Dollars and Sense

There was some good racing at the track this year.

Ya wonder how people can afford it.

The local bar "Kelly's Olympian" has a fleet of racing corvettes.

The best way to spend tip money!!

This one is privately owned.

It had the most deep copper flawless paint job...

A true holey chit moment.

The guy pushed it hard,

Supposedly locked up the transmission,

then slid out in his own fluids.

They tucked it away super quick.

I overheard the wife/owner saying...

She,"never liked that color anyway..."

I'll bet it's better than ever next season!!

TP

PIR Rose Cup - Ed Charnock

Working at a Portland International Raceway

 has been very surreal.

Many tasks are menial,

interspersed with some "wow! I work here..." moments.

The Rose Cup race was held in July,

one of the big 3 summertime races.

That's when I get overtime to be a pion.

The V8 classes require us to be on emergency watch,

as they're more apt to crash.

Then we rush out and fix the tire bumpers

and make sure the track is safe and ready.

Two racers have died this year 

and many injured so it's a serious duty.

While watching the GASS race,

(Great American Stock Series),

one car/driver really stood out.

He'd take the last turn so hard,

his car would sporadically drift.

One of the older models in the open class,

typically dominated by the series owner, Chris Evans,

who has multiple cars and drivers

with a loaded pit operation.

Ed was getting 3rd with his home built 450hp,

against newer cars with 550-600hp.

Only a 0.8-1.3 second difference!

And surprisingly this was with no pit crew!

His wife helped as she could,

but Ed was the driver/mechanic/grunt,

definitely the underdog.

During my rounds I had to meet him,

just for him to know I was rootin for #6.

When I found out his operation was so bare bones,

and he wasn't a stuck up ass like some other drivers,

it was that much better.

If it was possible I'da helped crew!

Even offered to have Jaxon/Jakob help out 

if he returns to race.

Ed is a so-cal firefighter from Murrieta,

and purchased his bosses race car,

after progressing up from an S-10 class.

He actually won the 2016 western states championship

at Buttonwillow.

So whay happens to an underpowered racer 

that aims to beat faster cars?

He tried to pass on turn 12 in 3rd place,

which drivers don't usually do,

and does a massive spin out in the grass.

After that the car wasn't right,

and what do you do...

Hope he brings his car next year!!

Thanks Ed for the show...

TP

Sharp Re-engineering

There's a joke about 

how mail order "bolt-on" parts,

usually require modifying...

cutting, welding, re-drilling holes...

Some kits are "universal",

and will fit any specified application.

Those are the worst.

Red flags flying just mentioning it.

The better kits focus on a specific model,

leading most to believe the engineering 

part is completed.

This was a project I watched Jason 

get snookered on.

A huge example of why not to bid on a job.

This was supposed to be a simple motor

and transmission swap,

in a 1964 chevy Malibu or chevelle.

This is when YouTube and online research,

makes a project seem much easier.

You'd expect a small block chevy 283

would be similar to a stroker 383,

and a th350 transmission similar to a 700r4.

Nope.

To get this combo wedged in,

Jason had to fab a new tunnel,

notch the crossmember and exhaust.

Definitely not the bolt-on the owner 

or he had predicted.

At this point it looked finished.

I came in expecting the car to be gone,

and instead it was tore up.

Again.

Holey chit...

The tie rods were hitting the oil pan!

A shallower pan was located.

Not sure if the original one had extra capacity,

or if the new one was extra small.

The pan did work,

and the stroker crank didn't bang 

on the sheetmetal.

At this point frustrations were high.

A week job pushed into 3 weeks,

without a comparable change in pay.

Glad it wasn't my project!

I was the lucky one to test drive it,

and relearned why I have mechanically

challenged hot rods.

(Flathead/bias ply tires, tired engines...)

This thing flew!

If anyone saw a chevelle screaming through the barrio,

it wasn't me.

Holey chit!

Made me want to rebuild the 40's 5.0 engine!

We had made a bet how long this would last,

before something broke.

2-3-4 weeks.

I think I won.

So if you need help,

give Sharp Re--engineering a buzz!

TP

Colorado meets the Barrio

After the GNRS,

a couple hot rodders drove down

to see one of Jason's projects.

Definitely one heckuva mobile unit!

I think it was 43 feet long.

Inside were a couple cool old race cars.

A little dirt track,

a little early drag race.

I'd watched the blue one being built.

The engine was the original 235 race block

since about 1956,

sporting a real Wayne flow through head.

I've always wanted one!

This made a racket when running!

The original racer/builder Cal Kenedy

had a plethora of stories.

And a really cool scrapbook,

full of old pics and stickers.

Each one had a history or explanation.

This was the first year Bell Helmet,

fiberglass starting to plasticize the world.

Many cool photos were too dark to repost.

You'll have to meet up at the next 

Hot Rod Hillclimb or GNRS show.

Was a good time meeting people 

away from the public.

No distractions,

and we almost got them to take a barrio lap!

Now how to get a crazy trailer like that...

TP

shop life - episode 6 - winterize

One thing that can change the course of a day,

is an ad for free bricks.

This was a good load!

By 1145 the bricks were at the shop.

Thanks Theo!

By 5pm a few were laid out,

not perfectly even,

just a quick lay.

Way nicer than the rocks.

Over the weekend the kids busted butt.

The idea was to flatten out the area.

A slow start gained momentum.

The ground isn't level,

and a 1-3" plate of asphalt like dirt 

made things difficult to pick and shovel.

Once the challenge was understood,

hammering, prying, leveling and laying,

this tough section was almost conquered.

There's still a fat stack of bricks left,

but the rains stalled progress.

The next day the wind whipping the tarps off.

Holey chit!

It looks naked without the canopies!

The big box was floating in the stiff breeze.

So much it moved the two 50 LB weights,

and ripped the stakes out of the ground!

Time to winterize...

TP

Dumbin' Down

The 700r4 is a common hot rod GM automatic transmission,

replacing the th350 cause of it's overdrive gearing.

The later '87+ models have more complicated electronic controls,

but without the stock computer module,

all of these  transmissions need a torque converter lockup modification.

Online there are plenty of options to follow,

from a simple rewire and toggle switch,

to the above universal kit.

My task was to install this universal kit

on the early style 1985 700r4 in the Hurtlocker Truck.

This Painless kit is used in all models up to the 90's.

What I realized,

is the later models that have more intricate computerized controls,

are dumbed down to use the early 80's pressure switch and torque converter solenoid/valve.

The parts I swapped were virtually identical,

and the directions were to remove all other internal wiring,

used on the later models additional switches.

Kinda sneaky way of squeezing $150 off a credit card!

The toggle switch is side-graded to this brake and vacuum switch,

making driving more idiot proof.

Possibly easier, possibly not.

If you're going with the mods,

make sure to either tap your original pan for a drain plug,

or get an aftermarket pan.

Draining the pan sucks without the plug.

There was no way I was gonna waste a gallon of basically new fluid! 

One step closer to gettin the old heap on the road.

TP

Daily Drivers

Here's a little prelude...

Ken picked up what looked and sounded like a bitchin camaro.

It made me want one too.

Then I remembered we couldn't afford to drive a GM musclecar when we had one,

and oh yeah we've got a handful of ford based hot rods already.

That's how the competition starts.

It's easier for me to dial the green 40 to be just as bad ass.

302 vs 350

It's an age old battle.

Of course in this case there's almost 30 years of styling differences.

And that's what makes it fun.

Old vs older...

Round vs square

Prewar vs postwar...

Sadly most people find comfort in slowly paying off an inflated car loan.

Thankfully car based America allows us to build this stuff.

Ken's got big plans for this beast.

I'll continue to scrape by.

Funner to be the underdog.

Stay tuned for the updates...

TP