Project Mustang Consolidation

[Russell]

#grindernotwelder I think it will keep the exhaust in. The thin spots blow out very easy. I got some .20" wire two pieces side by side and I was able to get out to good metal.

Would have turned out better if I realized why it started spitting was the tip needed changing, see original hashtag.

[DanStokes]

Looks like a save!

Dan

[Russell]

Went out in the shop just so I could say I did something. No welding tonight just cutting and grinding. Cut the cross over out and started cleaning up the original welds. I am too stubborn to take it to a muffler shop I hope I didn't regret it.

[Russell]

Wow I have been a slacker posting. Got the exhaust welded up and back it. Took it to the track ac clutch failed on the way to the track. Entered the bracket race out in the frist round due to sleeping at the tree. Put a used ac clutch on. #becausestreetcar

[Russell]

[DanStokes]

If my wife taught welding I could do that, too! Looks pretty good considering you started w/dirtyish metal.

Dan

[Russell]

If my wife taught welding I could do that, too! Looks pretty good considering you started w/dirtyish metal.

Dan

She is good for bouncing ideas / problems off of. I have said the weld is doing x, and she said adjust y to make it better, she is normally correct. She is going back to teaching
plants this year they got a new kid to teach shop. Did mention she hates plants. That was the pretty side that I did on the table the other side that I did on my back under the car upside down is not so pretty

[Russell]

[Russell]

I moved the axle back 7.5 as far as I could with out extending the original frame. Used it to haul off the weekly trash.

[Russell]

Time to update the tread. The pre Drag Week to do list had a few more things on it. I got a new windshield put in, added a volt gauge / power port panel, changed the oil, change the trans fluid (one bottle of Lucas ATF fix and topped off with ATF). The stuff that came out looked pretty bad, it shifts much better with the fresh fluid. I finally finished my custom window crank its nice to have working window crank.

Dragweek 2019: I loaded up my tools, my spare transmission (that I don't think i got reassemble correctly) and my big and little drag tires and headed to Virginia. I drove by the track and guys were already getting in line at 9:30 PM. I went to my motel room and decided I would be better served by sleeping in than getting in line early. Sunday Tech inspection went very well and moved at a reasonable rate. Dad came up for Sunday and Monday, Phil drove in from Ohio to be the co-pilot for the week. I decided to make a test pass I had already made my goals/game plan for the week. The plan was to be one and done making more time to hang out in the pits and watch some passes. I was going to see a how many passes I could make on Friday.

Sunday's test pass I just swapped the rear tires and got some of the stuff out of the trunk. She rolled across the scales at 3395, after a 13.925 @ 96.67. I was hoping to hand in 5 13 second slips so I knew I would be changing 4 tires all week.

Day one: Rain delay at VMP we got a pass at 1:57 pm and was rewarded with a new personal best ET and MPH. 13.599 @ 101.71! My short time was 1.761, and the 1/8 was 8.629 @ 77.82. Scaled at 3310. It was a long ride to get to Cecil but we made with out incident.

Day two: We were able to get an early start. Switched the tires over and did my pre-race checks and jumped in line and made my pass at 8:25 am! I believe this is the earliest I have ever made a pass. I was glad to see another 13 and was not to far off the day before 1.769, 8.651 @ 79.62 , 13.647 @ 98.82 3310 lbs. we got it back in street trim and walked the pits checking out cars talking to old friends and meeting new ones. We left the track around noon. One of the check points was a road side farmers market, I got some fresh cookies and a apple cider slushy.

Day three: At Atco NJ, man the bridges in NJ ride ruff, The goal was to make an early pass again at 9:05 I ran a 1.762, 8.693 @ 77.33, 13.703 @ 98.75 scales broken. We got the tires swapped back and the trailer loaded, talked to a few people and the word was traffic was going to be bad today so it was better to get on the road early. We were out the gate about 11 am. not far up the road while waiting to turn left a car rear ended the trailer and pushed it into the car. The trailer is totaled the car has some damage but its still driveable. They towed the trailer and we went to U-Haul to get a replacement trailer. Nothing like a 3 hour delay. It took us another 8 hours to get to our hotel, including a 30 min detour for me getting on the turnpike going north when I should have been going south. It was a long day.

Day four: We had stayed in a budget hotel the night before it was very well kept but did not include breakfast. There was a dinner just down the road and I thought we could use some real bacon and eggs. This put us a little later 10:05 am going down the track but it was worth it. 1.754, 8.716 @ 77.70, 13.779 @ 97.54 3330 lbs. Phil had an client call about their computers so after my run we sat in the car and ran the AC while he patched there junk. After a while I told him the AC machine needed more gas and I had to cut it off. Got the gas can added 3-4 gallons and back in business. Day four had the best and shortest route. It was a very pretty drive and I enjoyed the check points. First was 17 South Family Restaurant pretty good food Phil said it was the best crap cake he had ever had. Next was a gas station / car wash. I put $2 in an sprayed the car off so not to feel bad for parking in the bay. There were a lot of guys hanging out at these two stops. There were a lot of guys at our Hotel best of all I got to hang out with Jim for a little while!

Day five: They flip the field and let the SME cars run first so they can set the 32 car bracket. So we slept in and got breakfast right before they closed. One of the over seas guys was there it was neat to hear what they do to race in the US. It must like to ran in Virginia on race days because we got another ran delay. At the track I decide we need to pull the spare tire and trunk mat to save a few pounds my times had be slowing all week and I was hoping to post a number. I went to the scales before the run just to make sure I was not too light, I had room to loose more weight class min is 3200 I cam in lighter but still 3270. I feel like I sat in the car allot in the staging lanes waiting to run. At 5:58 it was my time to shine 1.727, 8.519 @ 76.94, 13.429 @ 97.28! Another personal best first time in the 40's! On Monday i said I was going to make more than on pass on Friday, but with a new PB in hand I called it done.

I am very pleased with the mustang. For a car with full interior and working AC, powered by stock engine from TB to oil pan its doing pretty good! I wish I knew what made it run 101 on day one I would like to get some more of those slips. Car was pretty much trouble free I added a quart of oil and had to tighten one of the rear wheel studs. Other than that it was just add gas! Other than Friday were I pulled some weight my 60' were pretty tight .015 spread over 4 days. Quarter times were all within .18 before i pulled weight pretty good for a stick car, might have something to do with the clutch tamer? I am really glad I had a co-pilot this year it made the road trip and lot easier and having Phil there to help change the tires and go through the pre-race list was a bigger help than I can express. I still can't thank Dick and Dan enough for hooking me up with the hotrod Volvo engine!

[SuperBuickGuy]

sounds like a great adventure

[Russell]

sounds like a great adventure

Thanks, I recommend it to anyone. I will have to ask Phil that might have been the frist time he had to been to the drag strip. At the end of the week he asked are we doing it again next year? It takes me over a week to recover. Before I want to go again.

Anybody want to guess where it will start in 2020?

[squirrel]

thanks for the write up! I don't remember hearing about the rear-end thing, what a bummer.

Guesses that I've heard most often include the state of Michigan, but you never know till they announce it.

[DanStokes]

It's SO cool that you're running those times with Volvo power! But the other racers couldn't tell that it was old, used Volvo cast-off. I'm sure I speak for Dick as well as myself when I say that this is exactly what we hoped for when I passed the engine along to you.

Dan

[Russell]

thanks for the write up! I don't remember hearing about the rear-end thing, what a bummer.

Guesses that I've heard most often include the state of Michigan, but you never know till they announce it.

I try not to dwell on things that I can not change. I didn't want it to mess up my vacation.