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Don2390; according to your #12 post "modded up with engines that are illegal in the US...many filled with stollen parts" (stolen engine parts)?
I was in the engine rebuilding business for 28 yrs and never once installed a "stolen or used" parts in a performance engine. People like "JEGS" today sell performance parts...no need to STEAL them.
A engine builder installs all NEW parts and not used or STOLEN as you inferr.
What I saw on TV was a ricer with the fancy paint ...stereos..big wheels and tires that the owner had drag raced in the street. He had to stand and watch it being crushed...commenting that he would be starting out all over again to build another car.
These guys spend a lot of money to show off their car...he made the mistake of street racing.
The car in question was a smogged legal street licenced Calif car that was all decked out.
There are many smog exempt cars that are modified to the hilt (performance wise) that are not street driven but trailered to the track...yes I have heard where in the past someone did take that type of car to a street race for one or two runs and then quickly split.
I witnessed a race over 55 yrs ago like that...way before smog rules came into effect.
Steve
Many of these cars are built using stolen components, whether the last person to buy them knows it or not. Entire engines are lifted along with anything else of value and then sold on craigslist, online, through friends, etc.
A 4 year old in Morgan Hill was killed by some kids street racing when a van couldn't see the vehicles approaching at a high rate of speed. As a result they went straight into the path of an oncoming car at 100 mph. The hell it isn't dangerous.
Now post some stories of drunk drivers killing kids (and adults).
You will find out that there are far more incidents of fatalities involving drunk drivers than there are for street racers.
And I didn't say street racing isn't dangerous... just regular driving involves some risk. I'm saying that drunk drivers are more dangerous than street racers and cause far, far more deaths each year.
the nation needs more programs like this. i used to go all the time when i lived in San Diego. for a couple bucks, i could race for HOURS against damn near anything, INCLUDING cops. i'd get in as many as 20 passes before i would just quit from boredom more than anything else. it was a great and legal way to get the fix.
it's not enough to simply ban the activity. a separate but safe venue should be offered, much like the city and county skate parks you see popping up all over the place.
that being said, i feel no pity for street racers and any repercussions that come upon them. these asshats give legitimate car enthusiasts a bad name. in SoCal, you can't hang out with your car buddies without being harassed by the cops. my friends and i used to frequent a parking lot in front of Target on a weekly basis. it was an informal thing. we minded our business, shopped and ate at the businesses in the plaza, and behaved ourselves. for years we never had a single issue, but all the street racing whipped everyone into such a hysteria that we had to deal with cops and rent-a-cops on a steady basis. thankfully the cops got to know us and didn't harass us after a while, but i would go to other meet-ups where this wasn't the case. in SoCal, if you have a vehicle you've put some time and money into, you're a criminal. it sucked!
Unfortunately, NIMBYism, environmentalism and lawsuits have really destroyed places to LEGALLY enjoy this hobby in many parts of the country. Where I live, there used to be tons of drag tracks as recently as 20 years ago....now there's 1, 60 miles east of me and it's always in danger of closing down.
Serious street racing isn't going on in residential neighborhoods or other places where accidents are likely to happen. Those are just stupid kids trying to look cool, putting themselves and everyone else in danger. I'm only a few miles east of NYC and even here we have a road that's safe to race on, it's a highway that runs the length of a barrier island. No residential areas, it's just for beach access and it's deserted at night. Still illegal, though...
Thank god the SCCA and BMW CCA still run autocross races here....though I'm sure they'll get shut down soon enough too.
Man, I didn't realize street racing was still in vogue, not given the price of gas these days.
Back in the 50s and 60s it was commonplace. Two guys would be at a red light revving, and as soon as the light changed, they're off. Cars were modified by these backyard mechanics. One buddy actually had 6 2-bbl. carbs, others had 3 2-bbl., or maybe 2 4-bbls. Heck, gas was 30 cents or so a gallon. Some would paint descriptive names on the front fenders, like "Color Me Gone" or "Little Miss Modified." Recall hearing them talk about Hurst shifts and posi-traction rears and all other sorts of contraptions that sounded like rocket science.
Me, I just toodled along in a used stock '58 Impala, and later upon Army discharge, a new '67 Camaro. Damn, they were good looking rides though.
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