#134 '34 Ford AA/Fuel Coupe

Thank you guys for coming to New England Dragway for the NEHRR. See you next month in Bakersfield !

 

Made a couple more passes at Pittsburgh Raceway Park's Pittsburgh International Dragway (long gone) reunion late in Sept. Between Epping and PRP, with help from Mark Becker (I was on a business trip to KC), Jeff Little chassis' and Tom Hemphill Racing Engines, we made up a stouter center steering link with heim ends to stiffen up the steering more. Also made some modifications to king pins to get a true reading on caster - it came out at 6 degrees and set toe at 1/8". Made alky pass, burnout and backed up, staged in low and launched. Got up on tires and peddeled, shifted to high and stretched it a bit - all was fine, Went straight as string and stopped. Next up, a nitro pass in high gear with 70%. Just fired, staged and left. Car left OK and then hazed tires (lots of tire pressure for safety), peddled and then climbed back into throttle. Engine pulled like a freight train until all the powerand the clutch came in together. It again hazed tires and made a move to center of track so, lifted and it snapped straight like a good ole thing. Seems we got a race car again! Now, we can focus on clutch management to either smoke em (heavy counter weights) or drop tire pressure and lighten clutch to launch. Off to Bakersfield this weekend and that will be an adventure for us "easterners"! Goldy, Pete Coffield and one of our new buddies from New England, Mark - will join us there. Been a long journey but making it back!! Photos from Pittsburgh Raceway Park two weeks ago!

 

Fun time in New England and thanks to all for being so nice to us! Little by little we're figuring it out once more and B'field will be fun. Got lots of friends out there so, it'll be worth the long drive. As the announcer at PRP stated - "this is one of the only, if not the only, fuel cackle car that can actually legally run on the track". Been a lot of work (chassis, engine, tires, safety equip and more) and lots of old friends (new ones too) helping out to make it happen. We're just a bunch of old racers (now) gettin' it done one more time!
Couple of more recent photos - @ Don Schumacher Racing where we were invited to participate in their cackle event during the Labor Day NHRA nationals. Think the thing is loud? Check folks in background!! 2nd photo is of Patty DiCicco - her dad, Ron, drove the old Mooneyham & Sharp car and she came out to see us and tell us stories about her dad!

 

Two more photos - first was sent to me by a gentleman who saw us run in Milan in the 80's. 2nd was from Pittsburgh Raceway Park two weeks ago. The more things change, the more the stay the same!!

 

Hope they Rebuild

 

I have not talked to Ted. When and where did this happen? Looks like it spun around to have the chute wrapped around the car. Doesn't look like much damage but.............

 

From Hot Rod's coverage of the 2015 California Hot Rod Reunion .... >>>

Spin Out! Fuel Altered Coupe Hits Wall, Flips at 2015 California Hot Rod Reunion
















....accompanying Hot Rod magazine text following >>>

"Everything was fine, until it wasn’t,” said Joe Morrison of the AA/Fuel Altered qualifying attempt that was rudely, suddenly interrupted by Famoso Raceway’s guard wall. Not even his decade of experience in short-wheelbase roadsters, nor successfully licensing a 5-second NHRA A/Fuel Dragster, prepared the New Jersey pilot for the notoriously bad behavior of a big, boxy, blown, nitro-burning ’34 Ford.

“It started drifting toward the center line from the hit and would not accept my corrections,” he explained of his first full-throttle pass in a fuel coupe previously piloted exclusively by owner Ted Brine. “There’s no downforce,” Joe said of the wingless body, “so you’ve got to be gentle. But when I lifted, the car made a hard left, at 150-plus. Getting the ’chute out might’ve helped put it back on all fours and spinning—instead of rolling.” Consequently, Joe escaped with nothing worse than belt bruises, and the fiberglass five-window that Ted built in 1980, sold in 1989, and reacquired in 2013 (from Walt Austin) survived surprisingly intact.

Just six days later, it was back home in Pittsburgh and stripped to the frame that Ed Quay boxed 36 years ago. Dave Dominick Race Car Fabrication, which recently updated the chassis and rollcage to modern AA/Fuel Altered (6.00-second) specs, is repairing the front end, while engine builder Tom Hemphill goes through the 472-inch Donovan 417. The heavyweight (2,240-pound) contender is also dieting to drop 100 pounds by October, when Joe Morrison and Ted Brine return to Bakersfield for NHRA’s 25th California Hot Rod Reunion."

Full article here >> (click to another window)

http://www.hotrod.com/events/1510-s...all-flips-at-2015-california-hot-rod-reunion/

 

Ted told me it was doing some strange stuff with the new Donavan engine. I don't believe he let anyone else drive it before that pass. I never did anything but cackle it the year or two I owned it and neither did the Austins as far as I know.

 

Wow, thats dramatic. Glad the driver is ok and they've got so much good stuff to work to rebuild it.
That thing is special.