Register now to get rid of these ads!

Event Coverage Your First Dragstrip Pass

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by J.Ukrop, Oct 11, 2013.

  1. That fucking thing's bad ass!:D. Front wheels look like old Rockets. Modern looking rear tires suggest the car's still around?
     
  2. 1962 Cobble Hill strip, north of Victoria, B.C. I was driving my '40 Ford Tudor with '48 Merc flat-head, full race cam, Hi compression heads and triple 2 barrels. 3 speed trans with custom shifter. The authority of the time wouldn't let me do a timed run because I didn't have a scatter shield over the bell house. After all the other runs I got in a run unofficially. Looked like 90 on the speedo and who knows how long it took but it sure felt good. Never got another chance to do that again.
     

  3. Well said....that picture is amazing..
     
  4. Back in the late 70's in my OL 55 with a 327 and a Muncie 4 speed. Some friends used to work at York US 30 in PA. and I took the OL 55 up there and made a bunch of passes to test the lights. I wasn't getting any traction with my M&H street n strip tires so I kept letting air out and heated them up good. Result. broken axle. I knew better than to abuse those stock axles but that gave me the excuse I needed to upgrade to a 57 Pontiac rear. I had to put the car in an unused airplane hanger for the night and go home to Baltimore to get my brothers truck so I could tow it home the next day. It was a fun day in spite of fuel delivery problems and the broken axle.


    [​IMG]
     
  5. That's one bad lookin 55! I'm thinking about giving mine the same look but leaning towards red oxide primer.


    Dustin
     
  6. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    The FIRST time down Memory Lane for me was at Fremont drags, 1958.
    My Mom had bought a second hand, lo-mileage black '56 T-Bird, 312 three speed...she loved it. I could powershift that 'Bird like fifthing the key on my Alto sax...Pure music!

    But when I sneaked to the new Drags, and did it at Fremont, (in front of what seemed like thousands, LOL) grabbed second and the BANG! that happened nearly got me airborn...opened up the T-86 case and unloaded the cluster and pieces of the main drive...

    Got flat towed home, ultimate humiliation on a chain: behind my buddy Larry's black '57 Chevy! Boy, my Mom was hostile...

    Fun, fun, fun...'til my Momma took the T-Bird awaaay...
     
  7. Thanks. The paint job was so shitty back then that it looked like shiny primer. It's black primer now.
     
  8. Leadsled51
    Joined: Dec 21, 2001
    Posts: 333

    Leadsled51
    Member

    I was a late bloomer also, to the drag racing scene! My first time was in my 1950 Chevy with a near stock 283 and awesome highway gears (like 2.73 or something!) This was at the first Rock and Race at Dragway 42. I remember being so scared of doing something stupid and looking like a fool in front of all the people watching. I think I ran a blistering 17 seconds at like 78 mph. I don't know about you guys, but I thought for sure when I went through the timing lights I had to be doing 110. The timing slip said otherwise!
     
  9. Seat of the pants is almost always faster then the timming clock. ;)
     
  10. R Frederick
    Joined: Mar 30, 2009
    Posts: 2,658

    R Frederick
    Member
    from illinois

    Took the roadster down the 1/4 mile last year, ran a 14.0 with a little 305 in it. I have a 350 in the garage that will be in it next year.:)
    [​IMG]
     
  11. rfraze
    Joined: May 23, 2012
    Posts: 2,008

    rfraze
    Member

    88.88 or 55.55! Circle Dragstrip, Dallas, Texas around 1963 or 4.

    My first car was a '48 Ford Super Deluxe coupe that I bought for $75 hard earned dollars. I got it running and drove it WITH a cracked block. How did I know it had a cracked block? Water would shoot out of the scavengers when I fired it up.
    You could hear cars running at the Circle, if the wind was right, and we had been out to watch once, so I was ready to give the old girl a run. I had given her many a run before, once with a car full of friends, winding out second, downhill, when a little curl of smoke started coming out of the top of the shifter. Now we were AT THE TRACK and ready. It was a regular Friday night event, but there were some pretty BAD cars there like "Snuffbox" and a few others. The staging area wasn't too busy, so I rolled onto the track and layed into the burnout. The old flathead revved way up and spun (one tire) for a long time, because of all the dirt on the asphalt. My car had never spun like that before and I was loving it. So, I pull up to the line, get the flag, drop the clutch, spin the tire again to the rev limit, grab second, and prepare to be thrilled. About halfway thru second, it falls on it's face, trying to die. Pumping the throttle did no good, because it was vapor-locking. It did pick back up, but happened again at the top of second, so I shifted to high and got it running enough to drive across the finish line under power.
    I am not sure why, but at this track, sometime the announcer would say the actual speed the car ran, but MORE OFTEN, you would hear faster cars run 88.88 and slower cars 55.55. Guess what the old girl ran on our first pass.
     
  12. Gman0046
    Joined: Jul 24, 2005
    Posts: 6,256

    Gman0046
    Member

    I was 17 or 18 with a 56 Chevy Belair 2 door post car, 283, three on the column, 30/30 cam, solid lifters, three Rochester 2 barrels, dump tubes and running D/G at the Westhampton, NY drag strip. No Xmas tree just a flag man. When the flag dropped that 56 did the worst wheel hop you could imagine. The other car was disappearing as the wheel hop subsided. Surprised I didn't break any thing. Still thought I was bad ass with numbers on the windshield along with D/G. Saved up enough money and bought a set of traction bars which helped considerably. The car was a great street racer but not enough to compete in D/G. Its still a rush going through the traps at 1320 feet.
     
  13. 57JoeFoMoPar
    Joined: Sep 14, 2004
    Posts: 6,138

    57JoeFoMoPar
    Member

    2004, 15.3 @ 90 mph. With my '57 Ford, which had a fresh-at-the-time 383 Chrysler and Torqueflight. Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, MD. Lots of good times at that track.
     
  14. goodturn
    Joined: Sep 3, 2010
    Posts: 92

    goodturn
    Member

    August 1983 in my 425 Olds powered 49 Ford Panel. I ran 15:31 and ended up winning runner up to a Chevy powered 32 Ford coach. I still have the Panel, as well as the trophy and time hand written time slips from St. Thomas Dragway in Sparta Ontario, Canada. You just don't get rid of things that provide memories like that.
     
  15. Wedgehead426
    Joined: Sep 20, 2013
    Posts: 114

    Wedgehead426
    Member

    Still remember it like yesterday, 70 Mustang Mach 1, Bone stock 351 Cleveland 4V, 4 speed. With a set of Headman headers, and nothing else. The pass was 14.20 @92mph. RT was a 600, left on the last yellow (I still have the time slip). It was a good pass for the first time. It was at Orlando Speed World, which we just called "Bithlo" at the time. After the pass I got right back in line, and decided to take a few pounds of air out of the back tires, and try it again. I really felt the car would go 13's. I was on top of the world. Anyway while trying to stage the car my foot slipped of the clutch and the car jumped forward and stalled. I tried to re-fire the motor, and it back fired though the carb. I couldn't get it fired up, so my friends came out and we pushed it up against the fence and out of the way. Then we noticed smoke coming from under the hood. We popped the hood and my POS Autolite 4 barrel carb was fully engulfed in flames. And we couldn't get the fire out. there was about 100 people standing on the other side of the fence watching 3 clowns trying to put out the fire when my friend grabbed a soda from some guy, and dumped it on to the carb. Fire was out, everyone was laughing and it was embarrassing as hell. That is where I learned my most important lesson in life. Glory is short lived, very short lived.
     
  16. goodturn
    Joined: Sep 3, 2010
    Posts: 92

    goodturn
    Member

    :DJust dug these out. 1983 at St. Thomas Dragway, Sparta Ontario. The shorts and most of the hair is gone, but I still have the Panel, and the beard.
     

    Attached Files:

  17. chryco
    Joined: Dec 31, 2007
    Posts: 213

    chryco
    Member
    from Winnipeg

    I actually sneaked onto the track one evening with my Aspen R/T 360 . I made two passes , and before I was asked to leave I noticed the car was going 100 mph . at the finish line . WOO HOO ! HOOKED !!!! Things have gone down hill since then..................................
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    P.S. I know the car isn`t HAMB friendly , but I thought the story was ..............
     
  18. broderchamp
    Joined: Aug 22, 2011
    Posts: 62

    broderchamp
    Member

    My first pass was at a drag strip in Shelton, Wash in 1958 in my dad and moms brand new 57 Chev hardtop with a power pack 283. I took off the hubcaps and removed the aircleaner for more horse power. It had a Powerglide transmission. Of course my folks didn't know anything about the racing. The PG went bad and my dad said they sure don't make them the way they use to. Later in life my dad asked me if I had raced the car. When my dad had a heart attack and was just about to pass away the nurse pulled the plug on him so I figured if anything would bring my dad out of the state he was in I would tell him I raced the car. It didn't work. At least I told him. What a great car.
     
  19. STRAXLE
    Joined: May 9, 2008
    Posts: 253

    STRAXLE
    Member

    My first pass down the drag strip was in Carlsbad CA Antique Drags early 90's in my 55 Pontiac Chiefton Gasser Wagon. My $300.00 score. When I bought it is was not running. The family I bought in from in Norwalk CA. used to race it in the 70's at Orange County raceway. It had a warmed over 389 with a truck box 4 speed Hydro that the previous owner built himself. That tranny shifted hard. Its first time to the track was disappointing only ran in the 15's. Could not get the tranny mechanical line pressure linkage sorted out. Came home and gutted it somemore, changed the cam, a little head work, put dual quads, and a 57 Pontiac rear end. Still only had 3:23 gears. Put a adjustable line pressure cable and some other little tricks. next time out it ran 13.70 keeping car in 3rd gear ringing its neck. pretty happy with that. Drove 90miles home and the put 4:56 gears and blew engine up. That was all she wrote sold it to a friend and have no idea where it ended up? I THINK IT GOT JUNKED?
     

    Attached Files:

  20. Rick Sis
    Joined: Nov 2, 2007
    Posts: 710

    Rick Sis
    Member
    from Tulsa OK

    I was 16, driving my '62 Impala SS. After putting on some cheater slicks, the clutch on the heavy old car immediately started slipping badly on the burnout, and I just limped through. I was one bummed and embarrassed kid.
     
  21. mediumriser
    Joined: Jul 28, 2008
    Posts: 342

    mediumriser
    Member
    from Ohio

    Car is still raced every other weekend in a Manual Trans. Class. Same basic setup but with flat tops runs very consistant 11.65-11.70 every pass. And yes they ate old Rockets he bought in the 70's
     
  22. Nick32vic
    Joined: Jul 17, 2003
    Posts: 3,050

    Nick32vic
    Member

    The first time I made my first pass down the dragstrip was August 27th, 2005 at 6:05 PM (according to the timing slip). I was 34 days into my 18th year and my '32 Ford Victoria had been on the road for a mere 34 days. It was strange how that worked out. I drove my car for the very first time on my 18th birthday, after years of building it with my dad.

    We worked a few of the bugs out and then trailered it to the Frog Follies in Evansville, IN on that Thursday. Then, we loaded it up and drove to Joplin on Friday night. Chris (Sodbuster) was one of the last ones left at the hotel on Saturday when we were getting ready to leave for Mo-Kan. I had never met him before and had no idea who he was but he was so nice and let my dad and I follow him to the strip since we didn't have a clue how to get there. He was nice enough to let me buddy up with him and park by him in the pit area. I asked him, and everyone else I knew there, a million questions about what to do and how to do it when drag racing. I had no idea what to do. Finally someone was sick of me asking questions, I think it might have been Chris, he told me in the nicest way possible to just make a pass and it'll all make sense.

    Make a pass I did. A slow, missed shift, terrible, terrible pass. I got lined up with Don (AndysDeuce). I thought that was pretty awesome, 2 - 32 Fords makin' a pass against each other down the strip. He beat me as if I were Johnny Knoxville in "The Ringer" and he was Usain Bolt. I've attached some pictures. Unfortunately (and I feel really bad about this) I didn't make a note of who took the picture of us lining up. The picture of just me & my car was taken by Jim Marlett. There's also a pic of the time slip (I was the left lane) and my super embarrassing E.T. In all fairness, I had an overdrive transmission from an 80 something ford truck and 2.73 single-trac gears.
     

    Attached Files:

  23. Cliff Ramsdell
    Joined: Dec 27, 2004
    Posts: 1,343

    Cliff Ramsdell
    Member

    My first pass, 1979, Lebanon valley dragway in my 1968 Firebird, an original 400/4 speed car with a set of 4:33 gears in it and an old pair of cheater slicks. 13.80, missed 3rd gear, no MPH and I still have the time slip somewhere here.

    Cliff Ramsdell
     
  24. das858
    Joined: Jul 28, 2010
    Posts: 1,014

    das858
    Member

    My first pass was in September of 1977 in a 1970 Plymoth GTX , 440 6 pak , 4 speed with 5:13 gears and on 7 inch slicks, was like driving on ice.
     
  25. wicarnut
    Joined: Oct 29, 2009
    Posts: 9,052

    wicarnut
    Member

    Union Grove Wi. summer of 64. Took my street race car, 57 Chev, had swapped in a junkyard 348 Tri-Carb engine, 3 speed, 4:11 and got a lesson on what was Fast. I was put in a Gas class, 'D' I think. Got to make some practice passes, then eliminations started and I was blown off in the first round, Big time. Never went back, realized that I could not compete with adults that had knowledge and a few more $$$ to spend and went back to street racing with some success, tons of fun and fortunately, survived it. John
     
  26. hemi
    Joined: Jul 11, 2001
    Posts: 1,959

    hemi
    Member

    First time I went down a drag strip I rode passenger in an exhibition run, driven by a chick... Kinda funny.

    Second time I got to make two passes in a '63 Nova I painted for a buddy. Line Lock, trans brake, went 10.91 @121mph... All I remember thinking before I even went through the traps was "I want to go faster.."

    If I had a pile of cash, I'd be broke.
     
  27. speedwise
    Joined: Aug 2, 2009
    Posts: 210

    speedwise
    Member

    My first trip down a "drag strip" was a unique one. My junior year of high school (1976) I had a '69 Camaro. My buddies and I drove about 35 miles from our home town to Knob Noster, MO, the home of Whiteman AFB. The races were ran on one of the runways of the military facility. I think it was sanctioned but I can't remember by whom. There was a tree, timers, etc. I was bone stock with a 327 and I staged up against a nasty '55. I couldn't even hear my car and at the green he left me in the dust, but I had a ball. It's hard to believe I ran down the same concrete that the B-2 Bomber flies off of.
     
  28. U.S. 30 dragstrip Hobart, Indiana 1972 - in a 66 plymouth sport satellite 383 - 4 speed. got into the 14's - i was stoked.
     
  29. 4 pedals
    Joined: Oct 8, 2009
    Posts: 958

    4 pedals
    Member
    from Nor Cal

    Was about 1991, I was 17 with a fresh 'hot' 350 in my 64 Camino with an M21 and 4.10 posi rear. Ran 15.80 if I remember right. Wasn't supposed to be there:eek: Got in lots of trouble later when my dad developed the pictures!

    Took my 14 year old son for a 10 second pass in the same car a few months ago. He's hooked too!

    Devin
     
  30. First pass was in 1962 at Island Dragway, Great Meadows, NJ in this '62 Chevy SS, 327/300hp, 3- speed, before it was turned into a track car as pictured here in 1966-67. Went low 15s. It was fun and nerve-racking at the same time..........
     

    Attached Files:

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.