This Never Gets Old

The match race weekend was a blast and the first time ever racing against Gaffo Jones and the Wagons of Steel stock eliminator flag ship. It was a bit of a knife to a gunfight scenario given their experience and car set-up but we embraced the challenge of duking it out like wide eyed children with nothing to lose and the competition was tight. Alas, the Americans prevailed in a two out three victory but the saga will continue and the next time we meet in a heads up battle we'll be faster and wiser. Just seeing these two wagons lined up together gave me chills. The opposing stance  in both cars makes them look like an ad for a suspension shop.

Enjoy some video and don't be afraid to crank the volume.

Match Race!!!!!

We've officially thrown down the gauntlet to our class racing wagons of steel brothers from the American contingent. A stock vs altered; '64 Dodge vs '64 Plymouth; wagon on wagon showdown. weights are similar for the two cars, as is power but their behemoth is set on kill when it comes to chassis tuning for the highly competitive stock class racing that they sometimes enjoy, whereas our jalopy is set up like a hot rod shopping cart. The '64 Savoy, aptly named Britney Spears (so named during their drinking days) had better be wearing her big girl shorts cuz El Chupacabra is coming for her. This will be the first time these two heavy hitters line up against each other and the stakes couldn't be higher. No seriously, the loser buys steaks and probably near beer if memory serves. This race goes down July 11-13 at Pacific raceway for their Wild West Nostalgia weekend. The match bash will probably take place on the Friday for the test and tune evening so we can be sure that they won't try to sneak into a different lane to avoid a heads up race!!!

                                                                      VERSUS

                                                We're coming for you Gaffo Jones!!!!!

And We're Back

Mr. Carlson and I made the long journey to Ashcroft B.C. last weekend for the Langley Loafer's Old Time Drags. Weather was perfect all weekend although the air was a bit dense and it's surprising to see clouds in this video since it was almost always blue skies and scorching sun with a reasonably consistent tail wind.
We did a few upgrades over the winter that really tightened up our program; first and foremost we ditched the sleepy 4.11 gears for some aggressive 4.89s. We also sent out our valve body to Turbo Action to have it converted into a full manual reverse pattern which meant that I also had to switch the buttons around on our push button shift panel. Not an easy task but it looks and performs pro. Another upgrade we did, which may sound trivial, is to replace the chrome, period correct looking tach with a monster tach and functioning shift light. It looks wrong in a car like ours but we want to win some races.

 Old Chubby Cobra was working like a thoroughbred stallion this weekend, pulling a foot of air under the front tires (not quite yet in this shot) with 1.55 60' times. and averaging 11.13-11.17 E.T.s. Of course when it came down to eliminations on Sunday we were pitted against a fellow in our class with a '55 Chevy straight axle car that ran a 10.50 on a 10.50 dial in with an .020 reaction time. I may as well have stayed at home with a run like that. We ran an 11.16 on an 11.15 dial and I cut my best light of the weekend with an .027. A great run by most standards but that, my friends, is drag racing. We packed up the camp in record time, cracked a beer (and a near beer), said our goodbyes to our racing family and Chris put the hammer down on the Duramax as we headed for home. It's funny that I still classify this as a phenomenal weekend, even going out in the first round but going racing is sometimes more than racing. We see friends that we haven't seen in a long time, we went fishing on the way and I brought two of my Swing Bikes which offered a 100% chance of hilarity with a side of road rash. Did I mention that I love my life?

Remember These?

I was feeling a bit nostalgic this morning so I decided to flip through some old pics. Can you believe El Chupacabra came from this beast? Not only that but I still had a carport before it was overtaken by snow load which ultimately lead to the fantastic garage that I have now. Thanks nature.

 

 Uh Oh!!!The consequence of this post crushing the roof of our car was also a blessing since it was rotted beyond repair from years of mouse piss deteriorating  all of the vertical supports. Everything happens for a reason.

 

The Monkees wish that they had a '64 Dodge altered wheelbase convertible wagon.

 

Mmmm rotisserie Dodge...I'll take mine medium rare.

 

Couple of dorks having a dork off with their new hoopty

 

 Then the standard issue "getting the bugs out" scenario which involves melting down a couple of tired big blocks before we sell our first born to buy....

 

This!!!!

Now you should be all caught up and ready for another stellar year of racing in 2014.

The track schedules don't generally come out until the new year but you will be the first to know when they do.

 

 

 

 

Who Doesn't Love Shaky Video?

This was our last outing of the season and it was a bit of an ugly day. The forecast called for 5mm of rain and we foolishly still drove all the way to Osoyoos to get our final fix of adrenaline therapy. Fortunately the rain staved off for us and we settled for a strong headwind and (as usual) no traction. The good news is that nobody had traction so it was a level playing field. The starting line game became a fickle a balance of soft throttle tip in coupled with a slow brake release and some aged Gouda. Mmmm Gouda. Once we felt reasonably confident that we could work with these conditions we easily made it through the first round but by round two I actually hooked and despite a huge lift scrubbing 10mph from our speed we still broke out with a 7.20 on a 7.27 dial in. That's racing folks.

So in the off season there will be a lot of this happening. I'll do my best to give updates on maintenance and upgrades but I encourage you to keep your expectations low to avoid disappointment.

See you in the funnies

O.K. One More

More Weekend Shots

These glossy shots were sent to me from our buddy Melinda from Galore Racing.

Thanks Melinda