Quote:
Originally Posted by John DiBartolomeo
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In my youth I had a No Post 1955 Chevy Belair without an engine and trans.
I had an acquaintance with a 1958 Chrysler, with a 392 Hemi and Torqueflite. My friends and I around 16 years old. So the acquaintance says I can have the engine and trans if I get it out of his yard. So with a steel Bohack shopping cart that I modified to accept the Hemi, I wheel this monster home. The trans comes later.
Once home my friends and I figure out how to wire the battery to the ignition , strap a One Gallon gas can to the shopping cart, stuff the garden hose into the engine and we're ready to fire this Bad Boy up!
Now this is a Dual Quad, Dual Point Chrysler engine with spark wires that go through the valve covers just like the AA/FD Dragsters have. We're all set and by the grace of God we get it running. Collectively, we all brought something to the table and worked on what we knew. So now with the exhaust head pipes cut about 6" to 12" from the exhaust manifolds, this thing makes a hell of a racket. We all take turns revving to engine up , each one revving it higher then the last. Now my friend Bob grabs the make shift throttle linkage and yanks it almost all the way back to WOT.
The Hemi now jumps out of the shopping cart , spinning in mid air as four , scared to death teenagers scatter like mice.
The engine comes to rest on the ground upside down and suffocating itself. for about a half an hour we all stood in disbelief over what we did.
To this day, fourty seven years later I am soooo glad none of us were killed that day.
We cleaned up that mess, and my father asked what the hell happened to his lawn in the very spot the Hemi came to rest. If I would have told him - I probably wouldn't be writing this post today. That's probably why I chose to race a Chevrolet Stocker instead of a Chrysler. Have a Happy Thanksgiving to all that read this - we all have something to be thankfull for.