Wintery Mix
 

It is the middle of the winter here in New York and as usual we are having one of our patented days of perpetual “wintry mix”. For those of you southerners and left coasters that haven’t a clue what wintry mix is, it is a nice mixture of snow, sleet, and freezing rain that coats everything with a thick glaze of ice so that you can’t walk, drive, or even ski too good. Inevitably, thoughts turn to all the projects that I intend to complete on my racecar before the first time out in the spring and then I think, “nah, the shop is about 20 steps out the back door and that’s too far!” This pattern will repeat itself day after day, week after week, and month after month until the entire winter is gone and birds are chirping outside. After another off-season of procrastination, I’ll take a look at my list, pick one item that I can complete in one afternoon, do it, clean the car, change the oil, start, and load it into the trailer. All of this will happen the day before I need it. I like to call this process “just in time waxoilstartloadification”. I justify my actions by subscribing to the theory that if I slip and fall on the frigging glacier outside then I could theoretically be paralyzed and unable to race for the rest of my life. I like all the debate over global warming; I am going to shovel about six inches of that warm stuff tonight.

So I thought that instead of complaining about runner sizes, ECU lists, or valve seat angles; I would reminisce about my first car and the things that we did to make it faster on the cheap. I grew up in a small town in Maine and I didn’t have much disposable cash so everything that I spent my money on was really important to me. I was fifteen years old and worked part time in a gas station pumping gas and doing the crappy jobs that no one else would do. I earned $1.80 an hour and worked about 25 hours every week, mostly on nights and weekends. I know all of you mathematicians and historians are feverishly trying to figure out how much per week and what year it was so I’ll help you out. The weekly money was 45 bucks and it was 1973. Anyway, the accountant that did the books for my boss drove a 1966 Malibu Sport Coupe with a 283, four barrel, and a 4-speed that he bought brand new. It had dual exhaust, some sweet glass packed mufflers, and Marina Blue paint. He would come by every Saturday and do paychecks and when he decided to sell it, I was first in line. I spent every dime I had, all 400 dollars, on that car and it was love at first drive.

One of the benefits of working in a service station in those days was that the mechanics were usually gear heads and loved to make cars faster. It was sort of a pride thing among guys that worked in different shops as to who made cars the fastest. I had plenty of guidance and help but hardly any money. So I had to resort to doing things that were free, traded, or really inexpensive in order to fit my budget. One of my best friends back then had a 1969 GTO Judge that was the undisputed king of the streets and with the Ram Air 400 and a stick it really was fast. If you haven’t figured it out already, beating the Goat was my highest priority! The first order of business was to get the motor flowing more air. A trip to the local junkyard yielded a set of 461 heads and the intake manifold from a 327. The intake had the Holley square pattern and a 750 CFM Holley bolted right up. I inherited an old solid lifter Crane cam and kit from a local guy that raced stock cars. I had no idea what the specs were but whatever they were, the little small block sure woke up. Eventually we spun the pistons around on the rods, recurved the distributor, and port matched the heads to the intake. The car had 4.10 gears and a posi. I did buy new Hooker Headers and a big Accel coil. I used to race the car at Oxford Plains Dragway by forging my mother's name on the release papers. The Malibu ran consistent 9.30's. The Malibu only beat the Goat one time when he missed a shift but I always pasted him out of the hole.

I am sure that most of you old timers have similar stories, how about sharing a few. Happy New Year!

Re: Wintery Mix
 

Owen,you got the 30-30 sighted in for the venison season?

Ed

Re: Wintery Mix
 

Good story Qwen glad you have the winter mix not use.
Dennis

Re: Wintery Mix
 

Owen, Oxford Dragway is still in operation, The CMDR hosts races there twice a year.
Da Mainiacs make "from away people" feel welcome all the time!
Some of the best people you could meet race at Oxford Dragway!

BTW, Weather in Central Mass is the same if not worse than yours!

G

Re: Wintery Mix
 

I'm a bit older than most of you, so my first car/hotrod was a '47 Chev. coupe. 216 cu.in. six.

The old man down the street that owned it wanted $175 for it, firm. My dad would only let me go $150
for it and wouldn't let me get it (my money from a $.50 hr. plus tips bag boy job). So, I gave the old guy $25 on the sly and my dad thought I got it for the $150 (Good job negotiating son).

I took it to the drags {Amelia Earthart Field in Hialeah (Miami), FL}. That was in late 1956. My first time running the 1/4 mile. Best time; 69 mph. No ET clocks back then.

Then I started to "soup it up". That's what we called it back then. First a set of Fenton cast iron headers
with straight through mufflers. Sounded like an airplane. My neighbor said when I came winding down the street it would mess his television up. Don't know if this was true or not.

Next a set of Fenton high lift intake rocker arms. Then a Mallory dual point conversion for the stock distributor and a Mallory coil. The coil was no good when it got hot and I ended up taking it off. Nothing I bought was new, everything used. Lastly, an Offenhouser manifold with two, one barrel Rochester carbs. Originally came with a single barrel Carter carb. This was over the period of about 1 1/2 years as the money would permit.

The dual carbs really made a big difference and by the time I finished with that car my best times were up to 74 MPH. Felt like it was flying. The only 8 cyl. cars I ever beat with it were stock Ford flathead V8's.
Never beat any overhead valve V8's.

But, I enjoyed working on and racing that car as much as any car I've ever had.

Re: Wintery Mix
 

I am not that old(40) unless you listen to my kids. And the first car I bought wasn't exactly what anyone thinks of as a high performace machine.

Once upon a time, in a cold harsh land known as Salem NH, there lived a boy whos parents insisted that his first job was school, academics, and since I liked baseball, parttime jobs weren't really in the cards. My neibhors across the street had parttime jobs, and in retrospect a rat box of a 1970 camaro 4 speed, guy at the top of the hill had a 69 camaro that seemed to change colors each season, doing burnout and leaving dual strips of rubber for 100 plus feet was what I gravitated towards.....but alas no ride, just got to use my mothers honda wagon(nice driver) and my fathers 80 mustang(a #@R32 6 cylnder no less).

As 16 year old was told if he could get 1400 on his SAT's, he could have the car of his choice....Even with lots of practice, I couldn't get north of 1300 on a great day(verbal was the weakness), so my dad got to keep his $.....Not to worry, I have since compensated, and now have a lot of vehicles(I loose track sometimes) 70 RT/SE challenger stocker(slow....read legal heads!), 72 challenger 4speed 440...maybe future GT, fast enough for HR, if I swap in the 727, 78 Lil Red Express(440 with nitrous), and a dakota pilot truck(stock eliminator), a 93 Ramcharger, a 93 d350 50K mile truck, a 96 f450 powerstroke rollback, a couple of trailers and a 08 4runner since I couldn't find anything domestic I could stomach for the $ back in feb.

Back to the tale,

I went to college, and used my summer earning for clothes, snowboards, and a great Specalized Mountain Bike(the ride), the parents gave me a 82 civic hatchback halfway through the freshman year, heater sucked, and I drove it till it gave out on the big hill right outside fort devens on route 2(I was in ROTC and on my way to the base)

Which brings us to my first car I purchased. Being low on money, with $100 a month coming in from the Army, I found a 72K mile 77 Honda Civic in Quincy for $500.

This car became known as the "racing honda". Knowing a bit about honda's, I set off to the trusty B+D(I think) junkyard in Shirley Mass, home of the $25 dollar special.....All you can push, carry or drag over the line..........

So, first up was out with the pusy 12" wheels, found a 83 Accord, ripped the hood off of it, tied a rope, and put put the 4 13 inch wheels on it, took the sweet wood steering wheel, and shifter knob, every carb I could get in the honda aisle,

Painted the rims, got some 175-70-13's BFG from Bj's, and the car was transformed from lame driver to snowbeast, and stoplight king(As a note, later I learned that honda civics from that era were and maybe still are iceracing cars of choice due to their weight distribution)

As the months and years went on, I ripped out every piece of trim, door panels, everything in search of excess weight, tailpipe, muffler, it was so quite at idle, cops couldn't tell....slip on the muffler for inspection, then off it goes, first summer, I made the brutal mistake of removing all the exterior trim, filling it in with bondo, and having it painted black....at Earl Shribe.in dorchester....I think it was $199....decent paint, bad choice by me.

I drove the car everywhere, raced it at Englishtown on a trip with my roommates to NY then Stratton mountain for snowboarding, Blew up the motor when the timing belt broke, swapped out the motor from a wealthy gent who had just rebuild his motor and tranny, he had a non driving parts car and I am not kidding a 24 foot truck full of spare parts motors, trans, etc.....only downside was buy it all or nothing..$500 for it all..Rode my trusty bike out 50 miles and drove car #1 home. Put the spare parts under a porch in a house in Needham(likely still there) swapped the engine and trans front of my house, drove it for a year, sold it to my brother who put a header and a glasspack on it when he went to college in Waterville Maine, got the car back from him, and drove it every day to work for a couple of years till the CV joint died yet again, and with major rust issues(Driver, sometime passenger would get hit with water from the rear wheelwells.....should have left the trim in!, I sent a perfect running car to Wings auto.

To this day, I can change a honda carb in likely 10 minutes or less(10mm), know that you have no more than 4 seconds to shut off the engine when your overhead cammed honda motor breaks a timing belt, I broke more over the years, 1237 CC's with taller tires, a bit of weight removed, means a top speed of 92MPH, with impecable handling(was competitive on the highway with traffic against 5.0's of the day), 77 civics have suspect electrical systems(changed the starter maybe 20 times), never had a radio that worked, but it was my first ride, fondly remembered, would buy a rustfree one if I could find one,

And it was my first car....even have the photo of it staging at E-town.

Basically, the car was like the modern day Mini.

If only I could find a rustfree 77 civic.



First up....out with the

Re: Wintery Mix
 

Hey Owen, we have a "wintery mix" down here in Florida to! One day it's 30 degrees and the next day it's 85! Jim

Re: Wintery Mix
 

Owen,
Am I missing something? You had a 66 Malibu 283 with 4.10's that ran 9.30's and your friend had a street GTO that was faster?
You guys had to be the best ever!

Re: Wintery Mix
 

Oxford Dragway = 1/8 mile

Re: Wintery Mix
 

John, Yes, I should have mentioned that Oxford was 1/8 mile!!!! Sorry about that.

Ed, Bambi is in the freezer. Deer sandwiches will be served again this year!!!!

Jim, Florida Wintery Mix is made with Tequilla and extra limes isn't it?