Projects Austin Somerset Gasser Build (DragNasty)

Well we finally made it back to MOKAN to test the suspension upgrades etc. at this years 17th Annual Hot Rod Reunion. What an awesome event! We changed out the plugs at the hotel the night before and she fired right up about an hour before the first qualifying run. We let her warm up a bit and then I decided to take it down the return road for a quick outing. My sister was there and has never ridden in the Austin so she hopped in. On the way back on the nice part of the return road, I got on it pretty hard with her in the car!

She loved it, but the Austin did not. It immediately started to flood itself out. We towed it back to the pit and started thrashing to get the carb bowls off etc. Which is no easy task as it is like playing dominoes. The entire side mount throttle linkage has to come apart plus all the plumbing etc. etc. etc.


We finally got the carbs apart and checked the floats and needle seats etc. They seemed extremely clean but you never know. I was putting the last pieces of the throttle system back together when they called our class for first round. It was a mad scramble but the car fired with no leaks and we were off.

I rolled up as about the fourth duo in line and put my helmet on. Then I started to get centered. I took several deep breaths and tried to concentrate on what was about to happen while I put my gloves on. I took about about three breaths and kind of shook my shoulders and neck out a bit (that is when I noticed I was not even strapped in)! So as we are still rolling forward, I have another mad scramble to get the helmet and gloves off and find all my straps.

I am finally all together as we come to a stop in the staging lanes as the next car for the burnout box. I get my head straight really quick and then I am pointed to the right lane.



Obviously it did the same thing after the burnout and we had to be rolled back to the staging lanes. Jackson (Wrenchbender) popped over and confirmed we are totally flooding it out. Since we have already ran through the carbs he is thinking it may be the fuel regulator. So we get some help and push it back to the pits. We took the fuel regulator off and completely apart to clean it. We get it all back together and fire it up. I rev it up and hold it and then let off. This time it came back to idle and held so we are thinking we have it cured just in time for round 2.


So this is our first real attempt at a run since the HAMB Drags. We have still yet to make a full pass and after this one we are going to have to pick a time for bracket racing (a pretty tall order if you ask me.) So I decided to play it on the safe side and did a half throttle launch, about 2500 RPM. At this point I am thinking something I can duplicate easily on the first round of eliminations. It still pulled the front wheels and it went straight with no crazy bouncing!


In fact after the launch it pulled them again in second. Not bad for half throttle or so!


We didn't blaze the strip or anything but I ran through the gears and shot it out the back gate. I was just happy to have made a full pass with the rear slicks in contact with the racing surface the entire way. It ran a very low 12 at 118 mph (5 mph slower than the first round at the HAMB when I bounced for a third of the track, then shorted shifted to second and finished the run in third gear).

However, after I let off on the big end, it started flooding out again. I was tired of screwing with so we decided to just park it, visit with fans and spectate for a while.


What a great show!

 

Well it has been a long day, but the Austin is finally back together and running better than ever. After the crazing flooding incident at MOKAN that kept us from making a real pass, we went completely through the fuel system.

First off we found a ton of nasty plastic drill shards from the fuel cell in the Magna Pro fuel filter. To begin with I can not believe they were there. We blasted that crazy tank clean over and over after drilling all the fitting holes and before installing it but never-the-less they were there. So we pulled the cell out and blasted it clean again. We also removed the pump and went through it to make sure nothing made it through and was in there etc. Then we reassembled everything out back.

Up front, we replaced the diaphragm in the Magna Pro Fuel Regulator and double checked it as well to make sure none of the debris was in there either (there was none). While we had it off, we replaced the fuel pressure gauge that mounts to it as it was acting strange anyway. Finally from the fuel side, we completely went back through the carbs again to make sure there was nothing in them blocking a needle seat etc. They were very clean. However we did need to re-adjust the floats which was the main issue all along.

We drained the oil and unhooked the oil pressure gauge that had been reading zero since we arrived at MOKAN. I knew it was wrong but was not sure why it stopped working. We blew the line out and reinstalled it. After changing the filter and filling her up with 6 more quarts of fresh green racing 20/50 we were just about ready. Just to make sure we had not washed down the cylinders etc. with all the access fuel, we quirted about a cap full in the cylinders, installed the old plugs and spun it over for a bit. The pressure gauge started working again and with it showing 50 pounds plus, we fired it with the original cold plugs from way back. After it heated up a bit, we swapped out the plugs with our normal ones and fired it again.

Something of interest that we found when reinstalling the throttle linkage was the fact we have had an issue that was preventing us from opening the throttle all the way.


The screw head on the back here was bottoming out on the top of the blower stud. It was almost impossible to see tucked down behind the mounting bracket. But it was stopping the throttle around 2/3rds open. We rotated the top pull down mount up a bit and we now clear everything.

 

Check this out. We are working on some wheelie show stands. Coming up in a month or so here in Springfield MO is the Hot Rod Holidays Indoor Car Show. The Austin is going to be on display next to a killer altered wheel base Falcon Wagon (you might have seen it at the Hotel the night before the HAMB Drags). We are setting them up to look like they just launched.



The crazy part of this post is originally we set the stands at the front ladder bar mounts (hoping to keep them back out of site a bit more for the effect). Dad is letting the jack down up front. When the car is on the stands he drops the jack altogether. While I stopped breathing for a bit, the rear slowly lifted off the floor and the crazy car just balanced itself right there in the shop. Apparently the nose is a bit heavier than I anticipated! LOL

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That same bolt head was hitting the rib on mine, I put a little bend in the linkage rod coming down and all is well. I couldn't get it to clear no matter where I moved the linkage arm.

 

I had a flooding problem as well with my side saddle mounted blower carbs... after a hard launch the flooding was so bad it was coming out of the carbs and pouring from the scoop - after much head scratching I went back to - carb school 101 - and added crude vent extensions using 2 lengths of rubber hose with a hole at the top - 1 for each carb. Solved the problem completely and immediately.

This was not my set up - but the same idea

 

Further to this vent recommendation - the vent doesn't have to be connected or a bent rubber hose, you can simply adding vent extensions to the individual vents. In the case with a blower scoop this solution lets you slide the scoop over the vents without taking them off. If you are running filters then you can use flexible tubing inside the filter. Mine were 4" high then I joined them at the top. Took me 5 minutes to make them

You can also add anti spill pieces inside the carb

 

The vent whistles are a very good, but knowing ducedup those carbs already have them installed. The factory vent will pull out easily allowing a piece of 1/8 copper tubing to replace it. Holley addressed high operation angles on the off road road carbs by doing the same idea.

 

Check this out. I was blown away last night when a friend and killer local artist Marty Denney handed me his rendition of the Austin. Marty is an amazing artist who obviously specializes in "Roth-ish" style memorabilia. He said he just felt like creating something and couldn't get the Austin out of this head. I think I see a t-shirt on horizon!

 

Nailed it, right on!

 

ABSOLUTELY over the top COOL! Gary

 

Well the old Austin finally rip one off this afternoon at MOKAN Dragway. After several months of testing and tweaking on it which included one complete rebuild of the rear suspension, she finally made a full pass. We spent the bigger part of Saturday going through the valve train again and fired it about 8 p.m. Then I came in and saw where a few "HAMBites" where talking trash about racing each other at MOKAN today.


So this morning we loaded her up and decided to give it one more shot before we run out of weather. It was an absolutely perfect day in the Ozarks for drag racing.





....AND THEN THIS:



I was just happy for Dad. You know he has made his share of "walk of shames" from the starting line back to the pits this year. I think this 10.60 @ 130 mph blast meant a lot to him! LOL

 

WHEELS UP!

1. At the Launch...

2. Past the tree still in first but with Supercharger coming on...

3. Second gear shift...

 

Not so bad but it sound like you were shifting like a ninnie
And why did you load your car I was ready for some of that?

 

Like I said James after watching the old 409 whip up on that poor little Supercharged front engine digger like that, it scared me!

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You know, we gave up a few tenths in the 60 foot time with the softer launch and just for the hell of it, I shifted into fifth just past the 1000 foot mark to see if it would still pull. So I gave a up a few there as well. I think we could have put that thing deep into the low 10s...(second gear wheel stand "ninnie shifting" aside)...

Your old 409 was set on kill tonight! I love that thing...

 

I just got to keep on you guys so you can represent when you show up.
If someone was not gunin for you then what would be the challenge.

 

No more bunny hopping, you figured it out pretty good.

 

I am impressed. Very good.

 

It was one and done we can't rule out that it may have been a fluke lol

 

Awesome artwork, I'm smelling Dragnssty t-shirts using it in your future

 

Great job. Must feel great.

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It is always a good feeling to finish a project. Especially one as intense as this little car. There is not a single centimeter (speaking in British terms) of this car that we did not lay hands on. Most people (not seeing the build thread) have no idea. I mean we completely reinvented the car from the ground up. And then to finally have it perform the way we had intended, very satisfying. I think back over the past year or two at how many times we just sat next to and imagined the finished project. How many times I sat in the driver's seat and "air shifted" it.

AND now I have Corvette Fever. The Austin is listed here in the HAMB Classifieds (Not so much for sell as a trade offer for '62 Vette...take a look. AND SOMEONE FIND ME A VETTE....LOL...

Thank you to all the HAMBers that followed the thread and gave advice here and there. It has been a blast to build it here in this little tight knit community!

 

My favorite year of 'Vette is the '62. Great choice!

 

It isn't a sixty two but it is a corvette and it comes in your color Randell.

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You see what you get... You put in a heart felt thanks to the HAMB Members for sharing throughout the build thread and this is what happens! LOL In retrospect, I might actually be able to drive that one! I know for sure it could take "wrenchbuilders" digger!

I love the HAMB!

See now I have to put a photo in here so "flathead's" pink corvette doesn't show up next to my thread title etc....

 

Wait till you get a load of the photos of the Austin from this weekend's HOT ROD HOLIDAY car show in Springfield, MO...if you are in the neighborhood come on down and say hello!

 

Is Jackson bringing the digger?
Maybe I should bring the BelAir so I can stage with him.

 

Yes the Digger is scheduled to be in the house....it is going to be a fun show. I have a surprise for Jackson too!

 

Yeah James bring the belair enjoy it while it lasts cause the injector is now on the digger


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