in response to kahnefreaks post, i like the idea of 602 crate, but that sealed motor obviously is not being used the way it was supposed to. when crates first came on the scene the rule was buy it, use it and when it blows up go buy another one. now you can have it rebuilt and i can tell you there are some pretty potent sounding , real fast crates out there. put the rule back to what it is supposed to be and car counts will increase. i have done lots of research into the crate, talked to a couple engine shops south of the border and both say the 602 would make 321 hp at the most, yet i hear guys up here talking in the 345-360 range ,makes one wonder , is it true or are they just bragging?
Don,
Crates are a nightmare. It's an explosive debate and no matter what the opinion is, it's never going to be 'equal'. This applies to all makes, not just the GM 602/604/525....
Nobody up here has a mobile dyno that's affordable to take to a Sat night race. To his credit, Brian Basset (Mosport) two years ago pulled three crate motors after a race, had them dyno'd at a shop.(Dwight Brown, Dan Kimmerly and Todd Delisle as I recall) But what he didn't do is release the results, which I in my opinion exacerbated the problem. All he stated was that they were legal.
Thayne,
I wasn't suggesting you don't work hard on your race car. But spending 600 to 800 dollars on exhaust from the manifolds back... well... come over to my shop and pay me that, I'll gladly take your money. Do your research in addition to working hard. There's NO way in hell you should be paying that kind of money for quality high performance parts required for an exhaust system. A complete Howe LLM exhaust including headers is available for $600 if you paid full list price for a Dodge or Ford. Chevrolet is of course cheaper. But as has already been said, mandrel piping isn't expensive and... and MAKE your own exhaust tabs ! Now *that* is working the midnight oil and saving money. Instruct your exhaust guy to do ZERO welding of the pipes, make the assemblies capable of always coming apart at the track as components. No wonder you're spending a fortune. You can buy a used Mig welder for half the cost you spent on your exhaust system.
And by the way, rebuilding shocks.....on a Thunder car?? you guys really are in LLM / LM territory - and a lot of tracks have banned rebuildable shocks for that class. That's the first thing I'd kill in the rule book....
Thayne,
I wasn't suggesting you don't work hard on your race car. But spending 600 to 800 dollars on exhaust from the manifolds back... well... come over to my shop and pay me that, I'll gladly take your money. Do your research in addition to working hard. There's NO way in hell you should be paying that kind of money for quality high performance parts required for an exhaust system. A complete Howe LLM exhaust including headers is available for $600 if you paid full list price for a Dodge or Ford. Chevrolet is of course cheaper. But as has already been said, mandrel piping isn't expensive and... and MAKE your own exhaust tabs ! Now *that* is working the midnight oil and saving money. Instruct your exhaust guy to do ZERO welding of the pipes, make the assemblies capable of always coming apart at the track as components. No wonder you're spending a fortune. You can buy a used Mig welder for half the cost you spent on your exhaust system.
And by the way, rebuilding shocks.....on a Thunder car?? you guys really are in LLM / LM territory - and a lot of tracks have banned rebuildable shocks for that class. That's the first thing I'd kill in the rule book....
My exhaust does come apart in pieces with no leaks...it is very well done....
The information you have for shocks......i don't know where you got it? Most tracks now allow the rebuild-able QA1's.....
You didn't read the paragraph regarding shocks clearly. I said for THAT class (LLM / LM). Many are now mandating specific shocks such as the Koni NON-rebuildable's or a price limit on shocks.
I don't think there is any place in this class for take-apart shocks. How do $1000 shocks improve racing over all compared to $55 a piece Pro SS shocks?