Just realized I missed posting Dragfest. My apologies, Gentlemen; thirty lashes for me (that's all my eyelids have left anyway). It was a weekend of grudge, as before. Coleen & I ran a few times, but as she was still new to, and learning, the shifter in the Ford (no easy task), we weren't well matched. I also got to run a couple other cars, on a couple passes that I just took with whoever was in the lanes. Great meet, had a bucket of fun. Thank you once again, Randy. Unfortunately, my camera decided it was time for me to invest in a newer one whether I wanted to or not, and went AWOL for all but three of the races. So, in no particular order, here they are.
That run at the Antique Nats was a lot looser than it looked like from the fence. Looks like you had to do some driving there. Watching the tach it looked like you were turning some big numbers with that slant motor at both venues.
It was. I was really close to having to pedal'er. The tower announcer had a better view, and he commented on it. Reminded me of that run with Lee at Eagle in '10. Yeah, It's decidedly too easy to over tach'er with where I have the cam clocked. I know at least once I hit 7000, not good for a stock 4 main bottom end. It's also one of the reasons for my bearing/oiling problem. I've already backed the clocking off to +2* so far, and it still needs more (or rather "less"). I'll be attending to that as well, as I put in yet another set of bearings, and work over the oil pump's flow.
One thing you have to love about the leaning tower of power, they have that lovely fat serve of torque. Good videos and good racing. Keep 'em comin'.
This shot of Skidmarks from Eagle Field sums it all up. Total time machine. Thanks for the two passes, I'll be grinning until January at the minimum and I feel like I was back in the '60s again.
Very nice indeed. I haven't abandoned you yet. I was going to do a race report from Gunnedah this weekend but it was cancelled due to the weather forecast of rain and storms. Next weekend maybe Bodangora, N.S.W. I haven't raced since Warwick so I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.
Some nice news from earlier this year ...... New 'Dale (the new, 1/8 mile Irwindale) will be open & running for at least a couple more years. Seems the developers couldn't get their shit together after all. Yesssssssssssss!
Howdy, gentlemen, Well, another Rose Parade's in the books. We took the Director's Trophy, with our float Harmony's Garden, designed after a Japanese garden that dates from before WWII, at the middle school right here in Sierra Madre. Yes, the Koto player played live, through our sound system, and backed up by her own recordings. Here're some pictures ...... Getting ready for final judging the afternoon of the 31st. During the parade. During final judging. Aerial shot during the parade. Back in town after the parade, at Kersting Court. And some videos for those so inclined ...... Hauling'er out for final judging. Final judging preparation. Kersting Court stop & show on the way to the parade the night of the 31st. Parade broadcast from "Funny or Die". (at 1:33:47, after the band) The cool little 'glass fad "T" escort car in the Kersting Court video was built by one of our members, runs a V8 60, and makes road trips regularly. And now back to our regular program of getting the 'Brick ready for the season ...... Charge battery. Fill gas tank. Check oil. Clean windshield. Think up other things to fiddle with.
I thought you must've been busy floating. Time for you to do something for yourself. I'm off to Sydney tomorrow for the Day Of The Drags so might get a race report in. The Crew Chief is staying home as it's her birthday, so hopefully I'll remember to turn the camera on. Yes, it was her idea for me to go racing.
Beautiful float, Dick. I can't imagine the man-hours invested in a project that size. But, what is the 60' time on a rig like that?
Way past, Tom. Wives ain't hobbies, they're why we have hobbies. My crew chief gets 45 or 50 seriously LARGE bouquets driven through Pasadena on her birthday (January 1st) every year. You'd think she'd appreciate it a bit more, right? Not my fault she has to decorate one of'em. Yes, in that our small crew needs to get the float started by each February, we do get in a fair amount of welding practice per year. re 60' times: Funny, you should mention that. The six volunteer built float groups've actually been talking about trying to get our chassis together for a race at Irwindale for many years now. Likely never happen, and even more likely'd seriously annoy the folks at Tournament ...... but we so enjoy the conversations/plots. Besides, our chassis'd whup the other groups', hands down. Drive engine's a 390 FE pushing a C6. We can hit 45 mph that we know of (we weren't tached out, either). And no, I won't "publish" that particular episode on the internet. Still waiting for this WET winter's rains to finish up so's I can pull the 'Brick off'n the trailer & wax'er up for the season. Only way to keep the Eagle Field dust reasonably at bay.
Whilst "waitin' out the rain" (thank you Lovin' Spoonful), It occurred to me that some of you might like a peek at SMRFA's float chassis. So here 'tis ...... As we inherited it. Wheelbase too long to make a standard street corner turn in one shot, frame too long and too tall at the ends for the smallest of the three float categories, operating crew too far aft for good vision, many mechanical problems. We shortened the frame 5', instituted permanent operator positions, relocated the front axle behind the operators, angled the ends down, lowered the drive engine, swapped out the Datsun A12 animation engine for a slant six, tunneled both of'em for better cooling, added "mud fenders" (read: horse manure guards) and an audio system. We also made a castered extension that can be pivot attached to either end for floats in the largest of the three categories. Kay & I are presently working on our 20th float for Sierra Madre. Pics of the previous 19 are here, for those interested (the first four were our predecessors' designs, we were only worker bees at that point).
Gotcha beat, fair & square. This, from Cassi's second thread here at the HAMB ...... "A bit of back story on this car. It started as a parts pile my buddy gathered back in '71, did some assembly on, but sold to me a few years later when a move made it necessary. I took it quite a bit farther along, but in '07, just before it would've hit the bricks, swapped it for the parts for my HAMBster. The friend I swapped it to later died, and his son eventually brought it back to me to finish whenever I could get back to it. So it's been over 45 years in the build so far. Who says "I'll get to it some day." doesn't actually happen? Especially when the thing keeps showing up on my doorstep repeatedly?"
Damn, Old6rodder, I thought I was doing bad on the build of our car. Just checked and I started the thread for the Rabbit June 18, 2007. That's less than 12 years. Guess I'm doing alright. How time flies as we get old and decrepit.
Well, the rains in SoCal finally let up enough for the season to get back underway. After missing the first, and having the next two of the first three meets rained out, we finally headed up to Rocky's re-dated Eagle Field meet. Technically still in May (at least the first day anyway), it was as always, well worth the trip. Other than one annoying item, the 'Brick ran like a scalded ape the whole weekend. It seems the battery'd gone south between the time I prepped'er in early May, and the time the meet finally got scheduled, the 31st. So it was only holding a surface charge, and that not for long. I had to jump'er from the Dodge to drive'er through the lanes to a spot near the line, then jump'er again to go to the line & race. Fortunately, a couple friends had jumper battery sets they were willing to use by the line, and the problem was addressed. Still working on downloading videos taken, but here's the first. It's the 'Brick in a random Sunday pairing with a really cool altered piloted by Rich's son. Over matched, but always willing to line up with a class car, I at least didn't fuck up. Saturday we ran Carl's excellent "Flathead V8 vs Inline 6" get together. To my surprise, the 'Brick ran hard & strong, and I managed to squeeze out a first round win (details to come). Next, I lined up with Rich & his beautiful red deuce roadster. He forgot to stage with his spot from the ladder, and instead staged at the line with me. I couldn't get his attention before we were flagged off, so it wasn't a fair race. Final round pitted me against Scott's murderous blown Chev. I took my four car spot, gritted my teeth, and waited for the flag. Must've gotten psyched out, as I proceeded to fumble second. Not that I'd've been able to beat that p/u anyway, but at least I'd've made a tad better showing. Sorry, the vid of that one didn't come out. All in all, yet another great weekend at Eagle. If I only get to make two meets a year, you know where they'll both be.
Here's Scott's blown 292 Chevy powered PU taking the win at the Flathead/6 Cylinder Clash Old6rodder mentioned:
Nice staging shot, Thanks for adding it. Do you have any of his trophy yet? Wish we'd taken one of the bunch of cars that ran the class together, like we did for the HAMBster thing a few years back.
Found one of the trophy, sort of. left to right in photo; first loser, winner, and race perpetrator/trophy builder ......
The Jalopy Journal
