(Photos by Ron Pomerleau) – My transmission wrecking exploits in project Buford T Justice (update coming later today on that car) are like butterfly kisses as compared to what my pal and New England Dragway competitor Ron Pomerleau did to this Powerglide….errr…what remains of this Powerglide. Pomerleau was making a lap in his cool little Vega when he crossed the stripe at 130mph and then heard a massive BANG followed by noises that can’t really be described by the written word. Thankfully he was not hurt and the car stayed off the walls.
When we asked Ron what happened to this thing, we were surprised he didn’t tell us a competitor stuffed the bellhousing with C4 and hit the button as he crossed the finish line. Ron believes that the transbrake somehow engaged at the top end, causing stuff to go all wrong, all at once. Ron’s an experienced racer with at least a couple decades of experience, so that was a big deal in keeping this from being ugly in terms of a wreck. The transmission used a stock case but was thoughtfully equipped with a shield that prevented shrapnel from getting in the car. Ron’s also thankful that the Vega has stock steel floors in it as thinner tin floors may have been torn open. He’s admittedly lucky that the rear tires did not lock up tight because at those speeds he would not have have had a chance, even as an experienced driver. The front universal fragged, allowing the rear end to turn free. What you see in the photos below is the stuff as it literally fell out of his car in the pits. Wild!
As you’d expect, Ron replaced that ‘Glide with one encapsulated in a full race style case and won’t be switching back the other way any time soon.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE A POWERGLIDE THAT MET A VIOLENT END AT 130MPH!
Car was wired wrong. Should never been able to happen.