Need Advice on Low(er) Budget Race Build

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I do not see 10's with $2,000.00 for a budget.

I barely see 12's with that budget LOL.

It would be one thing if you already had a running and driving car and you had $2,000.00 to spend on go fast parts.

But alot of that $2,000.00 is going to be spent on the basics! you need an engine and trans for one....not to mention all the other stuff that will nickle and dime you like drive shaft,u-joints,torque converter,oil,filters,coolant,hoses,battery,gaskets and the list goes on and on and on and on and the $$$ adds up fast.

I just went through my pumped up 318 and I didnt spend any big machine shop money on it and its basically a mild 318 that I may be able to see 12's with and I went through $2,000.00 on the engine and some of the odds and ends to make it run and drive like it was nothing and I am STILL not done.

I understand wanting to stretch the dollar and making your ride fast but at the same time you have to think realistically about things.....to hit 10's and get everything it sounds like you need ...you would "realistically" need to bump your budget to the $5,000.00 mark atleast.

Just my .02
 
See now I'm gettin lots of ideas haha. Lots of critics too but thats what makes it fun haha
 
Slugger -- What type of car are you building? Year and make? I did my car really cheap from the get go and ran high 11's right out of the shoot. Car looked like hell but I was on the track in less than 3 months. for about $5K -- so if your have $2k to work with now I would say look at it as more of what you can get your hands on NOW that you know your will need. Find guys her on FABO who will trade parts with you? Or are selling stuff cheap just to get rid of it. Depending on what year and make your doing get in touch with me as I am turning my drag car back into a road warrior... so I have things I am getting rid off (fuel cell, racing seats, 5 pt belts etc, fiberglass parts, 456 SG, etc etc etc) This was how I managed to do it, bought as much as I could when I found a good price on it used. Then once your get it all done then you can worry about the high $$$ ticket items.

Trust me blowing you whole pocket on a motor that sits in the corner for a year or so gets depressing. But buying things that will allow you to keep working on the car keeps you motvated. (Ie seats, fuel cell, lexan windows, fiberglass etc....Y because all these parts need to be installed)
 
Totally unrealistic ET given the budget. He doesn't have a drivetrain.

I don't understand all these "I want 10s but I don't have any money" threads.

Honestly….. With that drivetrain budget even if you do scratch together some parts nothing will be solid or reliable.

You will be lucky to get a few weeks of racing out of it before the car is broke and rotting under a blue tarp in the back yard because you can't afford to fix it.
 
moper said:
The safety equipment is going to use up that $2K. Need a dated seat belt, cage or bar, wheel studs, driveshaft loop, SFI flexplate, SFI balancer, plus the usual goodies like the fuel system, slicks, etc. Or is that a seperate part of the budget?
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Please explain the SFI flex plate and balancer.
 
efriedrich said:
Please explain the SFI flex plate and balancer.
Click to expand...


Rules require parts that will not explode/fly apart once you reach a given ET. Injuries are bad for the sport. They don't want your feet full of holes or a 4 year old in the stands getting hit with you balancer when it comes apart and goes flying off your track.
 
Got a 66 Valiant Signet coupe. 1968, I wasn't saying I was going to buy the whole dang thing now. I was trying to get an idea what kind of start I could get with a $2k budget for the time being. I'm trying to get ideas as to what routes people are going and what kind of results they are getting out of it. I'm not asking for a way to spend $2k on an engine and be out racing 9s in 2 weeks, just what people are doin, how it turned out, and what's the least expensive way to get semi-acceptable results.
 
slugger, well from reading the posts above I think most racers would tell you to to start saving more money. Honestly if you planning a build over a couple years then spend the money on what ever part you are working on today. The safety and sfi regulations could change by the time you actually get close to being on the track. Like everything else if you thinks its costly now, wait a couple years and you'll be kicking yourself for not buying it now when it was cheaper. Good luck to you!
 
Slugger8985 said:
The all-too-familiar predicament. Looking to run 10s on a budget. Small block or Big block? Any ideas?
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For a track only car I'd start looking for a running 440/727 combo out of a C body or motorhome, if it runs good throw in fresh rod & main bearings, MP .509 cam and springs, RPM manifold w/800-850 DP and 2" fenderwell headers, we ran this combo in a friends 70 Dart for years with a 10" TA converter and 3.91's w/26" slicks. It would run 11.60's on motor and 10.90's with a 125hp powershot fixed plate.

It was an untouched longblock except for the cam/springs and had 95-105psi cranking psi.

The current motor is a 446, ross flat tops 0 deck, 915 heads w/2.14/1.81's, 284/.528 solid, RPM intake 850 DP, pro parts headers and 3" exhaust, same converter and gear, 27" radials and runs 11.0's@121 on pump gas.
 
I have found a few C body 440 blocks around town but they've been garbage. Seems like the only ones I've run into are numbers matching with the car and the guy selling it didn't want to separate the motor from the car (understandbly). Drags are in town this weekend and I actually just came from there and was talking to a few of the guys that were runnin Demons and Dusters with 340s and they were runnin some good numbers. They said that parts could get costly runnin sb though. Keep them ideas comin!!!
 
Highly motivated now. Drag races are in town and I'm itchin to get after it. Haven't seen a single Val in any classes run which is disappointing, but cool at the same time. I think that's what I'm most excited for is that they're just not known to be real racie cars so it'll be fun to have somethin that kinda sticks out.
 
I don't like to rain on anyones parade...but Really :rolleyes: 10's for $2000

just pop in the 10 second thread for a min.
 
Just a start to a 10. Not the WHOLE thing haha. I am fully aware that the whole 9 yards for a 10 sec car are gonna be well over $10k. Just a good start on it is what I'm askin for ideas on.
 
First of all, if you are going with a 66 a-body a 440 will be a nightmare to intstall and work on. And unless you're going to go with a $10K back-half and big rubber, it's very impratical to say the least. AND very nose heavy.

You can do a stock 318 and 3.23 open gears and maybe get in the 14's. You can do a warmed up MILD 360 and a 3.91 sure grip and get it into the 12's pretty easy at that weight.

I can tell you from MANY years of experience, it's much more fun to get the car "done" at a given stage and go play with it. You can always upgrade/go faster as your time and money allow. Many projects have been "planned" and the owner gets in over his head (either mechanically or financially) and loses interest.

If I were starting with nothing but a stock 66 Valiant (cool car, by the way!) I'd tie the frames, add an 8 3/4 with a 3.91 sure grip (or mini-spool for cheap) build a pump gas friendly 360/904 with a 10-11" converter, decent hydraulic cam, air gap intake, 750 Holley and have a deadly consistant bracket car that would be very streetable, even with the 8x26 tires you're going to be limited to. The fuel and ignition system can be very basic and still accomolish this goal. If you have $2000 in your hand and the car doesn't need alot of body work, that will almost do a complete rolling car (if you shop wisely) and be ready for a motor. But I would focus on the car first; it doesn't do any good to spend that first chunk of dough on motor stuff and have no where to put it.

I'm currently doing a 69 Dart street/stripper on the cheap. It will have a 408/904/8 3/4 and I fully expect to be in the mid 11's in street trim for less than $6500 total. I could actually spend about the same and do a 440 and get real close to 10.90's, but I'm more into the small block thing lately...
 
After the drags came through Topeka this weekend I'm ready to do just about anything to get goin. Amped up and motivated as always!!!
 
First thing first.
Get the car on the road first ,and make it dependable enough to go get a coffee and bullshit with other people on a friday night.
Find someone with a ten second car on the street and ask him how much his car cost him and then you will be looking at this in reality.

If i where you i would take the $2000.00 and go find your self a cheap dart with a 318 in it or any mopar , that has not been messed with by anyone.
There are some really nice cars out there for $1500 to $2000 grand.
 
I'll finaly chime in and agree with T67 for a start. Since your currently gutting the car, it sounds like your on your way to a base package, a roller. A perfect first step.

Once you get that roller set up for an engine, a big block would be easiest IMO to achieve the goal. What is the car again? (Sorry)


Good luck and have fun.
 
1966 Plymouth Valiant Signet 100. My hopeful car was a 67 Belvedere but I figured for my idea that the lightest possible car would be the best, hence the Val. I've got a gallery of it when I first picked it up and a few on the progress if you click on Gallery List on here. I need to catch up on the photos I'm way ahead of what I got on there right now but if you wanted to take a gander that's what I'm workin with.
 
Many years ago, I picked up a Duster roller,already tubbed with 1 3/4 fenderwell headers and I had a bunch of "stocker" 440 six-pack stuff laying around, .020 over stock cast pistons, stock rods, stock crank, stock blueprinted 906 heads and used a stock cheater hydraulic stock lift Cam Dynamics cam, 727, tm7 intake and 850 d.p., a T.A. 069J converter 4.56 gear 12x31 slick and ran 11.00's to 11.10's . Actually once it got in the 10's on a cool October night ,like high 10.90's. 3000 lbs with me in it. Very cheap engine back then, but could duplicate it now for about that much. I read a Mopar magazine back then where one of the left coast guru's built a 10 sec 440 duster using a 509 cam and I was intrigued enough to try it.
 
Hello slugger, excellent choice of vehicle! I just had a look at your gallery pics.
We didnt get 2door mopars in australia untill 68, Im green with envy.

And im sick of being tolled pre-67 A bodys handle shite with a BB!

Its a myth! I have a 65 valiant with a 440, cast iron heads, intake, exhaust mans, and pump housing, and its steady as a rock.
It drives fine, when its fitted with radial tyers it has heaps of turn-in and corners pretty well under 80mph.

To me there is no such word as can't, so go for it!
Oh and if you use a B rather than an RB you can use off the shelf hooker fenderwell headers in your 66, :) Just a thought
 
I reached 10.90's with a stock bodied 70 Duster in 2001 and had 9 grand in it. It still needed a paint job. I scrounged and looked for parts on the cheap for two years. It had a basically stock short block with l2355f speeed pro forged pistons, a custom ground racer brown cam, a port matched torker. a set of heavily modified 906 heads, a heavily massaged 850 DP, fenderwell headers, a 4500 loose converter, 430 suregrip. and a 125 hp nitrous set up. I would guess that to do this today even with scrounging would cost 30 percent more. I blew it up before I had a chance to tune it out. Had i had the chance I bet I could have gotten it to run 10.60!!
 
That sounds like a nice setup. I'm still lookin around for parts right now. I actually just got shipped back from Marine Corps OCS in Quantico, VA. I was runnin and tore my knee al up and just had surgery so I'm gonna be laid up for awhile.
 
If you're a good trader and smart parts shopper 2k can get a lot of stuff, I don't know of anyone who makes glass fenders for a 66, VFN makes a hood and front bumper, since you're on a budget forget that, don't run a hood or a front bumper...All tracks don't have NHRA tech inspections (my 2 local tracks don't).. It's like the one guy said, good used parts except for bearings, gaskets and rings...
 
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