This is for all the Broke ass weekend warriors out there that dont have big sponsors. I really wanna build a comp rig, and i have pretty much the whole design laid out both in my head and in various sketches. I've got the skills to build it, and i know where to get the parts cheap, but i'm fawkin broke. How are all you unsponsored guys funding your projects? are you getting help from local shops and smaller sponsors, or are you doin it all out of pocket? Any ideas on gettin this goin? I've got a spotter, I've got all the tools, I've got the skills, i just need $3-5k to build the rig. :(

Dallas

lil bit of both..

couple of small shops help out not alot just cutme dicounts.. etc..

but most of it is out of pocket.. overtime pays for the toys...

Go on down to the bank and start sighning some papers:D

Get a credit card, max it out.. then transfer to one of those 0% on balance transfer cards and you have a year to pay it off.

I need the hookups you have if you can build a comp rig for 3-5k, if thats your case your hooked up more than 95% of competitors. I get very little help, alot of sidejobs get the job done.

A wig a skirt and a street corner.. Pucker up big boy.

You got the skills??? (http://www.houlster.com/trails/LowerPredator/images/104-0426_img.jpg)
I seem to remember your skills from terminator:rolleyes: Showin us cheerleaders how its done:flipoff2:

J/K man, good luck with gettin the cash:D

We've got some competitors refinancing their houses and taking out home equity loans.

I have to agree if you can do it for 3-5k...start a business or something on the side and make simple parts for us no inclined people....it will add up quick....

Originally posted by StinkBug
Any ideas on gettin this goin? I've got a spotter, I've got all the tools, I've got the skills, i just need $3-5k to build the rig. :(

Dallas

I have more than that in a giant pile of parts in my shop and mine's not going to be anywhere near what I would consider "competition" standards. Did you mean $3-$5k MORE to finish it? Or what? I have a $20,000 unsecured line of credit at the bank, but they seem to want me to repay anything I borrow. :(

You could always sell the daily driver/wheeling rig you have, buy a cheap commuter car for work and use the leftover $$ to build the rig. Then you just need to find someone to tow it to the events.

Brutally honest here, if you don't have or are able to borrow $6000 you need to just wheel for fun and wait till you can afford to compete at a later time. IMHO

Maybe he meant $35K:flipoff2:

Yea right, I'd write you a check for 10G on a rig that has not been proven to be competative. Or at the least someone who has raced before. I finally managed two sponsors, one for tires,one set a year, and the other a paint job and graphics. With some entry fee help. No money no rig!!

ya some small sponsores, and theres no way 3 to 5 is gonna build you a comp rig, maybe 30 to 50 thousand, i suggest taking a loan, mine came out of pocket

There is an old saying:"The way you make a small fortune in racing is to start out with a big fortune."

I would not recomend financing a race rig. One good wreck and there you sit with a pile of parts and a payment. I would also recomend going to several events and asking questions of competetors. Most will chat with you and I have learned alot. You will also learn that while you could build a rig for 5K, would you want to just be a first round duck? Building the rig is only half of it, You will be looking at $800.00 to 1K per event in expenses. Don't forget the dependable tow rig and trailer.

I consider the one I am building "low buck but competitive"
With building my own chassis I will have about 25k in mine.

i have been desert racing for more than 10 years.

even if somebody gave you the very best rig on the planet i would bet you could not be competitive for a season on 3 - 5k.

entry fees,travel,lodging, food and broken parts alone will exceed that budget. now lets talk about a tow rig, trailer and the kind of shop you will need to equip to build and maintain a competive rig. it gets crazy real fast. more power to ya for trying but the more realistic you get and put together a complete budget to cover a year of competition the more likely you will reach your goals.

good luck. oh ya and begging for money and parts is helpfull. :D

It will not take 20 to 30 k if you do all work yourself.

I have 10 to 12, and i have everything but rear breaks on mine, that includes everything down to shortening my own axles, junkyarding for parts that don't NEED to be new. But there is stuff that will get ya, like carbuerated motors will not do to well in a comp rig. But you can go budget like i did and go propane. it is cheep if you are patient and wait for parts at the right price. It has taken me 2 years of colecting parts. And tubing motor trany and axles were not most of the money only about half. It is the small stuff that gets ya, like the fan, radiator, brakes, drivelines, cutting brakes, seats, electrical stuff, and even a project like hydrosteer, cost more when you find out things like lines are not cheap as you thought. The only things i got free were tires(they I took them off a lifted chevy at work and the guy did not want them, so i got a free set of decent tread 38, but no tire sponsor) and hydro lines ( thanks Reddog). And i also have to mention that grinder discs were mostly on my dads acount. And trust me they add up.
The sport is expensive, and comp is the most expensive part of the sport, so build a rig for as cheap as possible, and it still won't end there, so its time to get fabbing and start saving for entrance fees and tires.

Ian-

Originally posted by camo
good luck. oh ya and begging for money and parts is helpfull. :D

How much begging will it take before you give me that POS 60 you just had built.:D :D

Ian-

Originally posted by KrustyKruiser


How much begging will it take before you give me that POS 60 you just had built.:D :D

Ian-

i have not even done enuff begging to get it done yet. so get in line :flipoff2:

Originally posted by camo


i have not even done enuff begging to get it done yet. so get in line :flipoff2:

how bout i send out hte x..

6 foot tall 145ish.. but its in her chest.. and she can suck start a hog..

s where would that put me in line?

You have to want it bad enough, to find a way to make it happen.
And if your waiting to put together the perfect vehicle, before you start competing, you are gonna be waiting a long time.
If you want to compete, put together the best rig you can in time for the next competition, pay your entry fees, and go get on the starting line. You really need to be out there among the competitors to meet the people that can influence your future in the sport. Once you have a resume, start knocking on doors.
If you go out to a company and say to them, I really want to be a Rock Crawling competitor, will you give me some parts, they will probably tell you to get in line with every other guy who comes in the shop.

As has already been stated, the rig is only the tip of the iceberg. You need to have mountains of spare parts, a reliable tow rig, and money for rooms, food, etc,... The cost to compete can easily be $1000 per event, if the event is within a few hundred miles from your location. Much higher if anything goes wrong, or if the event is much farther away.
We are trying to put together a budget to run 6 events next year, and even with very good sponsors, we have not funded the budget yet.

lots of o/t .... and sponsors if ya can get 'em...thats what works for me.

I am new to this too.....I was able to scrounge up a few small time sponsors (but little things add up quick!!) A few others that give me killer deals on parts....I took an existing built rig, and to convert it enough to compete.....It took 3k.....That was on top of a 12k rig already!!

That was doing all of the work myself too!

i can only think of one solution...not a quite legal one...but itll bringin profit like a mofo.....



whore urself off

This is disheartening. I have been trying to convince myself that this is one sport where the little guy with driving skills could be semi-competitive. Sounds like there's no rockcrawling equivalent to the local dirt circle track Saturday night racers and the "run what you brung" class.

It sounds like what y'all are saying is you dive in head first or don't even bother coming to the party :(

not saying you can't take the rig you drive to your local rock crawl and give it a whirl. but to pick a series and hope to be competive will take many $$$

Originally posted by ffej
A wig a skirt and a street corner.. Pucker up big boy.


HAAHAHAHA

If a spot is open when I gather up the balls, I guess I might plop down my entry fee for Katemcy in April and give it a whirl. At least I could add "competed in professional rockcrawling" to a list of "who gives a shit" things I've done in my life.

I might even accidently not make a fool of myself. But it would be purely accidental :D

OTOH, would I be bumping someone going for series points if I enter?

along with your skirt high heels would be nice:D I like heels;) :D :rolleyes:

i pay for my wheeling with my side work, buying and selling parts and ot at work. and it is the money to get to the events that gets me. i have a good tow rig and camping set up. but i also have a wife and three kids. we are going to try the calrocks series this year. we will start at ketempcy and see how it goes from there. if we do half ass decent i will pass on vacation this year and just extend out the comp weekends to get the family time in. mike

Originally posted by rockracer
i suggest taking a loan, mine came out of pocket

Who's pocket chump? :laughing:

Originally posted by payton

6 foot tall 145ish.. but its in her chest.. and she can suck start a hog..


PICS!!!

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Originally posted by wngrog


Who's pocket chump? :laughing:

I was gonna say. Those pimples made him look a little young to be funding a $30K-$40K rig :laughing:

:flipoff2: :flipoff2:

whassup Adam??

Who's pocket dude? We all wanna know!!!

J/K, I know that most of it came from hard work, but you have had a lot of good breaks along the way.

:beer: for ya!

i ran last season in my $4500 invested toyota! and finished decent (15th) but not after some carange, mainly sheetmetal :D i got lucky and teh only broken part's i had all season (besides the ankle in reno) was 1 CTM/Warn combo at donner, but it did screw me!

my new toy i'm about 10k into, all out of pocket, i did sell my 4runner to cover most of teh expences, but the rest is al out of a monthy allowance from my wallet...


good luck!

Man you guys are makin it seem like theres no hope for the little guy at all. PS, when i said skills i mean fabbing skills :flipoff2: And i never said i expected to just jump in and be competitive, In fact i'm sure i'll end up just about dead last my first few times out. I Just wanna go do it, for my self, not nesseccarily to win, but just so i can say i did it. I'm not expecting anyone to just hand me a check, I'm just wondering how all the other Poor guys are doin it, without that check. And all you guys that are sayin $30k for a comp rig, where is that goin? If you build a tube chassis yourself your lookin at a couple hundred bucks in tube, buy a beater toy or sammi for running gear for $500, another 6-700 for wheels and tires, and a grand for misc parts and youve got a thrashable budget rig. sure it wont be the best, and it wont be cutting edge, but it will get you out onto the rocks which is the important part isn't it?

Dallas

Originally posted by StinkBug
I really wanna build a comp rig, and i have pretty much the whole design laid out both in my head and in various sketches. How are all you unsponsored guys funding your projects? are you getting help from local shops and smaller sponsors, or are you doin it all out of pocket? Any ideas on gettin this goin? I've got a spotter, I've got all the tools, I've got the skills, i just need $3-5k to build the rig. :(

Dallas

First.. do you want to WIN, or do you want to PLAY?

Winning in a rock-crawling series will probably take far far more money (as everyone else has said). I can't say, since I've never bothered to try..

I *do* compete in sand-drags and short-course "baja" type events. Not a lot of big-money rigs running around, though we do have some "last year's model" Dez trucks over in the eastern part of the State.

I built my drag/obstacle rig for an initial investment of $1500 and a year's worth of evenings and weekends (off n' on). I was even competitive, and had a great time.

Estimated value of the rig, 3 years later, is closer to 10X that amount now.. d'oh.

I pay for everything out of pocket. I do have sponsors. One shop built the engine and transmission, at a substantial discount (more or less cost). Another sponsor gives me a standing discount on all parts I order through them - still above cost, but below retail.

Lots of friends donated parts and assistance.

But mostly.. it's out of my pocket.

But I have fun doing it, and spending time with the friends I've made.

My girlfriend even drives.. and wins. Often.

I drive harder.. and break more often than I win. ;-) But it's still fun.

Probably spend $200 on a weekend of racing, including fuel for the tow-rig, food, and entry fees.

We generally race for plaques though.. no big-money pay outs.

Originally posted by StinkBug
If you build a tube chassis yourself your lookin at a couple hundred bucks in tube, buy a beater toy or sammi for running gear for $500, another 6-700 for wheels and tires, and a grand for misc parts and youve got a thrashable budget rig. sure it wont be the best, and it wont be cutting edge, but it will get you out onto the rocks which is the important part isn't it?

Dallas

I think your estimates are light and don't incliude: lockers, winch & synthetic winch rope (required at some of the venues), I assume you mean bead lock wheels, and there is no way you'll get them and tires for 600-700. Plus the fact that you haven't covered even basic spare parts... then there is trailer/tow rig, travel and lodging. It all adds up.

I competed in 2 ERoCC events in '02 on pretty much a shoe string and still spent a probably over $2k to do it: $500/trip in gas/lodging and food per trip. $250 in entry fees. Around $1100 in broken parts and still counting. And this was using my CJ7 in ERoCC legends, that was mostly built... sans comp discovered weak spots :(

Not saying don't do it, just that it WILL be more expensive then you are estimating. What isn't in our sport?

You'd look mighty fine in a mini skirt and high heels though! With those long sexy legs you got. ;) :D:D

My best advice is to go out and try an event before you decide to build a rig specifically for it. I can't tell you how many people we've seen come to one event and never come back again. Competing isn't for everyone. I'd say find out if you've got what it takes before you put too much into it. You'll know after the first event if it is for you, because if it is, you wouldn't being asking other people how they afford to do it, you would just do it.

:emb4: If the boy wants to try let him do it! After all, you got to start some place. Just don't forget it's about fun, right guys???
I would say if you can do side jobs do them all you can. Money does make building a rig alot less painful. But don't forget it is not just about the rig it's the drivers abilty to drive. Oh and can't forget your spotter. Your spotter has got to want it as bad as you do, spotters can hold your life and your rigs life in hand, let go and thats it. You and that spotter better really understand each other, if you don't, your done before you even start.
If you want it bad, real bad, then work and put every ounce of blood, money, time, everything you got into it, you will do it. But you got to want it almost more then ....do I say it:eek: the S word:confused: Oh I can't :angel::rolleyes:

Originally posted by StinkBug
Man you guys are makin it seem like theres no hope for the little guy at all. PS, when i said skills i mean fabbing skills :flipoff2: And i never said i expected to just jump in and be competitive, In fact i'm sure i'll end up just about dead last my first few times out. I Just wanna go do it, for my self, not nesseccarily to win, but just so i can say i did it. I'm not expecting anyone to just hand me a check, I'm just wondering how all the other Poor guys are doin it, without that check. And all you guys that are sayin $30k for a comp rig, where is that goin? If you build a tube chassis yourself your lookin at a couple hundred bucks in tube, buy a beater toy or sammi for running gear for $500, another 6-700 for wheels and tires, and a grand for misc parts and youve got a thrashable budget rig. sure it wont be the best, and it wont be cutting edge, but it will get you out onto the rocks which is the important part isn't it?

Dallas

Sounds like you got it all figured out on your own, what the fawk did you ask for any experienced based input for?...Just so you could say you already have it all figured out,..and we have been doing it all wrong.
Heres the bottom line, it costs X amount of dollars to compete at whatever level you choose to compete at.
Except for a very few, very well established drivers, we all have to pay our own way.
By the way I wish I could buy wheels and tires for $600 or $700 dollars. My wheels alone were $800 on a good guy deal, my tires were another $800. Sounds like I should be asking you, "how's a brutha on a budget supposed to afford to build and fund a rig for a season".
Good luck, I hope you find a way to get where you wanna go!

Dallas, you could do what I'm doing with the CRCA. The only problem is you would have to compete in the Pro class. I'm going for the Modified class, no cash payout, but looks to be fun. It'll also let me know if I'm competitive or not :D :D .

I pay for it out of pocket. already owned a POS Jeep and have a good tow rig. Spare parts come from "horse trading" and Pick n Pull. But I compete for fun and experience (just in case I ever get to build a comp rig), if I'm not having fun I'd be better off on the couch.

Eric

Originally posted by NECKSTER
My best advice is to go out and try an event before you decide to build a rig specifically for it. I can't tell you how many people we've seen come to one event and never come back again. Competing isn't for everyone. I'd say find out if you've got what it takes before you put too much into it. You'll know after the first event if it is for you, because if it is, you wouldn't being asking other people how they afford to do it, you would just do it.

Thats the best advice i have seen yet to newbies of competing go with that. (i will be a newbie, and wish i did that)


For whoever posted(i think stink bug) about not having a rockcrawling equivalent to "run what you brung" circle track racing your wrong. It is only in your mind, if your rig fits any catagory of Cal rocs or any other series, enter and give it a shot, ther are lots of guys doing this in the stock mod class in Cal rocs, and they have a BLAST.
Just because you see bad ass rigs in comps does not mean everybody out ther that is having fun is driving a bad ass buggy. Many "run what they brung" and love it. Examples H8, Ron Kirby, Phil Pasaic, and many more.

Ian-