Hot Rods 29 RPU- "Street/Strip" B/SR Build - Marty Strode

Bruce, for now I am going to use lacquer thinner to get rid of the white. When I was running the Dragsters, we always scrubbed of the white and wrote our number in shoe polish, while other teams just left it.

 

That`s a pretty famous car behind you guys.

 

Spot on. I believe at the time of that photo it was owned by Jim Donovan. It had lost it's true Glory and was Just a race car.

 

Shoe polish numbers! When I lost a round in X/Stock (every time but one) I tried to have them leave most of it still readable -- a "Badge of Courage" on the streets for this 17-year-old.

(They couldn't put it on the passenger-side window on my Model A pickup -- I didn't have one.)

 

That photo was taken at Seattle in '88, and Mike is correct, Jim Donovan owned it then. Jim along with his mechanic Doug Luzon, had run it with a Scott blown flathead in '86 and prior. later, Jim brought a Dragster to me to shorten the wheelbase and mount an injected Flathead. I talked them out of it, as it was The Howard Cam Rattler. Instead, I connected them with Gene Adams, to set up the fuel system for alcohol. They ran the coupe injected, for a while, and when Jim Died, Doug bought it and drove it on the street with 320" Flathead. When Doug's health started to fail, it was sold and restored by Don Orosco. Back then, the saying "He Who Dies With The Most Toys Wins"was popular. In the Northwest, we used to say Jim Donovan wins, because of his fantastic car collection, had his own private airstrip at home, with some Stearman biplanes, along with a Staggerwing Beach.

 

Jim, back in '61 my brother Dave, was racing in L/S and lost in the first round. The window wiper guy was half way back up the return road, and Dave cut off and disappeared into the spectator parking, before his window would be wiped.

 

I never figured that saying out! I felt “He Who Dies with the Most Toys is Dead, He Who Lives with the most Toys Wins”

 

I got to ride in a Stearman bi plane a few years back. Pretty darn cool.

 

Right on Marty. Doug was a great guy and good friend. Sad loss at such a young age. All I can say about Jim is that he was for sure One of a kind.

 

Doug and Earl Floyd the best Flathead guys in our area.

 

What better thing to do on a Sunday, but to mount a parachute and work on the windscreen on a race car. I installed this Simpson chute on a race truck back in 1980, it was never blossomed. When I put the truck in street trim, back in '98, I hung it up in the shop. I got the 1/8" Lexan windscreen fit and mounted a few days ago, and cut the tops off the posts, and will cap them. As far as the chute goes, I probably will never need it, but as I remember, the rules require a chute on all cars, with 2 wheel brakes that that run over 125 mph.

 

Marty , so the piece of pipe on the brake let's you radius the bend ?

 

I forget; is chute supposed to be tied to frame or rear axle?
.

 

Yes, as this brake doubles as a Box and pan brake as well. It's easy to crank the top die back and install a piece of pipe with a flat bar welded to it. I have dies from 1/2" up to a 5.5" tube.

 

Mike, the shroud line can connect to the frame, or the rear axle. Since I am using a Halibrand Champ, I will make two brackets that connect to the housing bolts, with a loop in the middle, slightly behind the rear cover. It will be necessary to remove the brackets to change gears.

 

You say you've had that 'chute for a few years. My imagination running riot can envision pulling the handle and the 'chute shredding itself into confetti. Just kidding, you know what you're doing, carry on.

 

Marty, you say you'll "probably never use the chute". I said the same thing. One night at Fontana I hit some sand right at the finish line. Got "I can't save this" sideways and quickly decided to pull the chute for the first time. It snapped the car back straight so quick I couldn't believe it. Never say never my friend!

 

Thanks Marty, I see the end of the flat stock now. I was wondering how the pipe stayed in place. I have used several of your tips building my Studebaker.

 

That would be nothing new to me. The second time I ever pulled a chute, it didn't open, and I had never been 180 in my life. The funny thing is, it was 7 years after More American Graffiti was made, and I was at the same track, in the same lane, Milner was, only, I made the last return road. It was at the 1986 Nostalgia Nationals at Fremont. After the event our crew went to a pizza party, Art Chrisman, and Gene Adams ( who had helped us out ) were also there. I told Art, that my co-owner of the car, packed the chute, and I think he want's to drive. Art got kick out of that, and telling others, while laughing. BTW, the chute on that car was 17 years old.

 

I got the Ansen's swing pedals installed today. Due to the angle of the steering column, the pedal pads will need some tweaking, but all in all, it went pretty well, and captures the 60's vibe.

 

Who Marty the RPU is cool.

 

Steve, I hope it's HOT !

 

I my earlier post, I mentioned that the pedal pads needed to be modified to clear the column. Having always liked the look and feel of Ford pedal pads from 57 into the 70's, and having had my big feet on plenty of them, I cut some out of 10 gauge steel. Another thing that needed addressing, was the travel and pedal angle, and a spacer between the master cyl and the firewall was needed. So I cut one out of 1/2" aluminum, and drilled the extra hole, for the GM and International cylinders. When finished, the spacer will be profiled to match the International cyl, now to order the new pads.

 

10 dollars worth of pedal pads installed, along with drilling a hole in the windscreen for the tach cable. I am removing the center of the firewall, so I can drop in the mag, and build the new one around it.

 

Back in post 641, I showed a 56 Pickup, and I have been helping my friend with some steel wheels. I built him a pair of 8" ones for the rear, to go with some 6's that I had for the front. They were riveted centers, so I drilled them out and installed them in some 8" hoops. They will be powdercoated almond like the one's for my '40(shown) now to find another set of '55 caps.

 

I like your holding fixture.

 

It is a good way to check runout, these came out at around .040. BTW this is what they are going on.

 

After storing this in my basement for 25 years or so, I finally took the time to upgrade my communications in my old office, that now serves as an engine/parts room. Since I am located a little out of Hooterville, it's a fitting piece, and works great !

 

Marty
I sure miss the old Bell System rotary wall phone I had in my shop for many years, the phone company changed their ringer feed and it stopped working, dialing out still worked.
I could actually hear it with the lathe running, I left it on the wall for a long time just because it looked so cool.

 

Car is looking great Marty. That phone is a neat piece, perfect in the shop. So how far is your place in Hooterville from Pixley?

Pixley is a large town near Hooterville and possibly the largest town in the valley. Pixley, despite being considered a simple and underpopulated country town of around equal standing as its neighbors Hooterville and Crabwell Corners, is said to have a number of things which might make one think that it is a city, and it seems to hold control over important resources for both Hooterville and Crabwell Corners, such as the power company, which oversees power distribution for everyone in the valley, and a branch of the department of agriculture which oversees farming activity throughout the valley.