"Live" from Norwalk

[Ken Miele]

Patsy, I'm sure you and Larry will like this shot of the Cuda'

I'm not at Norwalk, but any pictures that John sends me I will be sure to post them.

Thanks to John DiBartolomeo editor of DRAG RACING ACTION Magazine www.dragracingaction.com for these great action shots.

[Ken Miele]

Here is a shot of Chris Wertman and his DP, along with Mandie and Kyth Lynch I believe.

Thanks again John, you sure come up with timely and unique pictures.

[Alan Roehrich]

Yeah, that's Keith Lynch in the background.

[TinSoldier 3215]

Hey Larry, Good Luck in your heads up run with Wolf in a/sa!!!

[Chris "drooze" Wertman]

Originally Posted by Ken Miele

Here is a shot of Chris Wertman and his DP, along with Mandie and Kyth Lynch I believe.

Thanks again John, you sure come up with timely and unique pictures.

Not me in the pic, thats Charley Bob Downing. (and I was TOLD to call you that), if you dont like it blame the Mashall's and Lynch's and PM me and Ill edit it. I wasnt real sure if they were telling me the truth or that would be yanking yer chain.

I was under the car at the time, if it was up in the air.

We had issues, a broken timing chain, yea really, Keith ran the burnout and was spot on and car shut down.

We got back to pits, and checked the valves and compression and STRANGLEY it was good, or appears to be ?!?! So we sent to old man back to pickup a new set of timing gear, and a WHOLE bunch of people helped immensley.

We pulled the rockers and shafts and had the pan off, and were ready for a cam change and timing setup in about 2 hrs and back together.......NONE would have been possible without the following list, in no particular order and if I forgot any names it wasnt intentional at all....I didnt even know that Ed F was the one that handed me a magnet.

Some, not all of the people who had hands on or added to Moral support were as follows.

Charley Bob Downing.
Ed Fernadez
Jim Marshall
Geno Monahan
Mandie Abraham
Keith Lynch
Tonya Lynch
James Perone (yes, he was over with Oil so fast I count blink)
Gary Parker
Perfect Pam Mashall
Paul Dilcher
Doug Duell

To pull a cam and put it back together and get fire in 2 hrs some of that spent waiting for my Father to get back. To be able to do that in that time with this car isnt a testament to us, but to the amazing effort racers from all over came to help. I think only that the only reason we didnt have more help was there was nowhere in between people to work or move.

Even Mandie commented she was out of room

We do have some interesting pictures out of the event.....Unfortunatley none of them were of us in the Winners circle or as #1 qualifier....soon

If we had about a half hour more, I think maybe we could have been running enough to get qualified, but well we werent. Im not sure we dont have some minor bent valves, I almost dont see how we couldnt , but it didnt appear so.

So we are hard at work on our next plans and Ive got some other things I need to take care of this week. (like my house wiring) But well get back as soon as we can.

1 step at a time, at least we made it to the race Next to actually get to run one.

We learned more about our setup and other things in the few days with the Lynch's than we had in months, simple things I didnt see as issues, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense, like throttle travel and pressure reqs. Other things I learned like reversing the bolt on the oil pickup tube and welding a nut on the pickup so the oilpump can be pulled without dropping the pan. And a whole list of otherthings.....

All to be added to my "LIST" so, well Im not Listless....

Sometimes other peoples bad days are others good ones, this day wasnt as depressing or even disheartening. This day went from a failure on my part to a success for myself and others even without the Qualifying pass....

Soon.......

[Larry Hill]

Well sorry I have been MIA, but we have been crying in our beer over our heads up race Hwith the mustang in the morning.
But you never know--we will be there 1st round with bells on. We are not one of the ones who don't show up when they have a heads up--You just never know. Wolfe did red-light all 3 of his runs today. I

I took some pics today, but the connection is so slow, I still don't have them uploaded.

We have been having a great time for our last night here. Fuller cooked some great steaks and then we went down for Larry to meet Drooze, but couldn't find him. So Janice Fuller and I joined Pam Marshall and Tonya Lynch over at Gary Parker's for a fun night. Then Mike came in and mooned us (with a little help from Janice). Mike may have a big hangover in the morning!! Hey Edmond, I won't tell your wife what you were doing! Of course, you had some chaperones there!

Well, I guess we are going to try to get a good nights sleep, so Larry can be the "Sacrificial Lamb" in the morning.

More later.

[Mike Fuller]

Superfan1 I think Jeggie has some things to correct before he brings his piece out again.
Patsy check your spelling on your last post. It was great to spend an eveving with everyone. Tomorrow looks to a liitle quicker than today. It was a beatiful in Norwalk today.

[Chris "drooze" Wertman]

Originally Posted by Rich Biebel

Just a casual observation........Timing chains don't often break......unless of course something in the valvetrain hits something else......and yes valves are almost certainly bent.....I would think.... but don't have any first hand knowledge about these engines......

Past performances by this group seems to point to some conclusions one could make.....BUT...


I cannot say what I think because it is apparently Politically Incorrect to say anything other than praise for their efforts......and to blame all their problems on various issues all of which are outside of their control.......

Long and ugly story, but Im not going to bash the vendors utter failure on this one. We had asked a total of 5 times at least over the last 4 weeks to get the 2 timing sets we sent them BACK, and Corrected, the torrington on the back was about .080 too thick and it would bind.

Weve been running on borrowed time on this timing setup, it was our, last back spare and had been in BOTH motors that came apart.

I couldnt use a OE chain with this setup so was forced to use the one we had. An OE can only be run straight up and for PTV I needed to run a 2 deg advance with this cam.

It was actually something else that caused it to bind and break, but all related to the timing setup.

The new sets showed up this week after we were all buttoned up, if we would have put one on we would have missed this AM ? And well......I dont know, I know what happened but exactly why is something different.

The valves if they are bent are few and far between. AND We had a whole pit of people who saw and were suprised, if there is a bend in 1 I would be suprised at 2, and nothing significant that it leaks with all rockers off on turnover.

Soooooo.....is what it is. I still didnt have a computer in the car at 8am yesterday the boards had just arrived at 7:15 am

I did find a new way to remove a stiff link, and this chain has had one for a while....it dosent anymore

Besides Mandie got a new Belt out of the deal ? So its not all bad.....the really scarry part is her waist is small enough it fits, then again she wore the "Full Throttle" laynard as a belt today ?

Oh well Drag Racing Fashion.......at least SOMEONE got something out of the deal today.

[Toby Lang]

Originally Posted by Larry Hill

Well sorry I have been MIA, but we have been crying in our beer over our heads up race Hwith the mustang in the morning.
But you never know--we will be there 1st round with bells on. We are not one of the ones who don't show up when they have a heads up--You just never know. Wolfe did red-light all 3 of his runs today.

This reminds me of the first time I met Lee Zane. It was at the 2001 Memphis national event. Lee was just starting out in Stock and of course his Apollo wasn't the quickest car in the class and he was trying to avoid the other J/SA cars during qualifying. He thought he might have a heads-up race with George Widuch first round and was at the credential trailer waiting for them to post the ladder. Well, he found out that he did have a heads-up race with George. Then I guess somebody told him to have a nice trip home. Guess who this person was? It was none other than Larry Hill.

Well, Larry, I just have one thing to say to you:

Have a nice trip home!


-Toby

[Larry Hill]

Toby,

Yes I said that and I think George won that round.

This is Class Racing: heads up runs are the attraction. I will have a nice trip home.