I'm probably going to be picking up my 4th fbody soon. I don't own one currently and am really looking to hold on to this one long term. But I am torn between finding a ttop 6spd and restoring it to like new condition with H/C/I setup for weekend cruising and such or just building an all out hardtop, auto track specific car I can go wild on.

My question is have any of you moved over to a track only car? If so, do you regret it? I mean I know we all love cruising and we all love racing but if you had it to do over again would you?

 

I had a street car, made it into a street strip car. It was too slow to run the track cars and not comfy enough to use as a street car anymore, so I sold it and got a zo6 and bought a roller so now I have a street car and will have a track car. Best way to do it

 

Lol yeah that's the best way. Unfortunatly I just don't have room. I've already got 2 trucks and a boat plus girlfriends car. Finding room for 1 more care will be hard enough, 2 ain't happening.

 

Nope don't regret it at all. You can build a rather quick street/strip F-body. Mine would run 9's at the track and still take it out cruising 100-200 miles on weekends.

 

With regards to my truck, yes I somewhat regret it. I've done some pretty cool things with it as a race car......but really miss the days of loading up for a local cruise/hangout.

The truck was the first brand new car I had ever bought. Besides winning the ls1 truck shootout in 2014 and being the only 99+ procharged truck to run 8's and 9's and also being the first to run in the 10's and 11's with procharged power, the most fun I ever had with the truck was when it was in street form around 800 rwhp with satalite radio and ac. I'd do these local cruises and beat up some vettes on the highway. It was also nice being able to take others for a ride. With it being a race car now, I can only describe to my friends and family what it feels like with so much power now. I'd really like to be able to share that feeling with them but can't. It's just nothing that I can put into words that they can understand.

 

No regrets. If I cant race it I don,t want it. I bought it as a street car too. I make 100 plus passes a year and love it. If I want to drive on the street my truck drives much better. My wife bought a 99 Z28 3 years ago to drive. She now has no interest to drive on the street just race it every week. I think she is worse than me.

 

Mine was a 6 speed H/C/I street car, and then I started the long and slow process of turning it into an 8 second track car. I don't regret it at all. For me, I am just too addicted to speed. Feeling my car plant almost 1000whp off the line to 1.2X sixty foots is a feeling that you will never forget. Now that I have experienced it, driving around 11 or 12 second street cars is just boring to me. I have a cam/stall/bolt-on AWD TBSS, probably a high 12 second truck, and I can literally watch my laptop while tuning when doing WOT runs. It's that boring. lol. In the 8 second car however, you cannot look at a SINGLE thing while in the middle of a run, except the road in front of you. My buddy will ask me, "Hey, what was your boost and afr on that last run." Im like, I have no idea, I will have to check the logs, because I was only looking at the road. I am proud to say that my Firebird scares me every time I drive it, and that is exactly what I wanted out of it.

 

For me, I do miss the street car thing. I would not go back to AC and 17" rims but I went a bit to far on the last motor build and the maintenance gets old and its to loud to drive around.

I am working on a quieter exhaust, but I feel that I may need to re do the heads and cam to get it down to a high hp hyd roller setup

 

I'd rather build a street car that you can drive to the track. Only cuz racing is expensive, I cant afford to run a drag only car anymore. Sold the tow truck, still have a tow vehicle but will need to buy a trailer. Need time to go racing too, there is never enough of that, and never enough money to make it just a little faster.

I have my 69 nova drag car that has runs 9's before, but cars have gotten so fast now I need to do another engine for it or there is really no point in racing it. I was thinking of trying to convert it back to a street car but I think it would be smarter to trade somebody or sell it.

So your question about regrets? If I had more money, no. Cuz I live like this, yes.

 

$ometimes I do, most other times I don't. You know what I mean.

 

Yup like said above, once your car gets to a certain point it exceeds your ability to fund it without stress.

For me it was fine to save 1-3k for a winter upgrade, then drive all summer and have fun. Now it's a constant drain and when **** brakes it's $1000 lifters $2000 for valves $4300 for a trans.


It's beyond my means so I am enjoying it less and less

 

Hmmmm. I never thought about the maintenance angle. That's true, buying parts is one thing, constantly rebuying them is another.

 

Also the bad part of racing your street car is when it breaks you don't have anything to take to car shows and cruises and then if you don't have the spare cash to fix a blown motor, trans, rear, etc really sets ya back. Of course a 8/9 sec street car is a lot different than 10/11 in terms of cost and maintanence

 

That's what shoe polish racing is for. Heads up racing is for the few that can afford it. You will never beat cubic$.

 

When you use the term "race car" or "track car"... are you actually going to campaign the car/compete with it, within the rules for your chosen class, weekly...

...or are you looking to have an eye-candy car to take to the track for a test and tune night, just to make noise and smoke? (which is all well and good)

Regardless of how you're racing, as other have said... money is all that racing is. Spend a little or a lot.

If you go the street route with h/c/i... still a lot of money... still will need supporting mods for drivetrain, suspension, and brakes.

Whatever you do, make sure you make the decision soundly so you don't regret how the money was spent....what will you enjoy the most with your time spent doing it?

 

My ss is far too nice to me to go beyond where it is now. I always got booted from the track and had 6 speed problems with it. So I bought another more drag oriented car that is street legal. My ss used to be my daily driver and I started to slowly hate it over time. Jerky clutch, loud rear end whine, noise trans, no a/c which I don't really mind we have fairly cool climate here. My only regret is trying to run 9s with a 6 speed and wasting time doing the h/c/I exhaust and all that n/a build stuff. Go straight turbo even with the stock engine and never look back. Now my biggest problem is having 2 cars and I only have time for one.

 

"I'd rather have a fast street car than a slow race car"

 

"Fastest way to become a millionaire.... is to be a billionaire and start racing"

 

I bought my 96 in 99. 28,000 miles and bone stock. Was my DD for a while. Mine quit seeing much street time when I put the 9 inch with the spool in it. I then bought my 02 to still have one to drive around and play with.
But as said before there comes a point where it is not logical to keep on driving it all the time. Mine is still street legal but doesnt get much of it. When you start swaping comfort for weight reduction you get tired of driving it. However i wished I had bought a roller or something ragged out and kept my now 80,000 mile car mostly stock and a 6 speed.

 

You get to drive a fast street car way more than a fast track car.