HIGH COMPRESSION

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We have a lot of content to compress into a limited space here. Just like this '55 Chevy, strapped to a pallet and bound for China. So don't expect much chit chat this week.

Thanks for your understanding over the last few weeks, as my day job got in the way of the blog. Deadlines can be such thieving little oppressors. The dust from that annoyance is settling now, and there are untold stories cued-up to be released into the hotrodosphere.


BIG DADDY'S BIG CHARGE

Last week, we gave you a heads-up on Don Garlits' impending attempt at hitting 200 MPH in the quarter mile with electric power. Always the explorer, Garlits is obviously learning about more than just applying electric torque with this project. The radical bodywork is likely hiding some chassis advancements. On May Day, Big Daddy lit the Goodyears and took his shot. Dragzine.com was present at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida to capture the historical event. This image is the first electric burnout to ever grace the SGE page, marking yet another incremental in Garlits history!

After three warm-up runs (which tore up several components), the hammer was dropped on a full charge pass, producing the above ET slip. Short of 200, but a World Record, nonetheless.

Other than an air hose blowing off the pneumatic B&J 2-speed trans, no mechanical issues were suffered. Electrical issues were another matter, as the monster motor melted down more than one of the 800 amp fuses, including this specimen in the Swamp Rat's claws. Live and learn, right?

At day's end, these guys owned a World Record and were confident of 200 MPH with a change of gearing. They expect to prove it within the next two weeks. Back row: The Lawless Industries crew, the HighTech Systems crew, and the Garlits Museum crew. Up front: Garlits and photographer Lisa Crigar.

As the crew packed up the car, Big Daddy mounted his bicycle and pedaled back to Ocala. (Photos courtesy of Dragzine.com)

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LORI BENTLEY LAW'S PICK OF THE MONTH

SGE regulars are familiar with our Southwest correspondent, Lori Bentley Law. But did you know that Lori features an estrogen-powered rodder on each of her excellent Motorpalace.com blog posts? This month's entry is a typical example...

Meet Dana Dencklau. Her automotive journey has just begun, yet is already a certified success...

Dana's dad Ron bought a new Triumph TR3B at Continental Motors in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1963. He immediately installed a rollbar and race harnesses. Good thing, as a week later, it was totaled by an errant VW Beetle. He traded the carcass and insurance check for this identical '63 and never looked back.

Ron enjoyed many years of street and track time in the Triumph, then retired the car upon opening his race tire shop in the Eighties. 

Ron's Florida tire shop. There must be thousands of great stories behind this single photo...

In 2010, Ron busted the TR3B out of storage and hauled it to Dana's current residence in San Felipe, Mexico. She already had a cool Triumph, but the more the merrier, right? Get the whole scoop at http://motorpalacepress.com/featured-motor-doll-dana-dencklau/

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MARTY STRODE'S SHOP

Marty made quick work of Lonnie Gilbertson's Hit and Miss Special. The John Deere single cylinder monster now has a tube frame, a rollcage, and steering. This is an early 'cage test fit, shot before adding the second hoop. 

Cage complete.

Steering installed.

Fiberglass whisperer Leighton Mangle did his magic on the top half of the tank, including this snug cutout for Lonnie's beloved single stroker. "Nothing runs like a Deere." The goal is 50 MPH. The Deere makes 1 1/2 HP now, but a planned electric blower could pump that up to nearly five horses.

Lonnie hauled the little tankster away last week, and Marty returned to work on Jim Lindsay's Modified Roadster.

The Jimmy Durante nose is now trimmed to wind cheating proportion, and Marty has begun connecting the dots between schnoz and cowl with aluminum sheet. 

The mocked-up B&B Speed Shop fuel flathead is finally sporting the blower that will vacuum up Bonneville's thin salt air. This B&M 144 should make a sufficient respirator. (Photos courtesy of Marty Strode)

And where was Jim Lindsay himself, while Strode was flinging all of those sparks on his behalf? We found him making tracks in his '34 coupe on this Washington beach. (Photo courtesy of Jim Lindsay)


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DANNY THOMPSON'S SHOP

Danny's quest to snag the record that eluded his dad Mickey is attracting media attention everywhere, including this recent cover piece in OC Weekly. 

M/T and D/T on the salt in '68 with the Challenger. You think this project is personal? Oh yeah...

The new Challenger crew: L-R: Holly Martin, Frank Hanrahan, Tim Gibson, Dave Hadley, Tom and Terry Hegman, and Lou Andersen. That's D/T sitting with the scratch-built transfer case.

These stereo billet Hemis will propel the tin needle through time and space at Bonneville this August at Speed Week, and possibly at the World Finals and Mike Cook's private fall Shootout.

Last week's initial test firing boded well for this summer's runs. No drama.

Thompson has some corporate associate sponsorships, but the majority of support has come from decidedly more grassroots efforts. I've been bulking up my wardrobe accordingly. (Photos courtesy of Holly Martin)


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DAVE HIX' SHOP

Southern Oregon SGE reporter Ronnie Mankins has been part of Dave Hix' Nitro Altered effort from day one. You may recall these images that Ronnie sent a few weeks back. The car has since been track tested and Ronnie is in the midst of renewing his competition license. I'll be shooting a magazine feature on the car next week, and will post out takes here.

Unwrapped, for your eyes only. Testing revealed need for clutch changes and different tires. Otherwise, all is untouched. Hix thanks Bill Comstock Race Cars, Simpson Race Products, Colvin Oil, and VP Fuels, along with Kirk and the crew at Champion Raceway in Medford, Oregon.

The End??? Not even. The nitro tipping has just begun... (Photos courtesy of Ronnie Mankins)

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CHAMPION RACEWAY

Dan Nikodyn's Nova has been paired up with Dan Holshier's Impala more times than either racer (or anyone else) can remember. The endless grudge match is set for another season, with several promising events scheduled for 2014 at Medford, Oregon's Champion Raceway. Life is good, thanks to track managers Kirk and Michelle Hobson.

Some random shots of Champion's 2014 opener, including the show stealer: The Photo Drone. I so wanted to be the first to do this locally, but got too busy for my own good and missed out. This little guy spits out some cool video, too. Go to championraceway.com. (Photos courtesy of Dennis Vollmar)

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THE SGE MODEL A

My Sunday commute to Dr. Lockjaw's Custom Metal shop takes me right past Ray's Supermarket in tiny Jacksonville, Oregon, where the locals meet for Sunday coffee. I finally stopped in and said HI last week.

The latest from Chili Pepper George Carlson is this tasty Early-A hair messerupper. He's been driving the wheels off of it, yet his hair is perfect. Nobody knows how he does that.

John Ott's nailhead-powered '32 is the subject of a future Scotty project. Stand by for more on this legit early Sixties rod.

Stance much? Allan Stewart's '40 PU carries a commanding presence to any parking space he desires. Allan's just happy to be anywhere, after winning a close call with cancer. Glad to see you back on the streets, man!

Finally at Doc's. Remember the rear wishbones that I got from Sherm Parker? We heated and bent the first one to hit its target, cut it to length, and TIG'd in the early Ford tie-rod end.

The round tie-rod bung and oval wishbone never match up well, so we were forced to make adjustments on the lathe to realize a flowing design. 

We joined the pieces and decided we didn't like the result. Then I had to run. I was gone for three weeks of deadline thrashing. It was during that time that I realized I had grabbed two driver's side rear 'bones, instead of a left and a right. Doh!

I made up for the wishbone gaffe (kind of) by scoring this open drive '48 Ford truck rearend, complete with E-brake assembly. Doc is happy that we're no longer using his pristine quickchange rear for messy mock-up work, and I'm stoked to tear into my first banjo solo. 

After three weeks of tickling the keys, it sure felt good to get back to Doc's. Shop sweet shop!

This week's goal was to get the front suspension mocked up. Nothing innovative here - just basic hot rodding. The starting point was this '36 axle. We had previously split the wishbone and found the new 'bones to be far from where we wanted them to locate. We called an audible and sprang into action...

We sliced each 'bone just behind the factory weld...

...pried the cuts open (using the traditional method), and angled the 'bones to our liking...

... angle ground the cuts...

... filled the gaps with glorious gobs of MIG weld... 

... tacked on the bungs (we'll clean up these welding jobs later and make them pretty)... 

... and mocked-up the front end one more time. The original intent was to mount the 'bones through the framerails, but to keep geometry within reason (with the rake and ride height I wanted), it was decided to mount them atop the rails. Unusual, yes - but this is no strictly-traditional build, by any stretch. With sheetmetal (hood sides, in particular) mounted, the look should be clean, and caster will fall within our six to seven degree target zone. Next up is a custom front spring, and a switch to '40 - '48 spindles, allowing for properly mounted hydraulic brakes, and dropped steering arms, to dodge the obstacles in the way of the current '36 components. 


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BREAKING THE ONE HUNDREDTH BARRIER

America's fastest sweetheart, Shirley Muldowney, accepting kudos from Wally Parks for winning her first NHRA national event in 1976 - the first ever for a female driver. 38 years later, speculation runs rampant concerning who will be NHRA's 100th female winner. Progress? Yes - slow, but steady.

Angie Smith has a shot at estrogen win #100 in Pro Stock Motorcycle...

... as does PSM competitor Katie Sullivan.

Brittany Force could do the deed in Top Fuel...

... as could sister Courtney Force, in Funny Car.

And Alexis Dejoria has been on quite the F/C hot streak, herself.

But Pro Stock shoe Erica Enders-Stevens is the SGE Hot 100 pick, as we'd love to see the milestone "W" go to a driver using a real clutch and shifter to whip an actual car to the stripe at 200+ MPH. Ultimately, you know we'll be cheering whoever takes the 100th, as we are huge fans of all women in motorsports. This will be a big win for all female competitors, and we join them in saying, "Thanks Shirley!"




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SQUIRREL AND TOOLBOX

 East coast SGE spy Motormouth Ray spotted this week's squirrel at a Long Island tire shop. Do the right thing. Check your shocks today.

Landspeed crazy and Hot Rod Magazine behind-the-scenester Keith Turk leans on this Snap-On box to get him out of jams in the garage and on the road. The bottom three drawers are reportedly packed solid with salt. The mysterious piece hanging off the side is remarkably similar to a Hilborn scoop hold-down that I made for my smallblock's dual quad tunnel ram. I haven't seen it in quite some time though...

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UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN:

In honor of National Star Wars Day, May 4th: May the fourth be with you!

OF SWAMP RATS, INDIANS, AND ELECTRONS

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Live and learn. That's the recipe that has fed evolution from day one.

At high noon on April 30th, the Swamp Rat will revisit the 200 MPH barrier - this time with electricity in the tank. Whether this is evolution or not is your call. Discuss. I'll be back later.

When challenged, even a single-cell organism can adapt and overcome. Humans can elevate this phenomenon to a higher level with their ability to learn from their experiences, though few actually bother to. Count me in! At this writing, I'm approaching my fifth book deadline with the same naivete that nearly doomed the first three, and literally obliterated the fourth, nearly taking my career along for good measure. Sure, dancing with disaster is romantic. Who doesn't enjoy a perilous rush? Nobody, that's who. So I dance with the deadline. Back to "normal" next week, with a ton of updates that are piling up.

DOG ON A STICK

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The wheels are falling off in Scottyville. I feel like a dog on a stick.

This is the fifth April in a row to end with a CarTech deadline. I really don't know how many more I can take. There are nine days left to do about thirty days worth of work. Time management is not my strong suit. Chained to the keyboard for several weeks now, the rest of my life is on ice. A few more days won't matter. It'll get done somehow. It always does. But it won't get done if I'm screwing around on this blog. I gotta stay on the stick. So I'll post some pretty pictures for you to look at until I get back. These are my favorites of the week. I believe Motormouth Ray turned me on to these. Or it could have been the weird guy in the rusty wheelchair that I met in the alley. I'm not sure.

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SQUIRREL AND TOOLBOX

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Next Week: It'll probably be even worse.

DOUBLE HEADER: MY ROYAL SUBJECTS and DISPENSING THE BLUES WITH SLEEPYTIME FAIRMONT

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MY ROYAL SUBJECTS

"The Author at Home", photographed by Saint Shellski in the reading room at the Sandra Bjerke Museum of Intercultural Relations in Medford, Oregon, 2012.  The museum was actually my home at the time. I was the caretaker.

The transition from Freelance Magazine Contributor to Contracted Book Author was a very surreal twist in an already well-pretzeled journey. The back story is a classic leap-of-faith adventure, more akin to a Hunter S. Thompson plot device out-take than the standard literary study scenario. The ensuing chain of events grabbed me by the nose hairs and dragged me through my own past to reconnect with characters first established in my lifeline decades before. Lance Sorchik, the late Just Steve Hendrickson, and Gerry Burger reappeared from the back pages of Rodders Digest magazine to kick my ass into authorship before I had a chance to question the proceedings.

Three weeks after signing with the publisher, I was slugging coffee at the Las Vegas Convention Center with my CarTech Editor, the mile-a-minute Scott Parkhurst. Talk about surreal. The day before flying out to Vegas, I was covered in mouse turds and rust dust, while stripping the interior from a '53 Chevy "Tin Woody" (in preparation for welding in a subframe) at my fab-grunt day job. Suddenly, I'm jawing with P-Hurst about possible book format structures, while my hot rod heroes strolled past the Cartech booth. I had lunch with Mario Andretti; digested it on a park bench while being serenaded with true tales of hot rod pioneers by bench-mate Alex Xydias; traded print barbs with Kirk Jones; and heard a million first-person accounts of drag race history from Dave Wallace Jr. That was the first day. The week ended at Silver Mountain Raceway, where Optima Jim, Kristin Cline, and a dozen other new friends and myself tortured a fleet of Lotus race cars around the road course until we wore ourselves out and capped the proceedings with an exquisite Italian feast.

The next day, I returned to reality for eight hours of grinding welds, then faced off with a blank computer monitor, balking at starting my first book project. Once I laid out the basic parameters and established some momentum, the crucial human element quickly crept in. The subjects of my writing had carried me through many a magazine feature challenge with their delight at being chosen. The joy I experienced in being trusted with their stories is a gift I cannot relay in words. But now it was different. My subject's reactions went from giddy to shock.

From where I sit, a book is just a longer magazine feature. It's wonderful to go more in depth and get more creative, but my job is pretty similar, no matter the format. So it caught me off guard when my potential subjects (who had responded to my magazine feature inquiries with equal parts jubilation and swagger) now met my approach with the still silence of a deer in the headlights. Crickets... I interrupted the vacuum with a follow-up question, like, "Is this a bad time for you?" More silence. Then, "You want ME (or 'MY CAR') in a BOOK?"
It's like they were questioning their worthiness. Like a book is a more serious document of history than an impulse-buy magazine off the rack. Because it costs more money and comes from a snooty bookstore, rather than a convenient store reeking of fluorescent-lit reality? I don't know. But once some momentum was established on the project, all was routine. Go figure.

Being a station wagon guy, this was a natural freshman project for me. Being citizens of a minuscule sub-niche in the hot rod microcosm, the wagon owners I approached were happily gobsmacked. Each feature felt like I was inducting Rodney Dangerfield into the Hall of Fame. Very gratifying, for all parties involved.

Talk about no respect. This one taught me some ugly and valuable truths about myself. I had pre-judged the rats, then realized I was virtually one myself. The result was a humbling education for me, and absolute validation for the rats. 

This was a striking change of scenery, from a couple of angles. As a grassroots-level high performance enthusiast, show rods had always served as mere background eye candy to me. Face-to-face with them, I fell hard for the combination of humor and creative craftsmanship. Another baby step toward awareness. But now I was dealing mostly with professionals instead of blue collar hobbyists. Most of these people were funsters at heart, but the book dealings were strictly business. No awe shucks posturing here.

Today, I'm less than three weeks from the final deadline for the latest top secret CarTech book. There's still about three months worth of work to do in that time. I have no idea of how that happens, but this is the fourth time in a row. I can tell you this: The subjects of this niche-within-a-niche-within-a-niche project are ecstatic to be involved, so I invited them to assist, which they are eagerly doing. So I now have a temporary staff of bona fide experts working for me and am officially spoiled beyond salvation. Today, I am a princess poodle. Next month, it's back to being a junkyard dog.

This spare time project covered the spectrum from corporate funded professional race teams to a race car built by working stiffs in a side street shack, from wrecking yard parts. My subjects came from every walk of life, from every point of the globe, and every point of view. Very exotic to this small town hot rodder. Another beautiful lesson in cultural exchange.

The best part of my job is becoming friends with my subjects. From the most obscure to the most famous, I searched them out because I was drawn to them. To call such people my friends now is the greatest gift, no matter how we connected. I remain the grateful Forrest Gump of hot rodding. The luckiest guy in town.

The above Cartech books are available at most retailers. View the entire CarTech library at www.cartechbooks.com. Racing to America is the first release from the Gosson Bros. Racing Library. Available at https://www.createspace.com/4338903 and/or  http://www.amazon.com/Racing-America-Global.../dp/1490539778 .

                                                                       

DISPENSING THE BLUES WITH SLEEPYTIME FAIRMONT

This is not Sleepy Time Fairmont. This is a self portrait by bluesman and artist Robert Crumb. Fooled you! That's pretty much the point of this tune.


The first time I heard Sleepytime Fairmont play the blues, I nearly passed out. It wasn't the exhaust fume breath or grinding breaks that threw me, as much as the truthful force pushing me back into my seat. I thought I was going to tip over. Sleepytime Fairmont is a veteran bluesmaster of a different kind. It's Matt Happel's four-door Ford Fairmont sedan, designed from the get-go to give goldchainers a serious dose of the blues. The really down and dirty kind of blues, that make you wish you'd never been given a drivers license.

Happel and friend, running some quick errands in the Fairmont. It's invisible to mortals.

Matt Happel has his act down. He's been converting junkyard cadavers into street sleepers for a few years now, with a focus on Ford's humble Fairmont model. Sleepytime Fairmont is just my private pet name for Happel's latest. I can't help but look up to people who do what I can't, and Happel falls right into that category. A lifelong sleeper fan, I haven't yet found the discipline required to build one. But as I age, my ego is slowly shriveling, so there's hope for the future. I've had a secret sleeper build in my head for thirty-plus years, so was naturally attracted to Happel's approach when I saw it on Dragzine.com recently. I'll share the highlights with you here, but go to www.dragzine.com for the extended play version. You'll like it.

Matt lives in Pennsylvania, which doesn't quite explain his penchant for Ford's Fox body platform. What's the attraction, Matt? "I was never a big fan of the Mustang, and because the Fairmont shares a lot of the same parts and such, I just always end up building Fairmonts." Fair enough, sir. These backdoor orphans are easy to find for couch cushion change.

This particular example was a Craigslist find, offered up by a college student ill-equipped to deal with the straight six' head gasket issues.

Thanks to his hard earned wrecking yard connections, Happel was able to score this 5.3 liter LS and a 4L80E transmission from a 270,000 mile Silverado truck. The stock Fairmont 7.5 inch rear was swapped for a 8.8 incher, and the drivetrain was complete. A used LS1 intake with 80 psi injectors was force-fed by a 76mm turbo and the deal was done.

Beefy rubber on factory aluminum wheels are the only external visual hint of the evil within. Matt's little plan was working perfectly...

Happel scored a pair of used 235 drag radials for $26 and added another drag strip to the list of establishments he's been excused from. "When they asked me in tech how quick it was, I said, 'I'm not sure, but I know it'll be faster than your safety regulations allow.' I don't have a cage or anything." The ET slip tells the tale. Dragzine.com has details of the build. And Happel has a winning approach, placing yucks over bucks on the priority list. This is big time hot rodding for Joe Toolbox. And these are the best of times for junkyard zombies. (Photos courtesy of Dragzine.com)

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SQUIRREL AND TOOLBOX

We all read Anedia Martinsons' writings in high school (her Collected Poems of the Northwest Woods Creatures snagged a 1937 Pulitzer Prize, and was required reading in my sophomore English class), but did you know that Anedia was an early proponent of hot rodding, with a particular focus on supercharging? Her pioneering efforts (with an assist from Ed Almquist) in the field of high helix rotor design dramatically sped up the horsepower evolution. Martinson was also a respected cabaret singer, known in the Hoboken, New Jersey area as The Singing Bush (for her strikingly beautiful tail). Frank Sinatra often cited her influence on his vocal stylings. Alas, Anedia Martinson was snared in a hunter's trap in 1952. She would have been 97 years old, this Thursday.

The result of an oil burner explosion, The 37 Kid's Craftsman tote-along box may now be considered a radical custom. At press time, Kid is undecided on undertaking a complete restoration, a triage-style repair, or submitting the box for consideration as an entry in an upcoming industrial exposition at the Museum of Modern Art. Stay tuned. (Photo courtesy of The 37 Kid)

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NEXT WEEK: It's 50/50. If I survive another week of deadline fever, I might write something. If not, just know that I appreciate you reading the blog, and that I'm grateful to have enjoyed a good run. Tell the world I was killed by a bear.