You were running high 13's low 14's? That's still faster then alot of the import crap running around out there. If the car is as sentimental as it seems, I'd do one of two things. Build a newer more powerful one, but pull the current one and put it in a corner in case you want to revert back. OR Build a completely different car and keep this one the way it is, then have no regrets about altering it. Either way... It's a nice ride...
touché... And whats really bad is; its only about a 2 1/2 hour drive for me... I'll get down there one of these days. After a couple of these teenage daughters get a job and start paying for their own stuff. And now they want to go to College. I told them they had better join the Marine Corp.... And from what I heard, at least one of those problems you mentioned was self induced. Try latching the Trailer-hitch before you load the car next time, its a real tailgate saver...
I understand your point as I'm sure Buzzard does. In my defense though, I don't think my "cheating" is really as obvious as you would suggest. Aftermarket block: Strong bottom end w/ improved cooling & oiling. Not much advantage here as it weighs an extra 30 lbs! Supercharger: Running racecar parts on a GENUINE street car & making it live aint cheating. Aftermarket Aluminum heads: Painted to hide their true identity. Yeah, thats "cheating" cause I don't guess they had such technology back in the day. Modern ignition system: Yeah, "cheating" again but I believe that if such a system( or aluminum heads for that matter) were availible back then, who in their right mind would'nt run em if they could afford em. As for the rest of the car: Where so many guy's run an adjustable 4 link, coil overs, & modern drag slicks, I'm running Ladderbars, Buggy springs, & ancient tire technology. Once again...no advantage here. And so many guys w/ fast cars run an automatic. My stick is a pretty old design...Doug Nash. To me....a Hotrod is a balance of performance & style. Too much of one or the other is o.k. by me too, but in my opinion, the quest for speed/can easily wind up costing me the look I'm after. Again, I think I know what you mean. After all, we really are comparing apples to bowling balls because there are a few different approaches. For most of us though, it's monkey see monkey do & I'm no exception. I just wanna go fast & look good doing it
2.5 HOURS AWAY AND YOU CANT COME SAY HI?!?!?!?!??!?!?!? Thats how long my rain forced nap at St Joe lasted..............14 hours one way baby! Just ribbing but I do find a joke that you didnt show.
Stewed...Your HenryJ looks good & sounds good. Plus, you beat the shit outta it & have fun doing it. A fine combination.
I can make up lots of excuses, but the real one is the two ruptered disc's in my back. An hour is about all I can stand in my F100, and a 2 1/2 hour drive in anything is still pretty uncomfortable. If everything goes right, I plan on trailering my old truck down there next summer. I'd like to meet some of you guys and gals in person, and I'd like to see what my old truck actually runs in the quarter. No faster than Timmy is running, I might be within a car length or two of him...
I LOVE to watch Dave's 31 coupe screaming dowm the strip from behind. When he grabs a gear, the engine torque makes the ENTIRE CAR lean to the right....alot! It's crazy!
I must start off to say I love your J. Sweet ride. I guess I cheated to by using new tech radial slicks and an electronic ignition to run my 12.10. On the other hand there is nothing high tech about the rest of the car. With points and street tires, and 97's (before the blower) I ran 13.40's. I built it and kept tweeking to go fast, and to drive on the street. Like DW mentioned it's a balancing act. Making her look old school was important to me too but I've taken crap for my disc brakes and tilt wheel. Is it exactly like back in the day? Heck no, but for me a hot rod is to drive and race. That's how I built her and what she does. BTW, stick a manual gear box back in the J. It's a lot of fun rowing them. I did drop .2 of a second on one of my passes on a bad 1-2 shift. That's traditional!
I feel like I started this shit with my "non-trad" times remark..............fuck guys, we all had fun. The eliminations are and always have been a moot point anyway. It is the few breif hours leading up full of open runs that we all come for! I will throw out a new argument, lets take the cars that have $$ in their mills and compare em to an old big cube mill in a light car. Not picking on DW, Kerry or Flamedabone but what would the same car do with a vintage Olds or hemi with 1962 parts on Alky or nitro run? Look to the past for your answers..................
Traditional,,, non,,,, fuck it ,,,,, loved driving the old bird and I even got to watch someone other than me or my old man make a run. My cousin Robert "mcchevy" made his first pass ever down the drag strip ever, and it could have been a 35 second pass and the look on his face and the shake in his hand would have been just as sweet!!!!!!!! He loved it and so did I!!!
Timmy, I had a Henry J Project in HS so your dads car was always Hallowed ground for me. What you did made my day. Thanks for hanging out with us Vagabonds and bringing the car.
i'll second that... thanks for hangin' with us, and for being a GREAT sport... was an honor to get my ass handed to me by THAT car hot rod history made fresh last weekend... no BS.
I would not trade the experience for the other Henry-J, you know , the oarnge one!! This yellow car will be in attendance 2008 MOKAN!!!! Hey Ryan where is the 08 registration?? BobK put me down for two rooms, Plowboy will need one Thursday night and I think my snoring kept him awake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I may not even take the damn thing off the trailer!!!!!!!
That`s what I did!!! Had too much fun! In The HAMBCHARGERS 2, `64 Dodge... I put a bone stock Motor home 413 with later 440 heads, used swap meet intake and 750 Holley. added late electronic dist.. My goal was to get it in the 16s... guess what ! all 4 passes were in the 16s! I never beat anybody; even got beat by that neat flamed Cadillac!!! Still had a blast!!! Tom T.
D.W. To me....a Hotrod is a balance of performance & style. Too much of one or the other is o.k. by me too, but in my opinion, the quest for speed/can easily wind up costing me the look I'm after. Well put, I don't think it has been put in better words!! I loved to watch your sweet ride making pass's. I am far from a traditionalist, and as I said if it were not for the history of the old car I would be pulling shit out of the old car as we speak. It just caught me funny I was trying to figure out what to do to go faster and then the T.V. show about the drag's in the 60's came on to give me a era check and now the high 13's didn,t seem all that bad.. Plus as I said, one of the best things about this weekend was at the end of the day my shit pulled it's own ass onto the trailer without a come-along!!!!!!!!!!!
And remember, there really arent that many 13 second street cars out there regardless what the mouth breathers may say.
All you guys should know that running a fast car is more than stuffing a big motor in a car with big tires and expecting fast times. You have to look a certain facts. 1) What were your 60 ft times, half track, top speed at the end of the 1/4? 2) What were your RPM's at the end of the track? 3) What RPM did you launch at? What was the weather like, this will affect how the car runs, lean or rich etc. All you guys have been doing this stuff for along time. If you wanna' drag race then drag race, if you want a cruiser build a cruiser. I've built some fast cars, as I am sure many of you have as well. Just don't forget the basics. Its not all about horsepower. Weight ratios gear ratios, tire size coeffecient drag on the car all that fun stuff. Remember though you can tell a lot of stuff just by looking at the basics of your time slip. If you are running a 2.5 second sixty foot time and you reaction time at the light was .8 holy crap... First you're sleeping at the wheel then your spinning them. That was just an example but I think you get the idea. As for top speed if your are runninng a 13.89 but your top speed is 90MPH what are your rpm's? You may have to much gearing... I could on... I better stop cuz I know you guys probably know all this stuff...
D.W.....you had a blower on that thing??? cooooolllll ALL I SAW WERE THE TAIL LITES!!! i hope i've got one on mine before next year. big block, blower and 3 pedals...WOW!!!!!! REGGIE
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