Recommendations for a newbie please.

[gstanfield]

I've spent the last hour reading about every thread on this site and so far I've found tons of good to great information. I've been a fan of the salt since sometime in my 8th year on this earth and about a week ago, well into my 29th year I finally made it to the flats. I sat there for over an hour just staring out across the salt as I sat behind the big sign, rubbing the salt till my hands were numb. Of course the 38 degrees didn't help much but I think I came away with a permanent mental scar increasing my addiction to the love I never knew (or was it a cold from sitting on the salt without a coat?) So now I sit at home looking at my barely started drag race project and thinking. My wife is going to hate me, my kids will miss me, the credit card companies will love me and my friends will envy me. I am of course talking about building a LSR vehicle that I've wanted since before I ever sat behind the wheel of anything with a license plate.

My project is a little 1991 GMC Sonoma pickup with a 1965 283 SBC (HEAVILY MODDED). The original plan was to bolt a turbo onto it, but time will tell just how far I go to feed the voices of insanity. I will be ordering a rule book this week, but have a question or two for the fine folks on this board. Of course it's OK if the not so fine ones answer so don't worry too much about it.

I'm not in the tax bracket to dream of setting records, but would love to run for the fun of it and just to posses the time slips that braggin rights are made of at my local cruise in. Are there any just for fun classes? What speed classes do you have to run to license for going faster (how many speed brackets to go through?) Also, can you go for a faster licensing run the same trip to the salt as you do the first run?

What recommendations do you have for me to taste the feel of LSR on a moderate budget??

Am I the only one to ever lay flat on my stomache and "hug" the salt? I'm hoping I'm not the only one here who's a tad off kilter in the mental processing department.

Thanks for any and all comments and suggestions, even the ones I don't want to hear.

George

[Stainless1]

The USFRA World of Speed meet in Sept has 130 and 150 MPH Club races.  Read about them with the link from the home page.  They have been covered several times.  Probably the cheapest way to star LSR.

[Dr Goggles]

I'm thinking you've got a pretty good tow/push vehicle and what you really need is race car . Go the whole hog and build a simple but fun ride , choose something with a good body shape and you'll be building something that will be cool and fast. OR , lose your head completely and go special construction......others have done it as their first attempt , and lived .......to at least tell the tale of the build

build a lakester with a motorbike engine , come on.

[Sumner]

First welcome to landracing.com.  Second was there water on the salt when you were there??  Didn't sound like it, but I thought there should be. Third you can read our story for the first year we ran and I talk about the lic. runs and such here...(read the 2004 Year Story) .............

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/hooley/hooley-index.html

............. and last the 130 mph club would be the easiest way to get to run and see if you like it as Stainless mentioned.

c ya,

Sum

P.S. Where are you located??

[Stainless1]

build a lakester with a motorbike engine , come on.

Doc, stop encouraging folks to attack our soft records...    OK, just kidding, grab any of them except the 3/4 gas, Sum has dibs on that one... 

[Dr Goggles]

Doc, stop encouraging folks to attack our soft records...    OK, just kidding, grab any of them except the 3/4 gas, Sum has dibs on that one... 

.......think about it everyone ..............TWO...hundred.....and.......twenty.......eight.......miles......per......hour........with SIXTY FIVE cubic inches.............

........ there's only so many people who have the wherewithal to build anything that can bother that sort of achievement.......... yeah, soft as............

[Milwaukee Midget]

I see you've met the welcoming committee - Stainless, Sumner and the good Doctor - I suspect Kent will be along shortly - He's a little squirrly.

Stainless makes a solid point in that if you do not have a specific record you wish to achieve, the USFRA event would be a good starting point.

Just don't do it my way - If I spent as much time turning wrenches as I did posting, I'd have a garage full of LSR cars - or at least one that runs.

[gstanfield]

Thanks for all the suggestions as well as the warm welcome. There were puddles of water here and there when I was at the salt back a week and a half ago, but I didn't sit in one

As to my using the little white brick (sonoma) I've laready started the truck as a drag truck, which it works OK at due to a light weight and... well not much weight I'd love to build something more aero, but my wife would collect my life insurance (or go to jail if caught) if I started another build, and the roll cage is already there and..... Heck she really wouldn't Kill me now would she???

build a lakester with a motorbike engine , come on

This intriques me and I shall learn more about it. thanks for the idea and no worries of me breaking anyone's records. I even have a few bikes laying around I may could steal an engine from.

Thanks again for such a great forum and warm welcome,
George

[1212FBGS]

squirrly ya say....shoot.... thats the nicest thing someone has said about me this year....you sweet talkin beer boy from the great white north ya almost brought a tear ta my eye....hey newbe...dont play with dem pickemup trucks and lakester thingymajigs go straight for the liner build, its far more rewarding....and make sure you use spell check cuz slim will jump ya if you dont...speeking of bad spelling, has any one heard from kaz lately.... is he just lurking or did he have to sell his computer.?...hope i didnt chase him off like i did to Romeo
kent

[gstanfield]

I'm not worried abut spel chek case I speel reel goodly

[Stan Back]

I understand Kaz tried to qualify for Pro Stock at the Winternational and came up 2 wheels short of a full load.

Not a good start to his championship season.

[JackD]

As the only MC Pro Stock entry, it shooda bin like falling off a log.

[Super Kaz]

I understand Kaz tried to qualify for Pro Stock at the Winternational and came up 2 wheels short of a full load.

Not a good start to his championship season.

Now was that Nice? Do You wanna give me a Real NHRA PSM ?
I would qualify it,but it might be the Half a Million dollar Bill I might be short on .
Racing the Bikes are the Easy Part it's Paying for it all that has been my Hardest Challange .
How did I even get brought into this anyways Stan Back?
Now I see my club memeber and and SKR Fan Club CFO Kent AirTec Riches Brought my CUTENESS into this Thread.
Thank you for thinkin of me and I do truly Hope to finally shake You Big Strong Hand in Person this season and Elmo!
JackD is it to Late to Adopt a poor ,starving,soon to be Motorless racer from Sin City?
I can Cook,Clean,and do Reflexology"not at the same time GROSS",but as bad as my Biz has been here I might be up for Higher?
Your Humble ,Wannabe 250mph+ on a V-rod,and NHRA PSM Racer,
James Craig"SuperKaz" Kasiewicz I ,but my friends just call me Kaz .................

[SPARKY]

hey---pick out a "Soft"  :evil:blown record in Blown Mod. Mini  PU---there should be one somewhere 370 cu in or less---where do you Live? 

[HotRudyRod]

Hi everyone, i was reading this topic and realized George is got a project very similar to my future plan. I own a 91 Syclone and have been dreaming of one day taking it to Bonneville, im still not so sure how i should mod my truck's engine yet but one thing is sure, im going to take the front differential and transfer case off and install a gear vendors over drive unit and do as much aerodinamic tweaks as the brick body allows. I think most of the fun and acomplishment comes out of doing the most of the little you got.

Rudy.