Yes, Jerry, how does that happen?
Randy, I've been running in Stock Eliminator, building my own motors, for close to 40 years and, right now, before Jerry takes a shot at answering your question this morning, I'll mention a few things that people watching the sport may not realize. Twenty-five years ago Stock Eliminator builders were required to retain many OEM parts and specs within a particular engine combination and a big percentage of racers did their own engine work. Over the years, rules have been liberalized to the point that even the people who are knowledgeable and experienced are faced with an array of options that can lead one astray in short order. There are now quite a few professional builders who specialize in Stock Eliminator. Some examples of variables brought in through rules changes:
1. We were required to use OEM pistons. Now, for my own combination, there no less than eight companies producing pistons and each has a different theory on skirt design and ring land configuration and the only limiting factor is the design of the crown and rod/piston/pin/ring package total weight. A set of quality pistons costs well north of $1000.
2. We were required to use a camshaft with stock lift, duration, overlap. Now, duration and overlap are not regulated. The possibilities are staggering in terms of lobe design. A billet cam ground to spec is usually in the range of $350.
3. We were required to use stock lifters and OEM valve spring specs. Those areas are now unregulated. Ceramic-face lifters permit much heavier valve spring pressures. Oh yes, a set of ceramic-face lifters costs about $700.
4. Piston ring design is limited only by the width of the stock ring. Diamond-lapped ring spacers have opened the door on experimental ring designs. I've used ring packages that cost up to $600 for eight pistons and, recently, I heard that someone recently paid a little over $1000 for a set of rings.
5. The rules on cylinder head preparation were recently liberalized in terms of intake and exhaust runner volumes. Valve job specs, a long-time issue in teardown, can now legally provide a significant edge for someone who experiments by spending mega-hours on the flow bench while using up increasingly rare head cores.
6. Transmissions are now hand-built from non-OEM cases and configurations with a comprehensive list of possible ratio combinations. How much is a competitive Jerico or G-Force trans worth these days, Jerry?
7. Clutch design and configurations are endless and I won't even hazard an estimate of how much a state-of-the-art pressure plate and disk combination costs today.
8. Years ago, we commonly went to the junk yard to find a decent four-bolt block core and counted ourselves fortunate if we could snag an 010/020 casting core. Nowadays, it's simply a matter of stopping by the nearest GMPP source and picking up a CNC'd bowtie block. That can range from $2000 to $3500 depending on the extent of factory preparation and the advantage of thick, rigid cylinder walls makes it highly desirable if not essential.
9. Machine work for a race motor is a bargain at $2500 to prep a block. That would include: Align boring the mains, squaring the decks, lifter bore truing, boring, final honing, setting the final deck height after the mock-up assembly and a few more little tricks.
The items I've enumerated only scratch the surface. Add that to the fact that there is often a significant gap between dyno numbers and the E.T. slip. Even with modern data loggers and the latest fad, oxygen sensors, it takes a LOT of track time to take even a masterfully built Stock Eliminator engine/chassis combination to the limits of its potential. People with daily jobs and ordinary paychecks quickly find out how quickly any combination can drop out of the top echelon of performers in any class.
Now, Jerry, after the things I've enumerated, how would you respond to Randy's very logical questions?
Cheers, buddy!!! Congratulations on your accomplishments so far!! Let me know when you're in town.
c
