Toyota???

[Tarrbabe]

OK, so I havent kept up with the funny cars for several years. But I will say, that I felt the day would come many years ago when NHRA let people run furd and chebby bodies with a Mopar design engine (Hemi) that it would get way outside of reality. I said it then and I say it now, if you run a Ford, run a ford engine, if you run chevy, run a chevy engine. But now they are badgeing the cars in Funny Car as Toyota? Let them run toyota engines or admit it's all bullsh-t.

[cuda66273]

I like Gary Scelsi, but I don't like his Toyota.

However, it does give me the opportunity to respond to the ricers when they mouth off "Ya....powered with a Mopar".

The ricers are here to stay wether we like it or not. Fortunatley here in Portland we have 2 tracks and the rice boys seem to pretty much stay at "The Other" facility and leave us real race car guy's to our own 1320.

NHRA is looking for more participants and more fans, if it takes Toyota and Izuzu funny cars so be it. 10 years from now NHRA tracks will be littered with these things..wait and see...This year our beloved 1320 will close their doors to us for one weekend to hold the Import Nationals, next year maybe 2 weekends.....then 3....can you see a definate pattern developing here?

[dave571]

Have to agree with cuda66273. We don't need to like the ricers, but we should let them do there thing. Any interest in motor sport is good for all of us.

All of us ; resto guys, ralley, bracket, circle track, all of it.

Don't have to like them. Just like beating them.

[TwiZtiD440]

I gotta agree with you all. I for one before starting to learn basics on the good ol internal combustion engine, wanted to build up a lil honda to beat stock domestics. Well, after finding my roots and realizing it takes twice the cash, to go half as fast as domestics. Little own, being in high school the most common thing I hear of among ricers is quite funny. They might know alot and have alot of engine work, but they brake transaxle's on a regular basis and those lil bike tires don't cut it, they have the WORST traction problems, but then again, they don't care, sitting and spinning is amusing to them. The REAL funny thing is grands of cash they drop into stuff like body kits and wings, I mean, come on, Downforce hardly helps a FWD application. There built by ricer engineers, yes, but even they were made for RWD apps.

Plus, alot is just a phase from the fake and the fictious. I'm sure I'm not the only on whos seen things like Geo Metro's with decals, wings, altezza lights, jap. decals ect.

www.beaterz.com click on "one liners"

Theres no replacement for displacement. However, I did'nt beleive it till I saw it. A true 11.9 Civic hatch back with an h22 engine under the hood, blown of course, god only knows what kinda boost he had, but he kicked the shit outta a viper, no clue as to what kind. 800-1000 Hp Blown Supra I6 engines are real. Some things have to be laughed at, others deserve respect.

One thing we can all agress on, THey have the most fockin annoying exahust in the world. I'd rather my car have a v8 and bark at me, than a 4 banger that whistles to you.

For the most part. Respectable imports are few and far between. I'll post pics my friend took, 3 pics of a silver civic, that followed me outta AMC30, Ricer had exhaust, wing, body kits, million decals. Funny thing is I beat him by 4-5 car lengths by the time I hit 75 in my 99 Club Cab 1500 Ram ( 5.2L all stock ). He was racing, 2 nd pic shows the smoke from his mini burn out trying to get off the line. Maybe someday he'll run circles around my ram, but thats the same day my dakota will blow the doors off this Rice box running 89 Octane Soy Sauce.

[rumblefish360]

You mention a ricer beating a Viper. I have seen such a video. Damn thing ran like crazy. I'll buy a Viper. Muscle and class right out of the box.
It also makes me think, how much did that guy spend to make the lil'box go fast.
It's all in the HP to weight ratio. If I spent that kind of money on a junk box to go quick, I wonder how much faster the Viper would go.
Ahhhhhh, if I could only afford a Viper.

[TwiZtiD440]

In all honesty. EFI will be afforadable in about 2 years. Carbs will be replaced and I think I'll live to see it. But still, nothing will replace the big displacment. I can see 10 years from now when the new muscle cars are aluminum big blocks, heads, EFI and turboed. It can happen... Hell its my dream 4 years from now.

[freak007]

HEY...I drive a "rice burner"....when ever I want,I can stomp on the gas and burn that ricer next to me:P

[prostock]

Keep in mind that the body on Dean Skuza's "Dodge" funny car is a Mitsubishi Stratus, and that the company (DC) is based in Germany.

The current day fuel engine is a decendent of the 426 Hemi, but don't forget that Chrysler didn't invent the hemispherical combustion chamber.

NHRA doesn't "let" racers with Ford and Chevy bodies run the engine they do, they basically mandate it.

I never thought I would agree with WJ, but he hit the nail on the head when he said that the pro classes in the NHRA are entertainment, nothing more.

[goose]

The Viper is a pretty spendy way to get into 1/4 mile drags... $70K to go 12 flat? I could go 12 flat with about $7000, easy. A tubbed Dart with a crate 440 would do it. The Civic (assuming it was new) has a purchase price in the $15K range, plus another 7-10 large for turbo and associated engine mods. So you're looking at 20-25 grand for the Civic vs. 70 for the Viper (or 7 for a Dart). Of course the Viper also pulls 1G on the skidpad and has a top speed of around 190, the Civic or Dart couldn't claim either of those.

[JVMopar]

The closest thing to rice I have is my '90 horizon. Not my choice ride but if there wasn't such a thing as rust, and if my truck got 33 mpg at 80mph. I'd be drivin my truck. But I do like to get the look from the ricers when I smoke them with the old 2.2

[Desert465]

TwiZtiD440: That is one funny site www.beaterz.com
I just about pissed myself laughing.

[road chicken]

I don't see where having another body over a Chrysler Hemi is any different now than it was 25 years ago. Besides it's alway fun raggin the "others" about running a Chrysler designed engine- YES I WOULD DO THAT Heck- having some sacreligious scumbag cast an oldsmobile logo into the block of our beloved kingkong bothers me more than a japscrap body over it. Besides- I don't think we would have all these kirbycharged four bangers if Mopar didn't start it. Maybe I'm wrong and I need a history lesson, but didn't Mopar kinda start this trend with the 2.2 turbos ???? And Who made the first hemi??????- I know Chrysler designed their first- back in the 40's with the XP2220 aircraft engine.

[cuda66273]

beaters...what a laugh....I like the 6 foot pips

[Tarrbabe]

Road Chicken, and others, That is what i mean. Would Nascar let the Fords or Dodges run the Chevy engines. Maybe someday but I still think it stinks. If you claim to be a Mustang, Camaro, Olds, or even a Toyota, run that model engine.

[cudacarl]

I agree tarrbabe. What anoys me the most is when the fans think they are really running toyota,ford or chevy engines. It's pretty obvious on tv when they're tearing the motor down or got the top up of what it really is. I know people at work that were amazed at how john force could switch from pontiac to ford so easily and still blow the everyone including the dodges away. Jeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzz.

[dschumers]

roadchicken, the Hemi design has been around for about 100 years. Chrysler wasn't the first, they just had the guts to stick it out and make it work.

Funny car, schmunny car. Real race cars have doors anyway!

[John Tozer]

Down here in OZ you will rarely see a Dodge body on a funny car or doorslammer, shit I've only seen one Daytona funny car at Queensland's Willowbank! The most popular bodies for funny cars are Olds Gutless, Cheb Corvette and Ponticrap, with the doorslammer class it's Studebaker, 50's Chebs and old Fairlanes. ALL OF THEM RUN HEMIS!
For many years in OZ people have turned their noses up at Mopar vehicles but have used Mopar power for the strip in their Chebbys without publisising it. Thankfully this has started to change in the last few years and old Valiants and Chryslers are becoming more popular on the drag strips again.

[chris115]

I think there is nothing better than a big block, but i seem to remember an article in a mopar magazine about a shelby built omni that ran a 10 sec 1/4 and got nearly 30 mpg. Imagine that kind of technology put into a 426 hemi???

[goose]

A Hemi with the same kind of boost etc. would make a car go a lot faster than 10's, but probably wouldn't make any better mileage than a stocker (maybe 15 highway?) The great thing about a turbo is that it makes a mild mannered economy engine into a stormer, but only on demand. Sort of like nitrous.

[PINK71T/A]

Yeah i really hate the Farting Bumblebee's im sorry but even if you have ricer that would be faster than ANY classic musclecar
i would take the musclecar im sorry but the Plastic-piece-o-shit
doesent quite Exude the BADASS factor that a Big-block, big cam,
Healthy Rumble that a let's say Hemi Charger or Cuda or even a
429 Mustang shit id go ford or chevy before id ever go IMPORT!