When I realized...

At a TnT last year. No E-Z UP or any other canopy. Wheel off. Holding an umbrella kind of over my head, sitting on a rain coat.

Taking the shock/spring out of the car.

I looked over to what is a major highway in that area and thought if I saw me, I would think...Look at that guy, he must have lost his mind....

Any point when you realized just how deep into your hobby you are? Or it just kinda got that way?

This is a hobby? Damn, now he tells me.

When I almost had the car finished for street/strip on motor at the end of last season and I bolted the front sway bar on for SnG because I didn't have any more room to hide parts, then took it for a spin.

I never drove the car with working brakes and non-broken suspension links under it and I just about crapped my pants at how much fun it was to toss the car around turns, even on crappy good years and stock 160k mile WS6 springs.

The shocks/struts must've been worn out on my old '91 GTA [probably were for as well as it launched] because I never had this much fun in it.

Anyway, got rid of the 200 shot with the seperate fuel system, 4" cowl hood [can't see over it anyway], sold the Draglites, selling a bunch of other parts, and put a flat pin-on hood on order from Glasstek, found a guy to trade a TH350 swap setup for a T5 swap [SWEET!], buying some 17x9 GM ZR1s this weekend... and the list goes on.

I've got a rear GC adj. perch setup laying around that I'm going to put in the car once I decide whether to use the GC front setup or Spohn coilovers... then get the SFCs welded in, and a brake upgrade on and hopefully hit a track day or two...

At least I got such a good deal on a lot of my drag racing stuff that I was able to sell it for what I paid or even make a few bucks.

All I know is, there is no way in hell I'm taking the front sway bar off at the end of this year and saying "I'm going drag racing next year!".

Yeah....with the list of things I did this winter.....it felt like a full time job to get it all done. I felt like a project manager trying to coordinate shipping, snow, suspension, tires, revalved shocks, fabwork, lift time, etc. I can't wait to hit Limerock next week to see how all that time and money paid off!

Limerock w/BMW - 4/22
Pocono Long w/Ferrari - 4/29
Summit Point w/BMW - 5/2

When racing turns into work then the fun goes out the door unless you see results.

... when my main concern over the winter became, "Where can I store the race tires to keep them out of the freezing temperatures", and my answer involved the dining room.

Apartment life - ain't it grand?

Been there done that, still doing it. My wife is the best for letting me keep my tires in the appartment.

Back in 84 when I bought a new Z28 just for autocrossing. Put about 9,000 miles on it just traveling back and forth to events. Back then it was nothing for me to drive 200 miles to an event and back. I ran every weekend religiously, ran divisionals and drove the car to Kansas and back for nationals. As I got older my priorities changed and things like getting the grass cut finally happened.

When I arranged my chemotherapy schedule around the track schedule.

You win

Driving the donor car home from LA after catching an early morning flight down there 600 some miles.After taking the door apart to get the window down and fresh air. Late nite no dash lights,no gas guage, sun cracked tires and lots of worry I may not even make it home

Moving the 2 cosmetically perfect Camaros outa the garage to accomidate the one pos race car

Sitting in the cabin filled with the gray spray paint fumes late at nite after 2 quadruple latte' will really get ya thinking :leaving:

....EXACTLY....I chased the championship in a HUGE class for two years....worked on that car probably 5 nights a week....loaded the car and took it to the dyno/chassis shop/etc. almost as much as I took it to the track....the second year, I led the championship ALL FRIGGEN YEAR, then in the last race, due to a BONEHEAD maneuver I did, I finished second by 6 points....DOH!

I KILLED MY FAMILY THAT YEAR....dragging them here and there....spending NO time with them...etc....

That is why you see me with a Faster car now that I take out ONLY 4-5 times a year....the speed keeps the adrenaline up for me...and allows me to not try TOO hard to spend a cajillion hours trying to beat the field in a class where the MOST $$$$ wins!

...at the end of the day it HAS GOT TO BE FUN....

:drive:

I do still have a stack of C4 Corvette rims in Dell boxes in my living room. I didn't get the garage cleaned up enough to put them in there (ask Eugenio, my garage is a mess) and they have just been sitting. I haven't even opened them yet to see if they are round. I could have 4 boxes of rocks for all I know.....

After gutting the car, it looks like a shipping center in my basement. I saved all the boxes from upgrades I bought so that I have boxes to ship out....for a while it seemed like I had a second job in the salvage business! I'm still at home ....yeah houses cost an arm and a leg in this area and I managed to sneak a HOOD into the basement without my Mom ever realizing it exists!

Heh, sounds like you're in about the same boat I am, except we don't have a basement.

At one point this winter, I had 4 crosslace GTA wheels, an A/C delete heater box, suspension parts from Coleman, and more computers that I can count... in the room that used to be the dining room.

Oh, and I have half the garage taken up from the interior pieces left from gutting the car. I love my parents

I don't have a basement, but I do have an understanding wife.

Definitely hard to top that one.