A 30 year journey, and a 2nd chance.

[Cglrcng]

Originally Posted by David Lee

Do you remember Lion Country Safari right down the road

Absolutely, though I attempted to rarely get that near exceptional wild animals that far north of the San Diego Zoo. (The Fox Hunts at O.C.I.R. especially the ones featuring 64 Funny Cars were pretty much a Zoo with plenty of wild animals of the human kind in their own right!)

In the 70's on those rare Saturday nights when they were AM/FM promoting all over the Southland for weeks on end before the events, it was standing room only, and just driving a bracket car to the lanes was like a trip to the jungle.

[David Lee]

i wonder if we crossed paths. back then i ran a 67 charger with a 440

[Cglrcng]

Originally Posted by David Lee

i wonder if we crossed paths. back then i ran a 67 charger with a 440

I remember you David. How have the decades treated you?

https://www.autoimagery.com/gallery-...000jE85nde7IOE

Go to the O.C.I.R. Pic link I posted above. Does that car look familiar to you?

Please disregard the bashed in front grill (the night before that shot was taken at The County, I was in the lanes at Big Willy and Tomika's Outlaw track on Terminal Island and an Altered was right in front of me about 4', and I was in the seat engine off in park (with a car behind me close), when the lane master began pulling our lane, I saw the driver click that altered in reverse and hit the throttle and I hit the brake pedal with both feet, but he drove right up into my grill. The owner (of the altered was right there, he apologized profusely for his driver, paid cash that very night), but it took a couple of years to find another straight grill at Pick-a-Part!

I know that sounds stupid, but very few online pics were ever published that I can find of that car, though I own a bunch of Magazine, N.D. pics/articles, and pics I purchased or took of it personally. Finding that autoimagery site was like gold, but the 1 pic I found of that car that was magic to me back in the day, and yet due to the evident damage, usually embarrasses me to post the link to it.

And that photo was actually taken in 1984 not 1982 which is the database I found it in (the key is the car number shown is 6839 E.T. not my usual 7839 (and that was the 1 year NHRA combined Div. 6 & 7 temporarily into Div. 6). I won the Firestone/Centerline Div. 6 Bracket 3/Heavy championship later that year (October 1984), in that car (a 250 car field at Famoso and my very first Wally. And "The County" our beloved O.C.I.R. in Irvine, CA, was closed forever after the last bracket points race that season. (Dang I miss that track still today!)

Lots of great pics in that database for those that care to peruse it for "back in the day stuff"!

Added:

https://www.autoimagery.com/image?&_...FxKTQ--&GI_ID=

Pete Berkuta's SS/DA Car photo also found in a different O.C.I. R. photo collection, he prepped that White 63 Polara car originally as a bracket car from a junkyard roller build, added a 440/727-B and .430/8-3/4" rear, sold it to Richard Gabaldon who added the lower rear sky blue to cover up after rolling/flaring the rear fenders to fit the wider slicks, and I bought it later from him less than a year later. (The winningest bracket or otherwise car I ever owned... Drove it to and from the track, Fill it up at the Union 76 out on Sand Canyon, (unload the tow bar, slicks and tools in the back seat area and trunk), run it, race it and dial down a hundredth every pass, and just run right on...almost every pass).

I wore out that 440 (a low 11.20 car, but no rollbar or cage so was limited to 5,200 RPM short shifting 12.00 flat@111-113 MPH), over the years (hundreds and hundreds of SoCal passes, I raced all over and 5 days/nights a week some periods), pulled it out just before it blew up one night (it all of a sudden picked up 6/10th's on a semi-final pass for no reason). My uncle wanted to trade me a fully re-built and ready to install 13.5-1 C.R. 383 that came in his Road Runner Factory, as he wanted a 440 6 Pack Edition, so we met with the other finalist, agreed to split the final payout, he got the trophy as a bonus, then we headed to his house in San Diego and pulled out my worn out but still running bullet 9by that time I was burning Grade 60 Valvoline oil, the rings were good, but all the bearings were razor blades)...Dropped in that 383 the next day, fired it up and I drove it home to Anaheim Hills. (A few months later he had his 440 Six Pack car running and was a happy man!) And I did not miss even 1 race day/weekend.

It was sure down on torque, but it squirted off the line, instead of pulling the wheels up, ran the same ET 12.00 flat at 121MPH (a 9 MPH increase just made the top of the bracket car even more deadly), and was just as consistent as it ever was with the 440 in it. (Lotsa fun for many years, and more success than any 1 person ever deserved).

[Cglrcng]

Oh, I forgot...The reason I posted Pete's car. That was the car/driver I faced in the 1984 Div. Finals, final round (His car 426 Wedge motor, 4.88 gears dialed 12 Flat@ 113MPH, my 383, 4.56 gears dialed 12 Flat @ 121MPH at Famoso, as you can see by pic differences it had that wheels up SS/DA type air under the tires and left a lot harder, but when he came back to earth about the Tree I was on his rear quarter with my front tire, and I knew what the finish line was going to look like, no way he could hang with that mile an hour difference. It took to half track to nudge out in front, but wop, wop and an inch apart I took the stripe. (That was 1 of the absolute best heads-up races, I ever participated in). Most others were fast closing rates whether I was chasing, or being chased.

Sry all, a different car, a different class, a different era. Still fun times.

Thank's for the memories.

[Cglrcng]

Just testing my resized pics so I can continue.

Through the years...

1993 Day of Purchase, no...we bought the whole car, but the only pic I could find from the beginning.

Spring 1995 GatorNats, FL

This last May 20th, 2023 (Shakedown ring seating Pass 2-1/8th Mile Kingman, AZ Legal Street Drags on Rt. 66 on the Slicks) (An annual full track setup right on Andy Devine 3 miles from home, and a timely finish of a 15 month project. Short Block was in the machine shop a full yr. and 3 weeks.

(Now ready to run first quarter mile passes this go around, as soon as NHRA hopefully re-assigns the same numbers...fingers crossed, paperwork and fees are in now). Yeah the G's went away yesterday, now EF/S is on it. Looking to first quarter mile T-N-T Vegas on the 8th of Sept. (Sportsman Brackets same weekend? Maybe)

I think I have the aspect ratio on resized pics correct if they post so I can get back to the build and changes over time. We shall see.

[Cglrcng]

Yeah. (Every part ever removed except the recently replaced pistons I have on the shelf or floor in my garage).

Ok back to 1993, first thing to go The A/C Compressor hoses/dryer off, Save the A/C and Alt. mount (combo weight box/torque strap is mounted in the A/C bracket under hood and in front of R.F. spindle). Box is steel and weighs 14 lbs empty holds 30 plus lbs lead.

Deleted the Cast Iron Exhaust Manifold, CA, EGR smog stuff and a certain Item 3 letter item I will not mention, Replaced with a Chrysler Ramcharger style Hooker 2.2L Long primary tube Header, added O2 Bung and Bosch 1 wire O2 Sensor back.

Cracked open in those days the Direct Connection Catalog and they still had then lotsa go faster a little at a time dealer orderable pcs....For the A-413 Transaxle (lowest set of side case gears avail. at the time, a great trans builder friend of mine in Torrance, CA did miracles reworking the 1st and 2nd gearsets to lower the final gear ratio (it takes time to figure out what is available, and what is best to use with each other (and the complete 3 book Service Manual Set that the Dealers used back then is the best place to start, I did not have a set then, but do now), but not enough to tear up the unequal half shafts.(I have damaged a couple of smaller front axles or boots over time, but recently learned to rebuild/reboot my own).

I bought the D.C. Forward pattern valve body shift kit and also did the modifications myself with a little help to improve it greatly. Another Racer by the name of Lee sold me a barely used set of 20" tall X 6" W X 14" Rim sized M.T. E.T Slicks with plenty of rubber still on them (it is not the rubber, I rarely even drive through the water at all, it is all about the gearing lower of the final gear ratio the slow sled needs.

(Someone back then I think, either Bill O'Connor or Lee brought me a full set of damaged equal length half shafts w/ a broken Carrier Bearing from a turbo edition, still in a box on the lower shelf, never repaired it yet, but if I ever get it to go really fast, might be worth doing).

Also think If I remember correctly in Phoenix in 95, that Bill O'Connor gave me a pretty much stock slider cam in great shape and a little bit more lift than the 1 I had and I tried it once in Houston during a rainout, I dialed it in and tested it a few passes on a T-N-T day playing both adv. and ret., and switched back the morning the National event resumed.

I also picked up from D.C.all the necessary tools to get the cam correct, solid adj. lifter, an adj. TDC finder that screws into the #1 spark plug hole, Made my own degree wheel pointer, 8 Moroso lightweight checking springs, Degree wheel and adapter and addl. Crank Bolt, the correct tool to adjust the timing belt that is counterweighted, and of course carry with me all the measuring instruments to use head on or head off the block.

Next up was to remove the cold air box completely, just removing the element does not improve it much on the Single Point TBI edition.

Those minor items netted me about 4/10ths to about .500 under the 17.45 Index.

[Cglrcng]

The $400.00 bucks won at the 1st bracket race at Carlsbad was just about enough a month or 2 after we bought it to get the car a really cheap (Earl Scheib, believe it...), paint job in blue. They screwed up everything, painted it, pulled it out into the shop, and some fool stripped another car next to it, we showed up to pick it up and little pcs and balls of butcher paper were stuck to the whole car...everywhere!

Needless to say they sanded it all down again and repainted it. They ended up not charging us for the paint job.

1994 The economy sucked in CA, then the Northridge Earthquake hit us from 1 direction early morning, and the same day from the opposite direction in Twenty Nine Palms another quake hit (we decided within a couple of weeks to move to N.W., AZ), so I moved the race car, other vehicles, family and household to AZ...I still had a few employees we had not laid off yet in our struggling at the time Landscape Construction business, but at least 6 months worth of contracts and jobs to finish up, so I travelled back and forth and started racing the car E.T. brackets and Div. events in Stk. to gain grade points in 94 for 95 Nat. Event entries.

I bracket raced the car and started to do well with it at Vegas (long before the 4 wide existed), Speedworld, Chandler, Bakersfield, and a few other places. Even claimed a Runner Up in a S/SS Combo Shootout Race at Surprise put on by Petre C.P..

First Div. Event was at Las Vegas, NV in 94, got to the track with pump gas in it, drained, added a couple gals of VP C12, and promptly failed a pre-race fuel ck. nice tech guy called on the radio to the tower, and he asked for a maint. guy, who he requested a single gallon of red offroad diesel from 1 of the temporary lights way out at the far end of the track, and when he brought it by, he said pay the man...I did. He taught me what I needed to know and do...Wash the oxygenators' out of my fuel system using diesel.

Including this process (because nobody wants to do it if they do not have to), it is a pain, but I got good at it over the next year or 2.

Pumped out the race gas (saved it in same container I had recently drained my pump gas in), made sure not to start the car so no diesel makes it through the injector, just circulates tank, filter(s), up to throttle body and back through return line, and also bounce the rear of the car to splash that 1 gallon all over the inside of the tank, drain diesel and save it in a different container. Add 1-2 gals race gas, wash system to remove the diesel. Save that too. Then fill tank with desired (no more than 2 gals expensive race gas, retest at fuel ck. (yeahhhhh I passed, and I learned what to do, never failed another fuel ck again).

I drove the car on cheap unleaded pump gas from event to event, always arrived early & ready, and took after a few times doing it about a half hour to complete the process before I had the pre-race fuel ck. done...And I sold a lot of unused pre-tested fresh race gas to a lot of friends over the next 2 yrs., at the end of every event.

While I did it driving to events coast to coast and back, it is a pain, so I would not suggest anyone else attempt it unless they have to, and my new rebuilt engine today, no way is Diesel getting anywhere near those combustion chambers again. A 5 gal cell is now installed, it is not a drag and drive car anymore.

Next change I made was calling TCI and having a great torque converter made (Winter of 1994). That is still in the car now in 2023.

At this point in time (i had collected enough grade points to enter Nat. Events), it is just about time for The 1995 WinterNats by the time I got that converter in the car. My first National event will be a test event for that lone chg. pc, but it feels good and while not a whole world of difference it is looser, it flashes and stalls a bunch higher than the prior stock 1.

First 3 Q passes are much improved. And I have always loved Pomona! (My Grandfather went with me and we towed it there). By this time, I had completed all my contracts, and finished up business in CA, sold off our company, filed our last tax return, put our State Contractors Lic. back in the hands of the CA Contractors board, waved goodby and moved the balance of business equipment to N.W., AZ...My wife was happy, life was happy, and she said go racing for a while if you want, you had a rough year in 94! 1995 was going to be spent driving the budget stocker to Nat. and Div. Events and Bracket Racing in between full time travelling, me, the car, and about 1,500 lbs of tools, supplies, clothes, luggage, etc. in the budget drag and drive Class Car.

[Chuck Weissberg]

The first (White) photo reminds me of 87 Daytona Pacifica turbo 1 DF/SA car I had way back when. I enjoy your story

Originally Posted by Cglrcng

Just testing my resized pics so I can continue.

Through the years...

Attachment 68129 1993 Day of Purchase, no...we bought the whole car, but the only pic I could find from the beginning.

Attachment 68130 Spring 1995 GatorNats, FL

Attachment 68131 This last May 20th, 2023 (Shakedown ring seating Pass 2-1/8th Mile Kingman, AZ Legal Street Drags on Rt. 66 on the Slicks) (An annual full track setup right on Andy Devine 3 miles from home, and a timely finish of a 15 month project. Short Block was in the machine shop a full yr. and 3 week


Attachment 68132 (Now ready to run first quarter mile passes this go around, as soon as NHRA hopefully re-assigns the same numbers...fingers crossed, paperwork and fees are in now). Yeah the G's went away yesterday, now EF/S is on it. Looking to first quarter mile T-N-T Vegas on the 8th of Sept. (Sportsman Brackets same weekend? Maybe)

I think I have the aspect ratio on resized pics correct if they post so I can get back to the build and changes over time. We shall see.