In a message dated 11/26/1999 2:32:19 PM Pacific Standard Time,
boogiewoogie12@hotmail.com writes:
<<
DICK: "for my money" having a dual purpose car is what its all about. I
think you'r on the right track-though theres bound to be many here that
will totally disagree. I think I'm right because none of us are getting any
younger, nor are we as disposed to want to be as serious as we were when we
were 20. I don't posess the dedication any more thats neccessary to really
be competitive on the high level you need to be to think of yourself as a
really serious racer.
My car, Boogie Woogie, was built with Bonneville, and "nostalgia" Drag
Racin' in mind. As you all know it takes a lot of extra effort to build a
car like that.
B.W. has a built in 1/4 wall D.O.M. Rollbar with a removable "funny car"
driver side cage made out of Chromoly that bolts in with about a dozen grade
8 7/16 bolts and hardened washers. I tried to plan ahead to the day that I
might be able to afford to actually make my dream come true and make some
passes down the long black like in it! Its also got a 9" Ford with 31 spline
race axles, coilover Spax shocks, and a fully adjustable 4 link; the rest of
the car comes apart easily too with minnimal bolts, and Dzus fasteners -all
done that way with ease of adjustment and maintenance in mind should the
wonderful day arrive. I'm NOT a rich man so have had to learn to be very
practical, hence the plan for a true "street & strip" Rod. Lots more
opportunities to use it that way! -Like long distance trips 'cross country!
Theres no-one near me that I'd call a real Hot Rodder so I have to travel to
visit or attend the better events in the northeast. A typical weekend for
me and Boogie Woogie is about a 4 to 600 mile proposition. I'm not
complainin'; every mile is a ball drivin'. Though I wish I had the dinero
for an overdrive unit! Geared with a 3.50, She sings out at 3,200 R's at
75 on the interstate. Not hurtin' the motor none but she only gets about
15mpg, and ya can't talk or hear any radio either! (I took the durn thing
out....)
Anyway, far as I'm concerned you'r on th' right track, Dick!
B.T.W. I've started to get "the itch" again an' am dreamin about buildin' a
warm flathead powered minimalist style Track T Roadster....you know the
kind; an authentic to 1950 northern Cal. racing roadster. Dual purpose of
course! ....Anyway, your mention of photos of 1/4 elliptic spring
suspension got my attention! Any way I could hornswaggle you out of some
copies? Oh oh I gotta get off this thing. Theyre kicking us out of the
public library I'm in!
"Talk" to you soon, Doug in N.Y.
>>
Doug,
That was my goal when I dreamed up my 27 T track roadster in the mid
80's, to run both street and strip. As it turned out, SCTA mandated roll
CAGES for all open cars starting in 1989, after the Pete Dean fatal crash at
El Mirage, rendering my roll BAR equipped car illegal. When I conceived it I
didn't allow for anything but a roll bar, and converting to a cage would have
ruined the car for the street.
As it turned out, we got the record (thanks to George Campbell in the
Salt Circus XX/STR obligingly "holeing" a piston on his record pass) and
retired the car the next year.
My feeling has always been that dual purpose cars will always provide the
owner more "bang-for-the-buck", but generally speaking they will be a
compromise on one or both uses.
My second Bonneville car, the GoldDigger XX/GL, then later XXF/GL, was
conceived as a rear-engine dual purpose nostalgia drag/LSR car. It was always
too heavy and frowned on at the nostalgia drags for being a rear engine, and
was a little short on WB (169") to really work well at LSR events. It was
built to NHRA chassis specs using "O2Thin" chrome moly for the cage and
chassis. When we ran in Flatty and Ardun classes nobody paid much attention
to the tubing size, but when we showed up at the 1996 Speed Week with a "C"
SBC gas motor they really gave is a going over and advised me that the cage
was too thin and too small.
Like I said, dual purpose cars allow the owner a lot more use than making
a few "Banzai" passes at the race track annually. My retired XXF/STR sees a
lot of fun driving now on the street. Keep in mind, however, that they are
also usually a compromise for either use. If you just want to go compete with
no real expectation of winning and have fun belonging to the group, the
dual-purpose car will serve you well. Unfortunately, almost all of the
winning cars in almost all of the classes (even Street and Production) are
"purpose-built". Adding the safety equipment when you want to race, then
taking it out when you're done really can get old......Ardun Doug in CA
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