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Sr Dragster Retires

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Dolmetsch:
I had known for awhile this day was coming. What started out as just a car to test my 6 snowmobile car intake on had become one of the most fun cars I ever owned. After running the snowmobile carbs for two years successfully I tried some other things. A offy manifold with a reworked 750 Eddy carb was subbed for the six carb set up and results were almost identical but engine could be fired without needing some one to squirt the carbs. The Eddy was replaced by a severely reworked 600 Holley DP and it also worked very well. Frank Lupo made me a 8 inch converter of 4700 stall for the car and it began to be a real hauler. I reworked header lengths and designed and had custom made a couple of cams. The first a timid exploration of an idea I had that would suit this oversquare monster. My suspicions confirmed I went for the gold and was rewarded with a real nice working set up. I explored head work eventually coming up with the current one and am still pinching myself at its success. Both an automotive machinist and a master auto mech by profession time was my biggest expense. I truly enjoyed the step by step march to higher and higher power. It was a wonderful way to spend my retirement. Never much of a driver I had to fight with my inability to drive AND shift the car. A&A trans provided me with one of their super governor kits and that problem was solved. I invented a little rig to control throttle pressure as well and now had an almost infinitely adjustable shift point, indestructible, full auto, trans. The car itself never gave me a seconds trouble, ever.
It went straight as an arrow on every run it ever made without even a hint of bad manners.  Me however, I had a couple of bad manners. One I would sometimes forget to stage up on the converter and the other I have had from the get go was riding the brake handle with my right hand. Sometimes at the end of the track I would find when I went to brake I had been pushing it hard all the way down. A few times I was able to force myself to put both hands on the wheel. I found for instance, running one fellow who ran me most often, with my brake bad habit I would usually beat him by a wheel or so. With both hands on the wheel that improved to over 1/3 of a track win margin. As annoyed as my pals would get at me I couldn't always put it together. However I was never frightened in the car. Then I designed and built the tunnel ram and it matching tuned headers. It was designed to match the engines cam, completing the "everything in unison" plan. Things changed right here. First pass on the new intake I told my friends back in the FED pits "That is as fast as I want to go."  No big problem as I would just lift 100 feet or so out and all was well.  We were just running for fun so it didn't matter. And that first day  I had a mismatched metering plate pair. I fixed that before the next race in june and was payed back with a real strong, hard, couple of runs that found me lifting very early as I was not comfy with the speed. The engine was now starving for fuel at the top end of first gear so I fixed that before the September race. In fact all I wanted to find out in sept was had I fixed that? I had told myself and my wife over breakfast that if the car worked good on the first run I might park it and hang up my gloves right there as it is now going too fast for me. The extra fuel was all it needed it turned out and the car was now a serious car capable or running with the other vintage V8 feds.(In fact at the june race none of the FEDs or altered would pair up against me even when the starter motioned them to.) My Friend Pat had hurt his motor and wasn't at that race. He was at this one though and suggested early in the day we go for it. I took time to bring my motor up to 150F before climbing in as I wanted to give Pat his moneys worth. Pat runs a 427 Chevy square port motor with Hilborn injection so I had my work cut out for me. We pulled into the water together and gave the crowd a John Force style burn through. My car shocked me as with the fuel starve gone it had unbelievable power. We backed up and staged. Pat left first but hazed his tires. I am never good on the leave but with his spin we come out pretty well together.  The six easily walked the BB Chev off the line and I open up a lead early on. However it frightened me and by the shift I am already reaching for the brake (see photo below) but still have my foot planted. No sign of the fuel problem and the six is howling a deep throaty roar.  I held him off till somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 track(The track photog has  beautiful picture of the point where Pat just starts to reel me in.) He eventually went by and that is to be expected as we weigh about the same. When I lifted my throttle jammed, but that is another story. This adventure has given me back so much more then I could ever have asked. While this may not be the worlds most powerful slant six it will certainly take your breath away. Everything is matched with everything else and nothing, not even head flow, is holding it back. I am so happy it is like there are two of me. I have retired the car now. Not because of the accident  but because I have done everything and more with it then I ever dreamed.  I am content in that and know it is time to turn the page. What will happen to the car? I don't know yet. I have had 3 nibbles to see if I would sell it  and I would AFTER I find and fix what caused the throttle to stick.
I don't have to sell it and could just keep it in my shop polished up to bring a smile now and then. Time will tell. I know I will never forget the sound of it howling towards the finsh line on its last run with me at the wheel.  If you watch the video and turn up the sound you can hear it too howling at the 2/3 shift point as it disappears out of sight over the horizon heading for the finishline.
don

rooman:
Sorry to see that you are not going to run the Sr dragster again mate but I understand your reasons. Does this mean that we are going to see the VW in action next year?

Roo

GlennLever:
The racing world has lost a true racer.

We have a guy here locally that no longer drives, but is heavy into tuning.

Maybe you can keep your hand in the ring that way?????

Dolmetsch:
Thanks Roo,
Yes Das Auto is now top of my list. In fact the fellows from the track emailed and said they found me a parts trans so I can build the 904 for it and they are delivering it today from Kingston. And yes Glenn I have no trouble with that. In fact even when I fielded my door slammer cars other then a shakedown pass to be sure everything was good I always had a shoe in the seat. And I have tuned for others, My old friend Gary Wager being one with his RED he sometimes took me and paid the shot to keep him in the game. He used engines I did for him so it made sense to me. Mike can always use the help with his Hemi rail so I will do that for sure.  I have also gone back and revived my automotive writing career.
I have a piece in this months Chrysler Power as well as a tribute I wrote in Hod Rod deluxe. I used to do quite a bit.
Meanwhile I am digging through the files finding pics of the car as it morphed from a mule to a rocket. It has had more publicity then any car I ever had having been twice in Hot Rod deluxe as background photos, A spread in Canadian HotRods some time ago, in a couple of local monthlies and now the Chrysler Power article. It also appeared on Gearz TV show at the end of the Knucklebuster Episode and Stacy tells me that episode and the piece on the car are now on You tube. So really it owes me nothing.  I was poking around on it just now and removed the offending carb. I believe I found the trouble. It is so minor it is frustrating but it appears to be the cause. I am resting now and will return this after noon and remount the carb and see for sure. Meanwhile, if it is ok I may post any interesting pics here of the car as it moved along in its development. I still love it like the day it first barked to life!
don
I said I wasn't much of a driver. Look at my face shield. I hope I had my fly done up!

wideopen231:
Heck driving is just for the ego.  We know the real art is tuning. I told Rickey Bowie one time when he was driving the Funnycar .Yea drivers have are limited  on time ,us tuner guys can work til cpl days before the funneral. You can tune from wheel chair at 95 if your mind is still sharp. Now keeping us from tuning a highpowered wheelchair is different deal. Already designing mine. 3 inch wide slicks , Vtwin power, 3 foot wheelie bars and Pootshute instead of  parachute. Help me chase the nurse down.
  DON"T TRY THIS AT HOME

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