Bob .. I was told that a waterpump pulls almost 4hp out of your motor. And with what little horsies we have. Anything that helps saves a few. I'm going to try it...Thanks... Dick
I ran the little digger last Saturday (sorry, no pics) at a private weekend race for hot rods and invited nostalgia drag cars. The Minnnesota Street Rod Assn. rents Brainerd International Raceway for the weekend. It is free for members. There was a big turnout this year with sunny skies and temps in the 70's. As a result, I sat in staging for an hour preceding each of my 2 runs. On the first run I shifted from 1st to 4th. That creates a BIG bog. An old sloppy shifter is to blame, not me. The second run I concentrated on the 1 to 2 shift and ran a 15.40 @ 91mph. Not too bad for a $100 Craigslist engine. It was fun, being in an open cockpit race car even if it isn't fast. I did run .40 better than my previous best. I have determined that one helper is needed. It's too hard buckling in without help. Would be nice to stay out of the car in the staging lanes until my lane is called. With a new timing set, some tuning, a better shifter and experience I'd expect to run about 14.80. That's not good enough. So, the dilemma is what to do, mild hop up, full hop up, trans change (it has the OD 4 speed). All it takes is money. How fast can I afford to go??? Oh, the Tech guy seemed to like the car and didn't inspect it too closely. I told him I built it to the 10:00 Altered requirements and he accepted that. I think he assumed I knew what I was doing when I built it.
After an hour wait in the staging lanes I'm next! Last Saturday at Brainerd. hofbug, I see lots of compression in the Silver Bullet's future. Not gonna burn corn squeezins' though.
Bob, I did a double take at that last picture. It looked for all the world like a plain street at a school crossing. Bit of a shock initially ......
Yep, it does look like a street scene. The racing is so casual at the Super Secret Fun Run that I stood 5 feet from the fuel cars when they fired and followed them to 20 feet from the starting line. Just like the old days before reserved seating and fences around the big guys in the pits. I should have stayed for Sunday because there were less racers and I could have made quite a few runs. Bought a generator today so I can charge the battery in the pits. Electric fuel pump, fan and water pump drive; made me worry about running out of EMF.
Bob, I'd try a regular A-833 or a MOPAR 3 speed trans. That first gear is pretty steep in the OD box and probably costs you some time with the big rpm drop to 2nd. You can safely shave the head .080 to .100 on the slant 6... maybe adds a point to a 1 1/2 pts compression. I'd like to build a "Hillside Hemi" HA/GR... we'll see.
Just pull that 292 and glide out of the corner and stuff it in. I know you'll be happy. I know phase II will be a killer, but there is always the long winter for phase III.
Hey Tom.. Did Larry ever get back with you on that chassis and assorted parts thats in my shop.. Sure would love to see it go to a good home. Would make someone a nice car. He has alot of stuff for it...Dick..
Well, as one of my favorite rockers, Meatloaf said, I jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. See the 904 automatic residing in my dragster. I also changed from a right side hand brake to a left side foot brake. Much better for launching with an automatic.
With the scatter shield and Hurst shifter for the 4 speed gone, the floor needed to be modified. An old B & M Starshifter from a neighbor's '40 Ford found its way into my car. Still need a longer driveshaft and a trans cooler. Then it's time for some more driveway passes before winter sets in around here. Brrr!!!
Hi Bobw, Does that brake setup work well?, two lines into one, I thought about doing that with an aluminum master off of a neon that I got at the salvage. That little 904 should work well, three speeds. Joe
Do you live in a cave? Ever hear of NHRA Jr. Dragsters? You just described the 12.90 minors class, for 8 and 9 year olds.
Fantasy Factory & Oilcan Harry, what does conversation about econo Jr. Dragsters have to do with my build thread??? You're welcome to carry on your discussion here, but it probably confuses people interested in HA/GR & SDRA dragsters. Joe, the 2 into one plumbing of the master cylinder seems to work fine. I had a hand lever on it and it did take some strength. Something I'm rapidly losing. With the installation of the automatic transmission I changed to a foot brake so I'll have better leverage. It is a Ford Courier mini-pickup cylinder I had in my Anglia when I had Opal front suspension & brakes. Nothing goes to waste around here.
Bob, We use a dual piston master cylinder on a single line on the float's primary brake. We found the foot pressure to be too high when we used a 2 into 1 line like yours. We wound up functionally deleting one piston and going to a single line for a much better pedal pressure. Tournament simply lists it as a single pot system. Of course we're stopping between 20 and 30 tons (depending on a given year's float design) but the modification would be applicable for you if your pedal turns out to be too stiff for your tastes, no need to go out and buy a single.
Thanks for the info. Dick. I wasn't aware that such a modification could be made. Oilcan Harry, I didn't intend for my comment to sound harsh. No apologies necessary.
I didn't like the "T" radiator shell and the upright radiator. It looked too much like a street driven set up. So, I laid the radiator flat. That ended up being really ugly with the Geo radiator and electric fan so visible. I spent a few hours making an aluminum nose for the car. The nose piece looks a little too massive but with lettering it should be ok.
Another view. I probably should have used a larger radius for the bends, but then the front would have sat higher. The nose piece should provide downforce over 150 mph.
bobw your HA/GR is very inspirational. I first came to the HA/GR forum after seeing some pics of Old6rodder's car posted in the general discussion forum and I've looked through several other builds. I love the "spirit" and your attitude toward your own build. Looking at the parts pile in the garage, I'm not sure how much longer I can sit on the fence. This looks like too much fun to miss! Thank you for sharing your insights throughout the build and your plans for running it. I appreciate it. Robert.
I see one of the guys is considering using two 4 cylinder Chevy II engines, which I think will make a fantastic HA/GR. But there's the cost of building two engines. And, I've determined it's pretty expensive to hop up a slant six. Everyone knows it costs an arm and a leg to revive a flathead. Hudson's and Jimmys can't be very economical either. So, I came up with this brilliant idea. These engines are plentiful and hop up parts are cheap. Well, maybe I better put this one in the Crosley in the background instead of my HA/GRa.
I got the body panels back with the additional lettering and art work. With the radiator laid down and the "shovel nose" aluminum on the front, it looks a little more "racy".
Kathy Weeks, my "go to" sign painter and wife of one of the Wed. lunch boys, hand painted the silver bullets on the sides of the nose and the .45 numerals on the nose and side panels.
The car now has a number---.45 (caliber). I hope the dragstrips will recognize it and not have to write all over the car with thier white shoe polish. You'll notice I took the liberty of changing to HA/GRa, for automatic. Always wanted to be the first at something, even if it isn't acceptable. I'd like to promote the building of HA/GR & HA/GRa's in my area so I hope this designation doesn't trouble anyone. I put the car away for the winter today. If the money is there, (meaning, I'll have to sell a car or two) I'll build a decent engine this winter and get a good converter. Also, I picked up a '40 Plymouth pickup yesterday with the plan that it will be a tow vehicle.
looks great BOB THE EARLY WIRE WHEELS AND WHITEWALLS GIVE IT PERSONALITY LOVE THE BULLETS. LOOK MORE LIKE 06 THAN A 45 THOUGH .THE CAR STRAIGHT TO THE POINT I LIKE IT
Bob, With the Eagle Field event and race season over I took the time to catch up on your thread and I say GREAT JOB!! I think there is room for a HA/GRa class, add slicks and later model (or certain easy to get) 6 cylinders allowed to the class rules. Myself and Lee enjoy the manual transmission challenge but it's not a challenge for everyone. Some people want to build a car like ours and be competitive in bracket racing. You and I know they don't need a HAMB Class to build such a car but if it helps why not The HA/GR Class stays the same for those of us who like the challenge.
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