Where does the money go? - Template costs

H

HardScrabble

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Got curious about the new templates for next year. Did not get exactly what I was looking for, but did get an interesting bit of information.

This from Mike Waltrip's crew chief, Slugger Labbe.

In 2003, NASCAR will have 38 templates for each manufacturer. Templates cost around $7,500 per set – at DEI, we have seven body-hanging surface plates. Each team has a set of templates, as does the body shop. We also carry a set of templates with us on the #15 transporter each week. That’s 13 sets of templates costing $98,000. Between the time the body is hung and when the car gets painted, the templates are used and the car is checked a lot. We also check the cars again just before they’re loaded on the transporter. We have a template checklist that we follow to make sure inspection will go smoothly.
 
$7,500 for a couple of sheets of metal? holy crap thats crazy
 
Geez, that just makes you wonder how smaller teams can afford all that.
 
Thats a whole lot of money for pieces of metal, I guess they dont want to get it wrong and not pass inspection.
 
Originally posted by gordon24fan
Thats a whole lot of money for pieces of metal, I guess they dont want to get it wrong and not pass inspection.
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That would be my guess gordon.:)

And, no one every said racing in the Winston Cup was affordable!:)
 
Originally posted by HardScrabble
In 2003, NASCAR will have 38 templates for each manufacturer.  
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OK. You can now consider me 100% totally P.O.ed. The common template bill of goods is now offically that as far as I'm concerned. That statement comes across as a set of 38 for each manufacturer. What gives? ...another hidden agenda?

Windsor
 
Originally posted by Windsor377
OK.  You can now consider me 100% totally P.O.ed.  The common template bill of goods is now offically that as far as I'm concerned.  That statement comes across as a set of 38 for each manufacturer.  What gives?  ...another hidden agenda?

Windsor
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Actually that is exactly what I was trying to find out. How many of the 38 templates are "common" across the four makes. So far I haven't gotten a good answer.

The nose and tail templates are unique to each manufacturer. I do not know how many templates that involves.

The greenhouse templates, as near as I can decipher the responses, seem to be common across the manufacturers. There are more templates issued in this area for 2003 than were used in past seasons. But I don't know the total number of those either.

Hood and decklid templates remain a mystery to me.
 
Why am I not surprised? This whole "common-template" crap makes me wanna puke :bleh:.

How 'bout mandating that Winston Cup cars actually have to LOOK like the cars they represent, templates be damned? If the brand X guys think the brand Y guys have an unfair advantage, let brand X BUILD A BETTER CAR!! Chevy did in the mid-'80s with the odd-looking "Aeroback" Monte Carlo, and of course the Chrysler corp. did in the late '60s with the "Winged" cars. I'm tired of this artificial-equality crap.

It's complete B.S. :bs:
 
Easy Mcb......How would a four-door Taurus look going around the track? ;)

I know what your saying. If each team did its homework during the off-season and then left the cars alone, it would be interesting to see what happens. But you, I, we, know that it won't happen anymore. Before too long, the only way we will be able to tell a Chevy from a Ford is by the sticker on the hood.
 
McB,

The fiddle fartin' around now makes me want to puke. The idea of the common template was to eliminate that...and of course that is what is in everyones mind...BUT...uh...that is obviously NOT the case.

The idea of "let brand X build a better car" was thrown out of the window back in the mid 60s when Ford was given the go ahead to build the Cammer and then when it was ready, the carpet was pulled OUT from under them.

Then when GM was given a leg up in the late BB era by being given a 200 lb weight break, then the same thing for both GM and Mopar whne the SB era started...of course a couple years later when the weights were evened up...uf the Fords had to run a 390 carb when the competition ran the 750 carb body...and about that "Aeroback"...never saw one except on TV.

Windsor
 
The reason for the high cost is probably the rigid specs they have to conform to, and that they are probably made from titanium. I don't think any other material would be light enuf to handle and strong enuf to hold up.

As for it being cheaper, that of course would depend on the manufacturer being able to make more of the commons than the specials. No matter waht the building process, and the material costs will remain the same. Only the size of the run will change.

The savings will be very little to the teams as they will still require the same number of templates.
 
The cost of the templates is likely because of the quality control issues. Tolerances would have to be held very closely. And some of these templates are quite large, extending from the hood to the spoiler of the car. Not sure what they are made of nowadays.

On the subject of "stock". Templates were first used by NASCAR in 1967 at Daytona. Not because NASCAR had decided to alter the shape of the cars, but because the racers were doing it. Story is that at Daytona that year of all the cars entered only two or three were able to pass the template station inspection.

"Stock" cars passed out existence in NASCAR racing when the "Strictly Stock" division did. If you saw one of Benny Parson's little segments on Sunday before the race he was talking about the "truck arms" used in the rear suspension. The names comes from the fact that when first used they were suspension components from Chevy trucks. Junior Johnson is attributed to their first use in the very early 60's. When he switched to a Ford in 1965, he put those truck arms in those cars as well.
 
im no longer going to call Cup cars, Stock Cars..........they look nothing like Stock Cars
 
Winston Cup cars are purpose built racing machines. The only reason they even called cars is cause of the wheels. They could just as easily be airplanes, boats, trains, or space scooters.
 
Curiosity compels me to ask.

What professional touring series of motorsports runs anything other than "purpose built racing machines"?

Feel free to go back 10 or even 15 years if you want to. Actually go back as far as you want to. I seriously want to hear.
 
Hs, 71:

Regaring costs and materials, Brian Butler used to build NASCAR templates....he still may, but I haven't spoken to him for a couple of years. I wonder if someone gave him a call at ButlerBuilt, if he would be allowed to discuss details?
 
Is that the Butler that builds seats mostly?

I think I have an email address for them somewhere.

Worth a shot.
 
Yep...and you've never seen a better weld put down by anybody or machine than what Brian can do.
 
i worked for 2 cup teams................the last one was Mattie back in the 99 season.......back then he was still making templates.....as for now.....im not positive but i would assume they still make them
 
The VW Rabbit/Bilstien Challenge Series perhaps? God that was YEARS ago tho.

And not sure but guessing that there are stock divisions in pro rally. Other than maybe that, the days of build in a cage are pretty far gone tho.
 
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