Bolting it Together! Officially a Street Stock Roller

[@robertdahse4569]

Just found your video series,so far I'm impressed with the build 👌

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thanks Robert

[@robertdahse4569]

Good choice on the bearings

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

I've had good luck with Timkens.

[@rustysiegman2802]

I think you found the right format for the videos. That was 32 mins and it didn't feel like it. The previous video was the same way. Now we can see the fruits of your labor, the car looks great sitting on all 4 wheels.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thanks So much Rusty, been working hard at editing to learn how to speed up the pace and make them flow better. Nice to hear I am heading in the right direction with the work.

[@stovtop203]

Looks great!!! Even I felt a sense of achievement seeing this car on rubber after all these months and videos. Looking forward to the rest of the build. Keep up the great work and content!!!

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thank you sir, I'm feeling the momentum now.

[@chrishall2487]

Good looking car Jason...you did a amazing job...maybe I'll come up with the money one day to get you to build me one lol

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thank you Chris, I'm not as good at the body so we'll see how it goes. I don't know if my skill and speed will ever get to the point I can do it for a living but hopefully what I show on the ones I do build is helpful to others. Appreciate you watching our videos.

[@chrishall2487]

@@DIRTRACELIFE I can put a body on a racecar. Got all the materials to do it right...I just dont have a jig and the material to build a nice Streetstock....I'm running a 6 year old purestock/roadwarrior in a class it shouldn't be in...lol," But, anyway by looking at your videos you have built you one heck of a Streetstock....Best of luck and hope to see you at Swainsboro Raceway in the near future

[@highinthedirt]

I like everything about that fuel tank placement, nice work.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thanks Bud, Appreciate the feedback. Now I just have to get this thing on the track and prove these ideas will pay off :)

[@brucejordan2271]

It is great that you keep mentioning maintenance. It not only keeps parts from breaking but should be keeping you fast.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Maintenance has become a big deal for me because working full time and doing it myself I have realized I need to make everything easy to work on. But yeah, you win or lose in the shop and I know I really push that a lot but I see it as the biggest reason beginners struggle. :)

[@mark4m557]

After watching all your street stock build videos. I came to the conclusion that my limited modified was all screwed up. I’m glad I’m putting together a new chassis. Even if it is a week before the opening race.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Shoot Mark, I sure don't mean to cause you to miss a race. I have been known to get aggravated at a car and miss four or five weeks of racing because I was unhappy with it so I know what that's like. I hope you just can find a few strategic items you want to work on and can get on the track without missing too much of the season!

[@mark4m557]

@@DIRTRACELIFE I’m happy to have the knowledge to make the car right. I’m a big believer in having the car right ,over rigging the car just to be out there. But I’m actually having a blast working on this new car.

[@3WideNation]

love the content can't wait to meet you in Mississippi really learning a lot

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Working hard to be ready. Can't wait to get back in the action. Appreciate you watching our videos.

[@thomassanders6679]

Thanks again for what you are doing

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thank you man, appreciate you watching and subscribing. More to come!

[@DaveAdamsMotorsports]

Getting there buddy! Did you get my pictures of my new Hobby Stock?

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Just found them and sent you a response and some more contact info.

[@gregorygolden1296]

One of the nicest, best built street stock I have ever seen. Wish I knew you when I was racing. Beautiful Chassis.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Very Kind of you Gregory. I just hope I can make a decent body to go with it (not great at bodies but trying).

[@whoknows3347]

@@DIRTRACELIFE u got this....can't wait to see it.

[@TheHighDesertLife]

Hey Jason I was on your web site I was gonna order up a hoodie but you only have up to 2xl , not sure if other big people are gonna order but if you add 3xl tall stuff I'll definitely get a hoodie

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

I literally just dropped off the order with xxl and xxxl hoodies at my daughters house to start pressing. I will make SURE we update the site to add those when I get back home tonight.

[@TheHighDesertLife]

@@DIRTRACELIFE awesome thanks I'll check back next week and see if you got them up , I'm so stoked to see this car finished and thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, people keep this stuff such a secret and it makes it so difficult for us new guys getting in the sport , I just became a sponsor to show my support and thank you for sharing such awesome in depth knowledge!!

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thanks Again Charlie and the website is now updated to include 3 and 4 xl shirts and hoodies.

[@TheHighDesertLife]

It's such a good looking chassis , great work Jason I can't wait to see the next few videos !!!!!!

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thanks Man. Wow, just saw you jumped in to sponsor our team. Thats amazing and I am so appreciative. Now I need to make sure that its a worth while investment for you. More to come and will email you tomorrow.

[@rollrateguy6109]

Super proud for you brother. I know getting it on the ground is a big deal for you it’s been a long time coming! One thing to think about, when you bottom out a lower control arm your wheel rate doesn’t become infinite. It becomes almost exactly the spring rate of the tire! Thought that was worth mentioning. I know you’re a thinker like me so thought you’d appreciate that lol.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Well I just learned something! Had never considered how the air pressure in the tire would still be acting as a spring... A REALLY STIFF ONE ... but yeah there is still some spring action going on. I had not ever considered that. Bet it still pushes like dump truck skippin all the scale houses and blowing the tires out even with the third axle down :)

[@rollrateguy6109]

@@DIRTRACELIFE lol yep! The problem is you can’t dampen the tire with a shock in that condition. So you’ll get that skip that you mention. Well, you could dampen it with a tuned mass damping system.. but one has never been made for any oval track car that I’m aware of. They were banned in F1. Same principle as the huge masses that hang inside the tops of the worlds tallest buildings to reduce their tendency to sway to and fro. Lots of engineering involved and not enough data to design one properly. Worth noting nonetheless!

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

I'd swear we must be related LOL

[@rollrateguy6109]

@@DIRTRACELIFE 😂 we just like trying to figure these things out!

[@jeffalmekinder2251]

Extremely impressed how great the car is coming along. I have not missed a video yet and look forward to learning more on each upcoming video. Thanks again for the content.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Jeff, I sure appreciate what your doing by being a sponsor of our team. Its how we are getting to do this so thank you.

[@eddiesmith6223]

Looks good boss

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thank you Eddie. I saw you got in on the action with Chase during Speedweeks. Nice.

[@JamesDedmon]

Looking good.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Thank you Mr James.

[@whoknows3347]

Without being wrecked....what do you consider the life of the chassis you built there...to be?

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

I don't want to jinx myself but it should be a 10 season chassis. Part of that reasoning is how she's built rigid where the suspension is expected to do the work and also my rule of no holes into any structural tube anywhere for any reason. Now, honestly it may never make it. At what point have you had to do major repairs to the extent you feel its time to start over? Year one? I hope not. But by five or year six I bet she'll have been hurt pretty bad a few times. So who knows. I hope to run this car hard this year and then next year run it while I begin building a different type frame. After that ? ? ?

[@whoknows3347]

@@DIRTRACELIFE it looks built in a way its gonna respond to changes forsure.

[@ddfreakyy7026]

I upgraded this past season and bought the low friction bearings, seals, the spacers and even the specialty grease. I definitely saw a difference. They even spin quite free with the “low friction” seal installed. Now was it worth the extra money...idk lol. Probably won’t keep the dirt out as well either but with as competitive as the guys I’m racing against I’m looking for speed whenever I can find it. If you have little extra cash why not and if you don’t you will be fine just like you said. Enjoy your videos I like seeing your thought process vs my own.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Well thought out explanation I sure don't find any fault in. We all know speed costs and we all do the same thing. We figure out whats right for our budgets when it comes to what go fast parts we can use to get there :)

[@juniorwhelchel6337]

Another great video do you have any plans to come race in South Carolina or North Carolina

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Planning to make the big street stock race at Cherokee in Gaffney, SC

[@juniorwhelchel6337]

Good bc I live in Gaffney SC Cherokee is my home track

[@jasonstarnes351]

Wow, I have never changed a race unless it was damaged. But I completely understand why you would.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Well, I usually never change them again after the first set so I guess I have kinda got superstitious and think going with a matched set of Timken's is the reason. But no real evidence. Just great luck this way :)

[@seeblacksmith]

It was a great point to make!

[@gregorygolden1296]

Wish you could of seen the old THUNDER CARS from Hialeah and Palm Beach Fairgrounds Speedways. They were asphalt cars, but I know you would of really liked them.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

If it was a stock car of any kind I guarantee you I would :)

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

This looks great. How feasible would it be to reconfigure this sorta chassis for a symmetrical setup? Would that be a matter of building a second 'road course' chassis, or could a chassis be converted back and forth?

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

I build a true square chassis. Up both frame rails it is identical. The differences are primarily in two spots for the tubing. The driver door protection and the halo top is driver centered. This skews weight to the left side. The front end has a slight difference because the left upper control arm mount is slightly higher and has 0 antidive. If I knew I was building a car that might road course some then I would use the Jones front upper control arm mounts with slug inserts where I could center them for road course racing.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@DIRTRACELIFE Awesome, thanks for the explanation. As I got further into the video it seemed like I maybe didn't quite understand something earlier on. It's really fascinating to learn about what goes into optimizing a car for different types of ovals, or road racing, or rallycross, etc.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

It really is. The more you get into and start understanding how cars build traction for all the different types of racing, it just pulls you in more and more. I love reading about the race theory and engineering side of it. The math behind what makes a car work :)

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@DIRTRACELIFE Definitely. Anything from drag to autocross I'll read about to try to understand if there's anything useful. And then I turn around and only ever apply it to an 18 year old sim title, because you know, gotta race within your means.

[@seeblacksmith]

Hey buddy! Enjoying the videos. You're doin a good job. I know its a ton of more work. On the bearing spacers we run them due to side load on the bearings. We are putting as much pressure on them on the rf as asphalt cars now. They make a huge difference with that load. Gotta get you some swift springs, factory 56 school #2 and #3 showed the proof of them making it worth the money. I'm interested to see the spring rate on them hypers after a season on them. Good luck this season!

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Swift is good stuff too!. I just went Hyperco because I have run many of their leafs for years and I knew they made the coils stateside in Mississippi. Yes, I want to see how much free length changed as well because these are my first Hypercoils. I'm not against spacers just showing some strategy on where to spend limited funds. Maybe upgrade next season :)

[@jasonstarnes351]

The bearing spacers do make a difference. I bet you would be surprised. Great content though!

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

I wouldn't be surprised :) because I know you are likely right. Its a money thing and me ranking what makes the biggest difference for the dollars I have. If I ran them it would cut down on the labor I put into maintaining the right lash so yeah I sure am not against them. I appreciate you watching and giving me feedback Jason.

[@jasonstarnes351]

@@DIRTRACELIFE I got you!! Racing has gotten so expensive. Bearing spacers won’t win or lose the race that’s for sure. Just one of the many pieces!

[@sc358.]

@@DIRTRACELIFE another money thing but DRP makes low drag wheel seals

[@chrismammen751]

The bearing spacers help under load. There is alot of bearing deflection under load. Do yourself a favor and atleast put a spacer on the RF best would be all 4 corners.

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Maybe we'll get there one day but not enough dollars in the budget yet for the luxury :(

[@DanielBrickert77]

What paint did you use?

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Its oil base enamel, farm implement, Ford Grey.

[@Stormchex24-7]

Would your spring numbers change much if it was a factory stock? I don’t even know what’s on my car but I know they are old and probably need changing but not even sure where to start 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

My springs are very soft even for a camaro and won't work well on a rough and hooked up track. If you are starting from scratch you may want to start out fairly stiff at a 1000 and 1200 and go from there (and thats guessing you have an f body camaro) You have to start somewhere and if you accidentally go too soft it could end up un-drivable.

[@Stormchex24-7]

@@DIRTRACELIFE do you have a good recommendation for Monte Carlo to start at? I appreciate your reply sir big help as whatever I know about car set up practically comes from your videos 😆🤷🏻‍♂️

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Yes, a 1200 and 1000 can work on a pre 1978. But if its a metric maybe even a bit more like a 1100 and 1300. (Metric lower arm has a different spring ratio). These are just ballpark / get started numbers and you need to work with someone if at all possible to get a better idea exactly whats needed. I have to be careful just how far I go here for fear of missing one of many major things that could be why any given setup won't work on your car or accidentally misleading anyone. There are A LOT of variables to consider.

[@justjesse16]

absolutely love the build. curious as per ur rules. on camaro chassis, does a person have to cut out the "frame rails" from the floor pan or do rules allow a tube style chassis behind the factory stub?

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

My camaro has three original parts the front stub, left rear rail and right rear rail. Its all round tube for the rest. I have ran it at several CRUSA event with daytime pre-tech and it has never been an issue.

[@justjesse16]

@@DIRTRACELIFE thank you. i recently purchased a camaro stubb chassis that was never raced for a wheel of a deal. just tryna figure out wat classes i culd build it for. it is tube chassis from stub back. debating on wrapping factory frame rails around the tubes to build it for street stock. sadly camaro stubbs arent alowed in modifieds or id just build a playtoy mod to run on off weekends.

[@tristanlabarge5289]

The upper A frame mounts? Do they have to appear stock or could u lower the holes on the mounts? Just curious

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Yes Crate Racin USA let's you do whatever you want with the uppers. Move them, modify whatever :)

[@tristanlabarge5289]

Wissota super stock driver and I build my own chassis . Lower them if it’s a Camaro stub ..and typically 1”3/8 from screw jack nut top plate if it’s level and flat .just a thought for you sir not telling you what to do!

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Hey I'm listenin! I'll map that and see what it does. Thanks for the idea because I know there is always room to learn.

[@danamcintyre3565]

Your going to mess up that nice paint job by welding those on ? LOL

[@DIRTRACELIFE]

Yeah, paint brush here I come :) shoot I can't afford all those clamps people use. But regardless I am welding on the front bumper and tail section so Its getting more paint.