Hot Rods Dare to be different - 63 Scout

Those "aha!" moments can be good after a lot of frustration. But also not so fun when you look back on the time and money spent!

 

Get it on, get it in gear and give it hell !

 

They are off the shelf... I am looking to get more copies. Bought 20 and still don't have one for myself. Guess \i have more fans than I realized

 

Old fuel system is out...new system is in. I won't get a chance to test it this weekend as I wasn't ready for the gorgeous day yesterday and now the monsoon season is upon us. I have to admit I was a bit nostalgic as I tore out the hard lines. That was a lot of trial and error and a steep learning curve back in the original build. Sure was fun.

My recent upgrades all seem to be based on boost referencing. Both carbs, regulator, boost control box and a gauge = a need for 5 ports out (+ 1 in) so I installed an aftermarket boost/vacuum distribution block. This cleaned up the plumbing a bit.

For a static test I put it to 6500 rpm and held it for 5 seconds. Fuel pressure was set at 7.5 lbs and never dipped below 6.5 during the test. Under load might be a different story but for now it looks promising. With the previous set up I had to set the pressure set at 9 lbs just to keep from dropping below 3 by mid track. I also had my brother watch the float level during the rpm test and it all looked .. well ... promising.

Once again - the goal here is to get the fuel pressure to stay at a safe level through the lights... and maybe pick up a tenth or so at the safer boost setting. This will let me turn up the wick a bit, just because I can. I am hoping for 10.30's locally and therefore closer to the Great Lake's Gasser 10.50 index for Meltdown. I would really like to score a point or two for the team this year. Yes there is a hope it will eventually run a 9 just so I can say it does, but I really don't want to go that fast. Max performance has never been the goal.

Next race date is May 30...

 

Well... not the day I was hoping for. I split my time between the Scout, the Prefect and my Dodge truck that I was running in the Diesel challenge. In the end the Scout got neglected and only made 2 runs. 1st pass I foot braked and it still pulled the wheels hard. Got out of the groove and I aborted the run. 2nd pass, foot brake - it bogged hard, backfired through the blower and flooded itself out so I pulled to the side. It didn't re-fire right away so I followed the track rules and let the tow truck take me away. Pulled the blower belt and spun the blower - no apparent damage. Off course it fired right away 30 seconds later. By then we ran the Prefect one more time and ran out of day...

Maybe I'll get my shit together next time... June 13

On the - not so bad news side of things - My 7000 lb totally stock Dodge Mega-cab went 17.13 and I cut some good lights. The down side is - this was a heads up class and the 2 other trucks in the "stock" class were running 14's.

 

Chalk this up to my total lack of knowledge and too much lead paint on the crib edges. When the Scout bogged and coughed it was after I held the foot brake longer than I would normally. (Other lane took a little longer to stage than expected... not his fault) When it bogged and coughed a tsunami of fuel poured out of the carbs. This had me concerned so i called Magnafuel. The tech guy immediately asked if I had the boost referencing on the regulator hooked up - which I did. He calmly and carefully explained the boost referencing is only for blow through applications and all kinds of bad things happen when it's hooked up with draw through. Bad things like - a tsunami of fuel pouring out of the carbs - as it blows past the needle and seat in a loud grotesque manner. As we talked I pulled up the tech overview on the Magnafuel site I had read months ago and sure enough - it clearly stated this regulator works with draw through / boost referencing. The tech guy took note and the information was corrected within an hour.

But - now I know - and the fix was easy. I walked over and pulled the hose off the regulator. I'll plug the outlet on the boost block later. I fired it up and reset the pressure to 7.5lbs. Winged the throttle a few times and it sat steady - here's hoping for June 13

It's been clear for a long time - if there is a way to do it wrong - I will do it.

 

More disappointment.
June 13 was a bust. Bog, bog more bog... we swapped some jets but there was little progress. So... I dropped a small chunk of change on an assortment of accelerator pump shooters and some more jets. I pulled the power valve and square jetted the carb with the same set up as the old carbs - 84s all around.

The following test n tune was rained out so I did something rare for me and showed up on a points day to get some passes in. The 84 jets were so rich I barely made it to the tech line up. I immediately pulled them and squared up with 80's... which did nothing to solve the bog problem. Only difference is now - no back fire. Went from lean to rich. Made a couple of more jet changes on the primary side which helped but the bog was still there. Only now it would pull the wheels a few inches off of the trans brake... immediately bog, recover and then run - ok - down the track. Ran out of time and energy to keep searching.

I have ordered in 50cc accelerator pumps, more shooters and some accelerator pump cams just so I can have some parts to keep testing. I am booked to be on a chassis dyno next week. The hope is we can sort it out on the dyno and there is 1 more track day before Meltdown to confirm it works... can you sense the desperation ??

What has me confused is all that has changed is the fuel pressure and fuel volume. I went from 9 lbs at the line and 3 lbs down track with questionable volume to 6.5 lbs all day under any condition... and the carb set up is totally off. (very confused)

Like I said - booked on the chassis dyno with sensors and smart people to tell me what's happening.At this point, if I show up at Meltdown for a 3rd consecutive year with a race car not performing well I may consider putting the blower and carbs up for sale and step back to a single carb with 13.5-1 and .700 lift cam. It won't be as visually appealing but it will make 650+ with 125 lbs less weight on the front, far less tuning issues and maybe I'll start having fun again.

Stay tuned...

 

We made 9 passes on the chassis dyno and there was no bog. In the end the assumption is - fuel overflowing the carb vents and flooding the system. The fix is .25 cents worth of rubber tube extending the vents. The dyno runs killed the slicks. They were due regardless. Softy's Speed Shop got new rubber in for me but I ran out of time and energy to get them mounted in time to test before Meltdown. Race day in Gimli turned out to be scorching hot so my wife and I hung out with friends at our pool. - Much better plan.

 

Meltdown 6 is in the books and as expected - it was outstanding !!
The only issue was oppressive heat and humidity all weekend.

Our first pass was a success. No bog ! (Hurray !!) Soft launch and no wheelstand, but it was back to the way it should be. My second pass was with the Great Lakes Gassers and I screwed up. I messed with the 2 step settings and adjusted the wrong setting. Ended up making a pass with a max rpm of 4000. Not good. We did a fast turn around and went back for some redemption. I launched off the torque convertor and was rewarded with a good wheel stand and a long carry. The Scout went 10.93.

Saturday was still stupid hot. Before the first pass we changed the oil, ran the valves and then flipped the pulleys for some more boost. The pass saw the Scout damn near bend the wheelie bars with a 4 foot wheel stand. It bogged in mid stand but still went 11.23. We jetted a little richer and tried again. We got another great long carry on a low altitude launch and went 11.03. We stopped running until the start of the night racing hoping it would get cooler.

Our first pass at 9pm saw a good hard launch, good carry but it went another 11.03. I lost a water pump on the pass and over heated badly. It took us an hour to fix the pump (electrical) and cool down. We ran Paul Zielsdorf's Hairy Hauler 41 Willys for our last pass on Saturday. We got a great launch and went 10.81 thanks to the cooler air. Based on previous years comparison, a 10.81 in Byron will equal a mid 10.50 back home.

Sunday was still hot and the vast majority of the folks had gone home. We were tired and burned out so we packed up and headed home.

Next race date - Terrace Bay airport drags. Another 10 hour tow. With the Scout running as expected it should be a lot of fun

 

Congrats on beating the bog!
It sounds like you're putting down some serious power to the asphalt.

 

Once we got the bog out of it we flipped the pulleys and fattened the carbs up to see what would happen. With the heat and humidity it didn't appear to make any more hp as the times were pretty much the same as the day before. Once it cooled down during the night racing we saw a difference. The 10.81 is the first time we had a better et than the previous single carb 377 (10.88 at Meltdown 3). Maybe - just maybe - I can stop saying I spent $15,000 on a new blower motor just to go slower... When we go faster than a 10.59 at Gimli I'll be a lot happier.

Not sure when I will be back out at Gimli to find out as we are going to Terrace Bay Ontario for the Airport drags August long weekend...

 

No bog here !!

 

We had a blast at the 16th annual - Terrace Bay Ontario – Dragfest.

It was well worth the 10 hr trip both ways to attend this once a year event put on by volunteers from the Superior Classics Car Club. These folks do a fantastic job. It was well run, well organized and you felt appreciated. The track itself has some great scenery and character including a paved return road that wanders through the trees. This event drew racers from as far as Alberta as well as the US. Over 400 cars squeezed into the facility and at least a thousand fans on Saturday and Sunday took in the racing. Typically these events are populated with hillbilly hack jobs dropping fluids and parts on the track – this was NOT the case - at all. While there were “race cars” of questionable quality and a ton of low buck machines, by far the biggest group was the 11:50 and quicker Super Pro class. I really appreciated the thorough and diligent tech inspection they put me through. This gives me a sense of confidence that the guy in the other lane was inspected in a similar manner.

The Scout was a big hit with the fans and the other racers. This was not a vintage or nostalgia event so I had to educate the uninitiated and put up with a few “How much nozz are you running?” questions, but it was all good. Traction was not an issue and the Scout made bar bending wheels up passes all weekend. (Still trying to find folks with pictures). Of course this helped with the popularity and the number of folks coming by for a closer look.

I was hoping for some better times since we flipped the pulleys at Meltdown but we did manage a best pass of 10.66 @ 118 into a stiff headwind. I must admit my favorite pass of the weekend and maybe the summer was my last pass Friday. Even with the wheelie bars set at the lowest point, the Scout went up on the bumper hard and carried the wheels for about 100 ft. Then it set itself down nice an easy. I never lifted and never had to move the steering wheel the entire pass. The end result was a 10.70 @ 118 (1.43 60 ft tripped by the back wheels) and a “Holy Sh&t !!” from the tower announcer. In the evening - the guy who was in the other lane at the time - handed me a beer, and told me he bailed out of the run 10 feet off the line so he could watch the show.

This was a three day event with time trials Friday / Saturday and elimination style racing Sunday but we wisely decided to use Sunday as a travel day. Thankfully the travel time was uneventful and the scenery through the Canadian Shield and lake country is amazing. The Cummins diesel easily handled the hills and valleys. Even considering the distance it is very likely I will put this event on my calendar for next year. The only drawback is the timing being so close to Meltdown. You folks in the surrounding areas like Ontario, Minnesota and maybe even Wisconsin and Michigan need to seriously consider this event.

Oh yah... by the way... Your track may be cool - but it will never be - Moose crossing sign on the return road - cool

 

"Oh yah... by the way... Your track may be cool - but it will never be - Moose crossing sign on the return rood - cool"

That is beyond Cool! Looks like a beautiful place for a drag strip!

 

That's a super sweet wheelie shot! It's going into my desktop slideshow.
Good to hear that you rocked the house in Ontario, & with a Holy Chit from the booth too!

Now about the Bonneville speed trials:
I think I can chop the windshield down to 3" & still see well enough to drive in a straight line if the body's not channeled over 10"

;-)

Best,
Ulu

 

Here are some sequence shots from the Terrace Bay event

These are from Jeff TenHave photography - Rather than copy the images to this site without his permission I am posting a link. I give full credit to Jeff for these pictures and I would encourage anyone who follow the link to take some time to look at what he has posted and is offering.

http://jtphoto.ca/dragfest2015/superpro/index.html

The Scout is on page 1, 9, 18, 30
The wheel stand on page 9 was huge !

 

No kidding. That thing really hooked up well!

 

Wow a bunch of "Keeper" shots in that batch.

 

Another angle from Meltdown 6
This might be my favorite shot from the event

 

And you're matched against my buddy Tom and his Chevy II. Great photo.

 

Really like your Scout, I worked on the Scout IH assembly line in Ft. Wayne, In. 1973 to 1980, when they stopped production, a great vehicle!! Good luck on your project.

 

You were in THE HOUSE OF HOOK, wheel up pro!!! TOOOO COOOOOL!!!

 

A shot from the Terrace Bay event. The Scout was still climbing after this shot. The guy in the other lane was one of three racers who said they sat and watched the Scout leave so they could enjoy the show... This guy said he's never seen anyone launch like this - on purpose - I simply told him he needs to take in the Meltdown event and Mike Belina's traveling wheel stand show

 

Nice shot dude !

 

With only 1 more race date left at Gimli Dragway and the fact I am between trailers at the moment it looks like I’m done for the year. Not a bad thing since the Scout isn’t broken, I’m not broke…or broken and it’s generally been a good year. Sorry for the over use of the word “cool” but that’s what most of the summer events were – very hot and very cool

It started… well… poorly
I put in the new Magna-Fuel fuel system. This solved my fuel pressure problem but I now had a major bog problem. 4 race dates, 20 gallons of C-14 fuel, 9 pulls on a chassis dyno and about $1500 later … I find out the fix was in the form of two 8 inch pieces of rubber hose to keep the carb vents from overflowing and flooding the carbs. Good thing I made that fix the day before we left for the Meltdown event.

Meltdown 6. What can I say that hasn’t already been said. Great event, Hot… no seriously – really Hot !! We made a bunch of good passes, got my share of media coverage. The Prefect ran well. We saw a bunch of cool cars and met a bunch of very cool people. Mike Belina fed us Steak Tacos, I got a very cool appreciation award from the MDA and I got to hug Trisha Huhtala which is always a treat. I hugged Joel as well… just so he wouldn’t feel left out I guess. The MDA did me a great honor by asking me to carry the Canadian flag at the opening ceremonies – and – played the Canadian anthem (Very cool). This year we decided to stay at a hotel that didn’t have police tape and chalk lines in the lobby and somehow I managed to find 4 different ways to miss the required turnoffs. My buddy Larry is still laughing at me as he was in the co-pilot seat each time. My new (to me) Dodge 2500 truck worked great and the trip down and back was safe and without incident. While we there we flipped the blower pulleys and ran our best Meltdown time ever 10.81@ 119

Dragfest 2015 - Terrace Bay Ontario. Why hasn’t everyone heard about this 1 time per year event ? It's a great facility on a dragstrip in a small lake town East of Thunderbay. It's very scenic, the volunteers are amazing and the racing is top notch. The Scout performed flawlessly and the locals totally lost their minds each time the Scout carried the wheels for 60 ft. God help them all if Mike Belina makes the trip to this event. The best part of this trip is that my wife came with me. She’s my biggest fan and having her there was – well – really cool. Especially since she spotted a shiny black custom trailer with a for sale sign. Yes folks the Scout gets a new club house. The 24x8 Cargo hauler that served me well is making way for a 24x8.5 purpose built aluminum race trailer with a cabinet package. It will be mine effective Oct 10.

I also attended the 2015 Rodaramma car show in April as well as the 2 Drag Racing Association of Manitoba (DRAM) car show events.

So what’s in store for the winter? Well… very little if I can contain myself and not make any major changes. The motor and transmission are coming out as per the routine. We’ll check bearings and address leaks and maybe a transmission check but otherwise leave it alone. This might be the year I actively search for a paint or wrap sponsor and finally correct the bad paint from 4 years ago. If I can contain myself and stop spending money on changes then I should have a proven combination that should run consistently next year. Stress free and fun may be the order of the day. There is some serious thought to a Club display for Manitoba Gasser Association (Man Gas) at the World of Wheels car show in April

Next year we are targeting:

• Opening day at Gimli
• July Long weekend – Gimli - Man Gas gathering
• Meltdown Drags 7
• Dragfest 2016 - Terrace Bay
• August Long weekend - Gimli
• Sept Long weekend – Gimli
• Saskatoon International Raceway 50th anniversary event

Thanks to My wife Lori, My brother Paul and my friends Larry, James, Bernie, Myron, Scott and Tyler

 

We will be here waiting for your saga to continue in the next season.

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but if @squirrel can take his little chevy II to drag week, couldent you just drive it to the last race, swap wheels a d race it for ge last event.

That would be an epic year!

I've been lurking, and always had a thing for early scouts, and your car Y rocks!!

 

No offense at taken. Kind of hurts a little considering Squirrel's Duece is 1/2 a second quicker and a whole lot more streetable

I would love to drive this thing everywhere. The local track is just over 125 km from my garage and I'm just a bit limited by the converter and the size of the fuel tank. Not too sure the local constabulary would appreciate it cruising down the highway with slicks and open headers. Like I said - it sounds like fun though.

If you read the whole thread then you would know that to make it really epic I would need 3 guys hanging off of the roll bar while it's at speed.

 

I'm willing to come and stand up by your rollback, if you will chip in on my plane ticket lol.

 

Hi I am new to this site ! my name is spike and I just wanted to let you know that I had seen a photo many years ago shown to me by no other than Rich Bedford himself ! Rich and I were in the same car club when Rich was still living in regina sask. we drag raced together and I did the body work on his 38 ford 2dr and help him with his 33 ford sedan previous to that !! I think it is the coolest thing to hear Rich's voice in the video and watch his old hemi scout go down the track !! hehehe Rich Bedford was one of the founding members of the Prairie Street Rod Association and a very hard working and passionate member of the club !! when you see him please tell him to e-mail me ! klecp1@sasktel.net I would love to hear from him again !! thanks in advance !! I will be waiting to see you run at S.I.R. here in Saskatchewan next summer for the 50th anniversary ,hope to see you and talk to you at the track !! Sure glad to see these old drag cars saved and running again !! great job and thanks for the memories !!