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Fixing
Factory Street
By Jeff Lee
Editor note: Jeff Lee is a
contributor to and partner of The Digs, and
was
the person behind the original Factory Street proposal (proposed in
June
of
1998). He bracket races occasionally in his 1987 Buick T-Type. He
and
Father
Skip (Fred) also have raced in NHRA/IHRA Stock Eliminator, and
NMCA
Top
Stock with a 1971 Chevy Monte Carlo SS454 (LS6).
I have a real problem with NMCA Factory Street: It's bogus. Nobody
would
really drive
these cars on the street, and none of them are affordable. I
guess just like
every other heads up street legal class nowadays. But the
spirit of F/S was
to make an affordable class for the masses. At least that
was my intention
with my original proposal. I wanted to see a heads up
version of Top
Stock that also allowed stock type EFI cars. Something I
personally could
afford on my college life budget. That's not what Factory
Street has grown
into! I have come to the conclusion that right now Factory
Street is nothing
more than an extremely similar version of Real Street. The
only major
differences are radial tires, and some valvetrain and head
rules.
Certainly not
enough to justify another separate eliminator. The casual fan
doesn't know the
difference either, so why is the class even needed? My
solution to fix
Factory Street is to do away with the class in its current
(and unnecessary)
form, and accept my plan for a new and improved (demoted)
Factory Street.
Kind of like New Coke, except this time, I think the idea
will work.
What I am proposing is to get rid of Factory Street in its current
form.
If the racers
have a problem with that, then too damn bad! Send them up to
Real Street! That
is where these current cars really belong. Put some good
tires and a
roller cam in most of these Factory Street cars, and they can
go
play in Real
Street no problem. They've already spent Real Street and Hot
Street money. So
it shouldn't be a real big problem for them. But the slower,
more budget
minded racers might want to stick around and race the proposed
new class with my
idea.
Here are the
basics (the details are in the rules):
1. Make the class
more restrictive as far as what modifications can be done
to the car and/or
engine. In order to save racers money
2. Break the
class up into 2 divisions: FS/A (big block) & FS/B
(small
block). In order
to keep the cars more evenly matched, and to give the racers
a choice or
option of how fast they want to go and/or how much money they
want to
spend.
Bottom line: This
plan is chock full of common sense, and I think it will
work well...and
we sure as Hell don't need any more heads up classes.
Here are the
proposed rules:
New Factory
Street Eliminator Class
Proposal
CLASS
DESCRIPTION
Factory Street
Eliminator (A & B) is a class with two divisions designed
as
an entry level
form of racing reserved for passenger cars and trucks. Factory
Street A is
limited to big block powered entries, & Factory Street B
is
limited to small
block powered entries. The strict performance restrictions
in these rules
are intended to create a realistic and affordable way to
compete at the
racetrack with a vehicle that is street driven regularly and
has a stock type
engine combination. Power adders such as nitrous
oxide,
supercharging,
and turbocharging are prohibited. Front wheel drive
conversions are
prohibited. All entries must utilize DOT approved
tires(front and
rear) with rear tires being limited to a spec BF Goodrich
size: P275/60R15
Comp T/A Drag Radial.
CLASS
GUIDELINES
BALLAST
Permanently
attached ballast may be added in an NHRA/IHRA legal
manner.
Removable ballast
for the purpose of classification adjustments is limited
to100 pounds in
an NHRA/IHRA legal weight box.
BODY
The car must
retain its original appearance and profiles.
Fiberglass
replacement
panels are prohibited!!!
BUMPERS:
Complete stock bumpers, guards and braces are required!!!
FENDER
SPLASH PANS: Full stock fender splash pans are required,
however
clearance for
fenderwell headers is permitted.
FLOOR/TRUNK
PAN: Pan modifications are prohibited.
GRILLE:
A full-production grille is required for body style used.
Covering
in front of or
behind the grille is prohibited.
HOOD/SCOOP:
Hood and scoop must be stock for the body style
used. Fiberglass
hoods are allowed
only on entries which came from the factory so equipped and
the hoods on such
entries must be a direct replacement.
INTERIOR:
All entries must have a complete interior. Street rod columns
are
permitted, but
all entries must retain all stock equipment, such as turn
signals, ignition
key, hazards, light switches and others. Stock-type pedals
in stock location
are required. Full upholstery, carpeting and headliner
are
mandatory.
Upholstered aftermarket bucket seats are allowed. A full stock
dashboard with
instruments, controls and wiring must be retained. A
heater
is
optional. The rear seat may be deleted if it interferes with
a rollcage,
however, the
exposed area must be carpeted or covered in upholstery
and
finished to a
factory appearance.
WHEELTUBS:
Wheel tubs must be stock for the body style used. Expanding
or
sectioning is not
permitted.
WHEELWELL
OPENINGS: The front and rear wheelwell openings
must be stock.
Folding in the
rear fenderwell lip for tire clearance is acceptable.
WINDSHIELD/WINDOWS:
Must be OEM safety glass. Windows must be operative but
closed during racing.
BRACKET
RACING AIDS
Bracket racing
aids such as optical sensors, delay boxes, stutter boxes and
throttle stops
are prohibited.
BRAKES
The braking
system may be upgraded to discs or larger drums. All cars
must
have front and
rear brakes.
CHASSIS/SUSPENSION
CHASSIS:
Stock framerails (front and rear) must remain in the stock
location
and may not be
altered over their entire length. Any strengthening
members
may be added to a
stock frame.
SUSPENSION:
Stock front suspension is required, but may use heavy-duty
aftermarket
direct replacement components such as A-arms and
bushings.
Nonstock upper
and lower control arms are prohibited. The antisway bar
may
be
removed. Rear suspension must be stock type for the body
style used.
Leaf
springs may be added or deleted to the assembly or different
leaf
springs may be
installed, but the entry must retain a leaf-spring
assembly.
Coil springs of
different rates may be substituted. Airbags are permitted.
Ladder bars or
traction devices are permitted. Four links are not
permitted.
Wheelie
bars are prohibited. Rear springs may not be relocated.
DRIVETRAIN
AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION: Automatic transmission must be of
same make as the engine. Any trans pan, cooler, valve body,
shift kit, or shifter is
permitted.
Transbrakes are prohibited. 10" diameter torque converters are
the
smallest
permitted. All shifts must be made manually without
the aid of
aftermarket
electric or pneumatic devices.
MANUAL
TRANSMISSION: Aftermarket transmissions are allowed
but "clutchless"
versions are not
. Lenco, liberty, Jerico, Clutchflites or clutch Hydros
are
prohibited.
All shifts must be made manually without the aid of
aftermarket
electric or
pneumatic devices.
REAREND:
Any rearend manufactured by Ford, GM or Chrysler is allowed.
Track
width must remain
stock (plus or minus 2 inches) for body used.
Spools,
aftermarket axles
and any gear ratios are permitted.
ELECTRICAL
Electric fan and
water pump drives are prohibited. Line locks are
permitted.
The charging system must be operative. Battery may be relocated.
ENGINE
Any production
engine may be used. Engine must be corporate for body
used.
There is a 370
cubic inch displacement limit for small blocks and 470 cubic
inch limit for
big blocks. It is the intent of this class to have engines
with stock stroke
cranks and a maximum of .060 overbore.
BLOCK:
Must be a cast iron OEM production block meaning that it must
have
been available in
a production vehicle. No aftermarket or specialized
racing
blocks will be
permitted, nor will aluminum OEM production blocks.
ROTATING
ASSEMBLY: Crank and connecting rods must
be steel. No aluminum or titanium rods allowed. Any cast or
forged pistons are permitted with a flat
top or dished
design only. Domed pistons are prohibited.
ENGINE
LOCATION/MOUNTS: Engine must be in the stock
location. If the engine
was never offered
in that particular body, the block and heads must not touch
the stock
firewall. Solid engine mounts are permitted. Motor
plates are
prohibited.
HEADS:
Must be OEM cast-iron production cylinder heads meaning that the
heads
must have been
available on a production vehicle. No aftermarket or
specialized
racing heads are permitted, nor will OEM production cast iron
race heads
(bowtie, W2, etc.). Any internal modifications are allowed
with
the exception of
welding, sectioning, or epoxy filling of ports. Any
valve
size is
acceptable that will fit into the stock size and location
valve
guide. All heads
must maintain stock port layout and valve angles. Port
plates which
protrude into the exhaust ports are prohibited.
INDUCTION
CARBURETOR:
Carburetor is limited to an NMCA accepted single four
barrel
design.
FS/A entries are limited to a 750 CFM (max) 4150 Holley, and
FS/B
entries
are limited to a 600 CFM (max) 4150 Holley. All carburetors
must
retain choke
horns. Dominator carbs are prohibited. Carburetor
spacers are
limited to a
maximum of 2 inches.
FUEL
INJECTION: Fuel injection is prohibited
MANIFOLDS:
Intake manifolds must be a commercially available cast- iron
or
aluminum dual
plane single four barrel design only. Single plane manifolds
are
prohibited. Any internal modification is permitted with the
exception of
welding,
sectioning, or epoxy filling of ports. External modifications
that
alter the size or
shape of the plenum, runners or ports are
prohibited.
RAM AIR:
Any aftermarket or fabricated ram air is permitted so long as it
is
discreet and does
not displace any lights or body panels.
OILING
SYSTEM
Any OEM
production oil pan is permitted, but may be modified for
clearance
purposes.
Aftermarket pans are prohibited. Aftermarket pumps, baffles,
traps
and windage trays
are permitted Dry sumps and external oil pumps are
also
prohibited.
VALVETRAIN
The valvetrain is
limited to hydraulic camshafts only. All other
valvetrain
components are
permitted. All engines must pull at least 12 inches
of
manifold vacuum
at 1000RPM. Zero tolerance will be allowed. All
entries
must provide an
easily accessible 1/8 inch vacuum fitting for the purpose of
checking
vacuum. Your engine may be rechecked for vacuum by the
Technical
Committee at any
time during an event and may result in disqualification if
found to be less
than 12 inches. Any device used specifically to
increase
vacuum for the
purpose of passing tech is prohibited. These
devices include
but are not
limited to: vacuum reservoirs, smog pumps, and other types of
crankcase
evacuation systems.
EXHAUST
All entries are
permitted to use tubular headers. The headers must
be
connected to a
working exhaust system with mufflers. Removal or
modification
of muffler
internals is prohibited (no gutting). Exhaust pipe is limited
to
a maximum of 3"
OD, and the pipe must either extend to the rear axle,
exit
at the side of
the car past the driver's compartment or turn down behind the
mufflers.
FUEL/FUEL
DELIVERY
SYSTEM
Gasoline only
(any grade). No additives. Fuel cells, electric fuel pumps,
pressure
regulators and line size are optional, but the fuel pump must
shut
off with a master
electrical switch.
IGNITION
Aftermarket
ignitions, magnetos, multiple-step rev limiters, electronic
conversion kits,
and external amplifier boxes are permitted. Crank triggers
are not allowed.
ON-BOARD
DIAGNOSTICS/DATA RECORDERS
On- board
diagnostic computers and data recorders are prohibited.
RADIATOR
Aftermarket, full
size radiators mounted in the stock location are permitted.
STEERING
Stock or
direct-replacement steering for body style used is required.
STREET-LEGAL
EQUIPMENT
All entries are
required to have functioning headlights (headlight doors must
be fixed open or
work automatically on cars so equipped), brakelights turn
signals and a
horn.
TIRES:
Front tires must be DOT-approved and have a minimum tread width
of
4.5
inches. Rear tires must be DOT-approved and are limited to a
spec BF
Goodrich size:
P275/60R15 Comp T/A Drag Radial. The tread of the tires
must
not
protrude outside of the exterior body line at the top of the tire.
CLASSIFICATION
-
The
minimum weight for both Factory Street A & B is 3000 lbs.
-
At
least1500 lbs must be distributed over the front of the vehicle.
-
Factory
Street A entries will be factored at 8 lbs/ cubic inch. 470 cubic inch
limit. (big block only)
-
Factory
Street B entries will be factored at 10 lbs/ cubic inch. 370 cubic inch
limit. (small block only)
-
Weight
Break: Buick, Oldsmobile, or Pontiac powered entries may deduct 100 lb
(but may not go under 3000 lb. minimum)
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