Projects DRAG SNAKE "Vintage Terror!"

Well the all show and no go Dragsnake is headed to Kansas City in a month or so for a vintage drag race display at the World Of Wheels Event. We will be joining the Battle At Midway Boys from the Ark City Event. The show is March 10-12. If you are in the neighborhood swing through and say hello. AND stick around because I think we are going finally fix the no go crap this year! LMAO!

 

Well I met a few HAMBers at the World of Wheels, you know who you are. Lol


We took first place.

Pretty cool but to be honest it was a little like a YMCA Soccer Awards Ceremony... pretty sure everybody got a trophy... LMAO!

 

Not everyone got a trophy lol

 

We brought one home with a MGB.

 

Well Randall, it still looks like it's going a 110 standing still! Spring is coming and the 10th or 20th time is always the charm. Just wait till the last minute to order new safety harness. lol Congrates on the award! Larry

 

Randall, I looked for you at WOW. Saw the snake but not you. You had the car lookin' really good. Congrats.

 

Next Sunday is hot rod reunion at mokan you better brig this pile down and run it I won’t be running anything cause I seem to pry and parts out of China it seems been waiting on a cam for the dodge for months and I just don’t have enough Time to get the dragster ready but I did get the clutch this week and it might even run but won’t be race ready yet

 

DANG...We won't be there, we have the Man Show in Springfield and a mandatory trip to a customer's place in St. Louis.

 

Hanging at the Man Show in Springfield MO today, if you are in the neighborhood wake me up and say hello! Lol

 

Even if she is never the fastest thing on four wheels, she is still the toughest Cobra I have seen in years. I always wanted one but, just like early Birds,Vettes and Jag's I end up looking over the top of the windshield! lol Larry

 

We are headed to Benton Speedway next Saturday for our first drag race outing of the year. We ran the valves this morning and topped her off with fuel. I think we are ready to roll!

 

That is one angry snake!

 

I‘ll agree! Good luck on the Strip!

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/V4TNFG0i6Vo?feature=share4

 

Horay!!! What kind of time?

 

Well believe it or not, I have no idea. We joined a few of the Nostalgia Gasser at a small track just north of Sikeston, MO this past Saturday. We were just there to make a few passes during a Car Show Event. Just helping to promote the track. To be honest, I was so excited it went down and came back (FIVE TIMES!) I didn't even care! We will get down to MOKAN soon and get a few timed passes in...

The best part of the whole trip though was the track asked us if we would make a parade lap before it got started. You know just line up and idle down the track for a photo op. They also asked if we would be willing to take a kid with us if they picked a few etc. At about 11:30 we had a quick driver's meeting to discuss the track basically not being prepped and no timers etc. No big deal to any of us as we were all just there to show off.

They started handing out kids (lol) and they asked the last one if he wanted to ride in that, and pointed to the Cobra. The kid's eyes lit up and he shook his head so hard I was afraid it was going to pop off. I said just be over here about Noon and we will go. He and his Dad walked over to the Cobra and stood right there until he got in the car. He was obvious serious about the ride.

At Noon we loaded up and idled into the staging lanes with the gassers. We were probably about the 5th car out of 7 or 8. He saw me put it in gear and asked if I have to shift it. I said yes sir this car definitely gets shifted. We rolled through the dry water box and onto the track. Just as we get to the start line area, I saw his Dad with smart phone in hand recording the event. I said is that your Dad and he said yes and waved. I stopped the car and let the killer Willys Coupe in front us roll about 50 feet or so on down. I said alright, hang on to something. I put the car about 4K and dry hopped it. It pulled the front wheels about 6" off the ground. Everyone went crazy and then we idled on down and caught the parade.

After we got back to the pits he was pretty excited. His Dad showed me the video of the hop and the kids face was priceless. I mean come on, how many 10 year old kids can say they have been in a race car with wheels up! LOL. AND HAVE VIDEO TO PROVE IT! As they walked away "my" Dad said well we just ruined that kid for life! He was probably going to just be an average kid that liked looking at cars but he will not recover from that ride, is hooked forever! LMAO!

He's right you know. I sat down in the back of the trailer looking out at the Cobra and rest of the Gassers behind us in the pits. For me it was a 1957 Chevy called the Blue Man. Dad helped wrench on it and every Friday night before heading to a drag race there was a test run. I would set in the back between the down bars pressed up against the sheetmetal where the seat used to be. That car would launch so hard. It would scream and squat, wheels up and gone. Man what a ride. I have never forgotten the sounds, the smells and guttural pull of those rides. I have never recovered. Thank God!

 

Very cool! Another kid ruined!

 

Way to go! Drag another kid into our world! That’s what will keep it alive, young blood!

 

Ok Randall that is the fuckin coolest story I have ever heard about a kids first ride!!!!
That’s the kind of stuff that makes all the bullshit you had worth going through! What a lucky kid! And him and his dad know it too! It’s a great thing you did for that kid, yea, he may be screwed up for life now. But it will keep him off drugs or being a screw up!

 

So here is the first run on the 8" M&H Slicks that I love the look of...

https://youtube.com/shorts/criLjtdyVo0?feature=share4

Now we didn't get to heat them up much with no water in the box (which probably didn't help matters). But we pretty much spun them hard at the launch and in both shifts. Hard to tell from the video but it was really skating around at the 1/8. So we put the Hoosiers back on for the rest of the day.

 

Well here it is. The Blue Man! The car the ruined my life...thank God. LMAO! After I posted that story it dawned on me that I don't think I ever told the owner, Eldon Skinner what it had meant to me.

Recently he has been fighting cancer so I told Dad early in the week we were taking the Cobra and going to visit Skinner! I called my friend with the 57 which as you are about to see has not been altered cosmetically since Dad painted it blue in the late 1970s.










Eldon in orange and Dad with the Cobra.











The best Damn Saturday I have had in a long long time! I was thinking during the visit I was not sure if this was for Eldon or me. Lol. Eitherway it meant a lot to everyone there. Cheers...to our mentors, the men, women and cars that made who we are. And by the way Eldon told me this morning he knew exactly what he did to me and he took full responsibility!

 

Best photo of the day. Dad and Eldon reenacting most of the time spent at the drag strip...LMAO!

 

That's great that he's still around to keep the fire burning.

 

There we go...I am an Alliance Member again. Sorry Ryan...I missed that reminder email. But I am baaaack! Lmao!

 

You've got competition

https://www.facebook.com/reel/926161768483792?mibextid=9imq16&s=yWDuG2&fs=e

.

 

No he has been around a while. That is one Bad Ass car. That video was sort of on my dream quest board for the Cobra.

But just like him we are going to have to figure out the shock adjustment if we want to lay down a good quarter mile time. One setting for going fast and one for showing off. Fortunately I enjoy both deeply. Lol

 

Regarding giving kids rides in racecars ... I was at Mosport (a road race track in Ontario Canada) several years ago and, for a donation to some charity, you could buy three laps as a passenger in some pretty cool cars driven by some very recognizable people and some randoms. While waiting my turn, Ludwig Heimrath (former racecar driver) pulls up in his Turbo Porsche with a kid about 11 in the passenger seat. The car stops, the door opens and ... the kid BARFS in the Porsche . The worst part ... the kids father grabs the kid and they both run for the parking lot. Didn't even attempt to offer to help clean the mess up

I remember hearing of another similar event where a Porsche 944 went off the track. The kid jumps out and exclaims "that was awesome, let's do it again!!"

 

Well I have a little Cobra story to tell you from the best, most miserable day I have spent with car to date. Now don't get worried we didn't kill it or anything like that but I have not stopped smiling since yesterday about 11:30 a.m.

It all starts about six hours earlier as Me, Zoe and Dad are pulling out headed to get in line to enter the car show at the Route 66 Festival in Springfield, MO. We were racing the rain which was coming fast, already sprinkling a bit in Republic, 20 minutes West of the Festival. We hoped to get a head of the rain, get in line, get the cars covered and take cover ourselves until the gates open at 7. We did just that.

Zoe left room for the Cobra in front of the Rivi, Dad tucked his coupe right up behind her and I pulled the truck and trailer with the Cobra into a bank driveway that was only about 10' from where Zoe's car was parked. We were about the 10th car or so in line and we joined the rest of like minded idiots who beat us there under a parking garage canopy maybe 50 feet further down the line.

Then it hit. The winds came, the rain poured and we all sat and car talked. Several of the folks there we knew well and some we just met that morning but to be honest, even though it was stupid early and crazy wet, we all had a great time. About 6:30 with it still pouring and the parking garage canopy pushing maximum occupancy, the officials there with us started talking about moving the line a bit further down the road to make more room for cars as they were beginning to block a cross road.

I decided no way was I pulling the Cobra out. I got in the truck and left looking for an early morning parking place for the combo much closer to the square. I figured if by 10 a.m. (the time the festival officially opened and the no more cars allowed in) it was still raining the Cobra would just set this one out. I found a spot about two blocks from the square and started the mile or so walk back in light rain. It was about 6:45 and Zoe called to say they were moving and she thought they were just going to let them go in early. So I headed to the square instead. I just got there when the skies opened up again, I mean it really poured this time. Luckily there was a Vendor tent near where we would be parking and I took refuge under it.

Zoe was wrong and the festival held to the 7 a.m. entry time but by 7:05, She and Dad finally rumbled onto the square. I got them parked leaving a space between for the Cobra (maybe). We set up the tent and got all the chairs and stuff out and under it. Then the three of us and a friend walked a block or so away and had a great breakfast. An hour later it was till light rain and the radar didn't bode well for the Cobra making an appearance. But the show must go on.

For the next two hours it would go very light rain then stop for a bit and then go again. During one of the dry spells around 10 a.m. Zoe who had been talking to a couple old men about her car came into the tent totally pissed off. Apparently, the two good ole boys had challenged her ownership of the car along with her ability to work on it and general automotive knowledge. She said one of them said I bet you don't even know what they call those things over your rear wheels. Zoe said you mean fender skirts and the guy laughed and said see I told you...those are called fender skirts. LMAO

Then the other one asked what motor it had in it. She said 455, the first year for it. That guy laughed and said darling you don't know anything, I had a 455 in 1968. Zoe said not in Buick you didn't. Long story short they went on their way. Zoe said I thought about just flipping them off and telling them to hit the road. I said why didn't you and she said I don't there were a lot kids around etc. I said shall I go have a chat with them and she said no, they are just morons.

She went back to drying her car and I took my standard car show nap. Just after 11 Dad woke me up. The sun was trying to break through, the streets were packed with people and it appeared the rain might be finished. Dad said maybe you should ask if they would let the Cobra in, I just saw a truck pull in and park. I saw one of the car show officials on a golf cart and waved him down. He said normal not but it was not a normal festival with all the rain and they were being pretty lax on lots of stuff. He said if I wanted I could go ahead and bring it in.

Now for this huge event they block off all the sides streets from St. Louis Street which is of course the original restate for 66 as it cut through Springfield. So to bring the car in we have to go a mile or so back east and enter the festival there. Zoe and I went to get the Cobra. We unloaded it and headed back to the festival entrance.

The streets are packed as we head for the square. I hadn't really thought about it but as people start parting to allow us through we are now making what has to be the most awesome car show entrance of all time. I mean we are just idling in and the Cobra is literally pounding the street with its amazing cam cadence. Venders are coming out of their tents to take photos. Every body on the streets after the parting are waving and shooting photos. It felt like Elvis had just arrived or something. All of the guys and gals whose cars lined the streets got up and came to watch us pass. You could see people two block up turning to see what was making the crazy sound bouncing between buildings!

People with cameras were taking to one knee for a shot of the car as it rumbled passed. You could not hear anyone but you could read their lips and their body language. Then just about a block from the square I see the two old boys that had pissed Zoe off. I pointed them out to her. As we are approaching they are standing in awe. They are both giving approving head shakes and one of them gives a thumbs up. I lip read the other one saying wow. Then just as we are even with them, one of them bends down to look in the passenger side window and Zoe flips him the bird as idle by. The look on his face was priceless I wished I had a camera. Man I am telling it was best most miserable day I have every had with the Cobra!