Projects Austin Somerset Gasser Build (DragNasty)

Oh I wasn't worried about...just thought it was funny. Hoping to actually get out on the road this weekend and start playing with it.

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For the application I can't see it being an issues. If it were going to see lots of miles, then I'd consider throwing a small bead there to cause a drop point. But for how much it's going to be driven it should be just fine.

 

Those drippers weren't beat up, just broken off with a pair of pliers, it's a very common practice to do because they interfere with roller rockers. I would bet over 90% of them are broken off, it's actually kinda rare to find a set anymore that hasn't. I just picked these Holley's up that have them intact, sure limits their use...lol

 

Well it has been a crazy couple of weeks around here and much to chagrin, the Austin has just sat unattended in the shop. But Monday, we finally got back to it. To begin with we changed the oil from Brad Penn 30 break in to 20/50. The oil looked really clean as did the filter so pretty happy there. We also changed (upon advice from my tuner) the spark plugs. We went from NGK Iridium BKR6EIX to BKR7EIX.

Near the end of the dyno pulls a few weeks agos, we saw the alternator belt flip over. By the end of the things, it was pretty much black mush. So put a new belt on Monday and noticed the pulleys were out of alignment. I have been scratching my head pretty hard on that one since nothing changed (same balancer, same flying magnet wheel, same crank accessory pulley and same alternator and mount etc.) But for what ever reason, it was bout an 1/8" or so out of alignment. Anyway we adjusted our shims a bit between the alternator mount and the block and got everything straight again.

We also installed the new smaller pulley up top went from 54 to 52 and have a 50 in the box just in case. We re-ran all the valves and put it all back together. Then we fired her up.

 

Something I noticed while changing the oil was the front suspension. The old car pulled so hard on the dyno it got them all bound up.



They strapped the front down from the axle. So when it pulled it tried to lift the front end. The axle was held down tight but the chassis still lifted. It pulled the springs up with it and when they let off, both shackles were bound up in place.
We jacked the chassis as far up as we could with a floor jack but still had to get a four foot pry bar in there to force them to release. All good now.

 

So about six o'clock I decide to take her for a spin around the block. I hop in and fire it up. I tried to engage the clutch but had no pedal. I got out and checked the fluid level. It was low but there was also fluid all over the floor etc. I tried to pump it up a bit but noting. I took the cap out into the light and this is what I found.


Not sure how it happened but the point is mute. But go try and replace that diaphragm and lid. I finally had to go straight to Wilwood: $10 and change plus expedited shipping was nearly $30. An entire new Master Cylinder is only $50. So I just decided to upgrade instead.

 

did you richen it up when you went with the smaller pulley?

 

Tuner did after the last dyno pull. I haven't checked the computer log to see how it looked yet...

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Looks like one of the valve cover wingnuts is loosening when you rev it................second one from front.

 

Check all the bolts and when you are done check them again.

 

Now it's living up to it's name sounds MEAN & NASTY

 

Yep...nice catch. We are about to nut and bolt the whole car in the next day or so getting ready for a few test hits this weekend....HOPEFULLY!

 

Any chance some of those test passes will be at slo_kan this weekend?

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Well we installed the new clutch master cylinder tonight and I got to drive it for the first time since the revamp! That was about two hours ago and I still can't pry the grin off my face. I just wanted to make sure we could shift etc. so after backing out of the garage, I made an impromptu spin around the block.

As I made the turn onto Elm Street, headed back home, I took off in first and ran it up to about 3 grand. Just as I am about to shift, a guy comes running out into the yard with his cell phone pointed my way. I decide to give him a little show. Instead of shifting I dropped the hammer there in front of his house. The Austin ripped the front wheels off the ground about a foot and when I grabbed second it pulled like a rocket ship. This thing is going to be stupid fast.

I coasted back to my driveway. The guy came on down. He and his wife were just moving in. I said welcome to the neighborhood. He is totally into old drag cars. His Dad had a front engine digger that held several track records in Iowa and he claims to be distant cousin to Tommy Johnson. LOL.

He is going to send me the video of the Elm Street wheel stand. I will get on here as soon as I get my hands on it.

 

That's good news!!!!

 

Good stuff a great welcome to the neighborhood.

 

I wanna come live in Elm street!

 

Come on down. Lol

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Welcome to the stupid fast club. LOL. When I do that in the coupe nobody takes video, they call the cops.

 

Dragnasty shedding the rest of it original wrap today getting ready for a whole new color scheme!



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Spent most of the day doing the thing I hate most...body work. However during round one we went so fast we missed a few things. Most people probably would not have even noticed them but they drove Dad and me crazy. So before the new skin we are doing it right.






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...video of Elm Street wheelie, or else

 

I feel the same way! But I will give him a break he is trying to get moved in...and I hate moving! Besides there will probably be another video any way as we did it again last night on Kearney Street in Springfield.

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So how is your day going? You will not believe how mine started. All I wanted to do at 6 a.m. this morning was slip out back and load the Austin on the trailer. I had planned to take it to work today so we can start the wrap and new graphics etc.

I hook up my trailer and backed down the drive to the shop. I start turning my trailer towards the garage and then basically gently jack knifed it to get the rear around somewhat in line with the door. I am still not perfectly straight as there is not enough room on the asphalt to go in straight without ending up in the neighbors yard. But I figure we are close enough.

We put the ramps on, hooked up the wench cable and start pulling Austin on the trailer. I am angling it to the left to make sure I catch the driver's side slick on the angled ramp and then I plan to straighten the car up as it comes on the trailer. But the angle was too much and I couldn't catch any of the slick on the ramp. We tried a couple of times but it was obvious it was not going to work.

So with the front end still on the ramps I decide the easiest thing to do would be just pull the truck forward a bit. It would bring the trailer with it and the car etc. and sort of straighten things up a bit. Then we could finish loading the car out in the driveway. But with all the weight on the very back of the trailer (lifting the rear of the truck) and a dew soaked driveway, all I managed to do was slide the truck back into a very solid jackknifed position.

Now the truck and trailer will not go forward or backwards and since we only moved a few inches all we managed to do was make the angle worse than it was with the front wheels till on the ramp. We are now going to have to roll the car completely back off the trailer. The only issue is since the trailer spun a bit under the car, the front wheels are not going to stay on the ramp all the way down. We can not change this fact as we are about half in/half out of the garage door opening. We are going to have to drop the car off the ramps about halfway down.

No problem, we have a ton of clearance under the Austin so we carefully start running the wench backwards and the car very slowly (working against the wench) rolls off the sides of the ramps and stops with no falling action etc. The driver's side front wheel is on the ground but as I walk around to the other side (because of the angle, that side of the car came off the ramps a bit further up). So we have actually just sat the passenger side spring perch and shock mount directly on the ramp and the wheel on that side is still 2" off the ground.

I'm about ready throw something... I drug the floor jack out and tried to jack it up but everything was so high that I barely got the car off the ramp before the jack maxed out. I was able to wiggle the ramp a bit but could not quite get it out from under the car and off the trailer. So Dad lowered it back down and got a 4" wood block to put on it to give us a bit more upward movement. However, I had moved the ramp just enough that when he lowered it, one of the ramp cross bars totally wedged itself (with help of the weight of the car) between the spring perch and the shock mount. Now as he starts jacking it up, we gain 4" more height but it takes the ramp up with it. I tried everything to pry that ramp out of its bound up position short of knocking the car off the jack...no go! And it is jammed in place at just enough of an angle that I can not get the lip out of the trailer slot so it is still all locked together.

So I finally went up and unhooked the trailer and drove the truck up the driveway a bit. I went to the back of the trailer and stood on it lifting the nose to the point that the trailer was free of the ramp. While I stood on it, dad shoved the trailer forward a few inches to clear the ramp. Then we lowered the car back down with the ramp still hanging in the air out from under the front. I started jumping on the end of it till it finally let go and dropped to the ground under the Austin.

Then basically an hour after we started, I hooked up the trailer again, backed it in place, put the ramps back on and winched the car aboard. Ever have one of those mornings?

 

Actually I had an afternoon like that once! I started racing circle track cars as a senior in high school. We used to haul my cars on a 47 Ford ton and a half full hight flatbed. We had a set of about 18 foot ramps to get up there with the bed tilted up and a stand in the middle of the ramps. My buddy forgot to put the pins in to attach the ramps to the truck. I start up the ramps and get just about to the truck bed, the weight of the car no quite to the stand under the ramp. The ramps pop off the truck and jam up under the car and I am stuck about 4.5 foot off the ground on a couple detached wiggily ramps! NOW WHAT! It took use a couple hours to get the car back down to the ground and we were a bit late for the race that night. SO I know your pain. Gary

 

You are one persistent dude. Nasty has been fighting you since the get go. With my quick fuse I would have put about two lbs. of C-4 under it and blown it sky hi by now and started over.

 

This thread is GREAT.

Can't wait to see it make another run on the track.

Rich

 

You know, I am a pretty easy going fella about most things. I learned a long time ago not to swim up stream at least not very far. I normally just sort of go with the flow if you know what I mean. But every once in a while (more lately than ever) all the blue skies and granola BS go right in the crapper!

About 30 minutes into the loading fiasco Dad actually said I think the Austin wants to stay home. 10 years ago I would have probably agreed, left it where it sat and tried again the next morning. But something has changed in me. Maybe it is because the big 50 is looming less than six months out, I don't know. But for what ever reason my response to him was something like: "Well I've got news for the f&%king Austin, it is going to Springfield today whether it f*#king wants to or not. I don't car if I have to wench the stupid bitch on upside down!"

Breathe...........................................................................................................

At this point Dad totally cracked me up. He said why don't we just fire it up and DRIVE it on the trailer, the neighbors are all awake anyway! LMAO!

 

I'am not sure that you and your dad should get to have all the fun.