Son of Godzilla update - 5/15/07

Awe...you guys are just trying to make me feel at home with your oil leak problems! Take it from me.....continue on! Don't let it stop ya! I have for years! ha-ha
Someone better call me to give me an update when (yes WHEN!) you maek the salt! I ain't gonn wait all week for a report!!!
Enjoy! This is a chance of a life time! You guys are my heros for going after your dream! I wish I had the guts to jump in and do that!!

 

You have plenty of guts - just not as much as you used to have (inside joke, kids)...
For many years, I wished I had the guts to dive in and learn the basics of ignition timing. Tonight I finally did: Charlie came by and we were able to get the crud out of the carbs and get Zilly running again. Charlie says, "We can make it run a lot better, if you have the time". I start mumbling about not having time and he counters with a jab about priorities and next thing I know, the thrash is on! Went through both carbs again from stem to stern and tightened up 23 years of slop that I'd been living with. Fired it up and it was great, but didn't want to idle, so we go to the timing. Long story short, my old cast iron dizzy got thrown on the floor and Charlie pulls out a brand new MSD billet job! He says I can pay for it after B-ville. Charlie puts it in the vise and proceeds to lock out the timing. We slam it in the hole (ooh!) and hit the button and...I wish I'd done this 23 years ago! It likes 36 degrees of timing and now I have all 36 at every RPM - even at idle. The response is awesome. How'd I live so long without this? We violated the neighborhood noise curfew, finishing up at 11:00PM. Will take a test drive in the AM. We still have to bleed the brakes, then we're good to go. CC was supposed to arrive here tonight, but is MIA. I have a feeling he'll pop up in the morning...
Now I've been up for almost 24 hrs, but I'm grinning...Goodnight..................

 

No thrash huh? Every project I ever do turns out that way. To paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield (I think, he was talking about golf) no matter when you started (anything) you should have started 2 years ago.

Sigh, wish the Publisher's Clearing House would quit screwin' around and just send me some money. Then I might could afford to come watch. Or maybe it's just that I need to get a better payin' job.

Regardless It sounds like it's 'getting better all the time' and I wish you luck.

Cmon 150, no whammy, no whammy.

 

Sunday AM (8:30). Took ALL DAY Saturday to get it together, but we're ready to jangle! Pulling out right now. 2 Bridges says he has a laptop, so will report some from the salt. Thank you ALL for everything - we wouldn't EVEN be doing this without your help!!!!!!!

CC says, "Quit typing, let's go!"

 

WO'HO!!
Told you it would happen, now I don't have an excuse to come to the US.........

 

Ok....so 2 Bridges and I are all kegged up at the super 8 in Laramie. The 496 big-block in the tow rig has made towing the Porsche effortless, even going up the Rockies. Have had no drama as yet.....just a little discomfort going from 90 degree weather to 48 degree rain here in the mountains. Scotty, we stopped and picked up a nice, juicy dead porqupine between laramie and Cheyenne...it'll be very tasty but you gotta skin it yourself...for a nominal fee, you can use our Coddington [tm] propane mini-grill to prepare it. signed...
Rocky and Two Bridges
PS.....current photos to follow in an hour or however it takes us to process the photos in our darkroom in the backroom of the Coddington-mobile

 

Check it out...Ol' Rocky playing on the HAMB with the racer in the background....we finaggled a good parking spot where we could see the car from our room...this is gonna be a FUN WEEK!

 

Talked to Rocky and seems 2-Bridges laptop went down in flames! No more updates coming other than what I hear by phone.......But here is what I do know:
Both caravans from East and West made it to Wendover with no problems (well, that's not really true!.....But they are "minor" problems (read that as forshadowing!). They are supposed to go through tech today and race on Wednesday.......as I know more, I will will let know!

 

Thank you, I appreciate the update.

No whammy, no whammy....

 

Rocky and 2bridges, It was great to meet you guys yesterday. Even if it wasn't the best of circumstances (more foreshadowing ). Thanks for the lightly soiled (patina'd) t-shirt, I'll wear it with pride.

I'll see you all on the salt tomorrow.

P.S. Scotty, you really think you'd have a chance against my '46 with the mighty 235?

 

According to my latest info, the Morris went through Tech with no problems. Hope to hear more tomorrow via the CC cell phone (via P dUB..engine supplier..)Will post when I know...

 

Hoooraaay!!!!
All that thrashing is paying off!!

 

Ditto, on the Hooray.

 

Anyone hear anything??
I am dying over here!

 

We left a message on CC`S cell phone today but as yet we have no reply....Like all of you, we are waiting....

 

Canada Calling! We're watching, waiting and hoping for your success; the missus and I wear our SoG T's with pride up here. Your adventure is the number one topic in the workshop. SW55

 

I did not talk to Scotty, but he did leave a message on my phone:

Made the 130mph Club with the Morris! Both he and CC made it in!

2 Bridges made the 150mpg Club in his Porsche!

No problems and everyone is on their way home in one piece!

I can't wait to hear the WHOLE story!!!

Yehoww!!!

 

130,.... Sweet!!! Hope he can drive it home (whether or not he does is not as important as if it could). Cause 'any day of racing that you can put the race car back on the trailer under it's own power is a good one' or at least that's what dad used to tell me.

 

Last I heard Scotty and CC were at a Bluegrass concert in Winnemucca on their way home...also heard that CC ran the fastest at 140 or very near it.Putting your foot in it at the Salt in a 80 inch wheelbase car...that takes some mettle.....and no breakages! Good deal, boys...

 

We did it! Not at all the way we planned, but we did it - with your help. Here's the quickie "Just got in the door and we both have the Flu" version:

Realizing we couldn't afford fuel for both cars, we hooked up the towbar right here in the driveway. Kissed the women goodbye and opened the wagon door to get in and the latch broke. Finally got underway and drove for 2 hours all puckered up, before I could relax and enjoy the drive. Stopped at Klamath Falls (there's no falls there) to get fresh drinks from cooler and found the left front tire wiped clean of all tread!!! No cord showing, so we pressed on, regardless. In Nevada, we drove through loose gravel that blasted the paint off the nose of the Morris. The tire was getting worse, so we got on the horn to Tomcat46 in SLC - we hadn't met, but he gave me his contact info on this thread. He jumped into action, as Rocky and 2bridges were nearing SLC. They arranged for a mini-HAMB Relay and the tire problem was solved! God, I love the HAMB! Thanks guys!!! Only downside was they don't make my old kind anymore, so we had to settle for a new kind that are only "H" Rated (to 138MPH), so the 150MPH Club dream was over...

Stopped in Denio (Nev.) for fuel - it's in the middle of nowhere, so they can charge what they want (I've been raped at their pump before). We'd heard that they were out of the gas biz, but when we pulled in, there was a line at the pump. Only one pump was working - Premium, at $3.56 a gallon. Not too shabby, so we filled up (after I finally figured out how to run the battered pump and a local refered to the Morris as being powered by a "blown Hemi"). We continued on to Winnemucca and stayed at the Scott Motel - quaint, cheap and hidden on a small side street. Ate dinner at Sids Cafe and went to bed. Now, I know this isn't EVEN what we'd planned ( we had visions of dining on roadkill and sleeping under the wagon on the shoulder of the road), but it just turned out this way. Oh yeah - at Sids, we overheard an employee in the kitchen talking about how the staff had all been sick lately - an ominous hint of our future...

Rolled into Wendover the next afternoon and quickly met up with Rocky, 2bridges, Freckles and the new tires. We found the only place in town with a tire machine (an ex-Sinclair station on the main drag, at the Nevada end of town). The Mexican kid there didn't speak English, but we worked it out and he did a nice job.

Next day was tech. Drove Lil Zilla through town (in traditional B-ville fashion) and out to the salt - my first chance to nail it with those 2.76s in it - yeow! It was flyin' down the Freeway and still pulling hard, when I hit the B-ville exit. Tech was a breeze and we enjoyed a day of Jangling while setting up the pit, etc. Tomcat 46 was there and pitched in with labor and encouragement. He would drive out every day from SLC - what a guy...We also made friends with people from Poland, England, Denmark and Germany, that first day.

Wednesday was race day for us bottomfeeders in the 130 Club. The USFRA officials gave us a VERY thorough Rookie Orientation and made sure we felt completely comfy with the course and the proceedures, before we turned a tire. Finally, it was time to run...We each got 5 runs, with the first one being limited to 100MPH or so, to get a feel for the course. It felt pretty good for the first 50 feet or so, then reality set in: It's true what they say about wide tires on the salt - just like hydroplaning on wet pavement, only FROZEN wet pavement! Yikes!!! Lil Zilla was all over the track, drifting this way and that. I went as fast as I dared (4200RPM) , then bailed out at the trap. After getting completely disoriented, I finally found the Timing Shack and collected a slip reading 105MPH. Ouch! That's what I get for looking past the 130, to the 150 Club - humble pie. I tried again and went 107. I said that's it, it's over. But CC and Tom corrected me on that and sent me back for more. I'd heard other people on the 130 course (that's right - we had our own dedicated course for the 130MPH Club) say the salt was getting better, so I tried again and scored a 126, sliding sideways through the trap - encouraging. 4th try netted a 133 and two yards of vinyl up my ass - I'd had some wild rides in that car over the years, but nothing like this! You guys have to try this stuff - it's a total crackup...Anyway, we ran out of time for the day and went back to town. I'd get my 5th and final run on Thursday...


Thursday AM, the word was the salt was better than ever. I blasted through with an out of shape 134 and became a member of the 130MPH Club, using less than half the throttle and steering overtime. Felt like I'd really accomplished something. As the adrenaline wore off, I realized I was really, really sick, too. I turned the reins over to CC...

CC's been helping me for years on Zilly and the occassional driving stint is his payback. He always makes full use of the chance to blow off some steam behind that teensy steering wheel. His "Test Lap" was a 115. He's a smartass.
Followed that up with a 125, smooth as silk (everyone standing around the starting line was saying so, too). He's good. When he fired up for his 3rd run, he flooded it and I waived him away from the pedal, motioning that I'd run the throttle from outside. It started, but while working the linkage, I noticed a funny feeling - the Lokar[tm] cable had frayed away to only a strand or two of wire connecting the pedal to the linkage. I again pronounced us done and again, CC and Tom would have none of my defeatist thinking. So we idled it back to the pits for some head scratching. CC demanded all of our cash (I think it came to $18) and dived into the wagon, headed for Wendover. I helped 2bridges change some exhaust tubing on Freckles, ate a GBR hotdog and fell asleep in a chair, my aching head feeling like a freshly banged gong.
CC returned from town a couple hours later, with some cable and a hair raising tale of fighting for a length of Ford Taurus trans kickdown cable with ssome surly wrecking yard employees who underestimated the power of salt fever in a guy with 3 runs left on his card. We did a Keystone Cops thrash and it was on...
CC returns to the line and stuns everyone with a carbon copy of his previous run - not only was it another 125, but all the incremental times were identical, too! This guy's amazing - bracket racing on salt! But now he knows he only has 2 more shots at the 130 Club (you have to run TWO runs of 130 to get in). We send him back out there and he has his gameface on. He takes off and it's a beautiful thing: Straight and true, with only a few small wiggles (he says it was a different story from the drivers seat). Anyway, he slams it through and we all hold our breath, waiting for the numbers on the CB. Finally, we hear, "Clock malfuntion on that run - let him try again". We all feel so bad for him and we're loud about it (the small 130MPH Club became a pretty tightnit group by afternoon, cheering each other on). CC comes rolling back with a Cheshire grin - he'd actually run a 140+ and they had mercy on him. He goes on to record a 134 and a 135, to clinch his spot in the Club. So sweet!!! And all of this at about half throttle, with no traction. Can't wait to get this car to the strip - it's gonna fly! Anyway, we were real happy with the car (didn't even have to check the valves) and the event(!), but mainly, we had a total blast sliding around on the salt for a week. And by the way, CC also came down with the Black Malachi we caught at Sids restaraunt...

Meanwhile, 2bridges, Freckles and Rocky were in the 150 Club, over on the long course (we were cryin'). They "ran into a wall" at 148, but finally overcame it with McGyver style Yankee Enginuity, clean living and fancy footwork. I'll let 2bridges tell you that story - it's a CLASSIC!

CC and I spent the last two days dragging ZDawg home with the wagon. We had an adventure at an old hotel in Winnemucca, involving a world class mandolin player, Miss Pennsylvania and a large salmon. Barely dodged a shakey character in Denio who had designs on Lil Zilla and nearly got sideswiped on a backroad, while mesmerized by a pellican on the side of the road (after we'd just negotiated a herd of Burrows!), but that's another story for another time...Right now, I'm going to bed and will be sleeping for the next 24 hours (I have no hope of catching up - only surviving). Hope to post pix soon. Goodnight. And thank you all, for the adventure of a lifetime - a dream come true!

 

every good trip has a good road trip story to go with it. Congrats on the trip.
damn you made it to bonneville!!!!

 

Here's some other numbers on the trip, for your amusement:

Gas: $282.72 for the wagon, $80 (race fuel) for the Morris

Motels: $294.46 (all money we saved by towing Morris)

Food, drinks, and other misc: $90.78

This is all pretty embarassing, considering we planned on camping and hustling for food and gas. We failed terribly on that account. The good news is, HAMB T-shirt sales paid for a big chunk of that (over half)! Thanks again for helping make our dream come true!!!!!
And Freckles beat us fair and square, running over 10 MPH faster than us. We figured we'd have him covered in hero points, for driving, but since we ended up towing too, it was a total ass kicking (unless you figure we get extra style points for towing with a 27 year old beater and homemade towbar, instead of a brand new truck and trailer)...
Bottom line: We both have the flu, have only slept about 12 of the last 144 hours and our freshly rebuilt car is totally trashed - yet neither one of us can manage to wipe the grins off of our faces. We FEEL like winners...
I was just awoken by a phone call from a buddy urging me to prep the car for next weekends drags. I want to so bad, but seem to be moving underwater. Maybe I'll feel better later, but for now - - - goodnight again...

 

nighty, night jangleman.
and congradulations...
You are a hero to motorheads with computers everywhere

 

Awesome, glad it all came together!! Beaten by a Crout Mobile?? Nah, thats not nearly as old as Lill Zilla and not built at home!

 

Ha! Can't tell you how fun it is to wake up, walk in here and read these congratulations! I'm going back to sleep now, just so I can come back later and read some more...

 

Congratulations, I gotta figure you got him beat on 'constructor' points alone (lets not get into style or cool points, don't wanna embarrass him too bad do ya?).

 

CONGRATS MAN!!! You really did it!!

 

Good to hear you guys made it home OK. Congratulations again to both of you for the new 130 club memberships! What a wild week, I had a blast hanging out with you guys.

Once you come out of your coma, its time to start thinking about the 150 club next year!

Tom

 

Can't seem to shake the coma, but am still trying to prep for this weekends drags (Northwest Reunion at Champion Raceway). It's like, work for an hour, sleep for an hour, etc, etc...

Thanks again Tom, for helping out on the salt! We couldn't have done a single thing out there without your help - you ARE the spirit of the HAMB (where were all the other HAMBers who said they'd be there?). As for the 150 Club, I think that would require a different (skinnier) wheel and tire combo (which would require a different rearend width) and all of that may be more work than I want to do right now - as you know, my next goal is to get to the HAMB Drags in '08. But who knows - maybe we'll hit the salt on our way home from MoKan...........

 

Congratulations Scotty. Glad to see the dream come true.

Here are some photos of the blast!!