Orange County is a hard, clay-surfaced, semi-banked oval in Southeastern New York that has had Street Stocks/Pro Stocks as part of its weekly program for the past 20 years. They currently run two divisions: Rookie and Novice. We will enter the Rookie division for the 2000 season.
Driver
The assembled team for this project has previous racing experience at this speedway. Our driver, Mitch Frank of Waldwick, New Jersey, started in the Enduro ranks in 1997 with a '76 Cutlass Supreme he purchased for $250. With limited rules and only safety modifications allowed on the cars, it was a rough division. Mitch finished his first race with all four shocks destroyed and five laps down. The following year, the Enduro division became known as Pure Stocks, and this is where our team members came together.
Prior to the '99 season an '85 Monte Carlo was purchased for $150. Having been faithful readers of Circle Track's Saturday Night Buildup, our team met the challenge and completely stripped the car down, stiffened the chassis, and added a new motor. Mitch did a great job behind the wheel, and for our efforts, we were rewarded with five feature wins and a second in overall division points for the year.
The logical progression from this point was into the Rookie Pro Stock ranks. This is where we are headed, and we are taking you, the reader, along for the ride. The team that we have assembled for this project is topnotch, all members chosen for their expertise in their given fields. We will take you step-by-step through the building process of the chassis and rollcage while illustrating the differences between the new design and the older chassis designs.
Chassis
A complete rolling chassis will be constructed by Keith Koppenal, owner of K Auto Tech in Fair Oaks, New York. As well as being a driver, Keith has constructed nearly 20 complete race cars for others who compete at tracks in New York and New Jersey. His cars have many feature wins to their credit, including Keith's prestigious win in the '97 Eastern States Weekend Street Stock Invitational at Orange County.
We will take you through the process of why we select certain materials, and show how we design our frame and rollcage. We will also introduce various part manufacturers during the construction process.
Engine
A future segment will focus on engine construction. The person chosen for this task is Jeff Saaf, who owns and operates Saaf Engines in Rowland, Pennsylvania. Jeff has been an engine builder since 1977. He is also a Street Stock feature winner, having raced at Mocatek Speedway in Pennsylvania. Jeff has engines running at several speedways in New York and Pennsylvania. In future articles, we will discuss specific engine components, machining techniques, parts preparation, and installation tips.
Basic Specifications
Since Keith has been running a non-perimeter chassis for a few years, we have found that there is a big difference in setting one of these up compared to the stock chassis-and Mitch has discovered that Orange County has a distinctive personality. While Turns 1 and 2 may require a more precise touch, you can carry more speed through 3 and 4. The team with the setup for both ends of the speedway has the edge.
DIRT specs allow only North American passenger car, V-8 manufactured engines, and all engines must maintain stock bore-and-stroke combinations. We will discuss internal engine components and various tolerances at length in future writings.
Rob Weeks of Valley Body and Fender in Westwood, New Jersey, is our resident body-and-paint expert. Rob has done body and framework since 1975 and for the last five years has worked as the crew chief for a Pro Stock team at Orange County.