Hot Rod gods looked out for us!! Stayed dry, big turnout, great time with lots of old friends, made lotsa new friends, met a bunch of HAMBers. Lotsa cool fast cars. Got to see the Dragon-Fly! Big thanks to the Kontinentals, you guys did a good job , as usual!!!
It was a day full of eye candy everywhere! - LOVED it! thank you - thank you! a few pic's are here.... nostalgia drags BELLM - your pic's are coming
I feel sick to my stomach that I didn't go the extra 20 miles... The wet roads were too much to handle in my little daily. My chick was pissed so I couldn't take her car, and we JUST NOW made up, so it's too late to make it to Austin. JUST MY LUCK...FUCK.
Nope, that's Mike Cox of the Houston Roadsters. Mike was turning the fastest times of the day for real street cars. I'm discounting the pro-street style, licensed but not trailered cars. He was running consistant 12.80 times even with a slightly slow reaction time. On that run he shifted to second and powered on too hard - too suddenly. As he applied the power the rear end loss traction and slid to the right. He couldn't get off it before he drove it into the guardrail - hard. Luckily, the car was built well. Mike stayed restrained and didn't get hurt. The car severly bent a new dropped axle slightly bent the front wheel and rubbed the paint off the rear wheel. I think after some magnafluxing, a new beam, a wheel, and repainting the wheels, he'll be back on the road. As violently as he hit the rail we were all suprised at the lack of damage to the car. Anyway, he was able to drive it off the track although the left front wheel had about 40 degrees of negative camber. I drove Mike into Waco to pick up a UHAUL (I hate them) trailer and towed the coupe back to his house in Houston this evening. That's what club members do, but dangit, I missed the dragracing again! I think Mike was a little shook up, but he took it well. The coupe is super detailed, and he took a long time getting it where he wanted it. I doubt he'll waste any time getting it back on the road.
Ok, so it's time to eat some crow. I had a list of excuses but truth be told, my little green flaty could not catch Crease's clean 33. I will get you next year. I have a secret weapon. Outstanding time. Thank you Kontinentals for putting on a fun day. Got to meet some of you HAMBers out there and must say the vibe at the track was really cool. One big family. modernbeat how do I get a copy of your mag? Moving out to TX from CA was.... let's just say YeeHa! Kontinentals, don't change a thing!!!! see you next year. Sandman
So, what times did everyone run? What is the point of doing a "bragging rights" event like drag racing, when nobody brags about their times?
hehe - i'm sure it's coming low points were that tan coupe with the red small block hitting the wall...(rubbing really) and a guy with a green monster that people said was a 8 second car hitting the wall - neither did much damdage considering and no one was hurt...the green car made a pass later in the day...as far as street cars.... there was a guy with a 409 in his coupe that was plenty fast....another guy with a 429 in his...didn't pay attention to times...but low 13's is my guess...mercury charlie ran mid 13's...that tan coupe was some serious racer...i'd like to know what was in that small block!.. i believe 12 seconds!...didn't catch roothawgs times...but who cared ...the dragnfly looked so cool! it was all some serious motivation to get to work!
The drags was a great time. There was a very good turn out despite of the weather.The Kontinentals did it again! Thanks Guys! Root---The DRAG N FLY kicks ass! BELLM,30roadster---Nice to meet you guys!
The lady on the left, which I believe is Mercury Charlie wife was kicking ass and taking names! Even though she didn't win over all she is still the winner in my book! Great job! Charlie if your out there you should be proud--givr her a hug for me.
From what I saw, the two fastest street cars were both '32 Highboy coupes. Both of them ran 12.80. The tan coupe with WIRE WHEELS and truck tires and a very streetable, very mild smallblock Chevy ran a 12.88 and a 12.80 on his first two passes. I think Mike Cox would have fun faster if he had the chance. The black "Measure Once, Cut Twice" coupe of Jim Jard's has a fairly mild 409. It was dyno'd on a chassis dyno last month at less than 400 hp. I think they were a little disapointed. It's got 8:1 or 8.5:1 compression and the only thing radical about it is the exaust. Jim's first runs were in the 13.20 range, but he eventually cut that 12.80 time after a few passes. If I remember right, Jim is running repop whitewall radials on his coupe. I think the thing that helped both of these cars run these times was the good rear suspension geometry, light weight cars, approximately 400-450 hp, and good transmission ratios. Both of the cars are driver-highway cruiser cars. I don't think Mike has a lot of drag experience, and I think Jim's made less than 30 passes in his life. FWIW, both
I was a dirty bird. Krupa's not grungy, he's bithcin'. I bit off more than I could chew in upgrading my coupe to beat him. Didn't get it finished. I litterally felt sick to my stomach for the first hour or so we were there. But after that, it was really cool to watch everybody have so much fun going down the track. I got to help some drivers that had even less experience than me. Told them how to stage and how to set a dial in. I would have much rather had my car there, but it was a blast none the less. I presented Krupa with the winner's Lone Star last night. He didn't save it, or have it mounted, or bronzed or anything. Just drank it right there and then. Just one beer in the line of many throughout his night. I was devastated by his mock casualness of the whole situation. Like he knew he was going to win that beer from me, and another next year. And the year after that. Well I'll tell you Mister "I've got buzzard's number" IT"S ON. Deyomatic
The Mercury Charlie vs. Mercury Laura matchup was a huge crowd favorite. Laura has never been to a drag race before. She brought the car out and Charlie semi talked her into make a couple of passes. She lined up several times during time trials with friend of ours Kati, in another Merc. Each time down, Laura's times got a little faster. Nothing blazing, but mid to low 16's. Very respectable for a big car with a mild 302 that she drove to Paso this year. As the drivers were lining up for eliminations, I walked by the food line and saw Laura waiting for food. As asked why she wasn't going to race. (assuming she wasn't planning on it due to jitters or something) She said "Oh, I'm gonna race, I'm just waiting for my food right now." Well, I pulled her out of line. I told her she need to get down the track to get in the staging lanes, and get a dial in on her window. The next response was, "what's a 'dial in'?" Oh geez, we're in trouble. So in less than 30 seconds, I explain to her how bracket racing works. I get a couple of her time slips, grab Mercury Charlie, and we come up with a 16.10 dial in. She drives down to the staging lanes, stages immediately when she is called up, drives back down the track, drives down the return lane with a win ticket, and finishes her lunch. One cool customer at this point. Well she goes through the next round in about the same fashion. Just a calm as can be. Round 3 was the matchup the Kontinentals wanted to see. Mercury Charlie vs. Mercury Laura They staged, the lights drop, and Laura takes off with her 2.5 second head start. I don't know what her light was, but she came off the line pretty strong. Charlie, seeing his girl get out there with the lead, stomped it off the line. For the first time I noticed all day, his T didn't hook up just right. Tracked straight, but he was lighting them up. The chase was on. Of course, he pulled on her super strong. At half track, I though he would catch her. He didn't, and the crowd went wild. At this point, we know we have a Cinderella story on our hands. A couple more wins, and she's the champ. The semi's came a late 60's Mustang race car. I have know idea how or why we let him run. But he was fast and knew what he was doing. This guy was a drag racer. They pull into the lanes, and Laura drives right up to both staging lights like she is parking at the grocery store. The mustang starts trying to mess with her head. He did a much longer burnout, a couple of dry hops and revved real hard before he staged. She didn't get off the line great and he blew past her and hit the finish line well ahead of the chuggin' ol' Merc. But he broke out!!! Again, the crowd goes wild. She may win this thing. The only car left is a super consistent "60 Bonneville ragtop. The defending champion. He is running about the same times, so the leave will be pretty close. As they are waiting for the final round, a crowd gathers around Laura's merc. All of a sudden, she's Shirley Muldowney! People are cheering as she goes down the pit lane. I told Charlie that the Poncho had been super consistent. That we needed to tell her to push the light. We should tweak her dial in a little. He said something to the effect of, "Man, she's having a blast. I don't want to make her nervous with a bunch of detail". Fair enough. Well, the Pontiac was consistent again. For the second year in a row, he won a close race in the finals. He beat her off the line and the winning margin was .07.. seconds. Very close for a bunch of amateurs. The crowd groaned. Then cheered when they came down the return lane. He's a good guy, and she had a blast. Even made a little money. What more could we want. As a side note, I know a lot of ya'll poo poo bracket racing. There are very good reasons for that. Drag racing and bracket racing are two different things. If you want to get serious about going fast, go to a drag race. If you want to have a blast, cruise down the track, and enjoy your car, come bracket racing with us. I guarantee the will be more girls driving next year. How cool is that?
Had an absolute blast. Like Mark said, Don't change a thing it was a great event. I really enjoyed meeting all the HAMB folks and talk about some beautiful cars. Jard's coupe, Reggie's 5 window, Jefe's roadster and those FED's, loved em all. Even my dad had a blast. However, Im thinking that timing system was off a bit. I could have sworn I was hittin atleast 200 mph at the end of that track! Hey Sandman, Don't worry, Im quite confident you'll be kickin my butt next year. I enjoyed driving out there with ya almost as much as the racing. Glad your a Texan buddy!
Crease, what did you run? Or, should I say, What did the broken timing system tell you that you ran? How many cars showed up, roughly, more or less than the HAMB drags?
Deyo, The coupe ran at 14.7 a little under 90 pretty consistently. Tried to get on it once really hard at the start and the result was alot of smoke and a slower trip down the track, but damn the video looks cool. I was recently diagnosed with "Kruapsyndrome" and acute "Buzzarditus" . The motor is internally 100 percent stock. Due to my incurable Krupasyndrome, you can bet I'll be hoppin her up a bit. I can smell the slicks already. Actually, Sandman put it best. Could have run 5 seconds slower or 5 seconds faster and it wouldn't have mattered. It's still the best damn time you could ever hope to have.
Wow nice pictures of the event! I have to ask about the 5-window coupe in the last gallery....can anyone provide me with information about the year, chop, channel etc., I've been putting off going to look at my aunts neigbors coupe that he finally plans to sell because it's a 5 window but after seeing that one I just may have to see what he wants for it. I haven't seen it but my Uncle and Dad have. They say it's just the body on the frame and a Big Block with 4-spd that hasn't been on the road since the early 70's. They asked about the fenders, running boards, hood and bumpers and the old guy pointed to the rafters and there was everything hanging. I just sold my El Camino to my friend and he has a 39? Hemi that he'll sell me for $500.00 with a spare intake and I think a spare set of heads but I hear they are expensive to build? That Coupe in the pictures sure does look like what I would build.
Yeah, that little coupe looks kick butt. Couldn't get over how nice that chop turned out. Whatcha doin next weekend Evil? I'll provide the beer and sawzall.
It was nice to meet everyone. Thanks for the compliments on the Fly. Sorry it didn't perform. It looks as though, we are gonna pull the injector pump off and send it back to Hilborn. No excuses here. That motor is prolly coming out.
Ditto what Root said. Had a great time,but I wish I had drove my truck down. Kartbreaker,that trans is yours if'n ya' need it. Mike,,,,,,,,,,
I had a great time. Saw a bunch of friends, and met some new ones. I'm surprised there haven't been more pics posted yet. Here's one...
roothawg - wanted to meet you...but everytime i got near your car there was a crowd...which is a good thing next year! I had such a good time and there was so much to absorb i keep remembering little things from Saturday....I got cracked up right off when one of the first runs mercury charlie hauls out of the staging area blazing past the stands and you look up and realize he's flipping everyone the bird....died laughing.... I had forgotten about Evilfordcoupe and his "Evilfordcoupe" that thing was wild!... the zoomie exhaust pipes pelted you like a tennis ball from about 30 feet away...there is a story behind the last few pictures...evilfordcoupe was having a lengthy conversation with the tech guy to see if he could run it... the tech guy kept finding reasons for him not to....at one point eveilfc said he's been working on his car for 3 years just to get it to the drags....It was breaking my heart... in the end he made a few passes but I think he had a deal with the tech to be really easy on it.... still... he got to!
Krupanut Did you break into the 13's...? Buzzard..., You know that Krupanut doesn't like to "Win" that way..., He'd much rather blow his engine in a close dual against you...! Then he'd bronze that bottle of LoneStar! Should've went to the race..., surgery got rescheduled! Mark
[ QUOTE ] How many cars showed up, roughly, more or less than the HAMB drags? [/ QUOTE ] Don't know the count yet but more. Allot more. I'm afraid word is out on our little drag race like it's got out on our little car show thanks mainly to Ryan and the HAMB. That's a good thing, more and more guys are Racing their street driven home built hot rods and having TOO much fun! And thanks to inspirational cars like the Drag n fly I hear more and more talk about building drag cars now that all these folks have caught drag race fever!! Roothawg, don't feel down you put on a great show! Thanks again for bringing the fly! It's only a matter of time before your ripping of crazy runs in it. It was great!!! It was the funnest weekend of my life bar none. The only down side was not having enough time to help buzzard get his wheels on the road in time. Yes he bought me the beer but I was high, high , high by that time, and he always bys anyway, I forgot our bet I had won be default. I Think he would have had my ass too, cause even with my slicks I ran the same 14.45 that I always run at little river Big thanks to all the HAMBERs That made it. Big thanks to all the car clubs from all over. Real Big thanks to all of our brothers in the Texas clubs: Barrons, Outkasts, Hot Rod Hoodlums, Road Rockets, Chupacabras, The soon to be reformed Thunderbolts of Taylor and I know I'm forgetting some, you guy's support make these events worth it. Flat top I enjoyed you and Lindas visit sooo much. I look forward to our next adventure my friend. HotWheel, thanks for the most awesome shop crawl ever! voneyeball, Thanks for the Miller beer and the great conversation. Honest, good to see you and I'll get to documenting all I find out down here. Big Ric, All ways a good time hanging our with you and your cool family. To all my Kontinental brothers, job well done fellas. More later I have to go lay down and recoup a bit!
Yee haw! What a blast.. again. Big thanks to the Kontinentals for another helluva weekend. I had a blast running the coupe down the track... managed a 16.37 at 78 mph with the 3-carb flatty... still can't get the grin off my face. Only slightly less entertaining was Tyler and Phil on the Swing Bike outside the Continental Club last night. Here's a pic of the business end of the drags... I also updated the website with a few pics a friend took - ignore the shots of me/the coupe and there's a few decent ones in there.
The Jalopy Journal
