Backhalving?

He wants a low 10 second car. He could cheaply and easily set up an A-body to do that with 10 inch tires. What if his first engine combo runs 12s? I've seen it happen many times..."oh it's got this and this and this, will run easy 10s" and you finally see it run and it's a 12.50 car. It might take a year to sort out his combination so it's even close to running what he wants, power wise. Why spend 5-7 grand tubbing the car before it's even fast?

Cal tracs and 10" slicks can be put on the car in a couple hours, then unbolted and sold for a good amount after you upgrade. To me it's a no brainer. Start simple and upgrade as you need it.