MA MOPAR BIT ME AGAIN or SO MANY MOPARS, SO LITTLE TIME

[1967 'cuda]

This was labeled an 'Old Geezer' event. The majority of the cars (and drivers) were vintage stuff you might have expected to have seen at a track back in the 60s and 70s.

 

[1967 'cuda]

 

[1967 'cuda]

 

[1967 'cuda]

 

[1967 'cuda]

 

[droptop]

AWESOME!!!!!! thanks for sharing, and just for the record......old geezer's rule.

 

[69hemibeep]

Sweet, thanks

 

[moparmonk]

Now that was an Information Dump! Extremely Impressive! Thanks!

 

[1967 'cuda]

More pics.

 

[1967 'cuda]

The chili dogs were sort of pricey, but they sure were tasty!

 

[1967 'cuda]

HOME SWEET HOME! I may love road trips but I think they wear me out more nowadays than they used to. With the cars unloaded I decided to finish putting pinstriping on the Duster. It had already arrived and was waiting in the mail.













I had bought a 150' roll so I had extra to play with. I decided to try a little on the Barracuda. I'm on the fence as to whether or not to actually put it on. It seems too bright with it and too bland without. I think that I'll put it on around the rear circular fish emblem too if I go with it.

 

[1967 'cuda]

After all the preparation was done we finally were loaded and ready to head to the Mid America Motorplex (Rolling Thunder Drag Strip) in Pacific Junction, Iowa. Already worn out from sleepless nights we had a 2 hour trip ahead of us. I took the lead with the dually pulling the 'Cuda in the enclosed trailer I had borrowed. It was to be our hotel for the next few days. A buddy of mine (Mike Swanson) from Columbus, Nebraska was pulling the Duster on our open trailer behind the Ford. The gates were scheduled to open around noon and the 'Test & Tune' was set to begin around 6 p.m. Although I had originally intended to leave way earlier, it was after 3:00 when we finally hit the road.

We made it about 30 miles when we ran into a huge deluge of rain. It was pouring buckets and the wind was blowing hard. Visibility was near zero. The wipers couldn't keep up. We stopped in Wahoo, Nebraska and waited over an hour for things to calm down. Although we were going to get there after the track was starting runs, I had never driven the dually very far before and that enclosed trailer felt like I was dragging an anchor behind me. I didn't want to risk an accident or cause a breakdown. The rest of the journey was pretty normal. - Only 1 missed exit along the way. I didn't have a chance to throw a timing light on the dually before we left. I know that I had it advanced pretty far in an effort to squeeze out a few more MPG. I must have gone too far because I could here it pinging up hills towing the enclosed and it didn't have the power it should have had.

The admission fee was $20 per car/driver per day. Someone had told me it was supposed to be $15 but I didn't balk at the $5 difference. The Duster that was on the open trailer arrived cleaner than the "Cuda that had been covered. It must be like a dust storm inside that trailer when you're going down the road.

We untied both cars and backed the Duster off first. It was sounding good. But when I went to back the 'Cuda off, it was back to the popping/banging/missing that I'd thought I'd cured before. Instead of letting the other guys drive them on And off the trailer back home, I should have done it myself. It still was loading up at low RPM and they tried to let it idle on it's own when it was cold. I failed to have brought a 5/8 spark plug socket with me that is critical for accessing numbers 5 and 7, but I was able to get the rest out. Just as before - they were sooty and wet. I still noticed new soot on the bottom edge of a few of the spark plug boots. It still seemed as though I was getting some combustion chamber mix being forced out through the spark plug holes. Using a flashlight I tried to study the seat area in the heads. They sure looked like they were cut for a tapered plug. With nowhere close by to get parts/tools the Barracuda wasn't going to see the track this first night.

The tech inspection was very lax. Their main concerns were leaks on any cars and if you had a helmet. (plus a driving jacket/suit if you ran below a certain E.T.) The first day was strictly a test & tune.

With only the Duster to drive I decided to pull as many passes as I could so that I could get the feel for the car AND the track. By the time I made the first pass it was already getting dark. It was hot! - Around 95' outside the car and well over 100 inside. 35 years ago I might not have noticed it but I felt like I was a potato in an oven being baked. I'd put the racing jacket on and it made it feel even hotter. There was so much sweat running in my eyes that they were burning. I know that having the windows rolled up is for safety but I sure wish I could have gotten some fresh air inside the car.

The last time I'd raced I had my Roadrunner. I didn't have to worry about shift points (now my cars are still running 727s but they're full manual). I'd never even done a burnout in the water box before. Back 'in the day' my cars had tachs. - But they were never as critical a tool for me back then. Hell, for the most part I ignored them unless I was trying to diagnose a problem. I'm running a TURBO ACTION CHEETAH SCS shifter in the Duster. I know that I've heard guys rave about how much they like them. I guess I don't. I don't have any lights that allow me to see my gear in the dark. The shift from neutral to 1st to 2nd is a straight shot back without any detent between and then the shifter needs to jog to the right to hit 3rd. A glance down into the dark tells me nothing about what gear I'm in. I really like that HURST PRO-MATIC II ratchet shifter that I installed in the Barracuda. I realize that I'm more used to it because it's been my daily driver but it is so simple to hit the next gear when you only need to repeat the same action each time.

 

[1967 'cuda]

So how did it go? What did I learn?

I learned that there is a reason to get those tires warm. I started out with around 15 pounds of air in them and did a minimal burnout. On that first pass I spun them all the way through 1st and into 2nd. I learned that when your tires don't hook it's hard to go straight. I learned that 15 psi is too much.

I also learned that I should have been using that practice tree I bought for more than garage art. I'm embarrassed to admit that my first reaction time was over .600. When I saw that on the time slip I felt like Toad from American Graffiti - knowing that someone somewhere was wondering what kind of clown was driving that car.

I don't think that I sweat any more than the average person. But I do know that it was affecting my vision. I also know that in the conditions I was racing it was difficult to read the tach. It could have been partially my eyesight and the tach's lighting. I do not have my shift light functional yet. I now consider the shift light to be more important than I used to. If I ever decide to get serious I may decide to get a bottle for the air shifter too and hook it up.

My first 2 passes were in the high 7s. I think they were a 7.91 and a 7.85. It wasn't as quick as what I'd been led to believe it would run. But then again the previous owner had a bigger stall, a deeper gear, a trans-brake and more carb all in a different chassis. I guess they didn't promise me that I'd see 9 second 1/4 mile times, but they did say that the drive line had produced those types of times in their Dart. I was disappointed. I didn't know how much these slower E.T.s were caused by my inexperience and how much faster the car might really be capable of going.

When I lined up for the 3rd pass the radiator began to puke water onto the track and they shut me down. I let the car cool down after they pushed me out of the lanes and I called it a night.

Getting familiar with the car is essential if you're going to win. But the truth of the matter is that I wasn't really there to win. I was there to find out what the cars were capable of running. On day 2 I'd have to get my parts and tools to get the Barracuda on the track.

 

[1967 'cuda]

I'm so burnt out over all that's happened over the past week that it's taking me awhile to keep focused on describing the events of this last weekend. I think I could use 2 days of sleep. I had it all typed up but when I went to post it my session had timed out and I lost what I had written.

 

[1967 'cuda]

It rained hard all night long. I don't have the figures but I know that come morning our trailers were in 6" of water. Despite the rain it stayed hot. I was so tired that I didn't expect to have trouble falling asleep. The enclosed trailer floor may not have been comfortable but I've slept on worse. We left the side door open to try to get some cooler air inside but apparently the bugs wanted shelter from the rain and we had provided them with the best spot to go. If I ever borrow this trailer again I'm going to invest in a screen door for it. Sleep was near impossible.








My biggest priority in the morning was to find a decent parts store. We went to Glenwood that was about 5 miles away and found a NAPA. It turned out to be a good choice. There was an older guy at the counter that was willing to help me cross reference plugs. I had started out with ACCEL Copper Core 784s from Mike. According to the books Autolite 3923s were a direct replacement. I picked up a set of 8. But I still wanted to try a set that had a tapered seat so the gentleman was patient enough to search through his inventory for some plugs with a similar heat range/thread design until he came up with some CHAMPION Copper PlusRS12YCs. I bought 8 of them too. Of course I picked up a plug socket and gap tool while I was at it.

We zipped back to the Motorplex and I decided to install the CHAMPIONS first. I gapped them at .045 because I am running the MSD. It fired up and sounded sweet. If I hadn't had 2 cars to run I might have played around with that second set of plugs still and even with the gaps. But the 'Cuda still needed to make it's first pass and the time to play with things was running out.

I decided that I had too much on my plate. With the lack of sleep, 2 cars to run (and possibly have to work on), and my lack of comfortability/familiarity with either combined with lack of experience... - It started to seem overwhelming. One other thing that I had learned the night before is that on an 1/8 mile track it seems as though things happen faster than on a 1/4. I realize that there's not a lot of difference. If you shift at 6 at a 1/4 mile track you most likely will have the same shift point on an 1/8. But they were pretty efficient at getting the rounds run down the track. As soon as the previous cars turned off onto the return lane they started the water burnouts with the next cars. My timing was way off. I wasn't sure how many passes it would take until I could start cutting a good light and get comfortable with each car.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Doug Leinart showed up with his '68 Fastback. That thing is knock dead gorgeous. A true Formula S car sporting one of the prettiest big blocks I've seen. I had to get some pics of our cars together.











As partial as I may be to my '67, it pales next to that blue on his car. It seemed as if every inch of that thing was shining. How the hell can he keep those WELD wheels so shiny?

I asked Doug about track experience in the hope that I could get him to pilot one of my cars. Although he had more track time than me he said he didn't consider himself very experienced. He suggested that I try a guy named Jack Underwood. Jack had put together a really clean (although still unfinished) lowbuck Altered and took racing pretty seriously. He agreed to give it a shot.



Then I asked Jack for suggestions on a possible second driver for the Barracuda. Without hesitation he told me to try Bloodhound. I don't know his real name but I know he;s from Shenandoah, Iowa. - And I know that he's been a pretty consistent champion in his class. Don't let the funny looking hat fool you. This guy is good. He campaigns a Camaro that may look rough around the edges but I think that's intended to disguise what you're lining up against. - Sort of like the Farmtruck on Street Outlaws.





Bloodhound is quite the character. He agreed to be pilot #2.

 

[1967 'cuda]

OK, I know those two guys are campaigning Chebbies. But I wasn't looking for a car swap. I was just trying to find a couple of hot shoes. I'm not sure if I could have come up with a better pair. These guys were great. I felt guilty about asking for the aid. I didn't want them thrown off of their timing in their own cars. After all, they had come to race what they'd brought. They are both serious competitors with reputations for winning. Neither would be driving in the same class that they were entered in with their own cars (that wouldn't have been allowed). My classes would be small block/slicks and big block/slicks. This was a Geezer event with dial ins. The classes were divvied up in such a way that there were often big differences in E.T.s running against one another.

I was stoked. The pressure of being an inexperienced driver with 2 cars was gone. I would be able to gather good info from the drivers that I had picked to help me sort out anything that wasn't working right. I'd be able to see what the cars were truly capable of turning. Heck, I could damn near sit back and relax for the first time in almost 2 weeks. This is what I needed.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Jack made the first pass with the Duster. He had some of the same issues that I'd had. He didn't like the feel of the shifter and had trouble getting the car to hook. Despite the fact he was drenched with sweat, he was grinning when he came back. He said he thought the Duster was "one sweet ride", "a lot of fun" and "seemed to run great". He'd bested my times by two tenths. And he was cutting a much better light.

Bloodhound was next. The 'Cuda was still sounding good. Everything seemed to be going right. I expected the Barracuda to run about a second or more slower than the Duster. - After all it was my street car daily driver. The 2400 stall converter was no doubt going to affect the way it would launch. - And the 4.10s may have seemed steep for the street but were probably going to be conservative for an 1/8 mile track.

To my surprise the 'Cuda ran almost identical to the Duster. It may not have been as fast but it ran within a few tenths. It didn't hook well on it's first pass either.

By the time the test & tunes were done the two cars were dialed in. And as it turned out they were actually only running about .10 difference between them. They were fairly consistent. The Duster still had a slight edge over the 'Cuda.

First round eliminations took out the Duster but the Barracuda took a win. Second round saw it drop out. I didn't care. I'd found out even more about both cars than what I'd hoped to. It was a good day.

Before packing things up the guys agreed to run 'Cuda versus Duster so I could see them side by side. As the owner of both, it sure seemed like a pretty sight to me. The best the Duster ran was a 7.54 and the 'Cuda a 7.65.

 

[1967 'cuda]

One thing that I know I want to do to the Duster is to switch to that EVANS waterless coolant. I would never have had an issue with it boiling over had I been running it. It may not have run any cooler, but it doesn't expand and puke out.

 

[1967 'cuda]

Bloodhound told me that his wife looked at him funny after he came back from his first few passes with the Barracuda. She asked him where he'd been. He told her that he was running the 'Cuda. Then she says to him, "That explains it. I thought you smelled like fish".