Ahead Of The Curve

Even though you hear this term frequently in regards to movies, music, or art, I've also heard this who knows how many times in the automotive industry. Sometimes the concept pays off - sometimes it doesn't. Even if all intensive purposes are good and the execution is right on; if the timing is off, especially if the public is just not ready for it - the venture will fail. More often than not, the same concept will be launched several years later, usually with greater success. Other times, it will just get buried. This scenario crossed my mind when I came across two distinct issues of Hot Hod Deluxe - the original issue released back in 1999 and the 2nd launch "rebirth" issue in 2008. The magazine failed the first time simply because the public was not ready to fully embrace that aspect of the hot rodding culture in the late 90's. The magazine was ahead of the curve.

I received a flyer in the mail yesterday advertising seminars at a local automotive repair shop as part of "The Automotive Sisterhood" movement that's taking hold. In a nutshell, ASE certified technicians hold evening classes to better educate women regarding their automobiles. This is a wonderful thing, no matter who puts these seminars on. The irony of all

this is, is my oldest daughter, who is a long-time ASE technician, and I have talked about organizing something like this in area for over 10 years. I even worked with our local technology school to offer evening adult-ed classes at low cost on the very basics of the working of an automobile as well as in the purchasing of a used vehicle. That was back in 2007. Neither class got off the ground due to too-low of enrollment. I always thought it was because a guy (me) was teaching a class geared towards women. A possible comfort level just wasn't there. Today, schools that offer evening adult-ed classes are clamoring for this - but now I don't have room in my schedule to teach at night. Was I just ahead of the curve?

However, not all things automotive that are ahead of the curve destined to be delayed or outright flops. Some hit the ball out of the park on the first try. Case in point, the 1968 Plymouth Roadrunner that debuted in the fall of 1967. In a sea of muscle cars, Plymouth zigged, while everyone else zagged. After extensive research, Plymouth realized that if a buyer wanted a new muscle car that met certain criteria (in this case cut a 14 second flat or lower quarter mile E.T. and reach 100 mph or better while in the process), one would have to spend at least $3300 to do so. That was a lot of coin back in 1967. That also meant a lot of buyers were left out of the performance car market. Plymouth focused on the go-fast goodies and left out all the fluff. The result? A car that met Plymouth's criteria for under $2700 dollars and sold like hotcakes. Even if a buyer opted for the $800+ 426 Hemi engine option, nothing could touch a Hemi Roadrunner for the $3500 admission price. Even Motor Trend magazine in their December 1967 issue called the Roadrunner "...the most honest supercar in over five years."

It's been said that you can thank a drag racer for much of the modern technology we have today on vehicles. Everything from fuel injection, to flex-fuel motors, to super-charging, to distributorless ignitions - it appeared first in drag racing. But that's what it's all about - innovation. Back in the 50's and 60's, there weren’t very many established rules, which allowed guys to experiment with some truly radical designs. Some worked - some didn’t. But for every failed drag car design, something was learned, for better or for worse. One of the most bizarre drag cars ever (that thankfully to my knowledge no one tried copying) was the Vulcan Shuttle. Throughout history, many racers have tried to harness the uncontrollable power of a rocket engine. The problem however, with a rocket in a drag racing situation is that the length of time that thrust is being created is directly proportional to the amount of solid fuel being used. The driver is not controlling the throttle - that’s the job of physics. You light the fuse and hang on for however long it decides to burn. The Vulcan Shuttle came out in around 1980, a rocket motor housed in a Volkswagen Bug. With a surplus engine that was about 10-feet long, this little V-Dub acted like an out-of-control bottle rocket, and eventually killed its driver, Rodney Poole, during a test pass at an airport. Ahead of the curve? Probably not...

Even NASCAR has had some ideas that sounded good at the time, but for some reason never materialized. Probably the best known concept was one that Bill France had back in the 80's. You ready for this? A street racing series. This is where your favorite NASCAR drivers in their beloved rides skip the ovals and grandstands, and take it to a determined street course. Can you imagine? Straight-a-ways, left and right turns, no drafting, or high banked ovals, speeds ranging from 40mph to around 135mph. No more cookie-cutter race courses. They would all be different. You want to show your driving skills? Here you go! Talk about grass roots style racing - heck let's bring it back!

Got any other ideas or stories? Let me know.
Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Getting It Right

Those three words can bring about some of the most spirited and opinionated discussions among human beings; how does someone know when something has been "done right" or not. With some aspects of our life, as with art, music, or photography, there really can't be a definitive line of right or wrong - because if we follow set-in-stone composition rules, it will only lead to a tedious repetition of cliches. But can the same concept be said for the automobile, hot rodding, and even racing?

I believe that answer is yes, but only to a point. Allow me to explain. I was reading an article about the 1939-40 Ford, arguably one of the most beautiful vehicles to come out of the depression era. While Ford's design chief, E.T. "Bob" Gregorie totally nailed the design of the car, it took several years to get it right in the chassis department. One of the biggest issues was Ford's early 30's style 112 inch wheelbase. It needed to be longer, so Gregorie designed one. He even had a working prototype done by 1935. Hence, the second delay - ego. Ford's chief engineer, Lawrence Sheldrake, would have no part of a suspension design that had been dreamt up by the head of Ford styling.

A few other examples that I personally experienced brought this "getting it right" concept to mind. The first was a beautifully restored / modified triple black 1970 Plymouth Duster (very similar to pic on left). Let me be the first to say, I will never tell someone how to build, paint, or modify a car. Heck, if you want to cut up a vintage 1957 Corvette and turn it into a modern pro-touring vehicle, go for it. As far as I'm concerned, it's your ride and your money. I had to give kudos to the guy who owned the vehicle, as he stated he built the Duster from a shell.

But here's where the "... only to a point" comes into play. While the Duster had all the right cues - from flawless paint and interior, to a cool sounding exhaust compliments of the modified 440 big block under the hood, (also similar to pic on right) and some spirited performance, it needed "some minor bugs worked out" according to the customer who brought the car in to the shop where my daughter, son-in-law, and I work. We ended up having this car for almost a week trying to work these bugs out. Even though the car looked flawless and totally cool, there were still so many things wrong with it, it was like working on a Pandora's Box. The brakes were all screwed up, because the system did not have all the correct parts; never mind a few fell out when we removed the "new" drum brakes. The steering system was a wreck as was the alignment, because short-cuts were taken. We had to tinker with the idle because the engine was getting way too much gas and ran like shit, especially with the aggressive cam coupled to an automatic. When all those challenges were ironed out and the car was taken for a mild test drive, we found that the original 6-cylinder torsion bars as well as the sloppy factory Chrysler power steering box were still in place. We already knew there was no front sway bar. If one even remotely nailed the gas while turning coming out of an intersection, the Duster was like a hippo on roller skates. It was actually somewhat nerve-wracking to drive, not fun like it should be. Bottom line - feel free to build and/or modify any car you want, any way you want - but all the components have to be up to the task of what you're building and work well together in the end. It will be done right not only in the visual department, but also in the mechanical world.

This past Friday night, my daughter, her kids, and I attended a local car show that meets every Friday night in the small town we work in. It meets in the a-typical shopping plaza parking lot that has a small hot dog stand in it. It is loosely organized and run, but it is definitely done right. No admission fees, cool oldies music supplied by a guy with an MP3 player, an amp, and some big speakers, and no hardcore limits on the cars that participate - domestic, foreign, stock or modified, original, restored, or somewhere in between - as long as it was 15 years or older. The evening was sunny and warm, everyone was laid back, and the show was packed! People of all ages, mingling, chatting, sharing memories, and bench racing. Not a bad way to spend an early Friday evening.

I can remember one time I was at the quarter mile drag strip in Epping New Hampshire. The track was holding a sort-of informal "run what you brung" type event. Be that as it may, the track still made any participants who wanted to take their ride down the 1320 feet of tarmac, go through their normal tech inspection. Rule #1 about hot rodding; safety first - then we can all have a blast. There was this one guy who owned a nice looking 1969 Chevelle; sounded really fast. However, he was denied entry into the racing portion of the event, because his car was not safe enough. He left the event all pissed off, rear tires a blazing out the main entrance. Apparently, he couldn't let go of his anger soon enough, because the Chevelle ended up getting totaled about 10 miles down the pike. A single car accident where the car went off the road, through a guardrail, and got stuffed it into the weeds and trees. He somehow walked away from the accident, even though the body had completely separated from the frame and then caught fire due to the Mickey Mouse wiring and fuel system set-up. And that's why he was denied at Epping in the first place. Things just weren't right. (Picture above for demonstration purposes only. Not of actual accident).

Lastly, I posted on the Vintage V8 Photography Facebook page that I was contemplating my next go-fast ride. Some of the vehicles left on my bucket list include hot rods from the 30's and 40's. I found a 1948 Ford pickup rat rod online that's down in Maryland. The rig has already been chopped and channeled (very well I might add), has a modified 460 Lincoln engine, a beefed C6 automatic, and a bullet-proof Ford 9" rearend. The interior is nice, and the flat black paint is flawless. The spider web grill is a plus. I might change the 16 1/2" Firestone tires and red steel wheels (still keeping them of course) for some American Racing or Rocket aluminum rims and Mickey Thompson rubber. Don't know yet. Either way, if I purchase it or not, I'll be cool with the fact that this semi rat rod was done right.

Until next time, peace out,
Dave

The Holy Grail Of Hangouts - The Garage

Take any of those classic statements that basically center around the concept of "...the consequences of a misspent youth" and somehow hot rodding, fast cars, racing, and the garage enter the scene at some point. There was a time some 60 years ago, hot rodding in general was frowned upon - the people associated with it were seen as outcasts, "the bad guys", and delinquents. But I'm willing to bet that working on cars in a basic one car garage probably kept a lot of people out of trouble. It gave us something to do; a way to work off excess energy; a place to try ideas.

I was reading an article last night where a guy and his friends restored a 1971 Dodge Challenger in his garage. They worked nights & weekends - and it took them 10 years. They did everything from the engine, to the suspension, the entire interior, to all the body work and paint. The only thing they farmed out was the vinyl roof and interior headliner. All of that is beyond extremely cool. But the lead picture in the article (right) showed the finished car in it's garage. The building is all steel, with a 10 foot high ceiling and concrete flooring. There are racks of tools, shelves galore of supplies, a huge air compressor, a good sized work bench, and a professional 2-post lift. When you finish reading and browsing all the details of this garage, there's probably at least $40 grand wrapped up in this automotive out building. While I would kill to have a set-up like this, I wondered just how many people actually have this type of deal just 20 feet from their house? (Above photo courtesy of Hot Rod).

Don't get me wrong; I'm not busting this guys chops just because he has a sweet garage. Once again the glory of the aftermarket has come through for us enthusiasts. It wasn't long ago that professional equipment like what's described above just wasn't obtainable for the average Joe. It got me to thinking (as it usually does) just how much things have changed, garage wise, over the years. It's amazing as well as amusing to look back at the glory years of hot rodding, NASCAR, and drag racing, to see what they had for garage set-ups. Compare that to the modern garage in the article, some of the early times looked... well, ancient.

It all has to start somewhere. back in the late 40's, just about every hot rod, street rod, or grass roots racer was built in a one car garage, probably with the help of a single 60 watt drop lamp or light. And most likely, it was done in a garage owned by the young speed demon's parents in some suburban neighborhood. When I was a kid, we had a neighbor who was a massive go-fast type of guy. He worked on all his cars in his small single bay garage. He eventually erected a wooden stockade fence so the neighbors wouldn't see all the cars he owned. Way more than once, our neighbor enlisted my help to push a vehicle that was "in process" out of the garage and into the side yard, because another car was on it's way in that became a higher priority.

"Fair enough," you quip. "That's the hometown hot rodder. What about the professional drivers? They must've had big setups to work on cars." Well, let's have a look at that. First up - NASCAR. We'll even skip the roots of the sport from the late 40's and early 50's and jump right into the top drivers of the 60's. The first pic I've included is none other than Richard Petty and his practically unbeatable 1967 Plymouth. Just because you had factory support and financial backing doesn't mean you had cushy accommodations and top-shelf repair facilities wherever you went. While that may be the case today, back then the race teams did things pretty much the same way hot rod enthusiasts did it - outdoors using jack stands.

I can see the hands raised in objections already - "That was on the road. What about their home base of operations?" OK - let's look at that. This next photo is from the early 60's and the operation headquarters of none other than the Woods Brothers. When this shot was taken, Glen Wood had just bought out his then-partner Chris Williams. Just who are the Woods Brothers? They owned the familiar #21 red and white Ford and Mercury's that numerous talented drivers like A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Cale Yarborough, and David Pearson drove to the winners circle. Of course, things would change dramatically by the late 70's and early 80's when racing teams started fielding multiple cars during a race or at minimum, having backup cars.

Drag racing wasn't a whole heap different as you groove on the next two pictures. The first one on the left is of the famous Vic Hubbard garage. Much like the Woods Brothers, very humble beginnings that were simplistic in nature. No snazzy enclosed car carriers, just plain-Jane U-Haul type trailers. The second shot (below) was taken in the pits at Dover Raceway from 1961. Like NASCAR, you schlepped your own bags, parts, and tools - usually in the back of a pickup truck. And these guys worked outdoors as well. I've also read countless stories and have seen tons of old photos of racers who participated at Bonneville. It wasn't uncommon at all to see racers rebuilding engines, transmissions, and who knows what else in motel parking lots.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Think about how much has been invented or started, especially automotive, in a garage. Well, enough of the history lessons for this week - time to head out to that magical one or two door building of inspiration and dreams. It's also a damn good place to crank up some good tunes and tune that carburetor a little better.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Milestones And Memories

I was reading an article the other day about "...how far the modern automobile has come, horsepower and technology wise, in just the past 10 years. It could almost be considered a milestone." While I'm unsure if that statement isn't a bit overboard, I have been keenly aware this past week of other milestones which usually trigger some kind of cool memory.

As I write this, I'm turning 52 in a few weeks, been married for over 30 years, my oldest daughter hits the big 3-0 next year, and I have six incredible grand kids. Which means I'm a grandfather... married to a grandmother. Those simple facts right there will flood me with memories. Heck, it'll rock your world or even knock you on your ass if you're not careful. This is post #35 of Maximum Power and this blog has just about achieved 10,000 views. While that may be small potatoes compared to the blogs of major auto magazines and / or a You Tube video, I still consider that a milestone and I have you to thank for it.

We are reaching or have reached several milestones this year - especially when it comes to 50th anniversaries. Think about it; let's start with muscle cars. Fifty years ago, it was 1965 and the muscle car wars were red hot. By this time, just about every American manufacturer, save for AMC, had it's own muscle car - even Studebaker had one! Chevy released the potent 375 horsepower 396 cubic inch V-8 in limited numbers as part of their Z-16 option on the Chevelle SS, but it created a domino effect that would last until late 1969. By October 1965, Ford as well as Chrysler would drop their own A-bombs - the Blue Oval boys would shoe horn the incredible 425 horsepower 427 side-oiler V-8 into the mid-size Fairlane, and Mopar lovers would rejoice when the street version of the Hemi would be available in any mid-size vehicle except a wagon. This was a time before the government and the insurance agencies got wise to these street terrors - legends were born, bench racing reached folk-lore proportions, and gas was cheap.

I remember living in New Jersey back in the late 60's - there was this Shell gas station about a half-mile from my house. It was one of those stations that I fantasized about as a kid dreaming that I would own one just like it when I grew up. In fact, I still do fantasize about owning one if I could swing it - retro look and all. The station had the classic look of a two-bay garage complete with the old style gas pumps. In fact, the station was one of the few left that still had it's original early 50's style overhead lights when numerous other service centers were converting to those "modern" (and ugly) fluorescent lights.
I used to beg my Dad to go there and fuel up for several reasons. First, there were always a good number hot rods and muscle cars either in the bays or parked outside. It was like the station was this uncover speed shop or something. Many times, the station gave away free Hot Wheels toy cars with every fill-up of 8 gallons or more. The owner knew I was really into hot rods & would let me look (but not touch) the cars that were parked there while my Dad gassed up the VW. I think the owner kinda felt sorry for me, as he always gave me two Hot Wheels cars every time we went...

The drag racing world is celebrating a milestone of its own this year - 50 years of funny cars. A genre of the motorsports arena that literally came out of nowhere in late 1964, exploded in 1965, and went off the charts by 1966. This was in an era when almost all of the early funny cars either had factory or major car dealership support. They were simply born out of the concept of just trying to go faster and beat the competition. However, critics of yesteryear mentioned time and again that the sport wouldn't last. Safety was always a concern, the cars were going way too fast in to short a time span. Many aspects of the sport needed to be reevaluated. The speeds these cars were capable of were outpacing technology, and yes - lives were lost. But somehow, the sport survived. Technology did find its balance with speed and safety. As a result of these advances, nostalgic drag racing is at an all time high in popularity. Even the old-school rigs that participate in these events benefit from scores of new safety items.

I remember going to Englishtown raceway frequently in the summer as it wasn't that far from my house. Numerous ads we heard on the radio for certain events were for the "wild and crazy" funny cars or the "lightning fast" dragsters. Other times, there might have been a significant Pro-stock event where famous drivers like Ronnie Sox, Bill Jenkins, and Don Nicholson would be appearing. However, it was at those meets where I developed a liking for sleepers. I remember this one 1963 Pontiac Catalina - it was a gorgeous silver and was flawless. It didn't "look" all that fast, even though it sounded kinda tough with it's big block rumble. But once the Christmas Tree dropped, the Catalina did the biggest Jekyll and Hyde transition I'd ever seen. The wheels jerked off the ground, the engine literally roared, and left the hotter looking Chevy in the dust. This unassuming behemoth pulled off a wicked low 11 second time slip. While that's yawn city today, that was flying back then for a street driven car.

NASCAR was changing and reaching milestones of it's own. By 1965, NASCAR banned the
Chrysler Hemi engine from competing due to the increasing speeds of the cars, and the concerns for safety. Chrysler responded by withdrawing their support, and drivers Richard Petty, David Pearson, Paul Goldsmith, Bobby Isaac, as well as others were forced to sit out the races. Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina opened that year, and Curtis Turner returned from his ban to win the inaugural race in his Ford. Turner had been banned from NASCAR in 1961 by Bill France, Sr. for trying to organize a drivers union with the Teamsters. If this were to happen today, we would probably be calling "union-gate"...

It's easy to forget what a challenge it was to actually watch a NASCAR event back then. In the mid to late 60's, races were uncommon on TV. You were lucky if the Daytona 500 made it to the airwaves. Unless you lived in a big city, TV reception kinda sucked. Even if you had one of those big-ass arrow shaped roof antennas, it still faded in and out - never mind if an airplane went overhead or the weather was inclement. You still had commercials, and everything was in black and white. Did I forget to mention, it was all on a 17" screen or smaller...

But that's the beauty of memories - it makes milestones in our own lives. If you have a cool memory of hot rodding or racing from your past, be sure to exercise it. It'll stay with you longer and I think you'll appreciate it more.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave