one thing i have learned, the faster you go, the more work you have to do on the car.

This hobby is not for everyone, and yes it is a lot fo work and always seems to be a lot of money also.

IF you really want to keep racing, maybe slow your car down, or just deal with it or quit.

I have spent more money that i ever have in the last 2 years ....is it worth it to me?? YES

Whatever you decide, its what makes you happy.

It does make it easier that i do almost all my work, and paint and body are what i do

Well, everyone is different. Come back when you're ready.

"Sustainability of the activity" can be hard to figure out, and what works for awhile can suddenly fall apart later and turn impossible.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

I do as much as I can myself, but I don't demand it be done yesterday or to a level of absolute perfection in every detail.
"Really good" is the overall level I enjoy being at the most. I'm not there anymore, but I used to be there back when I drove my '68 Charger everyday.
"Seriousness of the Effort" is another variable that sometimes requires an ego vs. time vs. money check to get things aligned.

Yep.. what Tony said , thats why I slow my car down from 10.70s to 11.50s .. leave at 2,000 shift at 6500 easier on parts and $$$ and much more competitive for the classes I run. I am making just about as much hp ( 4 hp less ) with my 9.5 to 1 pump gas 410 inch small block and 70 more lbs of torque than I did with my race gas 11.5 to 1 motor. I used to run a faster class and chase E.T.s always looking to go faster , I had another 408 inch small block that wasn't reliable and eventually cracked the crank and kept breaking rockers rather than spend the money to fix it I sold it as is for a good price, With a roller cam , good rockers and more compression it had the potential to run in the nines . Based on my finances it wasn't feasible to do , just fixing it was going to be several grand. My operation still wasn't cheap but its with in my financial means and I get enjoyment and round wins out of it . In my case going slower is just as much fun.

If you followed Seinfeld, one episode was about the "Summer of George". This was supposed to be my "Summer", then a 2 week vacation in the hospital and now the summer is over for me. Free time on my hands and now a low budget project '65 Dart retro SS/ car that's streetable( Mopar 590 cam, ported heads, 904 and the original AFB. Track only cars are not practical for me anymore. A little street racing is more fun. I'm using up all my shelf parts and hope to keep the $ low. Not to add to your NY problems, they have now outlawed wood burning stoves for this heating season. You need a change in Albany.

I haven't owned anything actually fast but a bunch of my friends have, and I've asked all of them if they had to do it over again where they would stop on the enjoyment/price/pain in the butt scale, and most of them had the same answer - somewhere in the 10's/9's depending on the motor and how much the car weighed. Beyond that for typical street strip stuff, especially n/a or nitrous, it seems the maintenance starts going up dramatically and it also gets exponentially more expensive to go faster. About the only exceptions now are some of the 8.50-ish turbo LS's in generic wrappers like Mustangs, they seem to be relatively low maintenance and still are decent on the street.

One of my friends has owned a couple outlaw 632/LDR style cars that were competitive in our local heads up series. He has to have 3x the total investment in his current car and it's only 3-4 tenths quicker in the 8th. But if you're aiming for the top of a heads up class, there isn't any way to do it besides spending money.

The other thing that helps is focusing on one car. Just the thought of 2 race cars and building a 3rd sounds like a recipe for burnout, and it's hard with limited time/resources to give all of them the attention they deserve. They never hurt getting pushed in the corner though, they'll always be waiting for you if the motivation comes back!

Thinking of getting out....of New York.

Fixed it for you.

Bad year for me too.

First outing of year, car was on rails. Won. I remember thinking "man this might be a pretty good year!

The the rain started, didn't run for a month, then first race after the monsoon season I have an electrical problem. Didn't make first round.

Then more rain.....

Then Memorial Day weekend my $350 starter decides to let me hanging in the Semi's of Sunday race......

Then a few weeks later I try to make a quick 16 field. 2 passes and didn't qualify. $150 travel and entry for 2 passes.

Then too hot to race. 100 Degrees....Um not anymore.

Then next race when it cooled down to a comfortable 95 degrees and track finally got hot I developed a spinning problem.

Buy a new set of slicks for $800. freaking 3 inches larger than the marked rollout. Car slows down.....

Then 4th of July weekend towing home I lose the lockup in my 48re transmission.

Still on lift with trans scattered all over garage. $800 converter, $700 rebuild kit, $800 input shaft, $200 stator tube, and $300 worth of sensors and fluid.

Might get the truck fixed this week and not even try to go to the races for awhile lol.

But knowing my stubborn *ss I won't quit!

Dragula,

Definitely some solid advice or feedback in this thread. Your dilemma is almost identical to a friend of mine’s. He is juggling two different cars, and trying to make both into fast street/strip cars. He is quickly growing tired of the endless expenses and frustration associated with owning two cars. His real issue is he gets in a hurry, makes mistakes that cost him time, and money resulting in constant do-overs. I told him to make one a dedicated race car and make changes to the other to make it a mild pump gas street car and never take it back to the track LOL. I believe he is finally going to make some changes so it’ll be interesting to see what happens. Good luck with your decision.

Then next race when it cooled down to a comfortable 95 degrees and track finally got hot I developed a spinning problem.

I've heard several other's that have been having similar issues as of late. Not sure if they changed something with the prep or are over prepping, but be prepared to fight that issue.

Also wonder why you weren't at the last Q16 race as it was STUPID hot and the bump was only a 6.23.

I'm sure I'll see you at the next street race

Like said before, you've had way more trouble w/ that hemi than anyone should have. No reason that engine should be having so many problems.
Sounds like your biggest issue is where you live. There's a reason people are fleeing that area.
Having more than one car just adds to the frustration when you're getting burnt out. I know it has w/ me...hence the reason I'm thinning the herd. I've gotten rid of 3 project cars in the past year. Still have one to go.
Time means more than money, have to prioritize.

Like moparracer I have had little things go wrong too .. second round of pro dial a month ago I am 003 on the tree to my opponents 030 shift second gear the car lays over.. my fuel pressure regulator went bad ( I tried to adjust it earlier and somehow managed to make it past first round ) to add to the pain I would have had the bye next round based on my r.t.. Over the winter I replaced my exhaust with a TTI "H" pipe after spending $400 for it and had the collector ends welded for a few more bucks.. I start hearing noises under the car , since my car sits so low the mufflers were hitting my driveshaft I had to replace last year after breaking one at another race. I was able to finagle the hangers temporarily to get them away from the driveshaft but they still hit a little.i have since had the muffler end of the pipe bent to move the mufflers further away seems to be ok now. its always something . but I keep going. About the only trouble free vehicle I race is my low 15 second D150 I put new drag radials on this year and its been deadly consistent , I have raced it about four times so far this year with zero problems , it actually has way more eliminator and round wins than the Dart and its Won two First place show trophies one at a Mopar show and another at a truck show recently...still not as fun as the Dart though!

My heads up car has been sitting for three years with my Keith Black B1 headed 572 already installed with the ATI powerglide I built already bolted to it. Heck the driveshaft is even all bolted in. At 68 and racing allow I’m too old and beat up to play the nitrous heads up game so it sits. I just came back free m a three day big money race that my small block duster ran 6.005-6.03 over three race days. I took the hood off for the first time in 8 races to check the fluids on my 4 years old engine. The only thing I do on race day is add alcohol and check the slicks air pressure. I’ll rebuild both my Indy headed 422 and Edelbrock headed 408 this winter and hopefully be set for years. Working on my dodge truck and motorhome is starting to get to me and I’m going to have to start paying someone else to do those repairs on jobs I hate. I just did rear parking brakes, new disk brakes, tailpipe and resonator on my 3/4 ton dodge in 90-95 degree weather in my gravel driveway and it about killed me. If I want to continue into my 70’s racing I gotta stop doing those trips of jobs. Building a new powerglide today and hopefully get it installed for Michael Beards three day big money race at keystone. It sure would be nice to have a lift but my garage can’t handle one. Ohhh hopefully the head up car will one day make some bracket races but we shall see.

I had the same thought... too easy to get drawn & quartered by spreading yourself too thin across multiple vehicles to maintain.

being in my 70's and finally getting my charger back together and running, it makes me feel [kind'a] young again.
however, being roughly two hours away from any track, and on a fixed income plus some health issues that make me pretty intolerable to heat, i'm considering a "dragy" device.
that way, i could get out to a local stretch of semi-deserted/seldom used road, and make a pass or two occasionally.
better than nothing, i guess.......

Thin the herd and concentrate on one car. Keep the one that makes you the happiest sell the rest Its just stuff

You're not wrong....Lost a lot of time and money of the last couple of engines. Hopefully I learned somthing and the new one should run good and last..The wiring bit me and melted down under the hood and all needs replaced.



Yeah, I like the little collection I have....And it is very easy to get side tracked. I will just keep collecting parts and get everything together at a later date I guess.

Its supposed to be fun... if its not then take a break and try other stuff.

There are alot of things to do in life so do whatever makes you happy.

I've heard a smart fella mention that most folks start to lose interest in racing after about 15 years and only a few hang on for longer. Seems pretty accurate.

We have cut back this year - I simply dont enjoy racing when its 90 and miserable hot anymore.

Well if 15 years is the preverbal limit for racing, I am way past that! Closer to 30 years I think....ouch!

This guy may be smart at some thing but that’s a stupid comment. I’m at 48 years and no guys with many more than I.

I ama firm believer in if something no longer brings you joy to let it go personally Clearly the cars are not doing it for you. But parking and ignoring them won't cost anything except possibly maintenance when you go back