HOW TRUE!:checkered:

If you want to run a spec engine series, I believe that Legend Cars and the Ford Focus Midget Series are still accepting new competitors. There are many series available for those that want to run spec engines. :rolleyes:

The guys typically running for $1,300 to win a weekly show are generally not running a $40,000 to $60,000 motor. The motors they are running might have cost that brand new, but the locals are usually running a motor they bought from a traveling team (Outlaw, All Star, USAC) for between one half and one third the cost of a new engine. When we converted to Mopar we sold our 410 Chevy’s for anywhere between $12,500 and $18,000. They were all fresh, had no junk parts and produced between 765 and 790 HP. These engines could be run 20 to 25 nights before needing to be freshened and were still winning races and running up front with USAC the prior season.

The other wildcard on these spec sprint car engines is drivability. You can produce big Dyno numbers but many times you will sacrifice drivability. We found out long ago that unless you are at a track that you can flat foot, drivability is much more important than HP. Having a smooth torque curve will beat raw HP every time on a slick race track.

That being said a Sprint Car will whip a Silver Crown car every time in a head to head race. I have been to many 4 crowns in which the SC cars were running up to 2 seconds faster per lap in the feature but that was due to the rubber laid on the dirt track NOT the 355 engines. If a sprint car were on the same track we would be at least .5 seconds per lap faster.

Why don’t they run 410s in SC cars? Because to make HP takes fuel and most mechanics cannot tune their 410 engines for the fuel mileage required to run 100 miles. Thanks to advances in engine efficiency, it can be done safely but I don’t think you will see it happen with the weakened state of SC racing right now.

Rob Hoffman

i guess you don't like champ dirt car racing?

Duke is right about one thing the racing was better on the pavement back then. I think the lower horsepower made for better racing. But I do not agree with the spec engine rule for dirt sprint car racing. I still think if your spending 40,000.00 on a sprint engine you are crazy. Why not go buy a used one for more than half off. I have won more races with my old Don Ott that I bought off of a wing team and has less than 800 hp. I still think people are hurting themselves come race time with these killer engines unless they have TC which is what we need out of the sport more than spec engine rules. I also think that non wing racing is as good as it ever was from a fans perspective. I still believe a spec engine class would work for a support sprint car class.

Not questioning your knowledge but wouldn't you agree that the 410 is a spec engine that is unsupervised? The whole meaing of a limit is a spec to me and just a opinion that it alone drives up the cost just the same as if 454 were the limit then money would be spent hand over fist to get as much out of that too.

Respectfully
Chuck

The reason they don't run 410's in the Silver Crown Cars is because they won't make it 100 laps. They would have to do like Indy Cars and qualify with a good motor and change it to an enderance motor that would go 100 laps.
Still $18,000 for a used motor is still alot more that the $8,000 to $10,000 price of the spec motor.
Any of the old timers will tell you that a 350 ci will last forever no matter how hard you run it compared to the 410 ci.

Chuck,

There is supervision on the 410. Read the USAC and Outlaw rulebooks. The basic engine configuration and some parts are specified, but it allows you to modify and massage and innovate to maximize your package.

The Chevy Spec engine is just that; an engine that you plug in as a unit and cannot modify, enhance, improve or even fix yourself. That is not for me!!! If I see something that I think can be done better I want to be able "to build a better mousetrap" and keep that advantage to myself for as long as possible.

Rob who never takes offense to anyone respectfully stating his or her opinions while allowing me to respectfully state mine.

Rob Hoffman

rob do you build your mopar?

Thanks Rob, I do see many of your points both that a 410 could go 4 overhead cams and four valves per cylinder ect and thats where the rules come in.

Gaerte engines have done our engine work almost exclusively since 1987. I am not a "motor man" but I have made suggestions that have been incorporated into our engines. I have always been more preoccupied with chassis dynamics.

Rob HoffmanPosted via Mobile Device