Went to the local strip for Test and Tune Saturday. Had my new high compression short block in the Crosley. Here, I'm sweet talking the track owner/inspector.
Sitting along side "Tator" in staging. Tator is a Studebaker Dictator 4 door cut down into a Bantam style coupe. Terry & Lee are good friends and known as Tator on RRR. The car has a very healthy 383 sbc with giggle gas, if needed.
Here's a video of Terry on a really good pass. This is a street driven car with a 90-something inch wheelbase. So performance like this is pretty remarkable.
Under that old Crosley body of Bob's is a very trick racecar. With this drag race stuff the faster you go the more safety equipment you have to have so Bob likes to run 1/8 mile. Rules start getting real tuff at 6.50 sec, so Bob and I like to run around that number in the 1/8 wich equals about 10 seconds to 9.90 in the 1/4. Bob has always run that well. Thanks, Bob for posting pictures and the video, I am not adept to do that on the computer. Sure was fun! Tator
Tator's post gives me far too much credit. Fact is, I don't know what the potential of the car is. I have only run 1/8 mile because I don't like going fast. Especially in something I built. My powers of visulation are too good and I can picture a weld breaking at 125 mph. Or the thing taking a hard turn into the guard rail.
The car has a trans brake I've never used. The shift light is set at 5,000 rpm and I short shift before it reaches that rpm. I can't even abuse a drag race engine!
Part of the problem is I tend to run once or twice a year. If I got out more, then probably I would become comfortable with running it harder and faster.
I must face the fact that I'm mainly a builder and not much of a hot rod driver or drag racer.
Very cool cars and videos,and its all about having fun and it doesnt matter if you race it as fast as possible. Its more important to be comfortable with what your doing ,thats what I think anyways.
Finally made it out to the drag strip for another session of test and tune. After 2 runs with my Crosley I discovered water in the oil so my day was over.
Here's a pic of Al Tschida's clone of his Nationals winning C/Gas Willys. This was the second time out. I helped him a bit on the original Willys back in the mid-60's.
Terry & Lee brought Tator out. It is a shortened Stude with a healthy 383sbc with nitrous thrown in for good measure. He ran a 10.30-something at 133mph. It wheelied so violently that it split one of the wheelie bar wheels.
A battery powered drag bike. I waited for him to run but he never took it off the trailer. So I don't know how it performs. It has a slew of Odessey batteries on it.
Well that stinks. Hopefully it's an intake gasket and not a head gasket. I had freshned up mine only to get a set of junk rings that wouldnt seal. Hone the cylinders, new totalseals and waiting on dry weather. Nice pictures too. Thanks.
Tim