Hot Rods Dare to be different - 63 Scout

"So there I was... Freezing my ass off in Canada and some clown double-dog-dares us to drive 16 hrs to some place called Byron... well... you can't ignore a double-dog-dare now can you ??"

 

I triple dog dare you to put some nitro in the tank. You cant get out of a triple dog dare.

 

Dammit Brian ...

 

He may have all us blown racers talked into Nitro by next season.

 

I'm too lazy for that...

 

So...there we were... swapping axles and spinning wrenches at the Meltdown 8 event when the Bangshift.com guy shows up and he starts talking to my brother Paul and shooting pictures. I'm face down/ass up doing something on the front end when I hear the camera go off... I turn and look at the guy from my awkward position on the grass and tell him "Oh great - now I'm going to end up on Bangshift with my butt in the air" - Well I wasn't too far off - they got a picture of someone's butt in the air on Bangshift - only it's "The Champ" Gary Misko (The 39 Willys street rod behind the Scout)

This shot was taken just before we unbolted everything for a second time. WE carted the whole unit to Besson Welding to move the dampener bracket

That Dewalt cordless driver by Gary's knee was a lifesaver. One of the guys helping wished we had 2 of them... I walked into the trailer, grabbed the Dewalt cordless drill and snapped in the socket attachment. The look he gave me when I handed it to him was priceless. It worked just about as well.

The other lifesaver were those cheap parts organizers. No idea where I got them from but they worked. The other option I use are muffin tins (.50 ea at garage sales) or the cutlery drawer organizers from the dollar store.

 

Some lessons learned from Meltdown 8
The trailer prep and my fixation to have what I need, passed a trial by fire at Meltdown 8. We tore the entire front axle out of the Scout and replaced it - with the tools and equipment (minus the axle) we had on-hand... thankfully we didn't need the first aid kit or the fire extinguisher. But there were a few deficiencies...

1. Garbage - We needed somewhere handy to throw towels and water bottles. - $5 folding leaf bag holder and a box of bags and we're good to go
2. Hand wash station - had the Fast Orange but no-where to rinse. Resorted to emptying water bottles on my hands. Home Hardware has an awesome 2 gallon drinking water dispenser ($15) add a $2 tool caddie for the Fast Orange, paper towels and hand sanitizer and a bucket to catch the spill - problem solved
3. I actually had to borrow a grease gun (Hang head in shame) I have 2 great units at home and never put one in the trailer (Doh !!). That has been corrected.
4. Wood platforms for the jack and axle stands - when on the grass - had to raid wood from John Denski - that's been corrected. $3 worth of 1/2" plywood and 2 minutes with a circular saw and I have four 12"x12" wood bases for the axle stands and two 1 ft x 2 ft bases for the jack. (All good)
5. Portable radio - Couldn't hear the call ups and didn't have a way to tune into the track radio station that didn't include cranking the radio in the truck - $10 for an 80's style Sony Sports blaster at a garage sale - Should solve that problem.

 

great prep work! I had the wood bases for the jack stands and garbage bags, but nothing else on your list of stuff you needed. Good lesson for me for Drag Week

 

Thanks for the info...it's those little things that make a pit thrash work better.

 

Loved seeing the Scout and meeting and racing your Manitoba neighbor Larry and his altered , you had the thrash of Meltdown, I have to throw a grease gun in the trailer next year, sorry we couldn't help when Larry was out trying to round one up. See you guys next year

 

This the "triumphant" return pass after we swapped the axle. Kind of cool that it pulled the wheels - twice. Likely due to some throttle manipulation - especially off the line. Finally got a "win" over the Beach family. Brandon Beach in the 58 Chevy was behind me in the burnout box when we moon-launched the Scout on Friday. Pretty cool that he came over after this pass and congratulated me. Very classy for a young guy.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1396605637089957

 

Trust me when I tell you - the FIRST thing I did (Once I started to clean and organize) was to put the grease gun - that was supposed to be in the trailer... into the trailer !!

I know Larry was very disappointed he couldn't be more of an an opponent for you. He was looking forward to the match up for a long time. That car will be very fast and very cool when he get's it fixed and sorted out - or stops messing with it.

Yah we had the thrash of the weekend - at the event. I know the guys over in the Beach Family Racing camp put a new transmission into that wicked 9 second 56 Chevy Friday night back back at their home garage... only to peel off the cam bolts on the timing gear.

 

Thanks, his car would kill ours if sorted out, we just had so much fun meeting new friends and racing heads up
Were coming next year so he can rematch, we need to to camp together and party , I know you guys drink a little beer.....lol


Sent from my SM-G920V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

It's not about who gets there first (I keep telling myself...) It's about the show and the celebration of the era. I need to work on my rolling burnouts for a better show. As well as my re-entries... The Scout hooks amazingly well with little or no burnout. Just a quick clean-off and then stage. But I'm thinking that's not the most spectator friendly approach. Next time I buy slicks I'll step down to a slightly smaller size. Those 13.5 / 30s are just a touch too big for smoke and awe

Wanna-be Canadians are always welcome. Actually, Larry and my Brother are of the non alcoholic kind. As for me - I bring about 4x the legal limit for beer that your government allows us to bring into your fair country (as I found out this time down) and then proceed to give it away. I'll be sure to hold onto a 6 pack or so - just for you folks.

 

Please do not forget if you want a good test in August SIR in Saskatoon is having their Southwinds Showdown on the 17th and 18th and 19th the track is completely resurfaced start to finish and has concrete starting line for last years 50th and is in great shape !! Not to mention big prize money on both days the 18th and 19th is a double race weekend and feature show !!! please check out the SIR official web site for details and prize money info !! I know we would really like to see you out here !!! It maybe a good opportuntity for you to get in that test you need and get some cash in the process !!! Spike

 

Thank you Saltflats for the picture
I'm pretty sure it's at the peak of the rise here....

 

So when you're not racing or fixing broken stuff, you do the next best thing ... take your junk to a car show.

My buddy Larry Arnold (23 T Altered) saw the Cruising the PLAP (Portage La Prairie) Potato Festival car show and thought it would be neat to bring the race cars. It's only 90 minutes away ...so why not ? This was a fun little show. 100+ cars - all driven in. We were the only trailers in attendance, and the "drag race only" / not street legal concept seem to confuse a few folks - but we were very well received. I'm sure the comment about needing new tires - "cuz the treads dun wore off" was heard at least 5 times. One time was a joke... not so sure the other 4 weren't actually serious observations... The other interesting note was that we pissed off the car show / don't touch my car folks - by putting fans and kids into the cars which prompted a few comments about us setting a bad precedent. We shrugged it off. The Potato festival provided free french fries all day, as long as you were willing to the wait in line... The weather was fantastic - maybe a bit too hot but we had my shelter up and used it well. We met a lot of very cool people and spent a lot of time answering questions and telling stories. Something we both enjoy doing...

The show presented Larry with the 1st Place - Best Ford - award. This caught Larry off guard but I believe that was well deserved. His Altered is very well built, has good paint and sparkle, a great looking engine and is still looking like a fresh build. Good on the event to look past the "Car shows hate drag cars" and hand Larry an award. 5 minutes later they gave my cosmetically challenged Scout 2nd Place - Truck. Now that WAS a surprise... Thanks !! I'm thinking I won a few votes by firing the Scout up about 2 in the afternoon... Of course I did it when a couple of the tuner cars fired up and did their impression of Dueling Sewing Machines. Once I fired up and winged it a couple of times it got everyone's attention and drew a bit of a crowd. I'm very sure I saw a few of the tuner guys looking more than a little pale.

I'm thinking we will put this little event in our calendar for next year... maybe bring a few more "drag" car buddies with us. It wouldn't take much to convince the organizers to let us set up in a corner all our own or just continue down the side of the field we were on.

 

Hot Rod and Hot Rod Deluxe coverage of the Meltdown drags - some good shots of my junk (wait....that didn't sound right). Including what might be my favorite engine shot

 

The petulant child that is the Scout finally got it's diaper.

The first attempt to install a engine diaper was a pain in the ass ... errr ... hands - at best. Just a little tight getting straps and snaps to slide between the headers and the block but I got it in... only to have the Scout throw a tantrum and burn out the passenger side with it's headers. I ordered a new Allstar unit from my supporting shop - Softy's Speed Shop - only to find they were back ordered so I would have to wait. I like the 3 strap RCI unit better but this one is free - so who am I to argue. Of course it came in after Meltdown but luckily it wasn't needed... bent and smashed axle - yes - oil out of the block - no.

So the 2nd attempt at an install went better but I still had the problem of the bag hitting the headers. I considered a number of solutions but in the end I replicated the 3 strap RCI bag using the spare parts I now have and using the engine mount bolt holes to position the 3rd strap so it crosses at the sump edge. It appears to be the trick for keeping the bag tight to the block - hopefully - and keep the petulant child from eating another (expensive) bag..

Next event - Sept Long Weekend at Interlake Dragway. The plan is to have some suspension settings changed to try and keep the wheel-stand under control. The blower setting will stay as 1-1 to stay safe (ish) and probably to keep it out of the 9's (No comp license)

Then off to the Fall Fall Out in Rock Falls...

 

I'm racing this Saturday !!

It's the long weekend event at the track and I plan to be there on the Saturday. I haven't fired or moved the Scout in anger since the Meltdown event and it's killing me. That one 30 second fire up at the car show and then the drive into the trailer at the end just doesn't cut it. I've added an engine diaper, travel limiters (cables) to the front axle and moved the ladder bars up one notch in the front just to see if I can't launch forward rather than up. If it all works well for 3 passes then I'll park it and make laps at the Fall Fall-Out // Rock Falls event at the end of September.

There will be more than a couple of friends and co-workers showing up at the track with their kids, grand kids or significant others so the crowd at the trailer should be fun. Usually on the Sept long I stay the night and partake in a few adult beverages with those folks I don't get to see very often but this weekend is also my wife's annual family gathering - also known as the "Boudreau Family Drunk". After much promising and compromising, with just a little crying and begging (by me) - my wife agreed to let me race Saturday while she heads out to the family festivities. I'll be fast following the 2 hr drive Sunday morning - just in time to make brunch for the seriously hung over in-laws...

Racing - Hell Yah !!!

 

TOO FUNNY

 

We had a good day of racing !!

6 Passes - 6 - Freak'n - Passes ... at my home track, Interlake Dragway, Gimli Manitoba
That might be more passes than all of last year ... and we hurt - NOTHING !!!

We went a "tad" too fast off the trailer with a 9.74 / 134. That pass was almost effortless. The track folks took notice and gave me the option of slowing down, sitting out the rest of the day - or make the required IHRA licensing runs - not a tough call... The tech guy wandered off to get the paperwork for me to license and I lined up the witnesses. Hmmm.. 5 passes in one afternoon ?? I was luck to get 5 passes all of last year. Ok then...

We hot lapped the Scout all afternoon and the Scout performed flawlessly. One of the advantages of making licensing runs is you get to by-pass the long lines in the staging lanes... May only be a one time hall-pass but it was fun... The suspension changes seemed to have helped keep the front down. (sort of) I still can't launch hard and need a bit of throttle pedal finesse but it's a ton better. Best times for the day were 60 ft of 1.39, 8th mile of 6.08 / 113, (That's a 9.50 kids !!) the above mentioned 9.74 and a 137.98 mph. I had to abort one pass as it went left and then out of groove and went sideways. I put it up on 3 wheels but saved it. In the end I got the sign-off for the license.

This has been the day I have been working towards for 4 years. This blower motor combination has been a head-ache from the start but I truly believe it's come around. We made 3 passes inside 40 minutes and leaked nothing, temp never went above 180 and it was predictable. I am having a starter / maybe battery problem but I can fix that.

Car Show in support of Special Olympics - next weekend - in a parking lot 100 ft from my house
Rock Falls at the end of the month

 

That sounds like a lot of fun. Its worth the effort when it all works out. Congrats. You earned it.

 

Licensing passes

330
60ft 1.45 / 330ft 4.43

1st 1/8th pass
60ft 1.47 / 330ft 4.03 / 1/8th 6.20 111.71

2nd 1/8th pass
60ft 1.39 / 330ft 3.93 / 1/8th 6.07 113.94
Would have loved to leg this one out - it was on a pass !!

1st full pass - aborted - way out of shape off the line
60ft 1.41

2nd full pass - Spun hard off the line
60ft 1.62 / 330ft 4.37 / 1/8th 6.56 112.20 / 1/4 10.08 137.86

First pass from the morning - allowed to be included in the licensing:
60ft 1.46 / 330ft 4.04 / 1/8th 6.20 112.74 / 1/4 9.74 136.67

These passes were done with the de-tuned set up I had from the Meltdown event. The blower was running 1-1 and 9 lb boost. I can safely add another 10% overdrive and 5 lbs boost. We've only just started sorting out the suspension but for now it's launching harder without climbing the ring gear but I'm still easing into the throttle off the line. The Scout is handling extremely well. It's tracking straight and doing nothing goofy at the top end. That first pass where it went 9.74 was effortless and almost boring. I thought it went 10.10 (ish). Pretty stoked to see the 9 but also knew the track wouldn't be pleased. Once I went to them they were great. No issues hooking me up with the paperwork and making sure there was someone there to witness the passes. The track "owners" (Lease) Darryl and Brandy Wruck, were great and complimented me for making the required passes in a difficult vehicle, and extremely pleased with how I handled the bail out on the 1st full pass attempt.

Every pass pulled the wheels, the 6.07 1/8th mile pass pulled them twice. once off the launch and then again when I put the throttle on the floor. I had fun, the spectators were entertained and we had a steady flow of folks coming to see the Scout all day. The announcers were huge Scout fans and gave it a lot of talk time on each pass. This was day 1 of the Labor Day long weekend show that brings in wheel-standers and nostalgia funny cars. More than a few folks commented I put on a better show than the folks paid to be there.

No-one had more fun Saturday than I did...

 

I just realized we set 4 new personal bests on Saturday !!
Not sure how that slipped past my ever fading mind... but it did. Here are the new #s
60 ft 1.39
1/8 et 6.08
1/8 mph 113
1/4 et 9.74
Now I'm a bit concerned and excited (and short and old and broken and fat .... but I digress). As mentioned, the pass was done with the de-tuned set up. Granted, Interlake Dragway in Gimli is a good track with very good air and running there in Sept / Oct usually generates good numbers but the fact I ran a new best with a 100 hp pulled out of it and I'm still sorting the suspension makes me wonder how much more is in it. The 6.08 1/8th mile pass translates to a 9.50 on the calculators - that really got my attention (I Really wish I could have legged out that pass...)

Of course here is the conundrum... I've exceeded all my expectations with the Scout and I'm zeroing in on the set up being repeatable. And - maybe having some fun with it again... Pushing it to the ragged edge is never been the need or want. But the lure of a 5.99 1/8th mile pass or a 9.49 in the 1/4 is sure enticing. (Stupid race cars)

For now - change nothing... make sure it's healthy ... and go have fun at the Fall Fall Out in 4 weeks.

 

Congrats on a great job, some fast numbers, and no breakage. Way to GO!

 

New battery and starter in the Scout. The old Optima yellow was showing 11.8 volts and my - god knows how old - starter was clanging and banging. Swapped both in about 20 minutes.

Fired up the scout this morning for a charity BBQ for the Special Olympics at the Home Hardware 200 ft from home and the new battery/starter worked like a charm. No fuss, no drama... prime it, spin it, light it... boom !!

I rolled my blown injected alcohol burning junk past 40+ folks sitting on the curb waiting for the Family Fun Days parade to start. It set off a few car alarms and pissed off at least one older guy... but I also got a ton of grins...

I was joined by my buddy Larry with his blown injected sbc 23 T Altered and - at the peak of the event , 6 other special interest vehicles. The cars were just an attention grab for the BBQ which was a success. We had a bucket for donations between the cars and that simply little set up snagged $83 and change. Not too bad...

On the way back... we both drove out. I did a couple of dry hops (Had to be done) and damn if the Scout didn't pull the wheels on a public road...

Fun day

 

A new view (with slo-motion) of the now "Old News" wheel-stand from Meltdown 8

Thank you John Corrao for being in the right place at the right time

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1428046570612530

 

DAMN!!!!. Saxxon, did you hurt anything?

 

The "Old News" wheel-stand was done at the Meltdown Drags 8 in July - Go back to page #22 Post #646 for the start of the story... grab a drink, get comfortable and read-on