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My dress sense hasn't changed since the 70s and neither has my taste in cars. A different lot of cars to what you grew up with though. Holden Australia was owned by GM but they made Australian cars, and my favourite was always the one I learnt to drive in.
A 1970 HG Kingswood. Mum's only had a 161 inch motor and three on the tree but they became favourites for hotting up. Chevvy motors went straight in, perfect fit.
(not my photo)
A 1970 HG Kingswood. Mum's only had a 161 inch motor and three on the tree but they became favourites for hotting up. Chevvy motors went straight in, perfect fit.
(not my photo)
Just a curios question, would this be what I grew up calling "extractors"? We were allowed to have them as long as they weren't made from copper.
Take note that in the front engine digger rails, your ankles straddled the driveshaft, you sat with your legs over the axle tubes and the front of the seat place the rear housing right in your crotch.
The only other things you had to worry about was hot engine parts and oil baths if the engine grenaded.
Yes, that is the trailer floor you see beneath the cockpit
The only other things you had to worry about was hot engine parts and oil baths if the engine grenaded.
Yes, that is the trailer floor you see beneath the cockpit
Yeah, technically they are exhaust extractors
This is a 400+ horsepower 331 cubic inch small block Chevy based on a large journal forged 327 crank stuffed into a 4 bolt main 350 block
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The Chevvy 327 was an incredibly popular motor here. The bloke across the road from me had a beautiful HQ Monaro that he did up. The 327 got "ported". They were dirt bike boys and tried to treat it the same as their 2 strokes, they miscalculated and ended up having to rebore the ports in a slightly different position. This meant the ports ended up huge.
Dave reckoned what he'd done was called "tunnel ramming" because of the size of the ports, and the car ended getting named Joe Tunnel. Stainless steel extractors, Tarantula manifold and twin 650 double pumper carbies.
Dave reckoned what he'd done was called "tunnel ramming" because of the size of the ports, and the car ended getting named Joe Tunnel. Stainless steel extractors, Tarantula manifold and twin 650 double pumper carbies.
As a motorhead, I was always more fond of the 327 vs. the 350 Chevy engines.
The units share the same bore diameters with the difference being made up in the strokes.
The 3 and a halfs have a larger diameter on the rotating assembly vs the 327s.
Mass further from centerline becomes heavier aka harder to move.
The other advantage of the 327 is a slight difference in the connecting rod angles with the shorter strokes having less effect on piston side loading aka friction.
It also alters the dwell times at both top dead center and bottom dead center which aides in both filling and exhausting the cylinders.
A friend and I built to very similar Chevys in nearly the same weight cars.
He chose the 350, while I built the 327.
I would stomp him on a 1-2 shift every time because I could hang mine in there for about 500 more RPMs than he could which gave me a kinetic energy advantage when I shifted past his shift points.
Poor porting techniques are a surefire way to kill performance on the lower end.
As port velocities decrease, so does the fuel air mix flow.
Sometimes it will even have a detrimental effect on the top end too.
This is what we consider a tunnel ram intake manifold:
This was made by Weiand and will support either the Holley square bores or the Carter AFB units.
They are typically a track only item because of poor streetability at low port velocities.
They do however excel then the volume is increased on the higher reaches of RPM.
The larger box plenum volume reduces low flow signals to the venturies in a carb because of the lag that is present when you introduce a change in throttle plate angles.
Venturies require a fairly healthy negative pressure in order to properly atomize the fuel being introduced to the air.
A recip internal combustion engine operates like a air pump, and changes to the cam timing, the overlap of the openings of the valves that are conducive to higher RPM performance have a detrimental impact on low RPM performance.
Often that is manifested in the lumpy choppy idle you hear in a racing unit, or for that matter on a street based unit that has more camshaft that it actually needs for low to mid range RPM usage where driveability is most important.
Not often do you get to use the upper reaches of RPM on a streetmachine, so that in effect has a drastic effect on low RPM performance at the cost of your top end.
Yeah, but I know, they still sound cool as hell
One morning while taking my nice 283 powered car to work, I spun a rod bearing on her mill.
Easy enough, build a 327 sourced out of different options
At first, as a street based 327, the performance fun on the street, but was lackluster on the track.
The engine made sufficient power at the top end, but it's low end performance suffered. The next step was to install a set of Rhoads variable lift and duration valve lifters. They also served as anti-pump up lifters which would let me rev it higher without the typical valve float associated with a valvetrain that wasn't stout enough to close the valves as fast as the cam lobe moved away. It gave me back some bottom end torque while still providing the 100% lift at top end and without the issues related to higher seat pressure valve springs that are required for higher lift cams in some applications.
Those tend to wipe out cam lobes on flat tappet cams, so their durability on a street engine takes a back seat.
The real answer for that would have been roller lifters that can stand the higher spring pressures and more radical lobe ramps, but at the time, that wasn't where I went with it.
The next bottleneck was the stock stall speed torque converter coupled to the two speed Powerglide transmission.
That ain't going to fly, so we performance built a 3 speed Turbo 350 with full racing clutch plates, removed the dampening wave washers from the clutch packs, installed a full manual valve body and eliminated the vacuum modulator so each shift was at full line pressure.
That made it sturdy enough, but the next bottleneck was the torque converter, B&M provided a 3800 stall speed unit that was included in the upgrade.
The performance level was amazing, but the car was still gear bound thru the third member. After some calculations, I determined that a 4.10:1 final drive ratio would optimize the engine RPM thru the traps.
That put the strip times where I wanted them, but actually killed the fun part of the car on the street
What I ended up with instead of a pleasant Sunday driver, was a finicky, higher revving underpowered wannabe racecar that was uncomfortable to drive on the street.
The final straw that broke the camel's back was the morning it shredded the rear suspension upper crossmember out of the frame on a 1-2 shift.
That usually big block territory, not mouse motor stuff
Oops, frame off time kids.
As I dug into it deeper, I decided that instead of a street driver that did track time, I wanted a dedicated track machine powered by yet another of my favorite engines, the Mark IV 427 cubic inch big block Chevy.
It has a ten point monkey bar interior with plans to shoot two more point forward of her firewall.
Thus far, she weighs in at a svelte 3400 pounds down from her chunky original 4100 pound curb weight.
I might be able to shed a couple more hundred pounds by scrapping her bumpers in trade for carbon fiber ones.
Can you say 900 horsepower with a rear spool?
3200 pounds puts me in Fox body territory so you better leave your Rustangs at home kids, because all you will ever see is my tail lights
I was never really one that played by the rules, so I suppose that when finished, it will see some sketchy but fun street time
Dave and his mates were nowhere near as professional as you, cars were just popular toys because we didn't have computers back then. They were dirt bike riders and 4 of them rented a shed together to store their bikes and work on them. Dave's car was just a hobby project for fun.
I don't know what sort of cam he had in it but it had that ever so intoxicating idle, badoob badoob badoob that would rock the whole car from side to side. It was finished in a beautiful metallic green and a big hole in the bonnet where the carbies stuck out the top with chrome daisy stacks on them.
The first day he drove it home he was all excited, he left it idling in the drive way and ran inside. "Dad. Dad. Come and check out my new car!". Old Bad Back came out looking at it and shaking his head, Dave pestered him, "Take it for a drive Dad, see how it goes."
Old Bad Back shook his head but he got in and reversed out the driveway, then he idled off slowly down the street. Badoob Badoob Badoob. He was about three blocks away when we all heard him give it a poke, and it howled. A few minutes later old Bad Back come back, white as a ghost. He shook Dave's hand and said "Goodbye son.".
Dave was the tyre fitter that used to give me tyres.
I don't know what sort of cam he had in it but it had that ever so intoxicating idle, badoob badoob badoob that would rock the whole car from side to side. It was finished in a beautiful metallic green and a big hole in the bonnet where the carbies stuck out the top with chrome daisy stacks on them.
The first day he drove it home he was all excited, he left it idling in the drive way and ran inside. "Dad. Dad. Come and check out my new car!". Old Bad Back came out looking at it and shaking his head, Dave pestered him, "Take it for a drive Dad, see how it goes."
Old Bad Back shook his head but he got in and reversed out the driveway, then he idled off slowly down the street. Badoob Badoob Badoob. He was about three blocks away when we all heard him give it a poke, and it howled. A few minutes later old Bad Back come back, white as a ghost. He shook Dave's hand and said "Goodbye son.".
Dave was the tyre fitter that used to give me tyres.
The day I sold my black and white '75 Camaro was fairly interesting.
A guy and his kid came from one state over to look at it.
It was sporting a solid lifter cam that was a bit too radical and was very peculiar to cold start because I had removed the choke butterfly on the Quadrajet to increase the flow on it a bit more..
It needed the throttle poked about ten times just to get it to burp once, then three more stabs and it would stay running.
The guy tried to just pump it twice and as I already knew, it didn't even try to light.
When he finally listened and did it the right way, he about crapped his pants when it lit.
They babied it up the street until they hit the intersection then I heard the tires screaming.
A few minutes later, they pulled back in, white as ghosts and shaking.
We shook hands, exchanged the money and the title and I never saw it again.
A guy and his kid came from one state over to look at it.
It was sporting a solid lifter cam that was a bit too radical and was very peculiar to cold start because I had removed the choke butterfly on the Quadrajet to increase the flow on it a bit more..
It needed the throttle poked about ten times just to get it to burp once, then three more stabs and it would stay running.
The guy tried to just pump it twice and as I already knew, it didn't even try to light.
When he finally listened and did it the right way, he about crapped his pants when it lit.
They babied it up the street until they hit the intersection then I heard the tires screaming.
A few minutes later, they pulled back in, white as ghosts and shaking.
We shook hands, exchanged the money and the title and I never saw it again.
I once ran a ECU no codes driveability repair shop that also functioned as a place to play with my toys.
A lot of my life has revolved around performance machines, beginning from my early childhood.
A special interest I never got tired of.
There were the years I was involved in Formula V engines where we highly modified the internals on 1200cc Bug engines to maximize their performance.
It helped being raised in a machineshop too.
There was some work in my past where I was a motocross tuner too, so that taught me a lot about squeezing the last drop out of a Honda 125cc class two stroker.
Some two wheel treads:
A fresh restoration ready to go to her first show ^
My Mongoose fat tire with a few slight mods ^
My '70 OSSA American enduro ^
My buddy's '65 Harley Davidson panhead we fitted with a hand shifter with a clutch lever on it. He was mangled in a car accident and is paraplegic so this was our solution to keep him in the wind.
This was the day I converted the neighbor girl into scooter trash on one of my minibikes ^
A fresh restoration ready to go to her first show ^
My Mongoose fat tire with a few slight mods ^
My '70 OSSA American enduro ^
My buddy's '65 Harley Davidson panhead we fitted with a hand shifter with a clutch lever on it. He was mangled in a car accident and is paraplegic so this was our solution to keep him in the wind.
This was the day I converted the neighbor girl into scooter trash on one of my minibikes ^
Ya gotta start 'em young
My 100 horse 1200 Sportster ^
Keystone Raceway Park ^
This is the track where I made my first NHRA pass.
I have requested that I be cremated and want my ashes spread out on the runoff gravel so I can make my last pass at the same place I made my first one
The only existing picture of my Caprice turning rubber into smoke at Keystone
My 100 horse 1200 Sportster ^
Keystone Raceway Park ^
This is the track where I made my first NHRA pass.
I have requested that I be cremated and want my ashes spread out on the runoff gravel so I can make my last pass at the same place I made my first one
The only existing picture of my Caprice turning rubber into smoke at Keystone
Your two wheel treads remind me of my three wheel tread, no motors, though.
Check out the chain on this thing… It was one of the major flaws of this design.
I had one like the above, but I think the tadpole was a better design. Still, a really long chain.
Wow, these pictures and your description are so evocative. Incredible to see. Love the young lass on the bike!Ya gotta start 'em young
View attachment 90785
My 100 horse 1200 Sportster ^
View attachment 90786
Keystone Raceway Park ^
This is the track where I made my first NHRA pass.
I have requested that I be cremated and want my ashes spread out on the runoff gravel so I can make my last pass at the same place I made my first one
View attachment 90787
The only existing picture of my Caprice turning rubber into smoke at Keystone
That girl is called The Peanut, the daughter of a former home health aide.
She is sitting on my buddy Willis' Harley up at the Steam Gas and Horse Association during a show.
Willis and I went to school together
Willis with his '39 Chevy wrecker ^
His pup^
I titled this one "Injin troubles" because of the arrow gag
The Peanut with a riding buddy ^
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These only have treads on the flooring, but I think they are cool just the same.
This was a much safer way to travel from Coal Hill to the South Side of Pittsburgh Pa. USA .
Today, Coal Hill is now called Mount Washington.
I was fortunate enough to get my picture taken with one of the cars while it was being refurbished again a few years back in a town next to mine.
Still in service today, the Monongahela Incline has been in service since May 28, 1870.
Monongahela Incline Early 1880’s ^
This was a much safer way to travel from Coal Hill to the South Side of Pittsburgh Pa. USA .
Today, Coal Hill is now called Mount Washington.
I was fortunate enough to get my picture taken with one of the cars while it was being refurbished again a few years back in a town next to mine.
Still in service today, the Monongahela Incline has been in service since May 28, 1870.
Attachments
Firstly a slight warning that this is a WW2 propaganda film.
Some of this features iron ore mining. I strongly suspect that these sequences might have been filmed in the Banbury area of Oxfordshire where there were significant iron ore mines that operated up until the 1960's. You know when you go near that area because the fields are often red because of the presence of iron in the soil.
Some of this features iron ore mining. I strongly suspect that these sequences might have been filmed in the Banbury area of Oxfordshire where there were significant iron ore mines that operated up until the 1960's. You know when you go near that area because the fields are often red because of the presence of iron in the soil.
Some automobilia from my museum of oddities:Back then, self service was prohibited by the city fire department, so pump jockeys were all the norm.
Another game we played was to short stick a car to show that it was a quart low on oil to the customer then ask if they wanted it topped off.
Oil didn't come in plastic bottles back then it was either in an all metal can or a fiber sided one with a metal ends.
View attachment 90711
If you got a yes, you reached over to the oil rack beside the pump, grabbed a steel quart can and jammed the spout into it.
After it "drained", you full sticked the engine and showed the customer the results.
After paying for the fuel and oil, you put the fuel money in one pocket, and the oil in another.
Why?
Because we also kept empty oil cans on the rack we had opened on the bottom.
Back then a quart of oil cash was worth about three gallons of gas, so it could be quite lucrative in the end
Quaker State motor oil was originally made from crude oil from wells drilled in Pennsylvania aka The Quaker State.
As it turned out, the original Pa. crude stock had higher parrafin levels that actually promoted the building of excess sludge in an engine.
Beside it is a piercing oil funnel that help reduce spills when filling the engine.
The shove-in spouts tended to leak there the can was opened, so this was another solution.
The funnel was manufactured by the Continental Can Company which had a facility in the greater Pittsburgh area.
It is actually stuck into another relic of the past which is a base for a bumper jack that goes back to a time when cars had chrome plated steel bumpers that were sturdy enough to provide a lifting point.
Coincidently, Gulf Oil was also based out of Pittsburgh.
While not unique to Pittsburgh PCC streetcars ran on their own dedicated tracks in the city and surrounding areas.
Although I was raised in a rural area, we had a portal for the streetcars about ten miles from my home.
We often rode them into the city and they bumped and sparked their way along their railways.
My paternal Grandmother was struck by a PCC car in downtown Pittsburgh that messed her back up for life, but just like the rest of my family, she just soldiered on.
Most of the tracks are gone by now, but the old line that ran out to Library ,Pa is still maintained and used by modern cars that tie into the small subway downtown.
These are two PCC cars passing the old Duquesne Works of United States Steel.
There is very little steel making done in the area now, and the Duquesne Works has been demolished with the exception of one furnace that was called Betsy 6.
Pittsburgh is still called the Steel City with the NHL football team retaining the name of The Pittsburgh Steelers.
South Park was another place that was very close to where I was raised and frequented.
Westinghouse Electric was granted permission to install a test track in the park to try their creation out.
This was to be a fill-in for when the bus system that killed off the streetcar system when it couldn't meet the demands.
Although I lived in Washington County, Allegheny County was just minutes away.
As a child, we often went to the Allegheny County Fair that was held in South Park.
As a seven year old, I got to take a ride on the fully automated Skybus:
The last of the roadway system was removed from the park about 25 years ago, but there are still some remnant's of it presence there.
