LaFrance does a lot of cool stuff even with his "conventional" cars.  The sport needs more guys like him.

http://www.dougsdirtdiary.com/gallery/photos/medium/00038155/z6.jpg

paying too much for parts you have to order out of a catalog because you can't find them in a junk yard anymore is what sucks.  I spent a saturday morning in a junk yard a couple weeks ago pulling a 9" rear out of an LTD for my street stock.  It wasn't bad.  I may have actually enjoyed it a little.  Saved myself about $500 when it's all said an done too. 

i like this thread.  I've been preaching stock sheet metal since 1990.     AND IT IS NOT EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN A STOCK BODY.  $300 for a junk car -  $200 Scrap value = $100 for a hood, trunk, roof, 2 doors, 2 quarters, and 2 fenders.  And if you're really old school, yeah you also get bumper covers.  You can't even buy a "spruce up special" from Performance Bodies for your "IMCA Mod" for $100.

when I win the lotto - here's what I'll do. 

Buy a piece of property that has a closed down race track on it.  resurface the orginal layout and breathe some life into a piece of history.  This surface will be opened up weekly and water will be put down and the track will be resealed and worked in.  The surface will be so tacky that it will still suck the shoes off your feet at the end of the night of racing. 

We'll run two classes. 

A street STOCK class that is open to any rear wheel drive car.  Any year, any manufacturer, any engine, any fuel delivery system.  All parts must be stock and in stock location including the body.  You weld in a roll cage, add a fuel cell, and you race. Tires must be DOT legal.  No BS if it's not stock, it's not legal. 

The other class will be a Modified class.  These rules will be simple.  Any OEM part is allowed.  Any combination of any OEM parts is allowed.  May mix and match manufactuers.  All parts must have OEM part number and can be ordered over the counter from a dealership.  No aftermarket parts and no racing parts. Any Tire.  Any stock 2 wheel drive frame or unibody.   Bodies must be stock roof and quarter panels. 

Hey Bob Johnson....I know you've been on the property and talked to the land owner where the South Seneca speedway is located.  Based on the satellite images it appears that the track is still in form.  What's keeping a lap from being turned there?  Even if it were just a couple select guys running some hot laps.  I wonder the same thing about the track in Whitesville.  Is it just crazy enough to be a possibility???

I've posted here before about using S-10, dakota, and ranger frames.  I think its a great idea and it would allow for more variety in the class.  Ive been kicking around the idea of building a car using a late 90's crown vic frame since they have a parallel 4 link rear and watts link set up.  I think those frames are good candidates also.

I agree with using stock bodies too.  I saw some pictures of a metric chassis with a late 90's 2 door Grand prix stock body on it.  It looked awesome.

I've yet to get a good answer back from anyone why you couldn't just take an average of the torque and HP of 3 pulls on the dyno to tech the engines.  If it's above a set number, it's illegal.  That should work whether there are seals on the engine or not.  My fear is that the seals get used as a crutch, meaning - If you look and the seals are on the motor then it must be legal no further inspection required.  Thats the same kind of logic as I read it on the internet so it must be true.

Clint and Todd are right.  No one ever seems to learn from past experience.  They killed off the old superstock class and went to the 360 LM rules, which cost twice as much to get on the track. Now the street stock class is pretty damn close to what the old superstock class was.  Why didn't we just save everyone the time, effort, and money and keep the rules the same 8 years ago?  We don't even have a street car class anymore, unless you want to consider the FWD class.  I still believe that the biggest problem with the street stock class is that the metric chassis is a freaking dinosaur.  You pretty much are forced to buy purpose built racing parts to fit those chassis because you can't pull a 1983 Monte Carlo out of a hedgerow for parts anymore.  And when is the last time you saw an old Malibu?  I've said it before and I guess I'll say it again - there needs to be a set of rules that will allow you to take a rear wheel drive street car (for example a 1996 camaro), knock the glass out of it, weld in a cage, and go race.