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(sigh) Here's the rub...
It takes more than just the technology to go that fast. Todd has had the driving skill, but not the budget for the last few years. His car is still closer to stock than to built and he slowly chipped away at the all motor record for years through constant practice.
I don't have the skill of Todd or Mark. Hell, my car has never seen a strip or dyno. Probably never will, either. My game plan was to go nucking futs, building a BA NA motor that would perhaps compensate for my lack of experience at the track. To date, I have spent more than $6,000 on the engine in my car. I get mentioned in these all motor threads because I have a pretty decent engine in my car (and because I have long been an advocate for all motor 2GNT performance). My build list is practically the same as Mark's when he first dipped into the 14s, but don't let that fool you, just because I have one of the most built up NA motors around, doesn't mean I've done or have plans to do anything more with it. (Although, if I did, I could very easily drop another $2,000 into it tomorrow and give Mark a real run for his money. This shit gets in your blood, you know.)
More importantly, just because it's not turbo doesn't mean it's A) less expensive or B) more reliable. In order to compete at this level, you need a 420A built to the limits and driven right there at 110%. To get the top end needed to haul that kind of ass, you're going to lose some daily driveability. My car has extensive headwork done and Crower 2s and does *not* like driving around below 3000rpm. I'm pretty sure Mark is on Crower 3s, now, which means his power band is shifted even higher. I'm not saying the car is a bitch to drive in traffic or drive-thrus, but she does *not* like it. Especially when it's 120* outside and I have the A/C running.
Mark has the benefit of being experienced in both racing and engine building. He has the skills and tools to be able to do 90% of the engine work himself. He does research through the archives here and then executes based on what he discovers.
It all boils down to this:
1. How much civility are you willing to give up in pursuit of all motor performance in your daily driver?
2. How much are you prepared to spend on a project that, for all intents and purposes, is still only going to be as fast as a stock GST?
3. (This is the tough one.) Are you going to be able to dedicate the time required to research, both here and elsewhere, the theories, methods, and techniques for extracting every ouce of power out of your engine?
Knowlege is power. The more you know how to do yourself, the less you have to pay others to do it for you. The less you pay others to do it for you, the more money goes directly into your project.
Keep your eyes on the top of that mountain - that's where you want to be when you're done, but don't forget to set base camps along the way. This isn't something that happens over night, so you need to keep focused on short term goals as well if you're going to stay in it to win it. If you're not having fun, you're not sticking with it, and you're just throwing your money away.
Note:
I say all this to you not to discourage you in this pursuit, but to give you a taste of reality. My never-been-tested all motor Talon? It's got a fine layer of dust on it in my garage right now. It's got a blown head gasket, loses a quart of oil ever 400 miles or so, is no longer street legal (emissions-related), and needs MSnS installed if I were to complete my build. I had the MSnS/wideband for it, but I sold both of them. Shit happens. I've even considered selling the head off the car and had someone in line with almost $2000 cash in hand, but still the car sits.
Don't think for one minute that I don't love the car I've built. Daisy and I go back over a decade. She is the love-of-my-life when it comes to cars and I've snuck her out twice in the last month. As I'm sure Mark can agree, there ain't no DSM like an all motor DSM. Like I said, this shit gets into your blood. To hear the engine settle into a nice, lopey idle... To feel it coursing through solid and filled motor mounts to the tips of your fingers... To dump the clutch, stand on the gas, and hear your car wail like a motherfucking banshee at 8000+ rpm onto the highway... That's what it's all about.
Turbo or not, I hope all you guys get to experience that sort of exhileration behind the wheel some day.
Give serious thought to where you want to be with the car when you're done. Google can't give you directions if you don't know exactly where you're going...
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you didn't give me my 2 weeks...........tsk, tsk.
