HA/GR in Minnesota

[bobw]

A couple posts ago I was questioning the wisdom of keeping two drag cars. Well, I can't abandon the dragster. That would be admitting failure. And that word is not in the HA/GR and SDRA lexicon.
Been thinking about the intake setup. Remembering the $100 Craigslist engine ran pretty good with two Holley 1 barrels. Also recognized the BBD's should have been mounted sideways. So in true 1950's-style cussedness I've decided to go with three Holley 1 barrels. Should get good fuel distribution with my manifold design and jets are available. The healthier new engine should handle the extra carb.
Was at the metal supply store today and spied an aluminum plate that will become the newtop of the manifold.
I just hope I'm not increasing the headaches by a third.

[Old28]

Bob, I for one am glad to hear that you are going to keep making improvements on your dragster. Your builds are very informative and great inspiration.

You keep making carb modifications and you will have a great stock of top plates for slant 6's.

I scored a Clifford High Ram 3x2 intake from a guy on the HAMB that I am going to use on the "Big" 250+ build this winter. It is in the power manual page 143. I'll drop a picture on my build in the AM.

[bobw]

Spent the day working on a different hot rod project. Lots of heavy work. I needed a break from the bull work so pulled the induction system off the dragster. After supper I made this top plate which will hold 3 Holley 1 barrels.
Even though the racing season is over around here and I put the car in the deepest darkest corner of the back garage the fiasco at the drag strip a couple weeks ago kept bugging me.
If the weather can hold out another week I should be able to try the new carb setup around the neighborhood. (The county cops only drive through once a day). Really need to determine if the transmission is okay. It seemed funky at the strip but so many other things were going wrong, I can't be sure.

[bobw]

Carbs are mounted. Now working on the fuel lines and throttle linkage.

[Old28]

Looks nice Bob. At this rate maybe Fri/Sat for road test. Hope the trans is OK and the problems were from the carb setup.

Is your truck done? I like how the Dragster looks on your trailer.

I have decided to sell my Powerstroke dually crew cab and maybe my 24' enclosed trailer and build an open trailer that will hold my cart & the dragster. I am looking for a restored Chevy 49/50's 5 window to pull the new setup. I think it would be a lot of fun to be my daily driver & tow to the tracks.

[bobw]

Since all the West Coast boys are racin' the old HA/GR forum is pretty quiet this weekend. Thought I'd jump in with something just to give anyone stopping by the forum something (even though it's small stuff) to look at. Here's the almost completed carb setup. There's stands for three return springs and brackets to hold the fuel log. Still need to make the little hoses from the log to the carbs. Waiting for a kit to rebuild the third carb.

Tom, I'll be following your 250 build with great interest. I think you will enjoy towing with a vintage truck. Get you in the mood on the way to the track.

My Plymouth truck is essentially done. Probably needs valve guides. I haven't wanted to drape my body over the fenders to pull the heads. Also needs a stiffer sway bar in front, or a rear bar and it needs tail pipes. The fuel cell I put in it messes up installing a rear sway bar and also routing the tailpipes. I might have to change the fuel cell to a shallower tank.

[Old Jimmy Six]

Make your plenum 1/2 the cubic inches of the engine, the bottom of the carb butterflys should be 13 inches from the bottom of the intake valve. Use 2 inch runners and cut triangles in the runners and neck them down to port size. Small straight runners rend to slow down the incoming charge while narowing them at the port seems to speed them up, like a venturi in a carb. Are your one barrels 250 cfm? they are easy to tune because you are either at idle or wide open throttle.

[Old28]

Bob, your new intake is looking fine, when you going to have it on the car for a street test?

This was one big learning weekend for me, full report in my build thread tomorrow. I will say that this is not like dropping a BBC in a tube chassis with these cars, I got spanked by the track and sent home to do my "home work".

I will say that it did feel "real good" to be back in the seat again and to be around all the good people that we know at the track.

[derbydad276]

any up dates?

[bobw]

It's stored for the winter. Building this 1928 Reo (was a 4 door) contraption to stay busy.

[Old28]

One of these days you are going to do something crazy and hang one of those "real steel" body's on that OUTLAW ha/gr and have the first HAMBster Competition Coupe in MN.

Thanks for the offer with my buy of the car in MN, deal is off for now, timing not right. May still try again in spring if he still has it.

[RacerRoy3]

I have been looking at some old magazines and a crosley body sitting in a local bone yard and thinking of doing the same thing. I have just about completed gathering the parts for a basic HA/GR and hope to start working on the sub-assemblies after the holidays.

Anyone have any thoughts on what would be a good master cylinder to use for an 8.8" Explorer rearend with the wide brake shoes?

[bobw]

I'd say get that Crosley body, RacerRoy3. Here's a pic I took in about 1963 at Minnesota Dragways, for your viewing pleasure.

[Old28]

I would say, change the tires to Coker L78-15 bias and run a legal HA/GR motor and trans and that would be a great HAMBster C/C.

Great picture Bob, I think we are going to see more HA/GR & SDRA cars with body's in the near future. Good for the class interest.

[RacerRoy3]

Great picture bobw. That is almost exactly what I had in mind.

I thought that a comp coupe or roadster body would add a little more individuality to an HA/GR. From the cheap seats they can kind of look a lot alike. Besides, it will allow more space for sponsor ads! You gott'a think positive.

It will make it a little more interesting for us fat, old farts to get into the drivers seat though.

I forgot to add to my question about master cylinders that I plan on using a hand brake.

[old sparks]

welcome to the dare to be different side. i,too am building a body type sdra car. i have a 23 t hanging from the rafters but am waiting for a friend to build a bantam coupe for me. just a word of caution, a glass body just disapears and a steel body turns into a bunch of knife blades when you hit the wall. take it from the word of experience. when it comes to the brakes, i ran a 28" handle with a 7/8" mc and could barely hold it in the lites at an idle of 2000 rpm(5000 convertor). Good luck with your build.

[RacerRoy3]

Thanks for the welcome aboard old sparks.

I am planning on going the clutch route and sticking to the rest of the HA/GA rules. I am just worried about getting it whoa'd up.

I want to try to use a period OEM cylinder if I can find a fairly easy install. The early '50's Mopar ones look interesting but try to find one.

As far as your advise about hitting the wall: I always believed "if it ain't steel, it ain't real".

[bobw]

While the dragster is in cold storage. And I mean cold, cold storage as it has been below zero every night for over a week, I continue to put this thing together. It has a 292 Chevy 6 in it.

[Old28]

Bob, that Reo is one low-Low Ride. If I got in you would have to winch me out with an overhead Crane. Love the look, and a 292 inline 6, it don't get much better.

I new it was super cold at your place as I talked to my grandkids in MI last week and it had been 22-28 in the day and 5-10 at night. They love it (snow days out of school). My son has his business just outside of Detroit, about a 30 min normal drive, last week he made it to work only 2 days after 1 1/2 hour drive.

Still working on trailer, been raining so I can't weld outside, hope to get more done next week.

[bobw]

While the dragster rides the winter out in the back garage (still cold and lots of snow on the ground. Rain and snow predicted for 5 of the next 7 days) I built a hood, frame covers and side panels with cute little doors for the Reo.

Enjoyed the March Meet on Bangshift.com video streaming. Too bad Friday was rained out.