Drag Racing

[BadBird]

While Carol and I were in Tucson last week celebrating our 50th anniversary and soaking up some sun. We went to the drag races in Tucson where they had the inaugural "Hot Rod Weekend".

Hot Rod magazine has done this back east all the time, but this was the first time out west.

They raced in Tucson on Thursday, then have to drive what they race to Phoenix for the 2nd race on Friday and then drive to Fontana for the 3rd race on Saturday.

These cars are everything from and old Buick that ran 16.50 @ 85MPH to the 57 Chevy owned by Jeff Lutz (see his car on Street Outlaws) that ran the the low 5's at 237MPH.

The cars have to be street legal and they have to drive them.

My brother Jerry raced his 64 Fairlane but didn't find out about the event to be ready to travel. But, next year he and I both are going to enter this event.

That means there are some things I have to do to get ready. First and foremost, I have to get some lower gears and probably switch to a 9". Get some wheels and slicks and install my driveshaft loop.

Not a lot of other major things to do, but it was so much fun I can't wait. Larry

[dhbfaster]

That sounds like a blast Larry! :3g:
That would be a heck of a drive.
Glad to see you're keeping your falcon for a while...[yay]
What rear end do you have now? 8"?

[BadBird]

It has an 8" now. I am not sure what gears it has, will need to climb underneath and look at the tag. Will be looking for some lower gears. 4:56 or 4:11 probably. If possible maybe I can find a housing that fits with disc brakes. Don't really want to change the width. Might as well dream for the best.

If you get a chance go online and search for the Hot Rod Drag Weekend (Tucson, Phoenix to Fontana. There are some good videos and pictures. Larry

[ew1usnr]

These cars are everything from and old Buick that ran 16.50 @ 85MPH

That would be my style.

[BadBird]

If I remember correctly, Pat you put in a 9" from Currie? I would like any and all info about which 9" to buy or out of what car to get a 9" that will fit.
Input on which gears for the rear end to use for strip/street would also be appreciated from those who have raced. I was leaning towards 4:11, but 4:56 keeps cropping up in the internet write ups.
In looking at which tires to go with there is equal data on slicks versus drag radials. Any ideas there would also be nice.

Lastly, hopefully everyone will say a prayer for the people of France after this horrible attack. God please give them peace and direction that only you can bring. Larry

[BadBird]

Not too many answers to questions but here is one more chance for someone to chime in. I have 14" wheels now, and have made up my mind to go with the 4:11 gears. So, if there is room, would I be better off to go with 15" wheels and slicks on the back or stay with 14's. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Larry - I'm not a racer, so not gonna have much to offer. The only thing I can offer is that the wheel isn't all that important, except as it has to do with what size tires you may have available to you. You may have more options with a 15" wheel. You'll find the exact same OD and Width on both 14 and 15 wheels, though 15" wheels may allow larger tires than you can get as a 14"and vice verse. I think you'll have to be more concerned with how much tire you can get under the wheel-wells combined with wheel offset.

Here's a cool tire/wheel comparison tool:

http://www.rimsntires.com/specspro.jsp

I think Merc Marquis or similar had rear discs. Whether they are the right width, or will need shortening or leaf pads added, I'm not sure.

Sorry couldn't help more.

[BillP 98201]

Wayne Kauk races his 64....
He races mostly vintage drags like Mission and Bremerton.
He lives in Everett

[BadBird]

Thanks for the help Roger and Bill. I would love to talk to Wayne about the racing. I was talking to the tech at Bremerton to see what I needed to do in getting ready to race there next year. Larry

[BadBird]

Moved my Falcon out to the new garage. Have the new 9" housing, axles and bearings on order. Can't afford to get the third member yet. Too close to Christmas to spend that much. When I get the new housing I will pull the old one. Install the new, install the driveshaft loop that I have, and install the line lock system.
The third member is a Strange rear end with 4:11 gears, traction lock and 31 splines.
Then will need some steel wheels and slicks. I think I will stick with 14 wheels but still not positive about that yet.
I intend to take a whole lot of pictures of the rear end swap, loop install and line lock. May use them for upcoming newsletters. That is if I can figure out how to do a newsletter. It is hard being an old fart.
Also, now I can get my truck back in the house garage and not freeze my bottom off everyday. Larry

[BadBird]

After reading the post about brake fluids I realized we have some folks on here that can figure this out for me. Can some one tell me what the tachometer readings would be at 70 mph in my falcon with my Tremec T5Z transmission that has a ratio of .68 in fifth gear with 4:11 rear end gears and 4:56 gears?

[dhbfaster]

No problem Larry...but I also need to know your tire size. :cool:

But if my calculations are correct, with 295/50R 15 tires at 70 mph, a 4.11 rear end, a .68 transmission gear ratio at 69.72 mph, your tach is at 2456 rpm. :3g:

Hummm...now where do those 4:56 gears fit in...sorry I didn't include that in the estimation.
Ok, I'm not really that smart, but I'm a gooder googler. Check out this calculator: http://vexer.com/automotive-tools/speed-rpm-calculator :rocker:

[BadBird]

I am definitely not smart. I couldn't figure out how to work the charts. Anyway, I perused a whole lot of different forums about the wisest rear gears and there are bunches of answers.
I found one with a guy who has a 64 Falcon with stroked 302 T5 tranny and 4:11 gears. He turns 2300 RPM at 70 which is fine with me. He had 15 inch tires, 28" tall so my 14's would turn a little higher than that. I am pretty much settled on 4:11 by now.
I was looking at a mustang forum and just about puked. Guy wants different gears but was worried that the extra RPM's might make it hard to hear on his cell phone?????? What the heck???? Probably wouldn't want low gears and spill his coffee???
Times have definitely changed, and what the heck, I am 68 years old and still want to get the front wheels off the road.
Maybe buy a , oh well, never mind. I am getting politically incorrect again. Larry

[dhbfaster]

Hey...what that guy said is pretty close to what the calculator said!
That calculator was pretty quirky, but give me your total tire size numbers and I'll put it in and we should have the correct calculation.:shift:

[BadBird]

My tires are P235 60R 14.

[BadBird]

According to this site, my RPM would be 2481 @ 70MPH
with 265 60R 14 tires and .68 transmission ratio with the 4.11 gears.
That works well for me.

Larry



http://www.csgnetwork.com/multirpmcalc.html

[dhbfaster]

That tool is definitely simpler. I plugged your tire size into the other one just to see if I would get the same answer and I did. It is kind of cool to push the throttle up and see what happens. With 400hp, tach at 4237, if your car is 3000 lbs, you're running 119.52. :rocker: I have no idea if I did any of this right but I'm starting to think after I finish Granddad's falcon, I'm going to need another one so we can race each other.

[MacDee]

Okay... I ran the numbers.
From the best I can figure, based on the 235-60x14 tire size, the tire diameter should be about 32.5 inches. That computes to 102 inches per revolution (pi x diameter). At 70 mph, that would be 724 rpm at the wheel. Multiply by 4.11 for the rear end gear, and then again by .68 for the transmission (overdrive), I get 2023 rpm at the crankshaft.

This seems inconsistent with the previous calculations. Can't explain it....

[dhbfaster]

Humm...we seem to have two tire sizes in the thread (but I'm not sure that's it alone), but the tire calculator I have been using is giving a different diameter and circumference than what you are showing. :WHATTHE:
According to: https://tiresize.com/calculator/

235/60 R14 should be 25.1" diameter, 78.8 circumference
265/60 R14 should be 26.5" diameter, 83.3 circumference

If this tire calculator is correct, that might be the difference.

[MacDee]

Yeah, I forgot the aspect ratio.
Tire diameter should be 25.1 inches.
937 rpm at the wheel;
2311 rpm at the crank.

I stand corrected... as usual.... :o

[MacDee]

I am absolutely no good at arithmetic. I goofed again!!

This time I used .60 at the trans instead of .68!!

Should be 2620 rpm at the crank!

[BadBird]

Okay you guys, this is getting over my head again. On the site I sent it said that my tire size equates to 26.5" tall. They also mention that the tire will grow in circumference as the speed increases, but this is supposedly incorporated into the equation.

If I enter in 26.5 in the charts of most of the different sites it comes out almost exactly the same at 2480 RPM at 70 MPH. Let me know if you find something else and thanks for all your help.

NOW..... Lets get more of our cars at the drag strip this year and see what kind of fun we can have. The cars don't have to be fast to have a blast. My car won't come close to the times and speeds that are listed. I would be happy if it ran in the 12's at around 105MPH. This would be a great trip for our club to go to the drag strip!!!!!!!!!!!

[MacDee]

Yeah! Using 26.5 for the tire diameter I get 2481 rpm also.
My calculations do not include tire growth, nor do I trust the tire diameter I came up with originally (25.1). There is a theoretical size that can be computed from the size designation, but in actual practice, the diameter can deviate from that by quite a bit!

[ew1usnr]

I was looking at a mustang forum and just about puked. Guy wants different gears but was worried that the extra RPM's might make it hard to hear on his cell phone?????? What the heck???? Probably wouldn't want low gears and spill his coffee??? Times have definitely changed, and what the heck, I am 68 years old and still want to get the front wheels off the road.

This is funny as heck. :)

[dhbfaster]

Tire growth!! I never thought about that!:3g::3g::3g::3g:
Just like the dragsters.

[MacDee]

I would be happy if it ran in the 12's at around 105MPH.
I stumbled upon a video a while back of a 12-second Falcon. It was tubbed, and powered by a radical, but naturally aspirated, 200 six! It made a 1/4-mile pass in 12-something seconds at 98 mph. But now I when I look for that video again, I CAN'T FIND IT!! :mad:

[BadBird]

I could only find this one. Not the one you mentioned though. Larry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjQJ8btRbLY

[BadBird]

Received the 9" ford housing and axles today along with the backing plates and bearings. I don't have the money to get the third member yet, but will have plenty to do over the next couple of months.

I need to paint the housing and get it installed. Install the line lock assembly and drive shaft loop.

I am ordering a shift light tomorrow and hope it isn't too hard to understand the installation. I hate electronics and a lot of you can remember from my thousand questions during the build of my Falcon.

Hope to get the 3rd member ordered after the first of the year and will go with 4.11 gears with the trac-loc.

Larry

[dhbfaster]

Sweet...throw us a pic when you have a chance. [thumb]

[MacDee]

I stumbled upon a video a while back of a 12-second Falcon. It was tubbed, and powered by a radical, but naturally aspirated, 200 six! It made a 1/4-mile pass in 12-something seconds at 98 mph. But now I when I look for that video again, I CAN'T FIND IT!! :mad:

FOUND IT!
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrSbmZjq3VWWzkAvz5XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyN GcyMXY0BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjAxMjJfMQRzZWM Dc2M-?p=Ford+Falcon+Drag&fr=yfp-t-695-s#id=113&vid=0764eed33972de262c9180afb3c898f2&action=view

[MacDee]

And here's a video of it being tuned:
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrSbmZjq3VWWzkAvz5XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyN GcyMXY0BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjAxMjJfMQRzZWM Dc2M-?p=Ford+Falcon+Drag&fr=yfp-t-695-s#id=115&vid=0764eed33972de262c9180afb3c898f2&action=view

[BadBird]

Fantastic little car. Did you notice him getting the front wheels off the ground? Wow. Hope my car will run that good/fast. Cool and thanks for the video. Larry

[dhbfaster]

Did you see this one?

http://youtu.be/fNsYKF8FvpQ

Light and peppy.

[ew1usnr]

FOUND IT!

Here is a direct link on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlwQeKh5Uuk

It is interesting that this particular video was posted and discussed by Argentinian Falcon fans. The call it "Falkito USA", meaning "The little American Falcon".

The video was filmed at the Palm Beach International Raceway, which Wikipedia says is "a motorsports facility located west of Jupiter, Florida, opened in 1965".

I "liked" the video and commented to the Argentinians "Bravo! Ella es hermosa!" meaning "Well done! She is beautiful!"

It is amazing that the owner was able to coax that level of performance from a 200 six cylinder and also how he kept the outwards appearance of the car so little changed from stock. Go, little American Falcon!

[MacDee]

It is interesting that this particular video was posted and discussed by Argentinian Falcon fans. They call it "Falkito USA", meaning "The little American Falcon".
I was actually suspecting that the car might be an Argentine Falcon. You'll notice the odd location for the front parking lights (in the grill), the odd-looking tail lights that it has, and the grill itself which looks kind of like a regular '63 grill, but not as "convex". I haven't done any research to verify, but I think Argentina used the round-body style into the later 1960's than we did here in the US. The Argentine Falcon also had a 221 cu in version of the little six. I saw one of the comments (in Spanish) that had both "200" and "221" within it, making me wonder if maybe this little Falcon has a 221 in it! One of the comments, however, in English, from, apparently, the owner, says it's got a 250 block with an Argentine head.

Gosh! I wish mine went like that!!:3g:

[Luva65wagon]

It is amazing that the owner was able to coax that level of performance from a 200 six cylinder

I remember a quote where you said the 'Classic In-lines' modified 200 was like driving a Saturn V rocket! I think you've since toned it down to keep it off the moon.

:3g:

[MacDee]

I would be happy if it ran in the 12's at around 105MPH.
Larry,
You have more HP than the little Falkito Falcon, so I'll predict your trap speed will higher. With the big slicks his probably launches a little harder that yours will, but, again I predict at least the same E.T. ... if not BETTER!

Go, Larry, GO! :rocker:

[Luva65wagon]

Oops - I see I twisted Gary's words for Dennis's. Funny "quote" switcharoo. It was Gary saying his previously ascribed Saturn V rocket isn't quite getting the same results as that Argentine Falcon. As I look back and see, this was abouyt 4 years ago and so much has happened since then. My apologies.

http://www.rainierfalcons.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8609&postcount=110

[BadBird]

Gary, that little Falcon with the 6 cylinder has quite a bit of horsepower, but there are so many things that are involved in getting good times/speeds. They have almost nothing for weight in that car, they probably have extreme modified suspension, correctly calibrated weight versus traction studies, you name it.

My car will have to run very very good to get that E. T. and speed. I would be extremely satisfied to run in the 12's and around the 105 MPH mark.

If I run slicks or drag radials it might come close.
Larry

[BadBird]

This link is from Hot Rod showing 156 Gassers.. There are some duplications it this. Look at the Falcons on #'s 51, 107, and 118. My favorite is #126. Larry


http://www.hotrod.com/features/1601-top-156-gassers-of-2015/?_wcsid=38D3ECB33AC8DB198127318D25B35F60A1104B3BCA 0DBF6C

[BadBird]

Getting more of the parts ordered to get this thing on a dragstrip.

Was going to order all the parts from summit for the third member and build it myself, but went through Quick Performance who is building the assembly for less than I could get the same parts for from Summit.

It will have the Strange Nodular Case, 9" Ford Daytona Pinion Support, 1350 Billet Steel Yoke, Ford Ring and Pinion 4.11 gears, Ford Trac-Loc Posi unit 31 splines, Ford Master Bearing/Kit with Timkin large 3.06 bearings.

This will support over 650 H.P. so I shouldn't have any problems.

[dhbfaster]

Larry, Why are you stopping at 650hp? :3g::3g::3g::3g::3g:

[BadBird]

I'm not going to get anywhere near that much. Way too much money to get that far. Larry

[BadBird]

Well, the third member was delivered today from Quick Performance Racing. Man, no wonder these 9" rear ends can handle the higher horsepower. I cannot get over how much bigger and heavier it is.

I am attaching some pics. Brydon from QPR wanted me to go with their nodular case instead of the Strange case. It is a little more money but will take the higher rev starts with the stick shift. Very well built unit. I know for sure I will need help lifting this into the housing. Could barely pick it up to put in on the cabinet.
Did any of you look at the gassers (Falcons) I posted on this a few days ago? Larry

[Jeff W]

That does look heavy. Tell me about the cool wooden drawers in the background.

[BadBird]

Not sure how old you are Jeff, but I would say that tool box is about as old as you. I made that back in the early 70's. Designed very similar to the old Kennedy tool boxes. Made another for my father in law, and two more for friends at work. Mine has definitely seen hard labor, but still use it all the time.

[ew1usnr]

[SIZE=4] Man, no wonder these 9" rear ends can handle the higher horsepower. I cannot get over how much bigger and heavier it is. Could barely pick it up to put in on the cabinet. Did any of you look at the gassers (Falcons) I posted on this a few days ago?

Hello, Larry.

Can you set it on a bathroom scale and find out what it weighs?

I had to look up "gasser" to see what it meant:

Gassers "... were purpose-built full-bodied race cars. The modifications allowed were very extensive and so was lightening of the car. The cars were built to a cubic inch/weight ratio to determine the classification. The main rule was the car needed to operate on gasoline."

[Jeff W]

Not sure how old you are Jeff, but I would say that tool box is about as old as you. I made that back in the early 70's. Designed very similar to the old Kennedy tool boxes. Made another for my father in law, and two more for friends at work. Mine has definitely seen hard labor, but still use it all the time.

I love it. I have seen plans for these in vintage Popular Mechanics magazines. It is on my list to build one for my wood shop tools. My overflowing metal Craftsman box feels out of place in there.

Looks like you are a wood artist as well as a metal and paint master.

[BadBird]

Dennis, I will try to see how much it weighs. IF I can lift the darn thing.

I started dismantling the 8" rear end today. I will post a side by side photo later. I found a problem already. The bolts on the rear housing have been hitting against the exhaust pipe. You can see two shiny spots on the exhaust pipe next to the left shock.If it hits now, I imagine it will really interfere with the larger rear end. See the rub spot in the picture. Have to figure why this new camera puts out blue pictures.

I got the fluid pumped out, took the driveshaft loose, and now wonder if the driveshaft length may need to be changed. Find out I guess.

I cannot believe you haven't heard of "gassers". I grew up with them. Did you look at the gasser pictures?

Jeff, the tool box I made meets my needs, but I want to make another and incorporate changes that would make it work better. Wood working is my favorite activity. Main reason I built my new shop/garage.

[ew1usnr]

[SIZE=4] I cannot believe you haven't heard of "gassers". I grew up with them. Did you look at the gasser pictures?

Hello, Larry.

In the second photo, what is the box that is mounted above the axle that has two hoses attached?

I had heard the term "gasser" and have seen pictures of the cars with the little gas tank mounted up front, but did not know why they were called "gassers". Dragsters put their batteries in the trunk to shift the weight to the back, so why do they move weight forward by mounting the little gas tank up front?

I looked at the pictures and they make me want to have one of those cars. Boy, it would be fun to drive something like that to work each day.

5465

Here is your favorite:
5466

[dhbfaster]

I never really saw "gassers" when I was growing up- except on TV. there weren't many car shows around either. Other then the best car show (our local Falcon show) I have set to ever get to any of the big ones, but I would really like to after I get the Falcon done (with or without the falcon.) Imagine the total hours of work that goes into all these cars. I did enjoy looking at all those pictures Larry- a couple of times actually. I also wondered what that box with the hoses is above your axle.

Larry- I think you problem with the blue in your pictures is the light temperature setting. It's probably not on automatic. See if you can find a setting on that and change it to automatic.

[BadBird]

Back in the 60's, there were bunches of cars that utilized the straight axle front ends. They had classifications aka A/G, B/G.C/G etc, and on up to AG/S,BG/S which separated them via horsepower while the "S" stood for Supercharged. They were amazing cars then and still are for those of us who watched them every Sunday. The going thing in those days was a "mooneyes" fuel tank on the front. In the 50's they used beer kegs, old airplane fuel cells, anything. They were installed on the front to give fueling access and to get it close to the engines. They didn't have electronic fuel pumps on any cars that I know of to push the fuel fast enough.



The dragsters were great, but even they had not reached the 200 mph range yet. Jerry (my brother who several of you met with the 64 Fairlane) along with my father and I used to go to the drags almost every weekend.

IF I could have/drive any car at the drags, it would be the AG/S 41 Willys. They are my favorite car. Can't afford one of those, so will hopefully get this 64 on the strip this year and then join Jerry for the Hot Rod Road Tour this year and race in Tucson, Phoenix and Fontana.

The box you see is hanging from the car is the electric fuel pump. It is attached on a thick rubber strap to cut down on it's vibration noise. I can run the car through the manual pump or switch on the electric pump when more fuel is needed. The manual pump won't keep up with the dual fours when really stomping it.

It would be a great trip if as a club we all met at the drag races to watch a good group of the older classics race.

IF you have never seen/heard a Top Fuel Dragster or Funny Car go the 1/4 mile, then you can't understand true power. The noise is deafening and you feel it when they run. Nothing like it. You can't get it off TV and I can't really describe it. You need to see and hear it for yourself.

Jerry, did a lot more racing than I did. He bought a brand new 62 ford with the first 406 engine and raced it. I raced my 57 Chevy and 67 Olds 442. That 442 would be worth more than a 1/4 million now. It was built only for drag racing. Olds built just a few of the 67's with the 68 engines. It had 450 horsepower, 4 speed, no radio, no air conditioning, no carpets, no power brakes, no power steering. Just one very fast car.

I power shifted that car through the 1/4 hundreds of times and it never failed once. I hope my tremec can handle the power shifts and will soon find out.

Don, thanks for the advice on the camera. I just got it, and I don't do well with technology stuff, no matter how simple.

Larry

[BadBird]

Dennis, you asked about the weight. I put it on the bathroom scales. (Didn't carry it inside). It weighed 98 pounds.
Either 98 lbs. is a lot heavier than it used to be or I am getting really old and weak. Don't start with your computations Dennis [BOW]. I already know the true answer.
Larry

[ew1usnr]

Either 98 lbs. is a lot heavier than it used to be or I am getting really old and weak.

Nah, 98-pounds is one heavy chunk of steel.

How much do you think that the standard eight-inch rear end weighs?

[BadBird]

Dennis, I didn't take the 8" third member out of the other housing. I intend to sell the setup and didn't want to screw up the sealant. I am not sure what the 8" weighs, but it is less. I have picked it up and put it in a vise by myself. Couldn't do that with this 9".

I have the new housing and third member sitting on the leaf springs. But, as in all things, nothing is easy. The U bolts for the 8" are smaller than the 9" so need to buy those. But that isn't the main problem. The plate for attaching the shock absorber that the U bolts go through will not have the correct hole spacing now. I want to keep that plate since my traction bars are welded to them. Not sure if elongating the holes fore and aft will cause any problems. Don't think so, but any input??
Also have questions about the driveshaft length to look at. More to come. Larry

[BadBird]

If any of you have changed over to the 9" from an 8", do you remember how much the driveshaft has to be shortened? I remember someone talking about where to get one shortened and re-balanced.

Got the housing installed, axles and brakes reinstalled. Brake lines hooked back up, but the vent hole in the housing is in a different location and different diameter threaded hole, so can't use the old brake line fitting that the breather went through. No problem, just have to rig up something different. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Larry, it's best to insert the driveline fully, then pull it back out an inch and measure at the rear cup of the yoke to the back of the front u-joint. This will give you center to center of the length. Drivelines Northwest is where most go. Right there in Everett.

[BadBird]

Getting closer. Rear end is in the car, axles installed, brake lines hooked up.

When I ordered the rear end, I ordered it with longer wheel studs because they require the studs sticking outside of the lug nuts when drag racing at most sites. Soooo, now my lug nuts for the Torque Thrust wheels won't work of course. Need to get different lug nuts that will work with these wheels and plain jane wheels for slicks.

When I get the new lug nuts, then I can put the car on the wheels to check the drive shaft length.
Just more entertainment. Here are a couple of pics.

Larry

[BadBird]

Well, measured the driveshaft and it needs to be shortened 1" and maybe 1.25. Here is a picture with the driveshaft pulled out of the transmission 1".

It measures 1" from the cup to the cutout in the driveshaft.

Oh, by the way, thanks Don for the note about the camera. I think the pictures will not be blue anymore. Larry

[BadBird]

Took my driveshaft to "Drivelines Northwest". Thought I was going to get by with shortening the one I have. No such luck. When I took it out I noticed that the cups on the u-joints were loose inside the couplings. Alan at Drivelines said he couldn't believe the thing didn't fall out already. So, he is making a new driveshaft with 3" diameter which is a little bigger. Larger couplings were needed to fit the third member yoke anyway. Need new u-joints since they are shot. Replaced them when I rebuilt the car so not old, but won't work now.

Didn't need to spend more. Will need that money for slicks and wheels.

[Luva65wagon]

Loose cups can't be fixed correctly, so that's a bummer. Good they caught it now though. They'll do a good job so you can get all 650 HP to the wheels!

:3g:

[Layla1973]

Larry

Who built your new 9"

[BadBird]

I found them on EBay but their name is Quick Performance. They are highly recommended in the racing links. Here is their ebay store.
http://stores.ebay.com/Quick-Performance-Racing

The person I talked to is Brydon 641-751-8060

Larry

[ew1usnr]

[SIZE=4] So, he is making a new driveshaft with 3" diameter which is a little bigger.

Hello, Larry.

Is the new driveshaft aluminum? What does it weigh, and how much less does it weigh compared to the original steel driveshaft?

Was the driveshaft that was replaced steel or aluminum?

I recently had my drive shaft balanced and new universal joints installed. In retrospect I wonder how much extra money it would have cost and how much weight would have been saved if I had requested to have the original shaft replaced by an aluminum one "while I was at it".

Thanks, Dennis.

[BadBird]

Dennis, I went with steel again. I talked to several people who race their cars and they used to run with aluminum, but they wore out too fast for them. I checked with Summit and Jegs for pricing and it really isn't a whole lot of difference to buy the aluminum.

My driveshaft was 2 3/4 in diameter and they recommended at Drivelines Northwest that I go with the 3" for my horsepower and drag racing plans.

The weight of the steel one I am getting will be 19 1/2 lbs. and the aluminum would be 13 lbs.

There are benefits to both. You can get aluminum driveshafts or even composite for drag racing, but not near the cost of the steel shaft.

Take a look at the different internet sites and see what you think. I value your input a bunch. Larry

[ew1usnr]

Dennis, I went with steel again. The weight of the steel one I am getting will be 19 1/2 lbs. and the aluminum would be 13 lbs.

Hello, Larry.

I looked into the aluminum driveshaft idea a little bit and found a discussion of aluminum driveshafts for 1979-1983 Mustangs. That seemed similar to a Falcon. See: http://www.americanmuscle.com/do-i-want-an-aftermarket-driveshaft-fox-body-tech.html

A one piece aluminum driveshaft costs $429. They said "A stock steel driveshaft (for a 1979 - 1986 Mustang) weighs approximately 20 pounds, whereas a Ford Racing aluminum variant tips the scales at around 13.5 pounds for a savings of 6.5 lbs".

The lighter weight is supposed to reduce the inertia and allow it to get spinning quicker to allow faster take-offs. The faster acceleration would probably be in the hundredths of a second range and not perceptible to the driver.

Like you said, though, they evidently do wear out quicker. I saw this post on a Mustang board: "I have a shaftmasters driveshaft that started vibrating noticeably, so I took it off the car and put back the stock driveshaft. Sent the aluminum one to Shaftmasters to check it out; and they tell me that the slip joint is worn out; they'll fix it back to like-new condition for $395."

If everything else were equal, it would be nice to have a 6.5 lb lighter driveshaft. It would be difficult, though, to justify spending $429 to save 6.5 lbs. The Ford engineers of 53 years ago would have considered all of this when they selected a steel driveshaft for my car. I will defer to their judgement and keep my stock driveshaft. :)


This has got nothing to do with the drag racing topic, bit I will insert it just because it is cool. A guy on a Mustang board said that in the past he had a 1960 Dodge (not AMC) Matador. I had never heard of a Dodge Matador before and I had to find a picture of one to see what it looked like. Wow!!! That car would attract attention if you drove it around town. Dang.

5525

God Bless America!

[BadBird]

Went to put in my new driveshaft today and instead of shortening it 1 1/2" they made it 1/1/2 longer. Took it back to Drivelines Northwest and they will fix it.
Will work some more on installing the line lock tonight.

Dennis, that Dodge was a very popular model when it came out. There were quite a few of them around, but not sure where they all went. Still love that body style.

Nanana 12, not sure about the reply? Did I miss something?

[ew1usnr]

[SIZE=4]Dennis, I went with steel again. I talked to several people who race their cars and they used to run with aluminum, but they wore out too fast for them. The weight of the steel one I am getting will be 19 1/2 lbs. and the aluminum would be 13 lbs.

Hello, Larry.

I've been thinking about this.

The lighter weight aluminum driveshafts are promoted as a way to reduce inertia so as to allow it to get spinning quicker to allow faster take-offs.

But, ... you do not spin a drive shaft in isolation. A driveshaft is engaged with the differential so you are also pushing the 3000 pound weight of the car while you are spinning the drive shaft.

I do not think that the argument about the aluminum driveshaft having less spin inertia has any relevance at all. The only advantage is in the actual 6 1/2 lb weight reduction (which is not very much).

Dennis.

[SmithKid]

Remember, I'm an "old-guy" so be gentle with me, but back in the day (late 50's), we used to shave our flywheels (don't recall how much), and the quicker revving COULD be felt in the seat of our pants (or maybe we just convinced ourselves that we felt it). Ya hafta remember that the entire drive-train including the wheel/tire combination becomes a mass that must be rotated (flywheel effect) and the mass of the entire vehicle must be overcome to accelerate. So shaving the flywheel (or drive-shaft) becomes a pretty small factor. But we had no other way to measure as we weren't legally racing in timed events, and dyno's weren't available to us either.

Handsome dude with my 1st car (circa 1956 or 57)... $35.

[ew1usnr]

Handsome dude with my 1st car (circa 1956 or 57)... $35.

Cool! What is that? That would be a fun little car to drive to work each morning.

The way the post displays your first car above above your current 1965 Ranchero makes the 51-year old Ranchero look brand new and ultra-modern.

[dhbfaster]

That is a great picture Gene

[SmithKid]

It was a 1930 Model A Ford Coupe. I also had a 1929 two-door sedan (cost $25) that was the parts car to get it roadworthy. I took the auto-trade class in HS and the '30 was my project car. Did a complete overhaul including scraping the poured babbitt mains and rods (no inserts allowed by the instructor) in class. Those engines had no oil pump, but relied on splash. Only drove it for a few months because I foolishly decided to see how fast I could get it to go down a looooong hill on HS graduation night (got it up to almost 70 and blew the engine). Crazy!!!!! :mad:

[ew1usnr]

Hello, Gene.

I think that Model A's had a "normal" top speed of about 50 mph, so you were really screaming at 70 mph.

What did you replace the Model A with?

[BadBird]

I sure wish I had pictures of my 57 chevy. Oh well. Dennis you and I agree about the aluminum driveshaft. The discussions on the drag racing sites, almost all said that with a stick shift where you are more likely to start off the line with higher revs were causing the aluminum shafts to tweak and especially wear out at the u-joints.
That was enough for me to not worry about the 6 1/2 pounds. And after installing that 100 pound third member I figured heck with worrying about the weight.

The 9" ford axles were also heavier. The housing is heavier, so weight???

Larry

[SmithKid]

Dennis, my 'A' would top out on the level at 53 to 55. Yes, it WAS screaming at the speed I got it to, and afterward I felt very foolish. The next car I owned was a '49 Ford two-door. Had it for around 6 months and got rid of it to join Army. Sorry I hi-jacked your thread, Larry.

FWIW, I agree totally with both of you regarding the aluminum drive-shaft. There are far better/effective ways to save weight.

[ew1usnr]

[SIZE=4] And after installing that 100 pound third member I figured heck with worrying about the weight.

Questions for Larry:
What is a "third member"?
What do you think is the curb weight of you car now, and what horsepower are you making?
Do you have an automatic or manual, and what are your gear ratios up front and in back?

Question for Gene:
Did your 49 Ford have a six or an eight?

5529

[SmithKid]

A very tired V-8. It was reclaimed from a Anchorage, AK wrecking yard where I drove a tow truck and "grunted" for the mechanic/owner.

[BadBird]

Dennis, my car has a Tremec T5Z transmission with a 2.95 first gear with the 5th or overdrive ratio at .63.

The third member is the center section of the rear end, the ring and pinion gearing, posi-traction assembly, etc. MY rear end gearing is now 4.11

My car is putting out 400 horsepower with 336 H.P at the rear wheels. The torque numbers are quite a bit higher.

As far as curb weight, haven't a clue. The fiberglas stereo surround in the trunk is adding quite a bit of weight.

Larry

[ew1usnr]

[SIZE=3]My car is putting out 400 horsepower with 336 H.P at the rear wheels.

Hello, Larry.

That is really impressive. I greatly admire the new 2016 Ford Mustang GT and can use it as a measuring stick against what you have:

Your first-gear to rear end ratio is 2.95*4.11 = 12.12.
The Mustang GT with an automatic in first-gear is 4.17*3.15 = 13.13.

The Mustang Coyote 5.0 L V-8 makes 435 HP and 400 lb-ft torque and the car weighs 3,729 lbs.

Your Falcon makes 400 HP and weighs (my guess) 3300 lbs. Maybe 3200 lbs.

You appear to be very competitive with the new Mustang, which is amazing considering the amount of technology that Ford dumped into their new car and new small block Coyote V-8 engine. :)

Go, Larry!

[BadBird]

Well, installing a drive shaft loop might be an easy job for some, but it has been a pain for me. Have a lot of the car tore apart now.

Had to take out the seats, the console, take loose the fuel and brake lines from inside the drive shaft tunnel.

Have the carpet pulled up to drill holes and install fasteners through the loop support.

Installed the line lock module, now have to finish the tubing to the front brakes and then do the wiring.

Once the brake lines are done, then have to bleed the brakes.

After that, just have to install the shift light. Then go over to Rogers and test the line lock on his street. My cul-de-sac is too short. Kidding.

As a side note, I will be gone the whole month of April and into May, so everyone help Don get his car done so he can make it to the car shows. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Missed this... Sorry Larry. Sounds like we'll miss you at the swap meet. If you have anything you want to sell-off there, you can bring it over to my place when you test your line-locks out.

This is going to be quite a different car than it was. Next you'll have slicks!

5573

5574

[BadBird]

Attached is a link to Hot Rod Drag Week West that is going on this weekend in Phoenix and Tucson. There are quite a few pictures of my brothers 64 Black Fairlane. His best run today was 12.18 @ 110mph. Then they had to drive the car from Phoenix to Tucson on a 180 mile route. Tomorrow they race in Tucson and drive back to Phoenix for the final day of racing there Sunday. They may not have the races in October this year like they did last year. So, guess I will have to wait for next year. larry



http://www.hotrod.com/events/hot-rod-drag-weekend/2016/1604-drag-weekend-west-2016-roster-here-whos-missing/

[ew1usnr]

Attached is a link to Hot Rod Drag Week West that is going on this weekend in Phoenix and Tucson.

Hello, Larry.

The listed cars range from a 1926 Model T to a 2015 Corvette.

"64 Hot Rod Mike Swan 1926 Ford Model T
36 Street Eliminator Ed Urcis 2015 Chevrolet Corvette"

Given that there is obviously no exclusion of new vehicles, it is surprising that the overwhelming majority of participants are all driving cars that are about 50 years old. Not that there is anything wrong with that. :)

Thanks for posting, Dennis.

Power to the People: Happy Birthday to the Ford Flathead V8
by Michael Accardi on March 31, 2016

See: http://www.allfordmustangs.com/2016/03/31/power-to-the-people-happy-birthday-to-the-ford-flathead-v8/#articleComments

(You have to scroll up to get to the article when the display appears. I think that the little V-8 coupe really looks sharp.)

[BadBird]

Here is a link to Hot Rod Magazine that gives a good story about my brothers Fairlane and a lot of pics. Larry
http://www.hotrod.com/events/hot-rod-drag-weekend/2016/1604-the-only-hardtop-thunderbolt-ever-at-hot-rod-drag-weekend/

[Luva65wagon]

I see a little sibling "rivalry" here. ;)

Nice article and nice car too. Enjoyed seeing it at the mini.

[BadBird]

No rivalry, we just love to do the same things. We have both loved cars our whole life, both raced, even in the 60's he had a beautiful 56 Chevy and 64 Ford with the first 406 engines. He raced it quite a bit.
I had the most beautiful black 57 Chevy 2 door hardtop with a great engine, beautiful white rolled and pleated interior with bucket seats and four speed. It was the best looking car in Wichita and it won a ton of drag races.
Both Jerry and I would love to get to race together again, but I don't have any ideas of beating his car. I will admit to a lot of jealousy in his getting to drag race all year in beautiful weather and there are numerous car shows every weekend in Tucson the whole year. I would love that.
If Carol was to even mention us moving to Tucson, I would be there within a week. I absolutely love the heat, the desert and the sun. Larry

[BadBird]

Anyone who has experience with slicks on a 64 Falcon I would love some help figuring out what the widest slick is that will fit, without rubbing the fender wells. Thanks, Larry:3g:

[BadBird]

Well, here is the good news. I finally have the 9" rear end installed. Got the pinion angle set with the driveshaft up 4 degrees and the rear pinion pointing down 2 degrees. Quick Performance said to get the pinion angle between 5-7 negative degrees. I now have negative 6 degrees. So that I am happy with. Got everything finished and took some pictures. Now the bad news. Looking at the one picture, (2nd pic)I can see that the pin from the leaf spring is not aligned with the hole in the axle housing support.
I couldn't see that when installing, only showed up on picture because I could stick the camera high enough to see.
Soooooooo, tried getting a mirror in the space to see if it is lined up, can't tell. Will have to probably tear it all apart again to make sure it's right, and might need to find a longer pin to put on the leaf springs. More to come. Larry

[ew1usnr]

Hello, Larry.

"I can see that the pin from the leaf spring is not aligned with the hole in the axle housing support."

What would happen if the car were driven as is?

Thanks, Dennis.

[BadBird]

Maybe nothing Dennis, but I sure wouldn't want to drag race with the pins not line up. It could definitely move around without that pin in the axle housing. I have one side taken apart, the pin removed and talked to the guys at Truck Springs where I got the leaf springs. They said they would sell me a longer bolt and send me a sleeve that fits under the pin section making the pin go up into the housing bracket.
I decided to try and make something myself. I installed a nut on the pin bolt and will round off the nut points making it round. I will send pictures out. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Larry, I had to really fuss with all this when I needed to relocate the axle relative to the wheel opening on the Ranchero. Finding bits that claim they fit right was tough.

I couldn't quite tell what I was seeing last time I looked and meant to ask for clarity -:but then got distracted and forgot to. I hope you have it all figured out now, but know you are always welcome to call and in most cases I'll come right away to give you a second set of eyes on something.

[BadBird]

Thanks Roger, I know you would help in a heartbeat, you always have. It was just a brain fart on my part to not verify the alignment.
I got it all back together again. I was able to use the existing pin by running a 5/16 nut up against the pin end and then ground off the corners of the nut. It was exactly the thickness I was after.
Took a little work to get the pins to align with the holes, but with a little prying it fell in.
I did one side at a time to keep the rear end in place.
Rechecked the pinion angle and it stayed the same. Driveshaft is 4 degrees up and pinion is 2 degrees down. Just what Quick Performance asked for.
Got the traction bars re-set and now I might get some good weather to take it out and drive it. I am supposed to drive it about 5 miles at easy pace to warm up the rear end, let it cool down, and do that four times. Then drive it 100 miles at normal speeds before I do any hard launches. Attached some pictures. This time you can see the pin coming through the axle housing support.
One is of my messy garage, every tool I own is on the floor I believe. Larry

[ew1usnr]

I was able to use the existing pin by running a 5/16 nut up against the pin end and then ground off the corners of the nut. It was exactly the thickness I was after.

Very nice! I like your white letter tires.

[BadBird]

Got the Falcon out and drove it twice now. Per the Quick Performance break in directions on the rear end I need to drive it four times about 5 miles at low speeds to warm the rear end and then let it cool down. After the four trips, I have to drive it 100 miles with no hard launches. :3g:

Nothing broke, lost some screws out of one wheel cap. Had one screw left, the cap was rattling when I got home. No rear end noise though. :banana:

I am going to try and attach a youtube video of some nostalgia drag races in Tucson last night. My brothers Fairlane is in several shots.
Larry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJGXNGIz4lA

[Luva65wagon]

I think we all have a few screws loose, but glad to hear it's going well. When you actually take it down the track I wanna see a YouTube video of that!

:3g:

[ew1usnr]

Nothing broke, lost some screws out of one wheel cap. Had one screw left, the cap was rattling when I got home. No rear end noise though.

This song is for you, Larry. "Now we were Ford men, and we likely knew, that we would race until something blew".

Hot Rod Race - Charlie Ryan & The Timberline Riders:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mYkF9OjBrE

[BadBird]

Not sure if everyone knows all the issues I've run into in putting a 9" rear end in the car for drag racing. I bought the housing and 3rd member with 4-11 gears and trac loc posi. The instructions said to drive it 3 times at low speeds for about 5 miles to break in the ring and pinion gears. I did that and started having all kinds of vibrations, noise that we couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Thought the drive shaft was too short. Got a new one. Thought a tire was out of round, got a new one. The leaf springs were weak, got new ones. Thought the traction bars were causing the pinion angle to be off. Bought Cal Tracs. Drove the car, just got worse. Finally sounded like it was going to blow up.
Pulled the 3rd member, found ring and pinion gears were worn out. Sent the 3rd member back to them, free shipping back, sent me a new one. This time the break in instructions were a little different. Drive it 5 times at low speeds for 5 miles each trip. Then 100 miles at regular speed without hard launches. I was 74 miles into the break in and on the way home from the Maltby show, bunch of noise. Everyone that listened to it, thought it was something riding, like tires or something.
Sent an email to Quick Performance and while waiting for a response, took out the 3rd member. Looked beautiful. No shavings, nothing. Quick Performance called me and told me it is just the posi discs causing the noise. QP has been fantastic. I have owned that setup for over a year. They could have just said too bad, but have shipped new rear ends to me at no charge. He told me several stories including his own brother had exactly the same issues I did, even told me that all of his buddies told him it was tires or something riding. He guarantees the clutches are the noise maker. Now I have it all reinstalled, will drive in around in figure eights at low speeds to break in the clutches.
Hope I haven't driven you to tears with boredom. I will let you know of the results. Larry

[dhbfaster]

Larry, I think I know the noise you are talking about. I had that noise after I changed the fluid in my Isuzu trooper diffy. (Every time) Even though I used gear oil that was supposed to have the special additive for limited slip, I had to add a little more of the additive. It took me forever to figure out what it was. It sounded like the tires must have been rubbing. Drove me crazy for a really long time.
Anyway, bummer about all the troubles. At least you have lots of new stuff!

[BadBird]

Don, that is exactly what the noise sounds like. Very loud though.
Yep, lots of new stuff and finally got it all back together tonight. Tomorrow I will be driving it around if it doesn't rain. Now just need to try and finalize plans for the Nationals. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Larry, that's bizarre to have so much trouble. Are you sure you're livin' right?

:ROTFLMAO:

Just kidding.

I hope this one works out good for you, but hopefully it can at least ride down to Sactomato and represent the club. I wish I could go.

[BadBird]

Of course I'm living right. Well maybe. Well maybe not. Must be, I'm driving a Falcon for goodness sake.
That list of everything I did, is just the short list. Didn't get to drive it today, the front end fell off. Kidding.
Didn't feel well enough to get out much. Will try tomorrow. Lots to do before I leave for Sactomato. I will let you all know how the noisy test drive goes. Larry

[BadBird]

Well, Roger, I would like to take you up on your willingness to help. I have two issues that I could use some brains on. I have been driving the car, and there is a vibration I can feel. I put the car up on jack stands and with the car running in gear, it looks like the drive shaft is wobbling. But, not sure if it's enough to cause the vibration. 2nd, I really would like you to drive the car, feel the vibration and see what you think also about the setting the clutch for proper engagement. Maybe? Please? Thanks, Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Larry, not a problem. I'll touch base this week to arrange this with you.

[BadBird]

Over the last year and a half I have been haunted by a vibration in my car. It all started when I changed to the 9" rear end.
We thought the vibration was caused by incorrect pinion angle. Reset angle. Nope
Maybe worn out leaf springs. Bought new ones. Nope
Maybe the tires were out of round. Checked that, a little bit out of round. Bought new tires. Nope
Homemade traction bars? Bought new Caltracs. Nope
Then the rear end started making noise. So, must be the rear end. Quick Performance sent me a new one. Nope
A couple of weeks ago, I put the car on stands, put it in gear and watched the driveshaft. Wobbled all over the place.
Thought I must have installed it wrong. Nope
Had Roger and my neighbor (life long Ford mechanic) come over and look at it, and both said it looks bad.
Did a check with a dial indicator and it showed the driveshaft was .070 out of balance.
Called Drivelines NW and he said it was impossible. Now get this........He said their quality assurance processes made sure they are perfect.
Well if you have followed this problem, you might remember that the first time they made the driveshaft they made it too long. Oops.
They remade it, but this time instead of cutting it 1 1/2" shorter, they cut it 3" too short. Oops.
So when he told me their inspection process makes them perfect, I reminded him of their imperfect production twice. Oops.
So...I took this driveshaft down to them, showed him the readings I got with the dial indicator. He said they would check it, but it is impossible for it to be that bad, because if it was, it would vibrate the windows out of my car. I said "Thanks a lot" that is what I have.
Now, before I took the driveshaft to them, my brother told me to put notches in the fittings so I could tell if they did anything.
Today, they said it was ready. When I got there, they told me that there was really nothing wrong, maybe a 4-6 thousandths off, and one missing washer.
But, what is weird? The notches weren't there. Also, the balance weights that were on it were rectangular. Now they are round. No evidence of them cutting the others off, no grinding.
So, instead of admitting they screwed up, they made up a story and made me a new driveshaft.
I installed that driveshaft today, and miracle. NO wobble.
I will drive it tomorrow if I can and see if the vibration is gone. I will update. Larry

[dhbfaster]

Wow, what a painful story. Anyone who knows quality assurance knows there's no such thing as a perfect quality assurance process. And then why would they cover it up when they gave you a new one anyway? Strange...looking forward to the test drive.

[Luva65wagon]

What a shame, but sort of keeps everything in line with what you saw all along. It is odd how one person can have 3 bad experiences in a row and others, like myself, have had none. I've had them do 4 drive-lines so far without a hitch. Can't begin to figure that one out.

Regardless of how it turns out, and I hope it is finally good, this sort of behavior needs to be made note of in the broader community. I'm thinking, as times get good and they have more work than they need, they think service can suffer - like what's your alternative choice? If there is none, then you need to let others know so, at least, they can keep these sorts of behavior in-line.

Hoping for a positive result!

[BadBird]

Well, the good news first. I took the car out for a drive and the vibration is gone. FINALLY. It was the driveshaft all along. I am pleased, and a little frustrated that Drivelines NW didn't do their normal "perfect" workmanship.
I will say, that I have never heard a negative thing about them. The thing that bothers me, is that this has been going on for over a year. Plus, it cost me a bunch troubleshooting. And, I am not sure that the driveshaft didn't have something to do with the other differential going bad. Oh well.
The Bible tells me to give thanks continually no matter what circumstance I am in. More on that in a minute.
Now to the bad news. I drove the car on that test trip down to highway 9 where I could get it up to speed. A truck passed me and pointed to the front end. Glanced at my gauges and saw the temp gauge at 250.
Pulled into the Chevron on 9 and 164th. Boiling over.
Water was pouring out at the gasket on the thermostat housing/intake. I have allen head bolts there, and one is hard to get at. Just as I was leaving my house, my son said "Dad what is that squealing"? I stopped, got out, but with my hearing loss, higher pitched sounds don't register.
At the chevron I added water, thought about driving the 7 miles home, but it over heated before I got out of the Chevron.
Called AAA, waited 2 hours for a tow truck, got home, pulled the fan belt off, and it looks like the water pump is making the noise.
Now back to God. Most of you know, I believe the Bible and everything in it. I post a lot of items dealing with my beliefs, and hundreds of times I have said, "there are no coincidences" Everything happens for a reason. Both bad and good. My bad thing, is nothing compared to what others in this world are dealing with. So, I give thanks, for my miniscule issues.
I went in the chevron, to buy a coke. I didn't have much money, so asked the clerk, "how much is this coke" He said $1.71 tax included. I had exactly $1.71. God is so fun sometimes. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

The question I have is:

1) Did the soda price get changed to match what you had in your pocket, or
2) Did what you have in your pocket get changed to the price of the soda, or
3) Were you led to go buy a soda at this particular store because the cost of the soda was exactly what you had to spend, or
4) All of the above?

:confused:

:BEER: (root beer)

[BadBird]

Nope, none of the above. My car was at the station on hwy 9 Chevron. I knew I didn't have much money so when I went to the soda dispenser, there wasn't a price on the machine. The teller had given me a 1 gallon jug of water for my overheated car and I asked him how much were the cokes with tax included.
He said $1.71 and I pulled out the money in my pocket and it was exactly $1.71.
Some will see that as a coincidence. I see nothing in life as coincidences. Everything happens for a reason.
Read the books "The Harbinger" and "The Shemitah" by Jonathan Cahn. I would love to go into the specifics of this, but I can't do it, in a small paragraph. But, there are zero coincidences in what is and has happened in history relating to Israel and America. Larry

[BadBird]

Well, it was a fantastic weekend in Arizona. Beautiful warm days around 85. Went to the largest car show in Tucson, put on by the Rotary Club and they know how to do a show.
Over 400 cars. I won 3rd place in the category 1959-1965 modified cars. Very nice plaque.
Then today, took the car to Tucson Dragway. Finally got to run the car and it did great. It ran a 13.53 @ 106.44 with street tires. I now know the car will run in mid to low 12's with slicks. Could not hold any traction through 1st and 2nd gear.
It was a blast and now I will purchase slicks and do it again. We are leaving Arizona Friday to come home. Will really miss the sun, but anxious to be back home. See you soon. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Everything looks good here Larry...

Way to go! At least you have some decent weather to race in. We've just gone through what the weather people were calling "The Big Black." I guess that stood for multiple days of nothing but dark clouds, rain, and wind. It was apropos to describe what the weather was like here. Should be a good week for you to come back to though. Will be sunny and above temps through next Tuesday with only slight chance for showers tomorrow.

What did your brother run in his T-bolt? Hopefully somebody video taped some of this!

:3g:

[BadBird]

We got zero videos. My brother only made one pass and I think it was low 12's at 115mph.

The track was busy and they only gave us a few moments to get in our lane. Really wanted the video, but next time I will have a video from inside and outside the car.

I cannot describe the feeling of driving that little car. The run was great, but without the slicks, running pump gas, with 200 pounds of stereo surround in the trunk, I just cannot wait to do it again. Sans the stereo, adding slicks, running 100 octane gas, and at sea level. Tucson is at 2400 feet and just going to Phoenix lowers et's 1/2 second and adds 4-5mph. Phoenix is at 1000 feet.

I was amazed that my power shifting was still decent, but over rev'ing in 2nd hurt my time as well.

I didn't have the shift light hooked up and the car pulls best shifting at 5800 rpm. After 6500 it starts to drop off.

Some of our members who drag race more can explain it more than I.

No matter what. It was a blast. If you haven't done it, you need to. NO matter what your time and speeds are, it is amazing.

A 13.53 at 106.44 feels like you are going 150.

[dhbfaster]

Without the stereo Larry?
I dunno about that...you might want to consider a second car for your dragster side.:3g::3g:

[Luva65wagon]

I'd vote pulling the unused seats and letting the weight of the stereo add traction!

[thumb]