Projects Austin Somerset Gasser Build (DragNasty)

It's all straight lines, why not just tape and paint it?

 

It is crazy hot in the shop today but we piddled around a bit before heading to the AC and watching the NHRA broadcast. One issue we have had is the doors, that sort of open into the front fenders, have swung open too far and creased the door skins. To eliminate that (now that we have a nice finish on both) we added a strap.


Pretty simple fix using some of the strap material left over from locking the battery down out back.


But they will prevent the doors from taking a shot from the fenders and vice versa.

 

We also got the rear window installed. Remember, that opening was not touched. While we chopped the top, we installed the rear window section with no changes. So that meant we could use the original style rubber etc. which I got from a parts place in Kent, England. After cutting the window out of the same .25" Lexan as the windshield and side glass, we installed the rubber around it and then old school installed it with a "soaped up" string.


That was way too easy was the thought running through my head as we stood back admiring it. It proved me right a few seconds later when the Lexan with very little pomp or circumstance it popped out of the rubber and landed on the newly installed interior deck area. Apparently bending the .25" Lexan to fit the contour of the original glass was too much for the rubber to hold.


So we quick created these little steel half moon plates. We removed the rubber and reinstalled it on the Lexan piece. Then we reinstalled the rear window again (not as easy as the first round but we got it back in place). Then we installed the plates on the lower window frame to put pressure on the rubber seal and help keep it and the Lexan conformed to the shape. Easy breezy.

 

We fire the Austin at least once and usually twice per week to keep the E85 fuel flowing and not just sitting in the lines etc. for long periods of time. That is why there are several progress videos of the car sitting in the driveway running. Today is no exception. We basically have the graphics in place and I shot a quick video of them while she sat running Sunday afternoon.



As you can see, we also got the parachute bag, shut off switch and tail lights reinstalled out back.

 

Lookin' good!

 

YOUR CAR LOOKS LIKE CRAP!! Because it's not mine.

 

So with majority of the exterior basically complete (not perfect) but complete. We finally headed in doors. Originally we planned to drill holes through the floor pan and mount the seats. However between the original chassis and "X" member plus our additional strengthening measures, not to mention the ladder bars etc. it was virtually impossible to find four mounting holes that could be accessed from underneath. So we took .25" steel plate and drilled it for the mounting hole pattern. We inserted grade 8 bolts and welded them in place. Then we welded the plate inside the cabin.


Up front of the plate we also drilled holes for a heavy duty 5/8" U-bolt to mount the lower crotch belt from the Simpson 5 point harness. Above you see the down bars from the cage where the lap belts mount.


Above is the floor just before mounting the seats. The U-bolt has one .25" steel plate up top and another under the floor, sandwiching the floor pan between them and pulling the U-bolt tight. And yes that is carpet. We had just enough left from Dad's coupe interior to cover both driver's and passenger compartments on either side of the console.


Seats finally in for the last time (for a while anyway). The Simpson quick release belts are in place and adjusted to fit (which was a serious pain in these tight quarters).


Fire Extinguisher is installed with easy access between the seats.

 

Back outside and up front, we got the headlights reinstalled and the modified factory grill (minus the grates) back in place.

We had few other minor projects up front as things were going back together. One was installing a 3/8" hose barb in the bottom of the spun aluminum tank. It will not be a fuel tank for the little gasser but at least it will be more than ornamental. We will use it as an radiator over flow tank.




With the tank back in place we finally get a look at a nearly finished nose. It seemed very dark up there, especially since we had decided to black out aluminum vent slot covers.


We removed them and the black paint. After they were reinstalled we were very happy with the end result.


Dad and I were talking about loading up and heading to the Meltdowns Drags as a spectator when I got a text from an old schoolmate. He asked if we were coming to the Purdy Town Festival. That is our small hometown in Southwest Missouri. They always have a small car show and usually Dad and I are there. To be honest, the older I get the worse of a spectator I become...so we said yes. The car was a huge hit. Then after the show, as the cars are slowly filing out, a crowd is gathering around the little Austin. Everyone wants to hear and see it run. I slip into the car and fire it up. I idle it out through the crowd and onto the east bound two lane blacktop that cuts the town in half. You know where this is headed right? The road was blocked off for the festival and completely empty. Just after making the turn and lining the car up straight, I ran it up to about 3 grand and launched it! I hear it was quite a show and got huge around of applause and yells etc. But I didn't see or hear any of it. I was too busy trying to drive the car and catch the dash that flew out at the same time!...

 

Check out the door panels. On Dad's original RPU that he totaled I had created him door panels with vintage Hot Rod Magazine covers printed on Aluminum. It was a very popular attribute to the car. As we were working on the 3 window coupe I made him another set using many of the original art pieces from the RPU...(by the way that is what I do for a living, large format printing).



I wanted to do something similar for the Austin but didn't want simply duplicate the Deuce Coupe doors. I started looking for Gasser photos to put together a montage etc. But then I happened to discover some covers for Pete Miller's DRAG Cartoon magazine. I couldn't help myself!

 

Making plans today to run for the Yahoo Cup at the HAMB Drags next month. We only live about 75 miles from the track so we are planning a route to put a couple hundred miles between us and the drags. Thinking about leaving early Friday morning towards Lebanon, MO on I-44. Then spin around somewhere up that way and head back to the swap meet in Springfield. Then on to Joplin and the Hotel Parking Lot for the Friday night festivities.

Looks like Republic, MO to Marshfield, MO then back to Joplin, MO all on I-44 is 155 miles for Friday. Then Saturday morning we will head back East up I-44 to I-49. Then North to Highway 96 which is a straight shot across to 171 then north to the track. Race day that will eliminate a lot of stop and go stuff through Joplin and ad about 35 miles to the overall trip. By the time we get off and get fuel and visit the swap meet etc. we will have well over 200 miles on the clock.

 

So we put the final "GO RACE" necessity on last night (overflow line). As I mention before, our "Gasser style" fuel tank up front is actually acting as our radiator over flow can. We also did a quick nut and bolt check across the board to make sure everything is tight and ready (Which includes installing several screws in the dash)!


Read 'em and weep boys. Topped off the tank with "Racing Fuel" this morning. I put in 6 and half gallons and dropped a $10 bill. You gotta love E-85!


Loaded and ready for test and tune sessions tonight at the strip. Nothing too crazy this evening. Just a few launches to see what direction she points after launch. Maybe an 1/8 mile pass if everything feels good. Then we are headed to our normal Friday night McDonald's Cruise-in!

 

Good luck and stay safe.

 

I said the same thing in the digger I'm just gonna make a nice easy pass to feel it out yeah right I did take off nice and easy but after I was in the throttle I just let her rip of course the thing went straight as an arrow so all was well Keep us informed on how things go


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Woot Woot!! Shiny side up bro!!!

 

YEAH RIGHT! It hooks good you're go'in. I know I would. Hope you're drive'n it to the cruise.

 

Well?!?! Do tell!!!

 

Well if you label making several passes and leaving the strip with a car completely intact a success then we had an excellent night. But if however, in the back of your mind you were contemplating a wheels up launch then it was a bit of a let down (no pun intended). We did take it very slow and safe as planned. The first run I rolled through the water box, hit the line lock and there was nothing there. I just rolled the front wheels, zero burnout but still ended up blowing past the stupid start line. But there were several cars behind me so I decided not to back all the way up and try again besides I had promised myself this run was just a leisurely half track drive. So I did not launch it at all, just ran through third gear and it laid down a "blistering 8 second 1/8 mile pass"!


But it felt really good so I hot lapped it back through the staging lanes, through the water box and again, NOTHING! So I figure I am already up there so let's see if it will launch at all. I only ran it up to about 2 grand but just ripped the tires of it. I peddled it and went ahead and grabbed a couple of gears again and poof half track was gone...


But hey it looked cool!


So here is what we learned:
1. You really have to pump the brakes up hard for the line lock to work. Which it finally did after quite a bit of head scratching and checking every other possible mechanical issue with it etc.
2. Tires. It basically has a brand new pair of Hoosiers out back but they are officially two years old. It takes a while to get them scuffed and heated up (especially when you are dealing with category number one above).
3. We are down on fuel under load at the upper end of the RPMs (got to get it on the Dyno)
4. Simpson belts are more comfortable when you wear them. Probably shouldn't tell this but on the first pass after a mad scramble to get to the staging lanes etc. We made the leisurely pass as planned. As I am rolling back through the pits to hot lap it, I am acutely aware that my seat is not comfortable, I am sitting on something. There must have been a tool or something in the seat and I didn't see it. I stop in the lanes, reach under to pull what ever it is out and to my dismay, it is the quick release latch from my Simpson Belts. I am sitting on all of them!
5. The shady part of the pits at 5:30 p.m. becomes a pitch black hole in the Universe by 9:30 p.m.
6. If there happens to be a socket missing from the set you brought to the track, that is the only tool you will need all night long!
7. It is hard to cool a super charged engine down between rounds when the ambient temperature is 105 degrees.
8. The little car feels really nice. I know we only ran a 100 mph or so but it felt very comfortable down track. I didn't even need to touch the wheel. It didn't drift or anything. In fact, on one of the passes that I ran a 1000 foot I loosened my grip on the wheel after the 1/8th mile mark and it went straight as a string on it own.
9. Good brakes. Even though I am not running a booster, there was plenty of pedal. It stopped very well.
10. Cutting out the back of the headlight buckets was a bad idea. If you remember way back, I chopped the cone shape of the headlight buckets to clear the sides of the radiator. We are about to roll through the water box after dark and after quite a bit of pointing and some quick hand charades, Dad reaches in and pulls the headlight switch (which I couldn't reach). It was like we had powerful up lighting under there shooting up on the engine. Probably looked cool to the fans but it was blinding from the cockpit! The next round we ran parking lights only!
11. AND speaking of blinding...thanks to our 4" chopped top, extended rear seating position and the big ass supercharger up front you can't see "jack" out the windshield. No issue on the track at all but MAN coming back through the pits I was scared to death I was going to run over "jack..........or jill or their three kids"!
12. The straight gate shifter is killer on the strip (even though I never got out of third gear all night) but kind of a pain going from Reverse back to first etc. etc. etc. But I will get used to it.
13. Gauges work in the dark whether your can see them or not. OR at least I think they do. Sort of like pondering refrigerator lighting or if a trees falls in the forest and no one is there....etc. Apparently I have a ground wire not hooked up so no dash lights for the couple of "in the dark passes."
14. People really like the little car...the most guessed make: Jaguar.
15. Tech guy did not like my parachute mounting point. In his opinion having it simply looped around the trunk lid handle (which we did to keep it from dragging on the ground) was not sufficient.
16. Popping the steering wheel on in the dark can lead to the line lock button magically moving to the other side.

But we had a blast. We will try it all again next Friday!

 

Verti-gate shifters do take some getting used to. Ran one in my '62 Cat, in 81 0r 82. Made a 13.8 pass, missing 1,2 shift on 7 cylinders. Went first to third. But 436 of Pont. took over on the big end. After I learned how to shift the verti-gate, it was all over.

 

That's awesome man! Yes, ANY time that the car goes home under its own power is a GOOD race day!! What do you mean when you say it had nothing for the burnout? Good descriptions too! LoL!

 

Great car, I have read about your whole post. years ago I had trouble with my line lock, then someone told me it is a one way valve as long as you hold the button you can pump it many times to build it up. One guy I knew used a toggle switch to make sure he did not slip off the switch, Good luck.

 

What shifter did you have
I think the Mr Gasket is a better one than the Hurst.

Randy looks like you are getting there.
I'll be watching for the real test at the HAMB Drags.

 

It does have a Jag looking grill.

 

Kool vids. BUT you didn't hammer it.

 

If you were lazy shifting the Hurst it would skip a shift the Mr Gasket would not.

 

Yep! Our problems with the line lock were all driver error and getting used to the whole process. Round one, knowing exactly how it worked, I still pulled a Dr. Remulak's friend moment (hit the button and released it). Second round knowing what I did wrong, I rolled through the water box, held the button, dropped the clutch and same result (some tire spin but no real heat etc and we ran out of starting area room right quick again).

So we are watching the video in the pits of round 2 and I notice no brake lights came on. Like a total idiot, I rolled up, hit the button and held it but did not have the brakes applied. (There are too many dog gone pedals in this car) LOL! Round three I am ready. I roll up, apply the brakes, push the button, pop the clutch and it rolls the front wheels. Not quite as fast as the first two rounds but basically the same result according to our video.

At that point I check the brake fluid levels, all good. I am thinking maybe we need to bleed the front brakes again, I even second guessed myself after Dad says, "We do have the correct brake line running through it right?" Even though I knew for sure, I still looked to make sure we were not trying to lock the rear wheels...LOL! (Which if you have been following this thread for very long, you know that is totally possible). But alas, no, it is installed correctly. So round four is just a second real test to see if the last try was a fluke. It was not. So four rounds, no real burnout. And four Sunday drives off the line and to half track, like this one in the dark.



Finally I am talking to a friend and fellow racer at his trailer. He told me the same thing as Dr. Remulak learned. That I should try holding the button and pumping it up once or twice. See what I get from not reading the instructions? So we finally get it to hold the next round and made some progress in the tire heat area as on the way back to the pits I can hear them picking up gravel for the first time etc. But before we could make another pass, an oil down announcement and ensuing clean up seemed to be our cue to pack it up.

 

What gear you doing your burnout in?
You may try starting in second it may get up on the tires quicker.

 

I was in first on the burn outs. ....and if the last attempt was any indication I think we are in good shape on that front. She sat right there in the water box and didn't move an inch until I let off the button. We are looking forward to Friday as I think we will pop the clutch in first to get them turning and shift to second to pickup more wheel speed. I think getting a good bite with the tires is the biggest part. I tried to launch it pretty hard a couple of times with out heat in them. It went into crazy tire spin, and some wild wheel hop and then fell on its nose. I didn't get to read the plugs last night after the runs but it felt a bit lean from the seat of my pants. That is why the Sunday drive half throttle mode. We will try to get with it a bit more Friday night.

 

3RD gear in the water is best. Rev's come up real fast.

 

Just a few cool shots from the strip.