On 11/19/2014 2:09 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 10:38:40 -0600, amdx wrote:

On 11/18/2014 5:24 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 18 Nov 2014 17:15:05 -0500, Poco Loco
wrote:

* If you spend it on gasoline, your money will go to the Arabs.



That is not really true these days. The US is very close to Carter's
goal of making the US energy independent. The only glitch is oil
itself, overall, with nat gas exports, we are "net" energy
independent. The Keystone pipeline would actually make us a net energy
exporter again.

That fact is not lost on the arabs and it is apparent at the pump
today.

Actually when I look at who plays ball these days, that is not a "buy
American" plan either.
Go to a NASCAR race !

Several years ago before Toyata was part of Nascar there was debate
on the whether a Japanese car should be allowed. The cars used as models
for Nascar stock cars then were the Chevrolet Monte Carlo built in
Canada, the Ford Fusion built Mexico and the car in question was the
Camry built in Tennessee.
Mikek


PS. I could have some facts wrong but the point that is, both the Ford
and Chevy were built in other countries and the Camry was built in the US.


NASCAR has virtually nothing to do with real cars. They use a custom
body with a shape "inspired" by a production car but there is nothing
but the logo that is actually common between them.
These things are built more like airplanes than cars


That's why they don't call 'em 'stock cars' anymore...

On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:46:05 -0500, KC wrote:

NASCAR has virtually nothing to do with real cars. They use a custom
body with a shape "inspired" by a production car but there is nothing
but the logo that is actually common between them.
These things are built more like airplanes than cars


That's why they don't call 'em 'stock cars' anymore...

===

Interesting point. When did they stop calling it stock car racing?

On 11/19/2014 8:06 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:46:05 -0500, KC wrote:

NASCAR has virtually nothing to do with real cars. They use a custom
body with a shape "inspired" by a production car but there is nothing
but the logo that is actually common between them.
These things are built more like airplanes than cars


That's why they don't call 'em 'stock cars' anymore...

===

Interesting point. When did they stop calling it stock car racing?


Wow, good question... I think sometime back in the 80's. If you want to
see something closer to "stock cars" there are several new forms of
racing designed to be more limited in modifications, such as the truck
racing and local stuff like "late model sportsman" divisions. Like I
said, many of these are more limited in order to allow folks to race
that don't have a quarter million a week for an engine..

On 11/19/2014 8:06 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:46:05 -0500, KC wrote:

NASCAR has virtually nothing to do with real cars. They use a custom
body with a shape "inspired" by a production car but there is nothing
but the logo that is actually common between them.
These things are built more like airplanes than cars


That's why they don't call 'em 'stock cars' anymore...

===

Interesting point. When did they stop calling it stock car racing?


I think the original era of true stock car racing ended in the early
70's. That's when all kinds of rules, regulations, and restrictions
began to become imposed.

I liked it in it's original days. A 390 ci or 427 ci Ford Galaxie was
pretty much what you could buy at the dealership. Same with the 426
hemi "elephant" used in the Plymouths and the 421 ci Pontiac designed
specifically for the stock car racing circuit.

No interest in today's NASCAR racing. It's all about the drivers now,
not the cars.

Well, maybe except for Danica Patrick. :-)

NASCAR racing got it's start from the moonshine runners of the 30's.

On 11/20/2014 1:13 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:53:38 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 11/19/2014 8:06 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:46:05 -0500, KC wrote:

NASCAR has virtually nothing to do with real cars. They use a custom
body with a shape "inspired" by a production car but there is nothing
but the logo that is actually common between them.
These things are built more like airplanes than cars


That's why they don't call 'em 'stock cars' anymore...

===

Interesting point. When did they stop calling it stock car racing?


I think the original era of true stock car racing ended in the early
70's. That's when all kinds of rules, regulations, and restrictions
began to become imposed.

I liked it in it's original days. A 390 ci or 427 ci Ford Galaxie was
pretty much what you could buy at the dealership. Same with the 426
hemi "elephant" used in the Plymouths and the 421 ci Pontiac designed
specifically for the stock car racing circuit.

No interest in today's NASCAR racing. It's all about the drivers now,
not the cars.

Well, maybe except for Danica Patrick. :-)

NASCAR racing got it's start from the moonshine runners of the 30's.


Danica probably got more women watching than anything since the racy
Jeff Gordon posters.
Actually the only person I know with a full height Gordon poster is a
gay guy in the neighborhood ... but I am not judging ;-)

My wife will still watch a NASCAR race if Danica is running.
We record it and blast through most of it tho.

Back in the 60s, my 327 325HP slid under a class line that made me
very competitive. With a 456 rear end I was running with just about
anything but a 440 Dodge and some of the 426 Hemis. They were still
not in my class. If they had tall gears, they couldn't catch me in a
quarter. About 105-108 I ran out of RPMs and the valves started to
float.
Next time I went with 308 in my Corvette on a special order and it
would do a solid 145 with a stopwatch in measured miles. The speedo
was 160+. I was also getting 25 MPG or more if I could keep my foot
put of it. That didn't happen much tho.
They really didn't have a speed limit on the beltway in those days, at
least not at night.


The old muscle cars from the 60's really make you realize how refined
cars are today, both in their engines and in their suspension/handling
systems. That said though, there's still something really cool about
the relatively low RPM, high torque engines of the muscle car era.

The '69 Charger I had originally had a tired 383 ci. It needed a valve
job and rings and most of the time only ran on 6 or 7 cylinders. I took
it to a speed shop garage who's owner was into racing and they replaced
it with a rebuilt 440 ci that had a mild cam in it along with other
performance items including electronic ignition. They also rebuilt the
transmission and installed a "shift kit" whatever that is. Turned that
car into a beast as long you were going in a straight line.

On Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:13:01 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:53:38 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 11/19/2014 8:06 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:46:05 -0500, KC wrote:

NASCAR has virtually nothing to do with real cars. They use a custom
body with a shape "inspired" by a production car but there is nothing
but the logo that is actually common between them.
These things are built more like airplanes than cars


That's why they don't call 'em 'stock cars' anymore...

===

Interesting point. When did they stop calling it stock car racing?


I think the original era of true stock car racing ended in the early
70's. That's when all kinds of rules, regulations, and restrictions
began to become imposed.

I liked it in it's original days. A 390 ci or 427 ci Ford Galaxie was
pretty much what you could buy at the dealership. Same with the 426
hemi "elephant" used in the Plymouths and the 421 ci Pontiac designed
specifically for the stock car racing circuit.

No interest in today's NASCAR racing. It's all about the drivers now,
not the cars.

Well, maybe except for Danica Patrick. :-)

NASCAR racing got it's start from the moonshine runners of the 30's.


Danica probably got more women watching than anything since the racy
Jeff Gordon posters.
Actually the only person I know with a full height Gordon poster is a
gay guy in the neighborhood ... but I am not judging ;-)

My wife will still watch a NASCAR race if Danica is running.
We record it and blast through most of it tho.

Back in the 60s, my 327 325HP slid under a class line that made me
very competitive. With a 456 rear end I was running with just about
anything but a 440 Dodge and some of the 426 Hemis. They were still
not in my class. If they had tall gears, they couldn't catch me in a
quarter. About 105-108 I ran out of RPMs and the valves started to
float.
Next time I went with 308 in my Corvette on a special order and it
would do a solid 145 with a stopwatch in measured miles. The speedo
was 160+. I was also getting 25 MPG or more if I could keep my foot
put of it. That didn't happen much tho.
They really didn't have a speed limit on the beltway in those days, at
least not at night.

There are some motorcyclists here who still believe that - day or
night. A pack will take off from one exit, and whoever gets back first
wins the beer, or whatever. They've come around me doing way over 100
whipping in and out of lanes.

Never saw one on a Moto Guzzi though, nor a Harley.

On 11/20/2014 7:19 AM, Poco Loco wrote:
On Thu, 20 Nov 2014 01:13:01 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:53:38 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 11/19/2014 8:06 PM, Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:46:05 -0500, KC wrote:

NASCAR has virtually nothing to do with real cars. They use a custom
body with a shape "inspired" by a production car but there is nothing
but the logo that is actually common between them.
These things are built more like airplanes than cars


That's why they don't call 'em 'stock cars' anymore...

===

Interesting point. When did they stop calling it stock car racing?


I think the original era of true stock car racing ended in the early
70's. That's when all kinds of rules, regulations, and restrictions
began to become imposed.

I liked it in it's original days. A 390 ci or 427 ci Ford Galaxie was
pretty much what you could buy at the dealership. Same with the 426
hemi "elephant" used in the Plymouths and the 421 ci Pontiac designed
specifically for the stock car racing circuit.

No interest in today's NASCAR racing. It's all about the drivers now,
not the cars.

Well, maybe except for Danica Patrick. :-)

NASCAR racing got it's start from the moonshine runners of the 30's.


Danica probably got more women watching than anything since the racy
Jeff Gordon posters.
Actually the only person I know with a full height Gordon poster is a
gay guy in the neighborhood ... but I am not judging ;-)

My wife will still watch a NASCAR race if Danica is running.
We record it and blast through most of it tho.

Back in the 60s, my 327 325HP slid under a class line that made me
very competitive. With a 456 rear end I was running with just about
anything but a 440 Dodge and some of the 426 Hemis. They were still
not in my class. If they had tall gears, they couldn't catch me in a
quarter. About 105-108 I ran out of RPMs and the valves started to
float.
Next time I went with 308 in my Corvette on a special order and it
would do a solid 145 with a stopwatch in measured miles. The speedo
was 160+. I was also getting 25 MPG or more if I could keep my foot
put of it. That didn't happen much tho.
They really didn't have a speed limit on the beltway in those days, at
least not at night.

There are some motorcyclists here who still believe that - day or
night. A pack will take off from one exit, and whoever gets back first
wins the beer, or whatever. They've come around me doing way over 100
whipping in and out of lanes.

Never saw one on a Moto Guzzi though, nor a Harley.

Do you think our little Harry might have been in the pack? He has one of
those racy little Italian bikes.

On Thu, 20 Nov 2014 09:29:02 -0500, Harrold wrote:

Do you think our little Harry might have been in the pack? He has one of
those racy little Italian bikes.

===

Likely story.

wrote:
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:06:26 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:46:05 -0500, KC wrote:

NASCAR has virtually nothing to do with real cars. They use a custom
body with a shape "inspired" by a production car but there is nothing
but the logo that is actually common between them.
These things are built more like airplanes than cars


That's why they don't call 'em 'stock cars' anymore...

===

Interesting point. When did they stop calling it stock car racing?

The 60s.
I remember when I could still drag race in a "show room stock" class
but that didn't last long. By 1970 all racing was highly refined
special purpose machines.
We used to see lots of cars drag racing in the 60s with tags on them.
I was competitive in my regular beater Chevelle in 1967 but I never
actually won I was getting low 14s tho with a 327.

I had an IBM friend who did a lot of SCCA in cars he drove to work.
(English cars)

Alas those days are gone

I raced a B production 1964 Corvette in SCCA in the 60-70's. Was
originally pretty close to stock, and by 1974, was tube frames, Greenwood
bodies, etc. went from a $6000 competitive Vette to an $60k++ Vette for
competitive.

On Thursday, November 20, 2014 12:56:12 AM UTC-5, wrote:

The 60s.
I remember when I could still drag race in a "show room stock" class
but that didn't last long. By 1970 all racing was highly refined
special purpose machines.
We used to see lots of cars drag racing in the 60s with tags on them.
I was competitive in my regular beater Chevelle in 1967 but I never
actually won I was getting low 14s tho with a 327.

I had an IBM friend who did a lot of SCCA in cars he drove to work.
(English cars)

Alas those days are gone

Too bad Drag Racing has been ruined by the idea of shortening the distance to be covered. Total bull****.

I seldom watch it anymore. Wally Parks is an asshole whom I wish would ****ing die.