Projects DRAG SNAKE "Vintage Terror!"

That joke, was wrong ( not good that is) .


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Your dash looks great. I hope your arms are long enough to reach those switches with your belts pulled tight.

 

With the limited space inside a Cobra that normally is not a problem

Roo

 

Nope tested it out before we started. I can reach easily. Learned my lesson with the Austin. I had all my switches on the top cage bars right between the seat. I loved it. The only switch that was not up there was the headlight. The first night at a drag strip I am strapped in and rolling through the water box. After the burnout the flag man pointed to my headlights! OOOPS. LOL...I could not get with in 12 inches of them!

 

Man these turbo style exhaust clamps look to be the cat's meow! They just came in today.

You take the flanges that fit right over the two pipes you are connecting, weld them in place and the allow the clamp to do the dirty work. No gaskets, no donuts, no three bolt header flange....clean.


I tested one of them on my 3" stick and it fit like a glove. I can not wait for the weekend as we are going start fabricating the exhaust.


The header wrap rolled in today as well.

 

"rolled in today"
I see what you did there...

 

Have this in your research yet?

October 1964 photo of Shelby American's second Factory Team Dragonsnake (CSX2357) with Lew Spencer himself (at left) along with Eric Dahlquist of HOT ROD magazine.

 

Yes that is the number 2 factory car after Shelby officially gave up drag racing.

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Today was a good day. I worked harder and longer today than I have in a long time. I am typing at 2 a.m. because I am so freaking sore that I am having trouble sleeping. Hard to believe but it is a good feeling especially when the day was productive.


We started this morning with that box of parts I laid out earlier. I began with a carpenter's level clamped to the front of the header collector and sitting on the floor so I can determine approximately where the exhaust will end up as it exits under the body. With all the parts that will make up the outside runner I decided how long the 3" pipe needed to be (16 inches).


With the square still in place I took one of the elbows and held it where I wanted it to exit under the body. I gave it about .75" clearance between the body and the top of the elbow as it came out from under. Then I marked the square at the elbow and the current end of the collector. I cut a 3" piece that length, removed the header and tacked it in place. I put it back on to double check the fit. Then off it came again and I welded it solid including one side of the turbo clamp flange. While I was at it, I welded the other flange to an adjoining elbow.


It fit perfectly. We did have to cut a 3" ish half circle out of the body where it turns under. But that had been expected. The clamps are absolutely killer because they allow you to hold the next piece in place while measuring for additions to it etc.


With the first elbow clamped in place, I took the second one and welded it to the 16 inch long runner. When it was complete I simply held it in place making sure it was level with the world. While I held it, Dad made a couple of witness marks where the two elbow met. Then we unclamped the first elbow, matched up the marks and welded it all solid.


Then we clamped it all back in place to make decisions on the rest of it. Just as in the original DragonSnake race cars we are going to "T" off the header and run back under the car, through a muffler and back out just in front of the rear wheels. I mentioned it way back somewhere in this thread but that all came about due to the gray area in the NHRA Rules for the Sportscar Class. It basically said the cars had to have original style exhaust and mufflers on them. It did not say they had to used, just connected....LMAO! So they were.


I took the 4" long collectors which came with a three bolt header style flange. We bird mouthed a 6" piece of 2.5" exhaust tubing, placed it on the collector, marked it, cut the hole out and welded it all together, including tacking the flange in place. NOTE: we simply ground the welds down fairly smooth. We are not worried about the finish as we are wrapping everything you see here with the Titanium header wrap etc.


Following the same procedure I held the finshed collector and cut out pipe to the 3" runner, marked it and then welded it all in place. Notice there is another turbo clamp style flange on the cut out. That basically makes the entire exhaust system a three piece unit.


How about that little Cherry Bomb?! Jackson said it will not quite the car down much. I said I hope the hell it doesn't! LOL


We popped it all in place and I was very happy with the look. The only issue at this point is there is another side to do and it is going to be a pain in the backside if I want them to match. Of course I could have simply duplicated the above steps but because of the offset of the heads the exit point from under the car will be several inches further back on the car on the passenger side.

Now that is simply how a motor works so no one (at least not guys that understand cars) would say a word about it. So just cut the runner shorter and they will both end in the same area side to side etc. But I simply could not let it go. The collector on that side simply needed to jog back forward a bit and then exit the car. But it is a 3" pipe and even using the incredibly tight elbows I have, making the jog with them was too much. It would basically end 1.5" to far forward. So I took the elbows and cut .75" out of both of them. It had to be both of them as making these cuts into the elbow's turn caused the openings to elongate. As long as they were both cut the same, they would go back together.




And believe it not, after the welding dust cleared and the header was back on, it all came out nearly perfect. I was shocked but the crazy thing is dead nuts.


So enough typing. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.






The only thing that is still missing is the turn downs. I have a set of stainless steel turn downs that will bolt to header flange and direct the exhaust away from the car. It will also ad about 4 inches or so to the side runners etc.

 

DANG! That thing sure looks TOUGH!

 

Good Job ! Hopefully you're not too tired and sore to weigh it today !

 

Nope just haging in the shop this morning waiting for the rain to stop. Also noticing we are going to have to trim a tree to get the trailer out of the driveway cleanly. Lol

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

And....the survey says.....?



Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Bam!



Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Congrats: Alchemy - 2301

 

And I almost guessed the original Stude V8 displacement! I'd have won outright, dammit!

 

At 2320 and you this thing is going to FLY!!!!

 

I hope so. I am pretty excited about the weight. I was worried we were going to be heavy... And I had it loaded down with any uninstalled parts I could grab off the shelves: battery, seat belts, radiator fan, wiring harness, rear bumpperetts, etc.

2320 is pretty darn close to the originals but as you know I have a very heavy chassis, full roll cage, the roof, a very heavy 9" with Detroit locker. To be that close to the original weight with 300 extra ponies and a 6 speed makes me smile....hard! Lol



Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Damnit!! So close! Should be a handful in a fun way!


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Exactly what I said............more than a bread box.

 

Yeah, but that’s because it’s bigger than a bread box.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

And we expect it to toast the competition!

 

We visited the Shelby Museum in Boulder, Colorado today. They had this Dragon Snake on display.
This museum has all original Shelby cars and memorabilia. It's well worth going to.

 

Woo hoo, I win! I'd like a Drag Snake shirt, size XL. I'll pick it up at the HAMB Drags. Thanks!

 

See you then!

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Yep @Wayne67vert that is the original. I have heard about that place...really need to get there. Thanks for sharing. A cool fact about that car is it is all original EXEPT for the roof. When it went to auction, from I believe the second owner, a ton of years ago it had all its original parts right down to the wire wheeled spare tire. However the roof was reported being worn by Larson's Dragonsnake (you know...the pink one). Alright sorry....Fusia! Lol. I am not sure which one has the original roof. It was an extremely historic piece on both cars.

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Holy mackerel what have I gotten myself into today?



I spent last night unpacking and matching up the FAST system with all its sensors. I haven't even begun to unravel the main wiring harness (and I won't as it is smartly designed to unravel one section at a time).

But I have inventoried it all and I think all that is missing is the self canceling signal switch and module.



What do you think James? You are the expert. Is it too late to just wire up the igniton, lights and run very HAMB friendly points and condenser?! LMAO




Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Looks like you when to the dark side.

 

Yep...and the real fun is going to be hiding all this stuff on the car

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Went to...? I don't think I ever left! Lol

Sent from my SM-G970U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app