Projects My new old dragster...looking for info

one thing you may want to do is inspect the bottom rails very good for repairs , rust, some cars drug the rails on tracks and were patched. the old chassis also rust from the inside out. not knocking your purchase, i even talked to flatblack about the car. i built a new copy of the same chassis research car which i have had for awhile. mines 98 in w.b. i inspected some old chassis and found rust, rewelded tube sections and lower tubes that were as thin as newspaper. could make for a scary ride if shit lets go about half track. car has got some nice parts on it. ck it out good!

 

I've been inspecting it closely and thinking safety.

 

Cool project and can't wait to see the finished product.

Long Live the rails!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jimbo

 

The guys in the Feb 64, Hot Rod article are;
Dick Blackman and Jim Albert


I forgot all about this thread searching Wasatch Rods and Customs.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=473679

The Mustard Shot.........

 

Hey Brandon here's a scource for the hot rod mag http://backissues.com/welcome

 

Found myself a copy on eBay and it's on the way!

 

Great...it's a freakin BBQ grill!...ha ha...that's good stuff.
Any chance you still have the PM mentioned with info from
Hot Rod Packard??

 

I was able to contact a woman named Tracy from the Wasatch club. Through a friend of hers and HAMB member Lurker Mick I have been able to confirm from two separate sources that the chassis was used at events as a BBQ as well as a name of the PO that apparently owned the BBQ dragster. Hoping to contact this person and further the investigation.

 

As I continue to search I have found some things I thought would be cool to pass on. I came across an old CR catalog that I have been able to find pictures in of components that that are on this chassis. Like this Torque tube shown.


It's hard to confirm from this picture but I think the front end is also a CR part shown in this catalog. It look very much like this DB-719 front end.


The cage seems obviously CR from this pic. Most likely purchased as a weld it yourself kit which would explain the variences in the front perch area when compared to a CR purchased chassis.


Would love to get my hands on an original catalog.

 

you could get a coupler that fits the glide and is blank on the diff side and have it splined or use a yoke for a banjo rear a yoke for the glide and couple it together with a u-joint

 

Mark Williams has one of those.
http://www.markwilliams.com/detail.aspx?ID=350

I'd just have to find some place around here that could machine it for me.

 

almost any machine shop can do it, we have a half a dozen shops around here that do it for the inboard hydros.

 

Started taking things all the way apart today. Getting the parts list put together. New front wheel bearings, kingpins, tie rod ends, master cylinder rebuild. Transmission and coupler is going to be a BIG expense. Plus new tires front and back. Personally I'd run the rears. I've seen much worse but better safe than sorry when talking dragsters. Going with Avon Speedmasters on the front. They have a nice vintage look and are speed rated to 120. Found a place in Oregon recapping with the original Hurst pie crust molds. They have white wall slicks. I like that look.
Rear end comes out next. Hard telling what I'll find there. Brakes are complete and look good. I'm ready to get to work on the engine assembly.

 

Do I purchase a slightly used shorty power glide for $1000
or do I purchase a sllightly used shorty planentary gear set and shaft for $200, a shorty rear plate for $50, $300 for a good rebuild and install a freebie trans brake from a friend in the one I already have.

Tough decision. If I buy the gear set for $200 it's a huge cost savings but I'm risking the $200 on a used part and we all know how that can go.
If I spend the $200 and the gear set is junk, I'm out the $200 and will be
forced to spend the $1000 anyway.

If I spend $1000 I get a complete low run glide that's ready to go. Still risking on needing freshened up but not as likely.

Either way I have to buy a convertor. Is it worth the risk to save?

 

Way back when I built my FED, I also put my own Glide together. Bought the "shortie kit" new for $120.00 from Powerglide Performance Products (don't even know if they're still in business), blocked the 1-2 shift valve open with a 1/4" long piece of 1/4" copper tubing to make the valve body a full manual shift; latter on I installed a trans brake. I still build Glides, and never pay more than $25.00 for a core, usually they're free! Simple trans, and easy to build. Get a copy of Ralph Monroes book, "Powerglide Performance Handbook". Some good deals on that auction site we all know and love, I usually deal with Doubles Performance now. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I've got a couple 58-64 three speeds that are real short (16") the FED guys run. My digger was set up to run one. They hooked em up with a single Ujoint right to the rear end yoke. Start in Second then SHift to third your done. 200 get them both.

With that rear end you aren't going to need anything real crazy.

 

Thanks Tudor...Made the decision today and bought this Coan short planetary gear set I found on Racing Junk. I'll order a tail shaft bearing plate and then get the powerglide I have freshened up. Should be fine considering I'm not going to put massive hp through it. Got my back issue 64 hot rod in the mail today. I love looking at the old speed parts adds.

 

Cool man. We went with a shorty glide in ours too. I've got a MW drive shaft. Ought to be bullet proof. We are going small block too. About to finalized the engine plate and then time to start on the trailer. Maybe we will see you out up there next season.

 

Just took a look at your album on the FED. That's a great looking car!

 

It's coming apart and as of yet nothing has been so froze up that it's striped or broken.



Steering box was really tight. Managed to get it off and it was full of old nasty hardened grease. Steering arm is froze up now so it's soaking.



Not quite ready to get too far into the rear axle yet but the drums came right off. I was surprised to see that it actually had all the brake components intact and they look very good. The axle faces look like new.
I figured this would all be rusted and I'd have to beat the drums off.

 

Thanks to friend and fellow HAMBer GlassThamesDoug. Went over to pick some parts up from him today and while talking about the drag cars I mentioned that I was going to have to take the front axle to a machine shop because I wasn't able to get the inner wheel bearings off or the kingpins out. He asked to see it and next thing I know he has the tools out. Ended up giving up a couple hours of his time and sweat today to break the front end apart. I can't thank him enough for doing that. saved me some cash and now I can move forward and figure out what to order to put it back together.

 

Hey Brandon I got my king pins from these guys , Speedway was always out of stock Tim Jones http://www.rjays.com/Superbell/SB_steering-01.htmys

 

I got my 1964 Hot Rod in the mail and have checked out the article on the Research Rail. Found that to be a dead end. Although the two chassis are very simliar...this is not the chassis shown in the article.
I have been able to trace the car to a P.O. in Utah with Lurker Micks help.
This P.O was the one that painted the chassis yellow and converted the chassis into a rolling BBQ grill. He told me it had two grills on it to mimic twin engines with each grill being topped with it's own blower scoop.
He was said it looked pretty cool and was seemed surprised when I told him the grills had been removed.
BBQ P.O. is hopefully finding pictures and will send me some.
BBQ P.O. confirmed seeing the car at the Portland swap meet and wanting to purchase the chassis. He didn't buy it but someone he worked with did.
That guy planned to race the car again but never did and BBQ P.O. ended up trading him a set of mag wheels for it.
I'm told it bounced around the Ogden/Logan UT area passing through 3 or 4 owners before it was sold and found it's way out to Oldsmopiles garage in Seattle. If anybody can help me to contact Oldsmopile, he's a missing link. I have emailed and PM'd him. No response yet.
Unfortunately the person that sold the car at the Portland swap I'll probably never find as who knows the name of the guy they buy stuff from at a swap meet...nobody that's who...so the trail stops at the Portland swap.
20 years it found it's way from Portland to Logan to Ogden to Seattle to Milwuakee to Chicago to Peoria.

 

cool

 

Cool fed!!

 

Probably a long shot here ,but are there any numbers stamped into that old CR . Not a sema tag,pre-dates that. The reason I ask is a departed racer friend here in Vegas bought a welded car from off the top of Scotty Fenn's station wagon about '58 . Scotty was out beating the bushes trying to show speed shop owners what his chassis looked like assembled. My pal Terry Roche owned and operated Century Speed Shop and talked Scotty into selling chassis number 1 to him. Terry ran a 301 Plymouth backed by a Ford side shift gearbox.He later sold the chassis to someone in the SLC area. We tried to locate it and were told by some racers from West Jordan ,Ut that it had been turned into a BBQ. Makes me wonder !!

 

This is awesome..............!!

 

Glad you are getting further than I did with the research as well as the rebuild..

 

Bring it to the Heads Up on June 16!!

 

If it's running I'll be there!...Be good to see all you Czars again.