"Mama don't let your street cars grow up to be race cars"

[Jim Ratto]

for me, the street is were it all happens.  Haven't been on the strip yet, but I guess that's something that will probably never happen.  As I like dragracing very much and I like to see as much as events in the country I can't see myself on the strip.  First of all I would be too nervous with the crowd and I think there is no reason to race it.  the car is a full weight streetcar with a stock ratio gearbox and a 190hp powerplant so it will be in no way a headturner on the strip.  Nobody there is waiting for another mid to high 13 sec car...  If I plan to take it out on the strip it can go two ways...
You get your first ET and of course you want to improve it and before you know it you end at the end of the day with the passenger and backseat against the car, less psi in the tires and if you are "lucky" with a broken gearbox looking for a trailer to get you home.  A big fat empty wallet and a car that's out for months because you need to save up for a new gearbox...    If you got more "luck" you manage to get home safe and had probably a blast!  Then you start buying slicks, more weight reducement, even more compression and in the long run you will trash that gearbox and even more parts.  Well, call me a sissy but I don't want to end up like that.

I like my car and the way I can use it like it is now!  For me, nothing beats to take it out on a sunny day, drive to nowhere with my favorite mixtapes and grab some fries and a burger in a diner I've never been to.  Nothing more, nothing less!  Enjoy the music, the scenery and the engine sound and performance of course!  It even gets better if a few club members with lookers join me and I even get more lucky I can race some cars at the traffic lights...  Hell yeah, some good old fasioned fun, nothing wrong with that if you do it in a place where it's "safe".  No kids around, not too much traffic, just you and another go fast nut against you and a long lane a head of you...  Green, and go!  shift that motherfucker like there is no tomorrow and most of the time you win the races.  Adrenaline up, you know you have a "fast" car, on the streets and that's just fine for me.  The guy in the 80ies carrera against you will give you a thumb up if you just beat him or ignore you and didn't know what just happened and act like nothing happened...  either way, it's all good.

There, that's my story.  Probably the story of many cal look fanatics in the 70ies, right now, and hopefully also in the future.  Just drive that looker as much as you can, keep it as long as you can, enjoy it, finetune it, wax it,... 
Ah man, that's it, I'm heading for the garage to fill up a bucket with nice hot water with foaming mothers car shampoo in it, and start washing it with love, enjoy a cold ice tea and some favorite tunes... 

cheers guys,

Dem

Good post

[Cheesepanzer]

Back in my so-cal days the goal was to have a 12 second car.  Back then, that really said something about your car.  To get there we had to run some pretty high strung combos with close ratio gearboxes.

Where I live now its all two-lane country roads and distances to get to places.  I've always wanted a street/strip car - you know, tough, loud, crisp and hauls ass.  I had an 11.80 car that wasn't very practical, and when I grew concerned about putting miles on the "race heads" and gearbox, the fun started to wear off.  So I can totally relate to the first post that started this thread.

Up until very recently I was planning to reassemble my 2332 (the 11.80 combo) for my Ghia, with some upgrades.  However, I began to think about how much I enjoy messing around the street with its current 2054cc combo.  The current combo is a 12.80 performer, which "back in the day" would have been all I dreamed about.     So I've been thinking about altering my plans a bit.  A 5-speed gearbox and less compression, and possibly a slightly smaller cam might be in the plans.  I'd still really like to have that high-11 time slip, but I might prefer something I can drive more often, and some reasonable distances.

Not sure I'm ready to install a stereo, however.  That's crazy talk!   

[58vw]

mr ward......turbo...there i said it

[58vw]

mr ward....turbo for you.....there ....i said it

[John Rayburn]

You said it twice.

[Rennsurfer]

You said it twice.

How adult.

[jamiep_jamiep]

my 54 progressed from a pretty easy driving 2276 car used on the street lots, to a turbocharged, stripped out racer. Thats now gone, and in its place is a 73 bug, with full interior, (soon to have) MOT, and still the turbo motor that it ran when racing. It won't get quite as much use as the first incarnation of my 54, but I built it for the street as something of an in-betweener. Really looking forward to being back on the streets in a hot bug, instead of half a dozen times racing a year.

[Peter]

for me, the street is were it all happens.  Haven't been on the strip yet, but I guess that's something that will probably never happen.  As I like dragracing very much and I like to see as much as events in the country I can't see myself on the strip.  First of all I would be too nervous with the crowd and I think there is no reason to race it.  the car is a full weight streetcar with a stock ratio gearbox and a 190hp powerplant so it will be in no way a headturner on the strip.  Nobody there is waiting for another mid to high 13 sec car...  If I plan to take it out on the strip it can go two ways...
You get your first ET and of course you want to improve it and before you know it you end at the end of the day with the passenger and backseat against the car, less psi in the tires and if you are "lucky" with a broken gearbox looking for a trailer to get you home.  A big fat empty wallet and a car that's out for months because you need to save up for a new gearbox...    If you got more "luck" you manage to get home safe and had probably a blast!  Then you start buying slicks, more weight reducement, even more compression and in the long run you will trash that gearbox and even more parts.  Well, call me a sissy but I don't want to end up like that.

I like my car and the way I can use it like it is now!  For me, nothing beats to take it out on a sunny day, drive to nowhere with my favorite mixtapes and grab some fries and a burger in a diner I've never been to.  Nothing more, nothing less!  Enjoy the music, the scenery and the engine sound and performance of course!  It even gets better if a few club members with lookers join me and I even get more lucky I can race some cars at the traffic lights...  Hell yeah, some good old fasioned fun, nothing wrong with that if you do it in a place where it's "safe".  No kids around, not too much traffic, just you and another go fast nut against you and a long lane a head of you...  Green, and go!  shift that motherfucker like there is no tomorrow and most of the time you win the races.  Adrenaline up, you know you have a "fast" car, on the streets and that's just fine for me.  The guy in the 80ies carrera against you will give you a thumb up if you just beat him or ignore you and didn't know what just happened and act like nothing happened...  either way, it's all good.

There, that's my story.  Probably the story of many cal look fanatics in the 70ies, right now, and hopefully also in the future.  Just drive that looker as much as you can, keep it as long as you can, enjoy it, finetune it, wax it,... 
Ah man, that's it, I'm heading for the garage to fill up a bucket with nice hot water with foaming mothers car shampoo in it, and start washing it with love, enjoy a cold ice tea and some favorite tunes... 

cheers guys,

Dem

Dude, you softie 
just kidding
I can relate to your feelings, but one thing I dont agree;
you dont race to amuse other people, you do it because its fun,
you should have done it at least once, the feeling when you beat somebody is nice to say at least,
and when you drive like you say, racing in the street or on the strip, your gearbox wont see much difference i think
(off course i mean an unglued strip)

[wolfswest]

for me, the street is were it all happens.  Haven't been on the strip yet, but I guess that's something that will probably never happen.  As I like dragracing very much and I like to see as much as events in the country I can't see myself on the strip.  First of all I would be too nervous with the crowd and I think there is no reason to race it.  the car is a full weight streetcar with a stock ratio gearbox and a 190hp powerplant so it will be in no way a headturner on the strip.  Nobody there is waiting for another mid to high 13 sec car...  If I plan to take it out on the strip it can go two ways...
You get your first ET and of course you want to improve it and before you know it you end at the end of the day with the passenger and backseat against the car, less psi in the tires and if you are "lucky" with a broken gearbox looking for a trailer to get you home.  A big fat empty wallet and a car that's out for months because you need to save up for a new gearbox...    If you got more "luck" you manage to get home safe and had probably a blast!  Then you start buying slicks, more weight reducement, even more compression and in the long run you will trash that gearbox and even more parts.  Well, call me a sissy but I don't want to end up like that.

I like my car and the way I can use it like it is now!  For me, nothing beats to take it out on a sunny day, drive to nowhere with my favorite mixtapes and grab some fries and a burger in a diner I've never been to.  Nothing more, nothing less!  Enjoy the music, the scenery and the engine sound and performance of course!  It even gets better if a few club members with lookers join me and I even get more lucky I can race some cars at the traffic lights...  Hell yeah, some good old fasioned fun, nothing wrong with that if you do it in a place where it's "safe".  No kids around, not too much traffic, just you and another go fast nut against you and a long lane a head of you...  Green, and go!  shift that motherfucker like there is no tomorrow and most of the time you win the races.  Adrenaline up, you know you have a "fast" car, on the streets and that's just fine for me.  The guy in the 80ies carrera against you will give you a thumb up if you just beat him or ignore you and didn't know what just happened and act like nothing happened...  either way, it's all good.

There, that's my story.  Probably the story of many cal look fanatics in the 70ies, right now, and hopefully also in the future.  Just drive that looker as much as you can, keep it as long as you can, enjoy it, finetune it, wax it,... 
Ah man, that's it, I'm heading for the garage to fill up a bucket with nice hot water with foaming mothers car shampoo in it, and start washing it with love, enjoy a cold ice tea and some favorite tunes... 

cheers guys,

Dem

Dude, you softie 
just kidding
I can relate to your feelings, but one thing I dont agree;
you dont race to amuse other people, you do it because its fun,
you should have done it at least once, the feeling when you beat somebody is nice to say at least,
and when you drive like you say, racing in the street or on the strip, your gearbox wont see much difference i think
(off course i mean an unglued strip)

haha, I think the gods must be against me, just took the car out today and broke my gearbox!!  no shit, hope I can fix it real fast and not too expensive... 

[allmenplayon10]

my 54 progressed from a pretty easy driving 2276 car used on the street lots, to a turbocharged, stripped out racer. Thats now gone, and in its place is a 73 bug, with full interior, (soon to have) MOT, and still the turbo motor that it ran when racing. It won't get quite as much use as the first incarnation of my 54, but I built it for the street as something of an in-betweener. Really looking forward to being back on the streets in a hot bug, instead of half a dozen times racing a year.

soon as you get that ticket make sure you head over to my place, i'll pull mine off the drive then we'll head over to Rich's to get his bug out and we'll have a blast

my take on this is that a day at the strip provides a different kind of experience... the pit banter, the camaraderie, a different adrenalin rush etc etc. Out on the street, you get to surprise the ricers, turn the odd head and enjoy just driving. I want both

[Cheesepanzer]

mr ward......turbo...there i said it

I was there..., planning out a turbo set up that would easily fit under the Ghia decklid.  I figured I could build a low 11 second car, or better.  It could be geared better for driving and with some moderation of the boost I could run pump gas.

I really like the sound and crispness of an IDA engine, however.  And I'm a traditionalist and turbo's don't fit the "Cal-Look" theme for me.  There, I said it.