Projects DRAG SNAKE "Vintage Terror!"

I built this Christmas tree a few years ago to use as a car show display. I have not gotten around to making it light up yet but I hope to in the future.

 

That is awesome. That is the style I should have built. I still can, I left room at the top and bottom to make it a 5 amber etc. Very nice though.

 

I did wrap one James. I think Jackson is right, I have way too much time on my hands...lol



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Speaking of wrapping, I will be going southwest sometime next month. I need to drop off a front bumper for some of your handy work.

 

Found some tires for ya

 

Made by Uniroyal in the early 1970s. I have heard they were cheap tires, super cheap tires. According to a Cobra forum entry I found you could buy them anywhere, even K-Mart. LOL But of course now with Carroll's name attached to them, like everything else, their past is forgiven and replaced with the Shelby mystique. In fact, in 2019, one tire sold on Barret-Jackson for $825!

About 15 years ago or so a couple of guys bought the original molds for the tires with plans to send them to Venezuela to start production again. But Shelby American put the "Kabash" on that little venture.

 

OH BOY LARRY, Jackson's Mad Mopar and the Cobra are getting closer to meeting! Next month, November 21st and 22nd they will both be in the same building at the Hot Rod Holidays Indoor Car Show...Springfield, MO. Maybe before we get set up we can get some cool pre-race photos!

 

Maybe I should've enquired about those wheels, I came across it doing an internet torque thrust search.

 

Randall I was watching a vidio of Jackson this summer up at Union Grove! He pulled a great hole shot and ran a track blistering 14 second plus run! Might have been slightly quicker if he hadn't left the drive shaft half way back up the track!! lol Larry

 

Ouch Dang Larry

 

My computer has a good memory, just a friendly reminder to register in MO
Wonder who in MO initiated this form ?

 

Baaahahahaha!!!

 

You know what would be cool Randall! The Cobra parked next To Jackson's at the show with your tree between them and the light turning green with the Dodge 3 feet in front of you. It might be the only chance He gets to show you his taillight's! lol Just remember he is putting a Dana 60 in her this winter so that drive shaft falling out mid track might be a thing of the past! lol You guys be safe this winter and remember next years Fall out Drags are on my birthday and James has challenge me to chase the Shakers taillights with the Marauder and then have some of Milwaukee's Champagne of bottle beer's and some Wisconsin Brat's afterwards , so be there or be square! lol Larry

 

Larry if you need any help tuning up that Marauder do hesitate to ask.
We may be hauling a FE powered car with us next year.

 

Larry it would be nice to see your merc on the track next year I sure hope 2021 is way better so I can get up to the fallout I also have a plan to get my dragster back on the track I finally found someone to regrind some lifters for the new motor it won’t be as fast but it will be damn kool


Chrome don’t get ya home

 

What are you laughing about? I dowloaded that form from your office computer. Lmao.

That is right up your alley...you need to print a few off and leave them on the counter.

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Well...we will just have to make it a point to come race the Cobra on your Birthday!

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So just as we are about to wire up the controler in the tree this morning, the Bowman Scope Creep took over. LOL I suppose we can thank @36cab for it but it is a good call. When I saw his 5 amber tree I knew we had to make the change. To be honest I really didn't know that much about the tree history. I am not sure why, I am such a student of history especially drag racing.

Now I knew the tree had changed a few times over the years. But until I actually did a bit of research this morning, I had no idea I was building a tree from 1986! So some of you may already know this stuff but for the rest of the yahoos (like myself) here is the story.


Obviously we all know how it started. A flag man. Some of them crazy flamboyant. They were a favorite of the fans and of the racers. Many of the old racers including Don Garlets have mentioned missing the flagman. They would watch for muscles tensing and learn each starters "tells" as Garlets put it. But it was sloppy, plenty of false starts not to mention if someone might accuse one of giving special signals to special racers etc. etc.

The following is quoted directly from an article written in 2007 by Phil Burgess, editor NHRA National Draster Magazine:

"The first NHRA Tree (initially known as the Countdown Starter) was designed by then Division 1 Director Lou Bond, and hyped in pre-Indy issues of National DRAGSTER: "Foolproof in design, the new innovation will be a boon to nervous drivers trying for the big win. … An equal start for all is assured."

​

The first Tree was pretty simple, with five amber lights, a red, and a green. There were no "pre-stage" or "stage lights" because, at the time, there was only one beam across the starting line. When the drivers got about a foot from it, the starter would activate the Tree, allowing drivers to pretty much invent the system of "shallow staging" or choose to roll in closer to the beam. ( EDIT: But I assume if you got too close and broke the beam you red lit etc.)

The pre-stage and stage lights and beams weren't far behind, introduced for the 1964 Winternationals and billed as "the automatic line-up system," though the pre-stage and stage bulbs weren't yet actually on the Tree, but rather positioned on the starting line itself.

The bulbs finally were added to the Tree over the next couple of seasons, but it wasn't until, as noted, the last race of the 1970 season that the Tree went from full to Pro start, with just the bottom of five amber bulbs lighting.

Other than component upgrades, the Tree stayed pretty much intact until the start of the 1986 season, where NHRA unveiled a new, streamlined Tree. It was shorter -– three ambers instead of five -- and placed farther out from the starting line."
​

So obviously I couldn't drop a tree like that in front of the Cobra and call it vintage. I certainly couldn't put a track name on it that closed 16 years before NHRA debuted the stupid thing. So what's a good HAMBer supposed to do? LOL. Well he went to Lowes and snagged another 10' stick of guttering, two more light fixtures and few more bulbs. LMAO!



So we had to make a few modifications to the structural backbone. It was not going to be tall enough for our additional lights. As it stands now it is 95" tall from the floor to the top of the pre-stage cover. I also decided, after looking at lots of old photos today, not to do the 8 yellow bulbs (four each pre-stage and stage). Instead I have opted for one two each. The only issue I have now is my light controler only has 6 functions so I will have to decide how to make that work. But will have to cross that bridge when we get there.

 

When I was building my 5 amber lamp tree I did a lot of research and looking for photos of original Chrondek trees. One thing I found out was that the tree was built in two sections so that it could be broken down for storage and transport. They used hinges, pins and chain to connect the pieces. The one change I made to my tree was to make my tree in three pieces instead of two so that I could break it down into smaller sections to transport it easier. Below is a photo of the hinge on an original Chrondek tree and I duplicated this on my tree. And I did keep all my notes, measurements and reference photos from when I built my tree if anyone is interested in building their own.

 

You know if that homemade tree was sitting in front of MY just finished Cobra Drag Snake, some bumbling idiot { ME!!!} would bump into it and hit the car! And killing myself would be considered justifiable ! Be careful Randall! lol Larry

 

It is pretty sturdy...LOL I am fairly frustrated with it. We installed all the light fixtures yesterday and then I spent about two hours wiring them all up. We connected the switch unit to it and it worked. Because I only have 6 functions, I turned both the pre-stage and stage on together, then flashed the first 2 of the five ambers and then one at a time on down to the green. It was nice, but just a fraction too slow. The instructions said I could turn screws to the left to speed them up. I tried it and POOF...it totally jacked the whole thing up. The stage and third amber would stay on for 30 seconds and the rest flashed about 10 seconds. Nothing I did helped. I have to call them today.

 

I am super excited about my door panels and glove compartment graphics. I have not been happy with them from the beginning. The one on top is the original. As you can see it more yellow than gold...and that was after several print sessions etc. Then I had an idea. If you are trying to match the stripe on the car, use the same vinyl (DUH!). So I printed the door panel graphics on it. It is a little darker, actually in person it looks killer as it is very deep and metallic. It obviously a dead perfect match!

 

So this is what the tree looks like with the bulbs in it. I started by trying to order colored LED flood light bulbs. However when they arrived they looked just like these. They were white until the came on...AND the green was terrible. It was sort of light mint color. But I figured that would not be a problem in my line of work. So I wrapped one of the green ones green and it looked great. However when I tested it, it got stupid hot and fast! Not what I expected from an LED bulb. I checked all of them and they all got super hot. As hot or hotter than old incadesent type units.

So I decided to send them back. But then I struggled finding more. Not to mention they were stupid expensive. But Lowes had white LED floods and they were extremely cost effective. We went to check on them, I asked how hot they got and the employee said he didn't know. There was nothing on the box. We took it over to the bathroom light fixtures and switched out a bulb. I let it set there for a minute or two and then checked it. It was a cool as cucumber! Although I can not say the same for the employee, I think he was a bit put out. LOL


It quite a while to get them all wired up but I managed to go it. I have designed this unit where the top (pre-stage and stage) portion is removeable. Simply unplug it and lift. I figure it will be easier to transport that way.


As you know I hooked up sequence from Innovative Technology in Michigan...and I promptly turned the speed dial on the green too far and broke it. However they were extremely nice when I called them yesterday. I admitted what I did and they just laughed. They said send it back and they would fix it for me no charge. Then he asked if I needed them to make any changes to the program to make it work better? I told them what I was doing and Jim says he has an idea. He called today to say he figured it out and a new control board was on the way (before my damaged one even made it back to him)!!!
Now that is what I call customer service.


Today we wrapped all the bulbs so we are ready to reinstall them. AND this past weekend, I also
fabricated the snake pit sign stand.

 

Looks Great as usual!

 

When I first built my Christmas tree I used LED flood lamps. I did not like the white body or the design of the lens. I found these Philips EcoVantage 39W PAR30 Halogen lamps that have the silver body and clear glass lens that look like the old style lens pattern (Philips P/N 39PAR30S/EVP/FL25 120V). I used Krylon Stained Glass Canary Yellow # K09035000 from a craft store and Testors #1601 Gloss Custom Green and Testors #1605 Gloss Custom Red from a model store to paint the clear lenses. A couple of light coats and the colors are still translucent.

 

November 20, 2018 I ordered these Cobra factory side emblems. They have been on a corner of my desk at work all this time. Finally installed them this afternoon. Lol



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Chris got accepted for the show, should see you guys there.

 

That’s awesome I fired up the Ol dodge and drove it around the neighborhood today it was a good day to do that


Chrome don’t get ya home

 

Did it make it?