Street racers....What's the worse ass whoopin you ever got street racing?

I had just gotten my 31 model A running that week, [stock rusty body, with 2 barrel 56 chevy V8] On a fri. nite a buddy and i were driving by the local drive in hangout and pulled in to make my grand entrance. Within 5 minutes i was challenged to a race. Well, we went to the boonies and this guy had a 50 Olds, hardtop. so we went off. I pulled him a car length outta the hole, but then my A just quit, and as he cought up it lit up and I p***ed him, this happened a couple of times and of course i was embar***ed so just kept on and went home. Turned out due to my hurry to get it runnin i had just set it up to run stock gravity feed and was low on gas, so when i accelerated the gas would run to the back of the tank thus running out of fuel each time.The guy thought i was just playin with him and didnt speak to me for awhile. [51 yrs ago]

 

More embarr***ing than a whoopin,,running on Front Street in Philliy in the late 80's lined up. To race a GTO ( me and my trusty Coronet 500 ) took off and got about a foot ..drive shaft broke

 

I had a nasty 53 Ford rag top back in 1959 it had a full house flathead topped with 4-2's and 4:11 rear. One night a 55 Chevy pulls along side we go at it , i get him out of the hole slap second, oops, loud bang out back . Look in the mirror , there goes my driveshaft down the road. Guy in 55 stops looks at me anf laughs then takes off. I started to hike home which was 5 miles away and it starts to rain oops ,find a phone booth put in my last quarter , called my buddy at his house. His dad answers and yelled at me because I got him outa bed and hangs up oops ,no more change so hiked home in storm!

 

Chose my opponents carefully and only lost once--by about a foot. 1979-84 period. '67 SS 350/M-22. I miss those days.

 

Most memorable one for me happened in 1986 in Waco. I was with a buddy in his chopped-top '77 Chevy PU... we'd recently traded the 307 that was in the truck for a fresh-built, stock 454 with an intake, carb, and headers. We thought it was pretty quick, so we spent the night being jerks up-n-down Valley Mills Dr. When we started to head back home, this HUGE dude (HUGE!) crammed into a Pinto hatchback pulled up next to us on the freeway and signaled his intent. Both vehicles slowed down to about 45, then my buddy floored it, and the Pinto freakin' blew by us and disappeared like we was standing still! When he finally let off and we caught up, we followed him to a convenience store to see what was up... built 351, 4-spd, 9", etc in an otherwise stock-looking Pinto.

Really humbling... we laughed about that one for a while.

Oh... and street racing is bad.

 

I had a 66-7 Nova about 30 years ago that must've had about 450-500 HP. I mean this thing made a ton of power. But, with the small amount of tire that fit the car, it'd just spin the tires. I could "drive" it out and then nail it, and it'd haul *** pretty good. The problem was ME. I'd get so excited, I'd side step the cluch and the ****er almost felt like it was sliding backwards. So, I'm gonna race this guy "Monk" in a Rambler wagon, which I later found out had a 400 SBC in it way before it was popular. Well, with no self control whatsoever, the hands go down, I pop the clutch at OMG RPM, and I get a birds eye view of the Rambler making a "solo" p***. At least that's how it appeared with me sitting completely still melting a fresh pair of Kelly(?) Cheater slicks

 

Another story is me at the street races years ago in a 69 Chevelle I was selling. Not a street race car. It's late (5AM prolly), and most have gone home. The infamous Bottle Bob, hungry for a race before going home and waiting another 7 days to street race offers me 35 car lengths head start for $5. Well ****, where can you get that kind of entertainment for $5? He's got a 68-9 Vette with a BBC and a ton of nitrous (maybe 2 tons) and header sidepipes. When he blew by me very near the finish line, my car moved over 3 feet from the air pressure between our 2 cars. I'm sure he went by me at about 140 MPH (me at about 85) with what was most likely pieces of piston shooting out the sidepipes and showering the side of my car. Prolly one of the best $5 I ever spent. Bottle Bob would throw a BBC together with open chamber pistons on one bank and closed chamber pistons on the other (not necessarily the same bore size either). His reasoning was that a motor was merely a pump to get nitrous in and out of. He took me for a "nut run" one night that I'll never forget. I later became his personal mechanic for his fleet of street race cars. A cool shop he called "Bottle Works". Top secret ****

 

In high school about 1986 I had a '77 T/A 400 4-speed. I had just rebuilt the motor due to blowing up the original. Remember now I'm 16 and had not figured out when the motor stops pulling you should shift. HA!HA! Any way me and a buddy were just riding around when this stock looking Camaro pulls up. Hell.....that's an easy target. Light turns green I jump out ahead maybe two car lengths when the Camaro pulls up beside me and bounces the front end a couple of times then blows past like we were not even moving. We went home with our tails between our legs that night.

 

Let me make a slight correction here. I remember when I burned a couple
of pistons and it was too late to buy any for my 11:1 motor, and I
wanted to street race BADLY Saturday night, so I took 4 13:1 pistons I
had laying around to my work (I'm a Tool & Die maker prototype CNC
machinist by trade) and milled the domes down to approximately
11:1 dome size. When I was finished I pushed on the center of the dome
with my thumb and it went right through! Major screw up there. So I went to
a friend of mine that was a welder and had him weld and fill up the
underside of the dome. I weighed the pistons when I got home and they
were 26 grams heavier than the stock 11:1's (usually pistons are
balanced to within a gram or two of each other). I put the 4 cut down
13:1 pistons in the right bank of the engine. I made it in time for the
street races and even had a couple of money wins. The car vibrated
pretty bad around 6000 rpm so I just short shifted in all the gears and
just let it vibrate in 4th at the big end. That engine lasted for
months like that.
Moral? Measure the dome thickness before any custom milling.

I don't recall using different bore diameter pistons.


--
BottleBob
ttp://home.earthlink.net/~bottlbob




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Ah, yes- the "good ol' days"! Some great stories here! Mine:
Early 70's in "Maniac City" on Morton Ave., waitin' for the light to turn, and Little Ol' Lady in a early Corvette pulls up alongside my 401 4speed AMX with 4.11 gears, She looked like Grannie on the "Beverly Hillbillies", complete with the pillbox hat held on by 2/3 hatpins. So I thought I'd oughta stir the pot, and blipped the throttle a few times. (Sounded good thru those Thrush cans!) She just tilted her nose up a little, and when the light turned green she left twin black marks all the way thru the intesection! I heard thru the g****vine that her husband had died leaving her a "stable" of cars that included the 'Vette grocery gitter. I still laugh about that; it was so totally unexpected!

 

It was about 1:00 early Sunday morning, I was just pulling out of Tellways(a drive-in that was my home base).I'd been racing my 68 1/2 428 Cobra Jet ,4 speed,430 traction lock 9",GT suspension,fastback Mustang all nite on Woodward Ave.and Tellegraph road in Detroit.I figured since I was on my second tank of Sunoco 260 fuel I'd make another p*** down Tellegraph.I pulled out heading south when a 64 or 65 Plymouth 4 door sedan with 4 black guys in it pulled up next to me and was trying to get me to race.They have 4 guys in a 4 door boat and me alone in my Stang.They kept it up til I finally thought to myself alright these guys think their messing with a 289 so I slowed down to about 10-15 mph roll,both cars took off even,I banged 2nd and they were slightly ahead by a wheel,I hit 3rd and they were pulling away,I hit 4th and they left me.I couldn't believe it,we raced 2 more times with the same results.Man I was sick.I later turned the car into a full Pro Stock and still drove it to work every day 11 sec.street car in 69.Never saw that Plymouth again.

 

recently twice!! I was at a lite with "psyco-deville" & some duffis was in a 5.0 mustang , i asked him how it ran & he said" like a ****d ape" ( jay got a kick outta that) The lite changed & we hit it, my car went flat on its nose!!lol he jumped me & by the time i caught up the next lite changed.he had that stupid look on his face like the "got a hemi"guy has.
Then coming from the last' b*** Pro" shop cruise i pull next to a Buick grand national, we both hit it & he gets away from me, next lite same thing, from a roll, same thing just can't get by him.My cars a tbucket with a 400 sbc & trip dueces so it gets up there.so we race from Gillette stadium to north attleboro & hes stompin me.I see him pull into a service area & i keep going but see the car in there over the next few days.I finally stop in there & look at the car.Its got a 400 SBC bored to 406, alumn heads Twin turbos!! all kinds of good **** on the engine!! its tubed with about 12" slicks on the back!! I didn't feel too bad after that!!lol
jimV

 

The year was 1969, location was Barstow and Blackstone, Fresno CA, our car, 1946 ford cad powered w/auto trans, opponents, 1968 Impala motor unknown, backseat of car was loaded to the hilt with books, we took him for 1/8 mile, he came up along side us shifted and was gone. My buddy made me swear never to tell anyone.

Disclaimer:: This subject is intended for mature audiences who are not inflenced by others actions

 

i was driving one on friday, i am not rich, i am poor as hell but i work for a mercedes benz dealer so it wasnt mine, it was most likely a v8 sl63 if it sounded like a big block chevelle, the v12 is quiter, smoother were as the v8 sounds loud and mean and even the sl63 is seriously fast. its a 6.2L v8 that redlines above 7000, a big v8 that pulls and revs.
i was at a set of lights once when i saw a v8 holden at a set of lights lined up with a early 80's mitsubishi l300 van, i thought i would join in unaware that the van was powered by a **** hot ford v8, not the small four they left the factory with, lights went green and the van dissapeared into the horizon.
i saw it later running at the drags, i think it ran about 11

 

Colorado blvd.. 1980.. My 350 / 4 gear '69 vette.. People everywhere in front of tommy's burger.. **** in a little mazda rx something p.o.s. Rolls up next to me and says.. "how about a fun run?" i figure.. What the hell.. We square off.. His buddy gives us the go.. ..... As he blew by me i had just enough time to read the lic. Plate... Fast12a..

 

Humiliated badly by the opposite ***!

I've got a 3 year old Corvette, nothing special.
300 horse power 327 Turbo Hydro and a good set of gears in the rear chuck and a too big Holly with a couple of electric fuel pumps in series to feed it.
A little head work but basically "cheater" pure stock.
Chick beside me in a new Ram Air GTO with "I love my ****** Headers" decals down low on the front fenders.
She swears it all stock.
Sounds stock 'm thinkin'.
First go..... were even thru 1st gear, by second she's ahead by 2 lengths.
She wins!
Second and third time it's a repeat. She MAULS me!
Last race she says I'll give you 2 lengths and we race uphill on the mountain.
She drills me again and I **** the valve seals out my left bank trying to wax her.
One week later we start dating, I get to drive the GTO and she helped me fix the Vette.
You should have seen her changing pistons in her driveway and swapping out differentials. Pretty crafty chick and good looking too I'm thinking.
We made a good pair so we married each other.
Thirty-nine years go by, we're still together and she can still out shift me in a stick car.

 

mid 70s I got my 14 sec 302 70 mustang nothing special, neighbor kid says his friends dad has a 12 sec 56 f-100 I say ya right go get it so the kid brings it over and we go over behind anaheim conv. cntr where its got a long strait and I figuire he aint getin no traction, he didnt even do a burnout and I did, ready, set, go he did not spin at all and was gone, musta beat me by 20 cars, I was a believer then, lol.

 

In '82, I had a '72 Chevelle as my daily driver. 350, 450 Holley and auto with air. Went to the street races in Van Nuys and lined up a race with Mark's '65-66 Mustang. Mark use to have a '65 Comet called the "California Comet", 289, dual quads, 4 speed and 4:57 gears. The Mustang was a built 289 that I heard ran 12's. Anyway, nothings going on so I offer to race Mark with my daily, but I want 3 rolling from behind. He agrees.

We go out to Woodman and Saticoy and line 'em up. I p*** the Mustang thinking he's never gonna catch me. At the top of 2nd gear, my Chevelle begins surging. I look into my sideview mirror and see the mustang coming on like gangbusters. My Chevelle keeps surging and maintains the speed but quits accellerating. The Mustang blows by me before the quarter. Sigh, oh well, it was something to do.

Because the Chevelle was my daily, I never bothered to access what exactly I had. The Chevelle had a replacement 450 Holley (for the Quadrajet) and a stock mechanical fuel pump. That week, the fuel pump gave up the ghost and I had to replace it.

 

I wonder what ever happened to Mark? We were pretty good riends for a while back then. I bought that Mustang from him. It was fast! I also bought his brother Matt's car. A 65 Falcon with a 'gl*** 65 Comet front clip. a cammy 289, top-loader, and a 4.57 9 inch. *****en car. I raced Eddie Alvirez with that car. It hauled *** in 1st and 2nd, but fell on it's face in 3rd due to a bad spacing of gears for that little motor. Anyway, in front of Lumber City, Eddie sets me aout a few cars. The Falcon ran so good, Eddie gave up the chase before the Falcon quit pulling on the 2-3 shift. Another anyway............I put Nitrous on it so it'd pull 3rd gear. But I blew the motor to pieces in my girlfriend's back yard while purging the lines by tapping the ****on.......one too many times. Tony B ran behind the house he was so scared

 

Anybody out there want to 'fess up to a major waxing you took from a street sleeper?
The kind of car that looks like you could drill it easy only to become totally humiliated and out driven.

 

Read #126

 

Now my car isnt a true hot rod, more of a mild custom '64 ranchero. A moderately built 300 six banger (hey i just always have dug six pots) with a c4 ****** with a shift kit, it will burn rubber all day, just doesnt go all that fast. A mid 80s buick pulled along side me and gunned it and took off, i tried to keep up but..he lost me. Worst thing was he had headed to the same bar i go to.

 

Don't feel too bad, brother. I got slaughtered by a Nissan Maxima. I was in my '59 Apache w/'74 Camaro 350. I hung up my gloves after that one. I f-n' hate Telegraph Canyon Rd. because of that.

 

dang!!!!!!

 

Early spring 1970, Intersection of Lexington Street and Route 2 in historic old Lexington M***.
I'm driving my brand spankin' new '70 GTO Ram Air lll, 4 speed, 3:90 posi. Bob Cat Kit, ****** Headers, Sunocco 260 .........I'm thinkin' nothing can top me, I'm hot stuff!
I'm just full of myself.
A real old man pulls up beside me in his ugly outhouse green colored '68 Coupe Deville.
I kinda knew the guy from around town, he was rumored to have a steel plate in his head, a little irrational and liked little boys it was said.
His name I recall was Russ, we called him Rust.
I'm thinking, "Hmmm, easy pickins."
Light turns green, he mats the Caddy's go pedal.
I gently roll into the throttle on the Goat, walk it out 30 feet then start power shifting like I just stole the car.
He and that Caddy burried me for the first 7 or 800 feet out of the hole.
I'm panicking now. How am I gonna tell the guys that Rust out gunned me.
This is freakin' humiliating...... a GTO pounded by a whack job in a Caddy?
I never had time to top-end Rust. I ran out of room in all the traffic.
In 39 years I never told anyone this sad tale untill now.
You got to respect those big 472" Caddys. Lotsa low end grunt!

 

Haha. Ever chase any street racers?

 

It was in the mid 80s when hopped up VW Rabits where pretty en Vouge over here in Germany and many clubs where around. Most of them just had "cosmetic" tuning but some of the (especialy those with a G-Loader) where pretty fast.

Anyway.

Sunday mornig in June on a 4 lane road in sunny southern Bavaria.
Left lane, the local VW Rabbit club on crusing tour waits on a traffic light. Club-President in the pole position.
Next lane to him an old faded Pontiac GTO. Stock to the bone and well worn (so I thought). Two guys with 5 gallon cowboy hats and ZZ-Top beards looking (comp***ionate) over to the president who revs his Rabit in favour of a race. At this time any old american car was looked at, as an old, slow heavy POS by those VW kids.

I was behind the GTO and saw a polished chrome rearend and smirked.
I thought, if someone spends money on a chrome axle in that sh..t can he probably also forked out some cash on engine goodies.

So I pulled out the popcorn and waited for the show.

Lights turned to yellow, the VW screemed like a burning cat, smoking tires and all...

But at this time the GTO already was a small point at the horizont.
It was so freaking fast I could not belive it. It took off like a jetplane

I never saw that GTO again and never found out what was under the hood, but it took hours to get that smile of my face. Still grinning while I write this.

But I´m sure it ruined that crusing tour of the VW club

Frank

 

Mine was when i was in my 63 rag top vw and some cracker in a honda walked all over me and that bug was a high 12 car

 

I saw that in a movie one time.

 

Was probably '62 or '63. Was stationed at McGuire AFB right outside Trenton NJ. Had a '57 Ford Custom 300 with a bad ***ed 312 & Warner T-10. Had just been to Princeton University to steal some gas caps. On the way out of town was on some street and and old dude in a '55 or '56 Pontiac wagon pulled up beside us. He sort of gave us a little nod but we didn't relate anything to the move. But we would race anything anytime and when the light turned that Pontiac launched and was gone. I was so flabberghasted I didn't even want to pull up beside him at the next light. I just sort of held back and turned at the intersection. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Have no idea what he had in that old Pontiac but it was a hauler ***er!