Hot Rods My old hot rod finally did it!!!!!!

Saturday night at Little River Dragway my old 55' Stude hot rod ran 11.94/110. I built this car in 1997/98, ran 13.60's, whittled it down to 13.0's, then totaled it in an accident. I bought the car back from the insurance co., and had all the parts gathered up in 2 weeks to rebuild the car. Then I got married, built a home, and welcomed our new son into the world. Then one day I look in my garage and buried under boxes and lord knows what else I look at the twisted, bent mess of what used to be my hot rod and realize this car has been sitting for 9 1/2 years. That day I decided this car would be running again before 10 years rolled around. Well I missed it by two weeks. (new frame, new front end, new 3" exhaust, new wheels, new slicks, oh wait I think I'll alter the wheelbase, eight point cage, new fuel cell. The list goes on and on.) But still with the old 430 buick I originally built in 97'. Went to San Antonio and ran 12.50's with an old switch pitch turbo 400 with a 3800 high stall. Swapped in a new turbo 400 and 3800 stall converter and swapped the 750 carb for an 850 and ran 12 teens at Day of the Drags last October. Went to the Texas State Championship race in San Antonio later that month, made one pass 12.08/111 and blew up the rear end. Swapped the 3.55 rear for some 3.73's and a spool, go out and run the car, 12 teens still! Made some jetting and squirter changes on the car and FINALLY! Saturday May 18th at 9:30 PM that old dog broke into the 11's! You'ed of thought I just won the freaking Winternationals! I've never been so happy about anything to do with a hot rod of mine in my life. Thanks for letting me ramble, I'll shut up now.

 

Congratulations! Always a thrill to set a new personal best.

 

Congrats for breaking 11s

 

Congratulations! It's nice to achieve a goal, I hope your planning how to hit tens now

 

The 10's are only a second away...........................and probably several thousand dollars.

Frank

 

Congrats getting the Stude into 11s..!

 

Way cool. Stop now because 10s are thousands of dollars away (ask me how I know this)

 

Congrats! My old Ford is just at the same point -- 12.2/110. Would like to touch the 11s next time out without breaking it.

 

Because stuff costs more in New Zealand? No, I know, How fast do you want to go?= How much money do you have? Been gathering parts for the new motor since I started rebuilding the car after the wreck.

 

Congrats on making the 11's That's a lot quicker than anything I have ever had.

I think GasserTodd was just saying that going from 11.94 to 10.99 is a lot bigger jump than getting into the elevens speed and money wise. Thrill wise too.

 

Congrats, that is quite an accomplishment and I bet it feels great to be faster than ever in a car that had to be on the back burner for so long due to that thing called life.

 

Nice job! If you get a chance maybe you could throw some pix up?

 

How about a nice picture of that rod posted up. Congrats projects take a long time when life moves along.

 

12s to 11s = $100/ 10th of a sec.
11s to 10s = $1000/ 10th of a sec!

 

This made my day. Congrats dude.

 

Way to GO! Woo Hoo!
.
.

 

Will try and post some pics of the "OLD" motor and some pics of the pieces for the new one tonight. Got to post some vids, just got to figure out how! It's neat to have a place like the HAMB to squauk about our little accomplishments, I thank all you guys.

 

You perservered where others would have given up and were rewarded! Great story and thanks for sharing!

 

congrats, thats a hell of a story. I do these cars for a living and race nostalgia for years. If anyone thinks 11s is easy well, just show us. again congrats may you keep hammering a tenth here and there . it is very rewarding....lets see some pics of the car up close, im building a 53 stude for me and love the studes.

 

Lets see some pics of this girl

thanks,
Douglas Johnson
"Skrach"
www.VividlyVintage.com

 

Any plans to get it in the 10's?

 

Love it!

Actually, if I was you, I would aim for the 10s too, because it feels soooooo good.

(and from experience, I can tell you that getting from 10.21 to 9.99 isnt a cheap stopoff in life, so settle in the 10s)

 

Congrats on making it! Good story! I'd like to see those pics too!

 

I never dreamed I would get the response I have gotten to this post, heck I was just a happy hot rodder blabbin away! Finally getting a chance to post the pics yall asked about. That two tone red and black paint job is 22 cans of rattle can satin! One thing I've gotta say about these big block buicks is TORQUE, and loads of it. On the 11.94 pass I made my 1-2 and 2-3 shifts at 5000 rpm! My earlier runs were in the 12 teens shifting at 5400.
The 5000 rpm shift is the only change I made from the earlier runs. Here I go rambling again, anyway, here's a few pics. Hoping the new motor will get it into the 10's. But I'll take what I can get.

 

Very cool and congrats on breaking into the 11's, the altered wheelbase looks pretty good too.

 

Lovin' that STUDE!!! My folks drove a '49 Studebaker from Birmingham,AL. to Miami for their honeymoon back in '51 where they stayed for over 10 years. Always been a fan of the Golden Hawks/Super Hawks. Would love to see it run.

 

Awsome Stude. And really congrats on breakin into the 11s. Now You can enjoy kicken and nickin away at it a tenth at a time.Have fun with what You have and try not to get the next lower second bug.Try and win a race, thats harder than going faster. Cost Me $23.000.00
To go from consistant 10.60s to consistant 10.0s. Bad thing was I thought I was gonna go alot faster. Im done now and staying where Im at. Someday Ide like to win one. Good luck have fun ----FED

 

Cars like this are what it's all about...

 

This is true,, but there is something about the term "Normaly Asperated" that seperates the men from the boys, and impresses those who have been there. I say just keep rubbing on it, I'm impressed.

 

Gotta love the power potential of nitrous, gotta hate the destructive potential when a solenoid sticks, Its like shooting bottle rockets when you were a kid, light the fuse and man would it fly. Then sometimes the damn thing just blows up in the bottle, nitrous is kinda the same way.