1961 old hi school buddy just got his 30 model A runnin, with buick nailhead power, and 38 floorshift. got in the gutted coupe and he clutches it right next to the Mall, this thing just starts goin, and when he hits second it jerks the front wheels, [I was told] then it starts to shimmy all over the place and my door flies open! when i got out my knees were shakin! happy daze!
Back in the day---about 1963---52 Chev 4 door. Cousin and I go to town, buy a dozen beer. Drive out of town---drink a couple each. Drive back thru town, looking for girls. Town cop gets on our bumper, follows us around town---so----back out of town (rather quickly). We drive out of town a couple of miles and cousin says--"drive down this sideroad--there's an old gravel pit where we can stop and have a drink" Now, I never seen a gravel pit like this one before in my life---damn thing is like a giant funnel in the ground---no approach road from the sides, its about 70 foot deep, with a flat area about 75 foot across in the bottom. Now 2 quick beers at 17 make you very brave---so---straight down over the edge we go, to the bottom. I remember thinking, "gee, I'll never make it back to the top on a straight approach"---guess i'll have to drive in a spiral to get up out of here". So--I jack and file untill I get the old Chev lined up for an approach that will take us back up to the top in an ascending spiral. We drink---and we drink---and at some point I have to get out and do the pee thing. Cousin doesn't know that the steering box is worn out and locks at full turn, so thinks it will be a great trick to turn the steering wheel full lock while I'm out having a pee---and I'm getting too buzzed to notice. Finally the beer is gone, so I start the car, give it lots of gas and pop the clutch. The car immediately goes totally apeshit, spins around in a 360 degree circle, and the offside motor mount breaks. The motor flops over about 45 degrees and pulls the gasfeed wide open- and away we go. Man, talk about a spiral ascent---We must have went around that funnel shape gravel pit about 8 times, wide open in low gear before we broke out over the top. The car rolled about 3 times--beer bottles flying around like shrapnel. Finally engine quits---car is back on its wheels---all pounded to ratshit.---After we start breathing again, we try the starter, and the damn thing starts right up and runs fine. We snuck home (very slowly) on backroads, and never did tell anybody what happened.
Scariest ride for me was also in a T-bucket We were heading north on I-69 near Auburn Ind. The road was heavly rutted and I was sporting WIDE runner. The weather had turned into a down pour. I was in the process of slowing down when we came to an open field. The cross wind sent me into a spin as the car hydroplaned. I was towing a small trailer which broke loose and passed me as I was doing a 360 flat spin. I ended up doing another 180 and on the edge of the highway about 6 inches from a large drop off When I calmed down enough to move it seemed that the seat came with me. At least till the pucker factor wore off Only damage was scared paint on my trailer from the flip it wentthru and all my stuff getting soaked. I was lucky that there were no other cars around me when this happened. here is the car and trailer. You can just make outthe missing paint on the trailer..... Tim
Shake down pass in my alky injected FED. Ardmore Oklahoma I made progressive runs from just a burnout to a full pass, wife kept telling me to try the parachute.. ah its fine I packed it myself I tell her. Forgot the wheelie bar so we start out in second, does not help your et but does wonders for your mph. I keep worriing about the front tire shake, track owner Johhny tells me if I am seeing the tires shake I am looking in the wrong place. Pick a spot past the end of the track and focus on it. Finally get a good hookup, runs straight, full pass, pull the chute and the damn thing does not open. Great fun. Now I know not to leave the chute packed while the car sits in the trailer.
150 mph in a rickety old late 70s Camaro...in a residential area...with the driver looking back at me telling me about the car the most of the time. It was the most build SBC Id ever seen, with high highway gears. Why would he do that? He was half drunk...didnt realize till well after the ride started. Thank my lucky stars for getting out of that alive every day. I think the guy is locked up or dead now, or so I hear...and I am SOOO against drunk driving...ironic isnt it?
The Jalopy Journal
