Hot Rods Dare to be different - 63 Scout

At least you didn't blow both front tires and trash the rims like the guy in the blown '55 Chevy did at drag week today...

 

Farm Equipment Eliminator has it's first 2 entrants ... or maybe I should hook up the glue sprayer and help out a bit

 

I mentioned a page or 2 back that my brother sat down with the travelling reporter from Roadkill while we at the Meltdown event. Well - we got some ink. It's a little inaccurate but who the hell cares... we were featured in Roadkill !!

http://www.roadkill.com/roadkill-takes-nostalgia-racing-meltdown-drags-2017/

I love this section of the write up:

More than anything, the event revolves around fun and history in that order. No one “wins” the Meltdown Drags. Organizers refer to the Meltdowns as a “reenactment” rather than a race, but this isn’t your garden-variety Civil War reenactment or vintage baseball match.

Everyone at the Meltdown Drags wants to be there because they love the cars and the traditions of the quarter-mile. I found no LS engines, no self-learning EFI, and no other modern drag-racing wizardry. Instead, vintage race cars—from 1966 or before—graced the grounds, some raced in period and others period-correct tributes.

Every single entry at Meltdown Drags has a story as deep as those we’ve shared. Altereds, gassers, rail dragsters, old-school hot rods, and super-raw old motorcycles…All of them have incredible stories that play out in bursts of eight to 15 seconds.

 

It's Saturday Night
I'm on vacation
The race car is ready
And I'll be at Fall Fall Out in less than a week ...

Seems like a perfect time to have a Scout Beer... a good Canadian Stout. Even better in a beer glass with your family name on it... Yes my family (about 5 cousins removed) had a brewery back in the early 1900's to 1958

 

I will try to remember to bring my bottle that i got in my goodie bag for you.

 

Fall Fall Out - Rock Falls Wisconsin:

Wow... What a great weekend !! Rock Falls just became my favorite track. It's immaculate, the staff were great and it hooked hard. The track staff kept things safe and moving along at a good pace. Clean up and the frequent drive shaft recoveries were quick and effective

The MDA put on a great event. It was smaller and more intimate than Meltdown and because of this we got to make 11 passes and still had time and fuel for maybe 2 more. The BBQ was great (thanks for feeding us) and the match races within the race were a lot of fun to watch. The spectator turnout was very good, especially Saturday. We had a blast hosting folks in the pits, answering questions and putting kids and big kids in the cars for photo ops. Even the impromptu car show in the parking lot was great... The after hours socializing with old friends and the new friends really made the event a complete experience.

It was great to see the MDA pick up some corporate sponsors... not the least was Suburban GM who saw fit to pick my name for a 350 crate engine. (Wow ... Thank you !!). I have to say that was very honored by the introduction from Steve Peterson of the MDA in presenting me the engine. I will continue to try and live up to those words.

I was equally honored and thoroughly enjoyed presenting Jeff Koopmeiner with the Hairy Doker Cup for his 2 out of 3 victory over Paul Zielsdorf. I hope this is the start of a long journey and many presentations for the Cup.

The Scout ran great !! We were limited to 10.00 so all but one of the passes were early shut off. We still managed a new PB 1/8 mile run of 6.05 / 117. I did dip into the 9's on 2 occasions. (oops ! ) 9.98 / 89 mph and a 9.89 / 115 mph. That last one earned me a very professional and obviously deserved talk from the tech guys. I'm still getting the hang of launching under control and I'm still easing into the throttle. So far I have yet to be full throttle before the 1-2 shift and for the most part still not on the floor for all of 2nd gear. If I get ti right there is definitely a 5.90 in the 1/8th in this set up ... Oh yah - did I mention I'm STILL only running 1-1 on the blower. Those smaller top pulleys are calling to me...

We shredded a blower belt on the 1st pass of the weekend when the gas cap I forgot to put on properly came loose and got into the Belt. This meant I got to experience how much of a pain in the ass the crank support is for changing the belt. I've made a tool that will speed up the process and for future efforts I'm likely going to pull the rad. It takes 2 minutes to remove / replace so why not ?? Ironically on our last pass the makeshift fuel cap and hose clamp came loose and shredded the blower belt (again) ... Ok - we got the message ... and we called an end to a very good weekend.

On behalf of my wife and I, my brother and his wife and our friends who made the trip ... thank-you. The 10 hrs one way was not difficult and well worth the effort. Like Meltdown, I'll be in attendance as long as this event is held.

 

This is my traditional season ending sign off and summary. I'll keep it brief (er) than usual

The season started a little late as I was getting the engine checked out and a new intake and front mounted fuel pump installed. First test runs were not promising but my friend Jeff Wiebe got me sorted out for Meltdown. Before we left for the event I had the roll cage brought up to spec and certified IHRA to 8.50

Meltdown 8 was great... We pulled a monster, axle crushing wheel-stand on our first pass, fixed it, and came back to run Saturday night where I "finally" win a Great Lakes Gasser round. 15 hrs each way, 1 full pass - great weekend.

The Scout sat until Sept long weekend. At the the Interlake Dragways long weekend event the Scout made 6 passes, earning 4 new personal bests and I qualified for my IHRA license.

Our last event was the Fall Fall Out where the Scout ran great a good time was had by all.

Over the course of the summer we made 21 passes with 17 of them coming in the last 2 events / 3 days of racing. This is significant in that 21 passes is more than we've made in the last 2 years - combined !! I think the petulant child has decided to play nice and it has started to really show what it can do - without breaking.

Plans for the Off Season:
Not much - seriously - I mean it this time

• I have an order in for replacement belts and a some miscellaneous equipment for spares.
• No major drive-line changes are planned... nor can I afford them. (Wife retired this year)
• Fix the front end sheet metal !!
• Look for a paint and body sponsor willing to repaint the whole truck
• I will talk to Bill Carlson at WAC Customs about a bigger stronger front axle - but it comes down to budget
• Clean up the firewall - too many holes
• Move the shocks outside of the springs - less bend for the axle

Plans for Next Year:
Here is a far more realistic schedule based on this year and my newly reduced racing budget

• Interlake Dragway - Test n Tune - a date prior to Meltdown
• Meltdown 8
• Terrace Bay - Airport Drags (Not likely but would like to)
• Cruising the PLaP car show
• Interlake Dragway - Sept Long Weekend
• Lorette family fun days - car show
• Altona Airport Drags
• Fall Fall Out 3

 

Glad to meet you at the Fall Out. Still one of my favorite gassers. Great to have a plan and goals for the long winter ahead!

 

I must have missed the part about running some nitro.

 

Oh yah (Crap) ... there's that triple dog dare still looming over my head... no one has ever ignored a triple dog dare... Would that be like dividing by 0 ?? liking your own Facebook post ?? or (shudder) - plugging an extension cord into itself ?? God knows what circular reference or split in the continuum that could cause...

Dammit Brian - just when I get it running right - (Heavy sigh)

 

Gasser Wars Magazine - with their entire issue devoted to covering the Meltdown Drags - saw fit to include my junk in the coverage... thank you Dee and Phil for your efforts and support for the event.

Thank you to the MDA for making it all possible

 

Fall Fall Out 2 Pics... Obviously when you make more passes than 1... you get more pictures !!

 

We brought Vintage Drag Racing rookies to the Fall Out 2 event ... Brett and Tanya Sinclair. This family are into racing having put 2 kids through the Jr Dragster program and making plans to put them into the bigger cars. Brett runs a cool 12 second Mustang and a 9 second Pinto. However - Brett is also building a chopped 38 Ford truck with a straight axle but it has a Pro-Street vibe to it. After coming to the Fall Out he is making changes to the plan. The Pro-Street diff is staying (already installed) but he is looking to get some period correct offset rims to run the vintage events and has completely changed his attitude towards the engine dressing and some of the billet parts he had planned. He has hit me up for Bill Carlson / WAC Customs contact information. Dare I say ... another has been corrupted into the fold ?? Oh yah - the chop on the truck was done by Gene Winfield at a car show here in town a few years back.

Another rookie that came to watch the Fall Fall Out 2 is a long time friend of my brother - Donnie Edwards. Donnie has been very successful in life and has a stable of cool street and race cars. But he has the "Gasser" bug. After attending the Fall Out 2 event he is convinced this is the style of racing he wants to do. He now has plans to build his Super Comp 66/67 Chevy II into a straight axle A/FX monster with a big inch BBC. He has the means and the knowledge and a lot of talented friends... this could be interesting. He's talking it might be ready for Meltdown 9

 

My "Oops" run at Fall Out.
As stated previously I was held to 10.0 and slower and on this pass I sort of got caught up in the moment with the Rude one ... This - off the gas - 9.89 got me a look of disapproval from the top end guy and a very one sided conversation back in the lanes. Kudos to Rock Falls Raceway for enforcing the rules in a professional and consistent manner.

The Scout is kind of boring when it's not doing stupid things isn't it ?

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1468842696532917

 

Best launch at Fall Out 1.35 60 ft... only to have the replacement fuel cap blow off and fuel spray on the windshield.

The second wheel stand is the result of me leaning into the throttle. I'm launching off the foot-brake at about 1500 rpm and then adding more throttle once I'm sure it's not going over backwards. There is a definite "Go Fast / Holy Crap" point in the injection. Even on 9 second and 6.0 1/8th mile passes I'm usually only about 3/4 throttle until 1st shift then I put it to the floor.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1469957556421431

 

This little soap box session has been long in coming and I have a put a lot of thought into it.

The Scout is Not a Gasser !!
Never actually has been - based on the 60's definition - Wow !! It feels so good to finally come out...

You might have noticed that the term "Gasser" has been removed from the thread header. This was done in support of the arguments regarding what is a Gasser and what isn't. Granted, the argument is typically pointed towards folks who believe anything with a straight axle is a Gasser but during these discussions the purists keep going back to the late 60's rule book. In my opinion this is the correct thing to do. So... based on that concept the Scout falls outside of the basic rules. It only has 1 seat, I'll never run a hood, it has questionable upholstery but more important and really the defining exception... it runs alcohol. Yes the "Gasser" classes and the match racers ran alcohol in the 70's but the era the Meltdown events chose to replicate and the one I support... is 66 and older. So... Gassers ran gas. Not alcohol. Gassers had 2 seats or a bench seat and they ran a hood.

So where does that leave the Scout ??
Well... it fits very nicely into the A/FX class now doesn't it ?? A-la Nash Bronco Buster. Personally, and I'm sure I'll take some heat for this, but I think the A/FX era was way cooler than the Gassers in the 60's. The innovation, the experimentation and the birth of the nitro door slammer match racing was an exciting and insane time. Besides, I would love to line up with my buddy John Clarke and his bad-ass AWB Chevy II next year.

As I stated elsewhere ... I don't care what staging lane or group I roll the Scout out of as long as I get a chance to roll out and have fun. The fans don't care what staging lane the cars roll out of... as long as they roll out and put on the show.

I will continue to run with the Great Lakes Gassers for as long as they will have me - The Scout is instantly identified as a Gasser and I'm ok with that - as long as it benefits the event or the group. (But I will not call it a Gasser) I will continue to support the vintage Gasser and vintage racing events as best I can. I will argue that an 81 Malibu with a straight axle or 55 Chevy that requires a step ladder to get into are not Gassers. Cool project car, Gasser style, streak freak and someone's pride and joy - absolutely... but not a Gasser.

Of course that means the 2 cars that inspired the Man Gas (Manitoba Gassers Association") Facebook page - are not actually Gassers - Oh well... It might be a little hypocritical but the description of the site does say we support all vintage race cars. Besides. "Man Gas" and the jokes that will inspire is a lot better than "Man A/FX or Altered Man or ???

 

Now that you have left the gassers for the fx group your legal to run nitro. I couldnt resist. It was after all a triple dog dare.

 

Dammit Brian ...
I sort of knew I set you up for that ... (stupid triple dog dares)

 

I can't paint but I'll drink your beer......even if it is Canadian beer.
Good luck for the 2018 season @Saxxon

 

LOLOL....

 

Here Here Well Said.

 

Just as I get good at doing the happy dance because I didn't break anything... I get hit by a bus ... not a fast moving bus like Kholman or Jacobson keep stepping in front of ... but a bus none the less

I pulled the plugs to fog in the cylinders for the winter and find the #1 plug partially closed. I snake a scope down the cylinder and find at least 2 rather large chunky bits lying on the piston. It appears to be part of the valve landing. It also appears I've been running lean. Not sure if that's the left over from the gas days or my set up is lean with the alcohol. Either way, I now have to wake to up the petulant child from it's winter sleep, chip the ice off the trailer and haul it over to my brother's shop to pull the heart out of it... Then see what else is damaged.

View attachment 3727234

 

A closed plug due to a tune up issue is detonation. It also shows up in smashed bearings. I would leak it before tearing it down. You have joined the big boy club now so get used to seeing all kinds of strange things. If the leak and bearings are good put it back together. Sand off any high spots first. All kinds of things can enter the scoop. Usually from the car in front doing a burnout.

 

Sounds like you had one hell of a season !! Congrats on all your accomplishments so far !!! Just wanted to pass on Saskatchewan International Raceway's 2018 big event dates for August 2018 !! The Southwinds Showdown dates are Thursday August 16 pitting and tech. Friday Aug. 17 racing and Sat. Aug. 18 Feature Show Day and racing !!! Hopefully this may fit into your schedule !! Thanks Spike

 

If you re-read post 743, it wasn't just a closed plug, there were broken bits in the cylinder. I think it may be a bit more than "sand off any high spots".

 

Pre-Registration for the 9th annual Meltdown Drags is in for the Scout and Prefect.

Gave it a couple of extra Mississippi's this year before I pressed the "Go" button on the email. Hopefully I didn't redlight like I did last year.

 

It's surprising what you find on the Inter-web. I found an article about a friend of mine, Gord Foreman, and in the article this picture pops up. Gord ran the Rodarama car show back in the 70's and was a member of the Timers car club. The same club the Scout's original builder, Jim Pratt belonged to. I've been wondering lately what the Scout would look like with Torq Thrusts, now I know

 

The prognosis is back on the engine... but we didn't find the cause of the chunky bits. Something small went through the engine but my engine guy wasn't there when the shortblock came apart and his guys didn't save anything they found. What my guy did find was some slight chattering on the Mains and some signs of slight oil distribution issues. And since it's apart... let's refresh.
So...

• Swap the Main bolts for ARP studs
• New bearings for the crank, rod and cam
• Gapless top rings
• Wash and clean the block
• Hone the cylinders
• Refresh the valve job in the heads
• Cometic gaskets all around
• Assemble the long block and set timing and valves.

A quick $3200 bucks I had set aside for body work and bill payments later - I have a fresh 406 ready to go for the season.. I should get the engine in a couple of weeks. That isn't an issue since we are predicted to get a near blizzard this week and the locks are still frozen on the trailer.

Sucks I had to spend the money ... but... Racecar !!

 

A few announcements:
The Scout and Prefect are confirmed for Meltdown. We got our acceptance email a few weeks back. (Thank you). With any luck I will have it running like it was at the Fall Fall Out and we can run some laps this year at the Big Event. I'm hoping for 5 or 6 passes. (Or about 4.5 times as many as last year) 2 on Friday and 3 on Saturday including a night run would make me very happy.

The Scout is lined up for an NHRA Chassis cert and I'm lined up for an NHRA license. That means we can let'r rip at both Meltdown and Fall Out without getting the dreaded "Tap on the window" from the tech / staging lane guy.

The Manitoba Gassers Association (Man Gas) has been asked to put on an exhibition at Interlake Dragway - Sept Long Weekend. If anyone wants to make the trek to the far North for 3 days of exhibition match racing please let em know. I would love to get 4 or 6 period correct race cars from the US of A to be part of that weekend.

If interested please let me know here or on the Manitoba Gasser Association Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1434981003478684/

Hotel arrangements are slim in the area but I can get details and make arrangements for you if required.

 

On are 409s we have more main cap chatter with studs than with bolts.
The trick is to take a blunt chisel and smack the block next to the cap at a right angle to the crank center line.
Edit ) Not at a right angle but inline with the crank.