When you think about the hot rods of the 1940's, you tend to think in terms of charm rather than violence. The sepia toned imagery of a roadster blasting down the salt in 1948 fails to purvey any kind of sense that something catastrophic looms. Sure,... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Great vid, there is nothing like the sound of a nitro burner. It would be rightious if there was a vid of Vern Tardel running one of his nitro flatties in the '50s. I don't know that I ever saw him run but he came up in conversation at the shop when I was little yet old enough to remember. One thing that we seem to overlook in out air bagged, antilock braked and crumple zoned mind set is that a real old hot rod was like riding a loosley saddled razor. Perhaps one of the reasons that those old souped up rods and their caretakers just had a bad rap is that they were freakin' nutz. Maybe they didn't produce a bazillion HP but they ran right on the ragged edge and way out ran the suspension/tire technology of the time. Thanks friend
That is bitchin, burning nitro in a flathead and let alone in your hot rod in the driveway. There is nothing like a nitro burning motor, its an experience. The smell of nitro, its better than fresh mountain air.
That just made my morning....It's like you could smell that thing burning too. Just too sweet for words. Porknbeaner....this is my favorite, new quote!!!! Talk about descriptive and spot on!
You are correct... Posted by the owner of the car, actually: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...14&highlight=nitro+malcolm+flathead&showall=1 GREAT sounding flatty!! Malcolm
I was thinking the same thing, then I thought about where those early guys came from - maybe swinging a .50 cal waist gun in the fuselage of a B-17 or firing a 40mm AA gun on a destroyer in the Pacific, perhaps ducking bullets in a snow-covered forest in Belgum or on a palm tree covered island. With those experiences as a background hotrods were just fun, even if there were a tad dangerous.
I think most people do not realize how far down in the ranks hot fuel use extended when nitro and alcohol tech were developing...if you look at the old books you realize that lots of street cars got quick fuel conversions every Saturday morning. For many nitro was just one more addition to the rod, like buying new headers... An adequately funded rodder would have a complete spare intake manifold with big-tubed Strombergs and everything in place so a quick bolt on swap made the roadster a fueler. And of course this is the origin of rigs like the Moon "weekend warrior", the small auxiliary tank made with pressure pump and gauge integral so the fuel delivery system could be converted over with little work and without disturbing the street gas system. The design of the Stromberg made a lot of this possible...unlike most carbs it had simple passages that could be greatly enlarged easily and cheaply. Without this carb, fuel use would have been pretty much restricted to people who could afford Hilborns. It took a while for organizations to separate fuel and gas cars to protect rodders who could not afford this sort of thing, or who could not risk the nitro learning curve because their ride had to get them to work on Monday!
I'm fortunate (old) enough to have experienced the sight & sound of a Fuel Flattie running at our little 1/8 mile dragstrips back in the late 50s/ early 60s. Many of you may remember the name Stan Lomelino. Stanley lives about 30 miles East of me and he's still active in the sport. His son Danny (a member here) and one of Stanley's students/partners, Joe Hendricks run a Nostalgia TF FED. They still have some flatheads in the shop. I love hanging out with those guys. The stories and the history that eminate from that group of guys is PRICELESS!!!!
So Ryan, when are you going to come up with "Smell - A - Vision" here on the HAMB ? Gotta' love that smell !
I found that video a week or so ago. What I want to know is how these guys back in the day ever thought of mixing the fuels. How many motors or shops for that matter did the blow up. I would love to see some video or some writing on the history of nitro and methanol.
ahhhh the "nitro learning curve", a symphony of violence and anger sometimes followed by a large bang, erasing a mile wide smile instantly. Whats not to love...
"learning curve"..."the history of nitro and methanol"...look up the Hydrazine history while you're in this, too! Talk about a vertical learning curve; better living through chemistry/instant poverty or death! On nitro, a guru was a person who managed to stop breaking everything in the first 50 feet before he achieved bankruptcy! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=71606&highlight=hydrazine&showall=1 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=671603&highlight=hydrazine&showall=1
Bruce you just tweaked my memory. Someone sent me a hot rodding mag from '58 a couple of years back. In it was an article called "The 30 minute Hot Rod" it was about a guy from around San Jose (I think Los Gatos maybe) that had a 40 sedan. He had nirto carbs set up and he would drive it to the dry lakes, swap the carbs and fuel and run, then change it back and drive it home. Ryan, If you want I'll send you the mag, it may help you with a blog at a later date.
And...can someone find and post the nitro article that was in some drag magazine a few years back? They found a guy who had converted his Buick (!) to nitro in the fifties entirely on his own. He was just a kid, and started out with just a number he had read about the mixture needs of nitro vs. gasoline. He had kept his records and shared them. He did his engineering work while sitting in school. He measured every fuel aperture in a Stromberg and mathematically worked out the area it would need to flow nitro in correct quantity, made a careful chart of his results, and went to work drilling some carbs. He apparently got all his arithmetic right and had a successful runner right off the bat, and had himself a killer drag car. A car that would have been a real slow gasser, had he been burning gas... This was a very educational and inspirational article...a kid who thought it all through and got it right.
I would like to read that one myself. Numbers if you get the numbers right you can build about anything.
See how easy it all is? The engine actually adjusted its own compression for you to compensate for the nitro!
whats crazy is the current NHRA top fuel dragsters are running 10000 horse power. they use to say 8000 but with the times they run and the wieght of the car they determined its about 10000
Hahaha!- In fact, it decided which holes to back down- especially poor #8!! This happened on the starting line the second I pulled the mag switch, a little nitro left in the motor after warm up. After this happened, Keith Stark walked by my trailer to marvel at what a badass rod Brooks makes (made)!!! Ahh, the early days of the modern A/ Fuel Dragster. dve
Regarding nitro - What is the difference as to usage and performance between nitromethane and oil of merbane? Long time ago when I had my '64 Imperial, a street rodder friend gave me a 12 or 16 oz. can of the oil of merbane and told me to add it to half a tank of premium and "see what happens!". Took it out on a deserted stretch of the 210 freeway and opened up that 413 - took off and pushed me back in the seat, but I backed off somewhere over 85 mph. Went back and asked him, "What is this stuff, nitro?" He laughed and said, "Something like that."
"See how easy it all is? The engine actually adjusted its own compression for you to compensate for the nitro! " well stated Bruce, lol
That is some wicked stuff, I had a 5 gallon can that the news paper was using as a clean solvent until OSHA caught them and told them to dispose of it. Cheaper to give it to the skinny kid that to dispose of it. I have a friend that flies scale hellacopters and used it all up for me. JB weld will straighten that right out.
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