See I know what you are doing here.

Just when I feel like I have my B car ready to be competitive, and have started to think about a future FProd effort, you are trying to draw me into ITA by saying it can't be done :P . I love a challenge, and it would be tempting to make a move that lets me re-use so many components and spares.

FWIW - I am not in any way satisfied with just being out there. I just keep reminding myself that running the past few years with a used stock motor was making me a better driver, allowing me to focus on chassis setup, and keep hoping that I made myself good enough in the process to justify the motor build taking place this winter. It takes time to get there, and I hope I am getting closer, but IMO you race to win or don't bother. If the new family dynamic allows (new baby due March, #2!) I hope to be measuring how much farther I have to go at Road Atlanta next fall.

I don't doubt that your effort was a costly one, but there is a huge difference between making an 'oddball' competitve and making a known quantity competitive. I have an honest $5-6k in my car. It is under weight, has exactly the gearbox I want, has exactly the cage I want, has the suspension I want and is waiting on the engine I need as well as the 'right' tires. Development never stops but I expect to have an all out ITB car under me by the end of next season for less than $10k. I don't see how running the same car with a differnt engine (needs to be a different shell due to VIN but the are the same thing) adds $15k to the mix.

Of course I may also post back here next winter to report that we have an honest $15k into the mix to be competitve. Time will tell.