He saw the "beverage" holder long ago, and I'm sure his health has returned to near-normal from yesterday. Don't think he ventures over here (HAMB) very often anyway...he only found this thread 'cause I PM'd him asking if it WAS the same car. I, on the other hand, would really like to see what you guys are up to, and what your mods (updates) might be. Understand, I'm not asking that you divulge any proprietary "Race" secrets. DD
When the race is over, Kube can buy the car back and restore it all over again. Isn't that the fun part for Restorers? Fixing what Hot Rodders have messed up?
Well, the thing about the Great Race is it's all about reliability - not speed. In fact, you'll never pass 50mph or so. So, aside from the Roush engine, there's nothing really unusual in the car. The aforementioned gearbox (and I don't really know what was done inside), an aluminum radiator, electric fan, dual ignition systems, electric fuel pump, big brakes. And, Dingman had this car changed around for the Great Race, so all that stuff was done before we bought it. My understanding is he drove coast to coast in it. We've done the Great Race twice now, and have learned the biggest enemy is heat (that and low octane). This year the race starts in St. Paul, MN and goes to Mobile, AL. In June. Heck, last year the race started in Traverse City, MI and people were overheating there too. So the battle is to keep the engine cool, and the driver and navigator cool. We're doing some minor things like moving the mufflers to the rear of the car (they're directly under the driver) and ceramic coating the exhaust and headers, putting a type of heat barrier underneath the car and under the carpet (don't worry! no adhesive Dynomat). If you have any suggestions regarding keeping the engine cool and reliable I'm all ears!
The year Dingham bought this from me I was told by his representitive that Dingham was purchasing (just that year) the best available examples of Ford convertibles 1932 - 53. I thought I broke records for a 40 convertible when he bought it from me. The guy that paid $165k... well, more money than... By the way, I am currently restoring another. I recently completed a '39 convertible coupe.
I used those brake spacers with 59 Buick drums and backing plates with a Bell 4 inch drop tube axle work great
The Jalopy Journal
