real world engines

Lets get real here. How many of us have the resources that are listed in the build specs. on the "budget builds" i have read here lately. For goodness sakes i own a small repair shop and after years of experience and inter-trade relationships i still don't know any shops that will "donate"labor or machining to the average hot rodder. lets see the real build that an average diy back yard garage hot rodder can do on a real budget. have you forgotten that most of us have bills to be paid as well as our passions in cars and trucks. as well as the fact that most do not have the tools to fab the "special one-off " parts that the pro's are putting into these builds. I for one would like to see an "amature" budget build off, based in the real roots of hot rodders, THE HOME GARAGE, not a pros shop.  

Sorry, but it will never happen even though I agree with you completely. It just shows how screwed up the priorities of the competetion are when they allow Jud Massingill to compete and The School of Automotive Machinists (which he owns) to sponsor it. I have heard some of the people who have competed in the past say that not all are treated the same by the rules committee either. An interesting side note is that they bill this competition as a pump gas challenge, yet the competitors run Shell 100 ULE,100 octane race gas. Those who have the money and reputation will always be able to keep the people who have the knowledge to rival them out of the competion.