40 years my machine shop is at home.we mostly use it for are own use but do take in some outside work.dont want to sound uppity but its well eqquiped .sorry bad spelling.
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by Cougar5.0 »

midnightbluS10 wrote: Sat Jun 22, 2019 12:03 am
Walter R. Malik wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 1:08 pm Racers who work-on and actually make things for what they need to support their racer are not the norm today ... almost everywhere, it seems to be, "I can probably buy whatever I want".
It used to be the innovators were common racers ... those days are long past. It is a shame, really.
Its a shame because one group had no other choice than to make what they wanted? I'd bet heavily that it'd still be going on just the same if you couldn't just buy whatever you need now.

How exactly is it a shame that intelligence, technology and manufacturing have progressed past 1950s?

It's a shame they didn't have access to more and better parts without having to design and manufacture the parts themselves. See what I did there?
I had a similar response in mind. It was quite the pain finding parts and reputable fabricators, a lot of driving and frustration was involved.
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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

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prairiehotrodder wrote: Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:14 pm you gotta start somewhere. I have a good list of dumb things i've done.
Uhm. I still do dumb things :D
Always something i wanna try or do. Some work and some dont. Its a neverending story.


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Re: Ignorant young racers...is there any hope?

Post by Truckedup »

GARY C wrote: Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:57 am

Yes when it comes to bikes I am good enough to know I don't need to be on one... :) Learning to stop one in a panic situation does not come easy.
A smart man knows his limitations...Right now anyone with 12-20 grand can buy one of about 7 new bikes that can run's 9's at 150 MPH ...There's another maybe 15 models that can run 10's.For a lot less money there's dozens of used bikes with similar performace..This does require a very skilled rider to get off the line properly...Many who buy them are not so skilled and get killed...I'm at the age where one must slow down a bit on a bike to match the speed with aged reflexes...
With traction control turned off ,newer supercars can also be a handful if the throttle is used carelessly.. I imagine a 9 second older model drag car requires a lot of retraint on the street also...
Motorcycle land speed racing... wearing animal hides and clinging to vibrating oily machines propelled by fire
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