Happy New Year BSA peeps!! We’re getting excited about this year’s GS Nationals and our Buick Stock Appearing Race Class!!! If you’ve run the class before, we hope you enjoyed it. If you haven’t yet, read the rules and come join us!! Any ideas or suggestions are always welcome. Any volunteers of time or sponsorship are also welcome. So far, we have the awesome belt Jim Rodgers donates for the winner, we will have cash from our usual individual donors, and are verifying last year’s vendors are on board again (more info to come). This year, the rules are very much like years past, with the exception of a year cutoff. Due to the fact that Buick ceased production of the Gran Sport option on a rear drive, v8 car after 1975, that is our cutoff year. (This is not necessarily cast in stone-if you spent all year building a BSA car that meets last year’s rules, let us know…) Otherwise, here ya go… Rules: Vehicle must be Buick bodied and originally available with a Buick built v8 (not corporate). Buick must be 1975 or older. You are allowed to run that car with an original or transplanted Buick v8. Underhood must be stock appearing and neat. Engine must appear to be stock for that car. If your year painted engines red, all parts of the engine must be painted red. Same goes for green and corporate blue. Air cleaner assembly needs to be a stock appearing enclosed unit for display. Smaller lid or flipped lid and 1/2” taller element allowed for qualifying and racing. 360* open and drop base air cleaner will be allowed for qualifying and racing to accommodate special situations. You must race in the same configuration as you qualify. Aftermarket heads are allowed (T/A Stage 1 specifically, ask about others) but must be painted correct color. Aftermarket intake (specifically Edelbrock B4B/Performer, Poston S divider on big blocks, ask about any others) is allowed but needs to be engine color. No single planes. All engines must run a factory appearing carburetor. All engines must run factory exhaust manifolds. Cam needs to be a streetable profile. Ignition may be upgraded but needs to appear stock. Plug wires should be factory color. Any boxes need to be hidden. No visible ‘cool cans’. No electric water pumps. Stock type fuel pump needs to be on engine. Electric fuel pump is ok but needs to be hidden. No delay box, no trans brake. No gauges allowed outside car. Factory style alternator and belt system required. Wipers and motor must be retained. No electric fans. Radiator needs to be black. Transmission may be any type GM trans. Complete, reasonably quiet, muffled exhaust, up to 3” diameter is required. Exhaust must exit in stock location. Stock fuel tank required. No sumps or visible pumps. All wheels must appear factory. Fronts are limited to 5” or wider, rears are limited to 10” or narrower. Rear tires may be slicks, drag radials or street tires. Maximum tread width is 10”. Fronts need to be street tires or disguised as street tires (i.e. blackwall out, streetable width tread). Interiors must be complete including factory shifter. Aftermarket roll bars along with upgraded seat belts are allowed. Aftermarket gauges are allowed. Exterior of car must appear stock. No body alterations, no fiberglass parts other than factory options. No altered wheelwells. No lettering, no graphics. Paint must be within the ‘spirit’ of stock appearing. Car must present itself reasonably well inside and out. Suspension and rear end must be stock GM. Adjustable no hop bars are allowed. Sway bars are allowed but not required. Aftermarket springs, shocks and air bags are allowed. Brakes may be upgraded but must appear stock. All cars will be required to park together for display Friday during the show. No ‘Show’ ticket purchase is required for the BSA display. If you are showing in another class you’ll need to move to the BSA display area as soon as your judging is done. We’ll have a peer inspection and peer voting for the Gessler Spirit Award. We will have a drivers meeting before Time Trials and qualifying begin Friday afternoon. All cars will need pass the track’s tech inspection (usually at the fuel shed) prior to Friday’s display. All cars will make two qualifying runs between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Dial in will be your quickest qualifyer. Racing will be bracket configuration (like ‘The Price is Right’, whomever’s closest to his dial without going under or redlighting wins the round). Cars will be paired by ET dial in and run on a Pro bracket ladder. Qualifying and racing will be a Pro Tree. Any person or business interested in sponsoring the class is more the welcome! ANY questions or concerns, please reach out here, via PM, phone, or text. Patrick Briggs 770-363-7322 Starc Traxler 608-220-3889
John csordas jr in for 100 to be used for the class. Also just like last year anything left over from the Wednesday portion of the event and sponsor money for racing will be distributed equally for all Saturday classes as well. Hopefully more than last years extra contribution. Let's hope for a crowded Wednesday and a great event. John jr
I'm looking forward to running in BSA again this year. I do have some thoughts about tires. While I understand the rules allow slicks I wonder if anyone else besides me would rather the rules require only DOT approved street tires (With rain grooves) like the MT Street S/S. Since the class heavily favors real street cars that look stock in every way, why are race tires allowed? While I realize that high horsepower cars need all the traction they can muster, I'd rather see them perform just like they run (safely) on the street and slicks aren't street tires. Not trying to be a complainer but wonder if my thoughts are shared by other BSA participants? Looking forward to seeing everyone in BG this May.
Starc and I (and others) have discussed that issue. There’s a lot of logic in your take on it. The other side is that (1) slicks make any stock or stockish car a ‘stab and steer’ run, which is better for the novice racer (and I think our best bet at broadening the class is encouraging show car people to ‘wind it out’ and get the numbers the cars are capable of) and (2) those numbers ‘back in the day’ were often a result of the more performance oriented magazines doing an afternoon of tuning tweaking and bolting on slicks (pie crusts!) because, with the exception of a few cars like the GSX, factory tires were dinky. We should talk about it as a group. It’s ‘everyone’s’ class. Patrick
Yes Patrick and I have had this discussion in the past, I personally would like to have the same rules for tires sizes that F.A.S.T and Pure Stock. I would like to hear everyone else’s thoughts/opinions.
My car is not fast enough to really need slicks, (in fact, the slicks I have are so tall they slow me down) but I do like running them. It keeps the wear off the F70-14 redline radials I have and keeps the launch consistent. For me, the appeal of BSA is having a group of cars that appear stock, but gives room for limited modifications. The class being open to engines with aftermaket heads, intakes, cams definitely allows for a fun display. A lot BSA rules closely align with F.A.S.T. but I think there are key differences that allow a lot more people to run in the class, which I think is the ultimate goal. Getting back to the tires, if we can run stuff like aluminum heads and a streetable aftermarket cam, I don't see slicks as detracting much from the spirit of the class. I did go with a vintage appearing set of slicks myself to try and keep a period correct theme. Either way, I look forward to 2024! I hope to get a few things done to my car before then so I can run a little quicker this year. Hoping for my first 13 second pass.
I’m anxious again this year for some more stock appearing racing. I think as far as tires go we need all the help we can get. I would certainly be ok if we change to no slicks or more street like tire. Either way I plan on being there with a smile.
I just think any buick should be able to race w.e they want. As long as it's Buick....................
Racing with slicks/sticky tires is easy. Any person should be able to race with sticky tires. Racing with street tires is tricky, especially if a person, is new to racing, has never raced with street tires, has a heavily modified engine and or a high stall convertor. If the transmission is not properly set up the 1 -2 shift can be brutal (lots of wheel spin and possibly slide the rear of the car sideways). Track prep is very important when racing with street tires. Beech Bend is always well prepared. Street tires could level the playing field so to speak making it tougher for the higher powered cars to launch. However, with suspension work and throttle foot control the higher powered cars can effectively launch. Street tires (especially radials) tend to remove rubber from the starting line which irritates fellow racers and track personnel. The reproduction street tires tend to be expensive and the wait time for replacements can be long due to supply chain issues. As many of you know I have been racing on street tires at the Pure Stock Drags in Michigan for 27 years so it makes no difference to me on tire choice. I did talk to one of our fellow competitors yesterday who votes to keep the tire rule as it is with no changes. I do like the opportunity to be able to stab n steer, or if I'm feeling adventurous, stab and bang gears.
It appears that the majority want to continue allowing slicks and drag radials, so we will. The rules (above) do require that the wheels look stock and match (appearancewise, not size) front to rear. Maximum size is in those rules, too. Patrick
I really like this class and hope to have my car running this year! Is it acceptable to remove the A/C compressor and use an aftermarket A/C delete heater box?
Yes. As long as the average person (or your class peers) would look at it and think ‘that’s stock’, you’re good! Patrick
There are several cars at the Pure Stock and FAST drags using a/c delete boxes. The American Graffiti a/c delete box looks very good when properly installed. I would like to see the lower a/c - alternator bracket changed to the non a/c alternator bracket.
And, how about the center A/C duct in the dash and the A/C control panel? If it's to look stock without A/C should they also be required to replace the visible non-A/C items inside the car? Just a thought for comments.
Well that settles it I’m putting the headers on and just enjoying the car if I ever get it done. I took the A/C off years ago and now I kind of regret it. I will have a hard enough time getting it done this year without changing all that stuff.
Rather than suggesting a rule change I was merely posing a question to our BSA guys as to how far to go with the A/C removal situation. I've edited my post to be more clear on that.
No, this is not required. The class rules are very loose. They allow aluminum heads, aluminum intakes, slicks, mismatched sizes on wheels, etc. in an effort to draw cars into the class. So the HVAC controls and dash vents are not a concern so long as the dash is stock. If the rules were tightened up to allow only truly stock appearing cars, only about half of the current cars would pass tech. You don't have to change your dash. Leave the manifolds on the engine and enjoy good ground clearance and come race in the BSA class.
^^^Exactly. Read the rules we have and don’t try to interpret them more strictly than they’re written. The general spirit does not require ‘100% stock showroom, survivor or 100/400 point restoration’, it’s ‘not full of obvious speed parts or modifications’. That’s why headers, bright yellow plug wires and chrome carburetors are prohibited but painted aluminum heads and intakes are allowed. That said, we’d love to have more concours and pure survivor cars, too! Patrick
The a/c delete box is designed as an easy weight and space saving device to work with the existing underdash components and controls with no required firewall modifications. Also makes it easy to reinstall the a/c at a later date if the owner so desires. I am ok with the use of this item.
