After a considerable amount of time,money, frustration, skin and pain I'm pulling the 235 out of the car. I can no longer afford the expense, difficulty and time-consuming effort required to keep this Eisenhower Administration six cylinder running. I'm going to pressure wash a bone-yard 305 V8, paint it and install it. I will attend nostalgia events and run Open Dragster.
Hey Butch.......Just a few questions. Have you healed up from getting run over? Are you gonna run the Sprint car tail? Will ya please post pictures of the end result? And last.......(sorry I couldn't resist) stick or automatic? Good luck with whatever ya do with it, Just be sure to have fun.
Thanks for the kind words. I should be clearer. The six cylinder motor mounts will still be in the car. I'm really happy with the car...I'm going to put a 305 V8 in it while I spend the winter putting the forlorn six back together. If I don't get another engine in the car (I have no spare 235) I'll never get the car running or the chassis sorted out.
You know, several folks've talked about a class "convert-able" HA/GR. To the best of my knowledge you're the first to actually do it. May be due to circumstances, but it's still a first. A second on the pictures, too. It'd be cool to be able to show'em as a "See, you can step it up later, too." sort of come-on. Here, I could mention the 40 lb lighter cast crank slant block I built for the start of this season. Took it to Bako and blew first one, then a second pressure plate, tearing the back of the block's oil galley off with it. Yep, that was on the first stage of the year, that block never made a single trip down the strip on it's own power. I stripped it and put it out at the curb for the metal scroungers. Had to stuff last year's block back in'er, and the rotten luck hasn't stopped yet. I missed three of the eight meets and broke things at four others. Now there's but one meet left to try to redeem myself this year (and it could be rained out). I'm rather looking forward to next year, it's gotta be better.
Jim Brissett lived next door to my wife's folks in Eagle Rock, CA. Jim actually lived with his mother and took care of her. Jim and his brother built flathead rails as well as one of the first to build a dual engine flathead rail. They then built a blown hemi fuel roadster and it was fast. This predated Wild Willy and the Winged Express. Any way in those days you didn't qualify you just lined up and raced the guy who was in your class. There were a lot of fuel roadsters in the late 50's and early 60's and the Brissett Bros. were the top of the heap. If you had a fuel roadster you tried to line up so you didn't have race them first because if you could avoid them they would usually blowup. They did this for a long time until Jim's brother quit and Jim started running a rail by himself and he seemed to stay together although he named his last rail the Jade Grenade. So sometimes you just have to keep plugging along or the money runs out. Roy
Hey whats this rained out Bullshit? We may not let you through the gates if you are thinking like that. Shame on you. Hope you can keep it together this time. See you Saturday?
Hell, if I keep crying in my beer like this I'll bring my own cloud along, just like Joe Btfsplk. On the serious side, I have several things fixed and improved for the last meet and am looking forward to a great weekend.