CarCrusher

Guys, I hate to keep resurrecting this thread, but I just went back a re-read this thread because it was a lot of information to digest. Ultimately, my goal is to build a truck 100% with racing in mind. Having said that, I would like to see if I have the information straight. Okay, so... it seems the biggest suggestions as far as chassis go were CRD, Cohen, and another one called David Smith (have no clue about this one). There’s also this “Eddy Makija” that keeps being mentioned. Let me see if I’ve got this straight: • CRD = Tim Carrol’s chassis, very high quality, low-CG, good for racing. • Cohen = Similar, but different chassis, also low-CG, high quality. • Eddy Makija = Clone of Cohen, also high quality. • PEI = High quality, but high-CG, not optimal for racing. I’m not sure about Concussion or Racesource. They don’t seem to be mentioned very much. I just want to ask this question, if you had to choose one of these with the criteria I mentioned in mind (i.e. racing being #1 priority) and money was no issue, which of these would you choose? And as far as money goes, it’s no issue, but if there happens to be a cheaper option that is just as good a candidate for my criteria, and just as high of quality, I would like to know what that would be too. I do intend to purchase this chassis and begin building this truck at the end of this year. Thank you guys so much!

Hey guys, I’m not sure if you caught it in one of my last posts, but I was asking about this computer game you guys play here. I know nothing about it. It looks like you guys build trucks on there and compete with them or something?? I was wondering if that program could also be used to design trucks you actually intend to build in real life?

Actually, I was meaning to ask about them this morning. That’s Pablo’s shop right? I haven’t heard their name mentioned in years. What’s up with them?

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Not to sound snarky, but I know how engines and superchargers work. I’ve driven and worked on heavy machinery since I was in grade school. I’ve got my private pilot license, which requires you to know every part of the plane and how it works, including the powerplant. The difference in planes versus cars is that a plane requires you to know how engines work in very exact detail. For example, you have to know how to adjust fuel-air mixture on the fly for different density altitude levels, and you have to know how to set RPM in relation to manifold pressure right from the cabin, and stuff like that. Aircraft engines have to be run precisely with a fine knowledge of what’s going on at all times or else big problems can occur. I’ve also built a few jeeps for creek riding. The only things I might not know are the particular options, brands, and parts people tend to use on MT engines. I understand they use a twin magneto system just like a plane rather than running a standard distributer or coil packs. I just don’t know what parts choices are commonly used. That is what I would have to find out if I were to price a motor.

Again, forgive my ignorance, but I’m the type of guy who likes to “cut the Gordian knot” so to speak. What I mean by that is I like to find shortcuts and easier routes to get what I want rather than spen so much time and energy doing it the hard way. So with that said, when it comes to engines, why couldn’t I just order something like this from Summit https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mll-ps5401ct/make/chevrolet and then send it to a performance shop to have the mods and horsepower put into it? The engines have to run off methanol right? Is there a particular type of motor I’m looking for?

Thanks @Outlawed and @NitroMenace for the thorough info! Don’t worry about seeming like a know-it-all. That’s what I’m looking for is know-it-alls to educate my know-it-none a**! I guess for me it’s down to CRD or PEI. I like the look of both. Say, I love those pdfs you attached! That brings me to another thing I’ve been wondering. I came here strictly to talk about monster trucks. I know nothing about this computer game y’all play where you design the trucks and race them etc. I was just wondering, is that program also good to use for designing trucks you’re actually going to build?

@Jon Cannon Sweet! Is that a PEI? I don’t mean to browbeat y’all with questions, but I do have a few more. As far as engines, who builds them? Where are they purchased? Forgive me for being ignorant. When it comes to the various professional chassis out there (PEI, Concussion, Cohen, CRD, etc.), what seems to be the best handling chassis for more of a racing-oriented truck? One that handles, jumps/lands well, and puts the power to the ground better? I know shocks are a big part, but I’m definitely looking to build a truck that races better than it freestyles. I’m much more interested in tuning, setup, running tons of test runs, and getting the truck dialed for handling and speed than I am hitting slap-wheelies and such.

I thought Cohen and CRD were the same thing, no? Can someone please share a pic of a Cohen chassis? Also, if someone with a high degree of knowledge on trucks is willing to PM me and have a discussion, I would really love to get my questions answered. I’d like to break it down piece by piece (i.e. chassis, engine, driveline, tires/wheels, etc.) and see what the costs will be for me to purchase the chassis and build the rest of the truck myself.

How much do you think just a chassis would cost by itself, and would a truck be more expensive if you built it piece by piece vs buying turn-key.

I would likely not be doing the lion’s share of the mechanical work, at least not in the sense of diagnosing issues and knowing what to do on them. Turning wrenches, of course. But I would hire a good crew chief who knows what he’s doing to help direct the rest of us. I wonder if Dan Patrick builds his own engines? I also wonder how you go about placing an order for a truck. Does he have like an order form for how you want the truck built, what components and features you want?

What do you mean a while back? Is he not building anymore?

Is there a website other than racingjunk where you can find used trucks for sale? I will have the money to purchase a truck by the end of this year, but would rather not buy brand new. That’s pushing what I want to spend. I could do $85k- $125k maybe.

What price range would a brand new turn key truck from a leading professional fabrication shop (like PEI) run you?

If there is a moderator reading this right now, I want you to go back and read this thread in it’s entirety. I am not guilty of any of the things that the members on this last page are accusing me of. I was never hostile or disrespectful to any member here. I never made any personal attacks of any kind, and none of these members have any evidence of it. The evidence that @NtheDiggerfan tried to use to prove that I “personally attacked” another member was nothing more than his misreading of one of my posts, which actually said the exact opposite of what he claimed it said. And no it was not edited after the fact by me. That is yet another false accusation he has made. I don’t mind if you lock this thread, but I just want it to be known that the hostility and bad attitude was entirely on the other side. It did not come from me. You will clearly see this if you review this thread.

Like hell I did. And you don’t have any damn screenshots and you know it.

Read it again sunshine. I said he WASNT an a**hole or a jerk.

I never got hostile. Not one single time have I been hostile to anyone. If you’re going to make that accusation you had better back it up.

No I absolutely did not, and now that you’ve accused me of this, I want you to go back through this entire thread and highlight the posts wherein I “personally attacked” @EightBitMS. You won’t find anything other than where I suggested he was being a bit hostile towards my remarks, which isn’t a personal attack in any shape or form. Furthermore, I went on to clarify in my next post that I didn’t mean that as an insult, but rather that he seemed combative towards my position. Other than that, you have not the slightest evidence that I “personally attacked” him. If anything, he came closer to getting personal than I did with his “If you think that’s hostile, you shouldn’t talk to me” statement. But I did not complain about that. So don’t go accusing me of things I never did or said buddy.

Exactly what rules have I violated? Expressing opinions you don’t like? Stay out of this thread then. Problem solved.

I’ve watched them. They’re certainly awesome. But that’s beside the entire point I’m making. I love monster trucks, and would like to see them enjoy the credibility of a serious motorsport. I don’t know how else to say it.

I’m sorry man, but nothing you say here makes a lick of sense. I understand if you don’t like the idea of a racing-only series, but the objections you raise about it are pretty silly, and honestly, the reason I called you “hostile” earlier is not because I think you’re a jerk or an a**hole. I meant that in the sense that there is no reason for you to be as staunchly confrontational and combatively opposed to my idea as you are. Right out of the gate you just came out swinging as if my ideas had triggered you or insulted your beliefs somehow. How is it unethical to race for prize money? That’s got to be the silliest thing I’ve ever heard. You think I should start a racing series that tells drivers “Hey, there’s not going to be any money guys. Y’all are just racing for ‘bragging rights’.” You think that would be more ethical? Do you know anything about how the profit motive in a free enterprise market works? “Bragging rights” is not a tangible commodity that someone hands you on the podium when you win a race (like a check or a trophy). “Bragging rights” is just a term given to a racer’s status among his fellow racers when he is successful. Yes, it’s important, but it’s not a tangible thing that can be handed out as a prize, and the sanctioning organization or promoter does not issue you your bragging rights. That is something that happens orgaincally between you and your fellow racers, and that will always be there no matter the circumstances. And finally, the idea that freestyle is more entertaining than racing is, at the very least, debatable. Monster trucks, I find, are much more entertaining when racing each other side-by-side on a track that allows for the engines to be revved to their limits, allows the trucks to reach high speeds, and contains high jumps that produce big air and photo finishes. If done right, racing is unquestionably better than freestyle, which is aimless. I don’t believe you are giving the ideas I’ve proposed a fair hearing. If you could see what I am imagining in my head for racing courses, I feel you would change your mind, or at least see why I believe the way I do. But the idea that freestyle is necessarily more entertaining than racing is a trope that is not true in the least.

Why not? Other motorsports do it. What is different about monster trucks that make it so you can race them in the same format as other vehicles? Yeah, that’s it. My main goal is to send the sport into a horrible direction and ruin it. I’m glad you now get it.

I disagree, and you’re being unnecessarily hostile, when there’s no hostility being directed at you. I don’t want to watch NHRA or Super Stadium Trucks. I like monster trucks. I want to see monster trucks have the same stature and credibility as those other motorsports. There’s no reason they can’t have a real racing series just like every other motorsport.

Once again, I never said that the racing itself wasn’t real. I’m just saying that the focus is not on the racing, but on the show. And yes, prize money is pretty much the thing that separates monster trucks from other real motorsports like NHRA or NASCAR. The teams have a real goal, which is to win. Winning means money. Money means a better funded team. Obviously the title, the recognition, and the glory that comes with winning is paramount too, but nobody goes that far into something if there is not money involved. Hence, why most indie monster truck teams take it easy on the track so as not to destroy their limited budget. No one ever paid the bills with points.