Never Be Afraid

[G Schenck]

I have been saying for the last ten or so years, I should have been taking notes and writing about our racing encounters. Having race for 50+ years with the likes of Big Joe Teuton and the Southland group, The Thriller(my cousin),Rudy and Ross Laris, and Craig Bourgeois, I could write a novel that could give War and Peace a run for the money. Many funny **** and a few illegal.

The first chapter would have opened with our trip to the Gators in 1973. A year out of high school we were going to watch with 3 of us in a new Vega (painted pearl white with flames) and two in a 57 ford fairlane yellow w/black trim and a 427 big block ford. Well after 100 miles the 57 had to stop for fuel imagine that. We are in Biloxi on Hwy 90 (I 10 was not finished at the time) leaving the gas station at about midnight the 57 broke the rear end. I suggested that we leave it at the station, jump into the vega (five people) and worry about it on the way home. Well the owner ,drinking heavily, would not hear of it so we left him and his friend in Biloxi. Eight hours later we arrived at the gators walking thru the rows of cars in the parking lot. Damn if we don't see the 57 a few rows ahead of us.
Hardly anything was said about it but I hope they pulled that driveshaft out of that car before the owner tried to put it in drive.

Greg

[Dirk Olson]

I was15 years old and had a 64 chevy pickup decided to do a tune up so I put in the points set put the dwell meter on started up set the dwell ran great! but I wanted to put so neat wires and cap on (colored) pulled the wires and cap, reinstalled per the Motor Manual and it would not start, backfired and I am wondering what the hell I did wrong. looked at the book checked and rechecked still did not run. after a couple of very frustrating days i walked up the street to talk to a older guy that worked at one of the dealerships and the first thing he asked was where was number one/ I went HUUUU, WHAT? then he explain that someone may have have the distributor out and they wire it to work, meaning number one can be anywhere on the cap. My young brain had a hard time wrapping around that but he explained what I need to do. I went home found top dead center on number one, pulled the distributor reinstalled, wired per the Motor Manual, worked like a charm. Was a valuable lesson I have never forgot.

[Demon340]

As a teenager in 1977, I drove a 70 Maverick. Car wouldnt start and I discovered the neutral safety switch was bad. The switch was located above the steering column. I found that by pushing the brake pedal up againt the lower dash, the pedal would stay out of the way for the repair. I was so proud that I fixed the car and drove up the driveway towards my parents garage honking the horn in my proud "I fixed it" moment.
I forgot to push the brake pedal back down. My parents got a new garage door that year...
Larry

[Dave Gantz]

Originally Posted by Dirk Olson

I was15 years old and had a 64 chevy pickup decided to do a tune up so I put in the points set put the dwell meter on started up set the dwell ran great! but I wanted to put so neat wires and cap on (colored) pulled the wires and cap, reinstalled per the Motor Manual and it would not start, backfired and I am wondering what the hell I did wrong. looked at the book checked and rechecked still did not run. after a couple of very frustrating days i walked up the street to talk to a older guy that worked at one of the dealerships and the first thing he asked was where was number one/ I went HUUUU, WHAT? then he explain that someone may have have the distributor out and they wire it to work, meaning number one can be anywhere on the cap. My young brain had a hard time wrapping around that but he explained what I need to do. I went home found top dead center on number one, pulled the distributor reinstalled, wired per the Motor Manual, worked like a charm. Was a valuable lesson I have never forgot.

I had a similiar experience. I had a 69 Impala when I was 16 or 17; I was in auto shop in school at the time. Anyway, I tuned up the 350. Plugs wires, cap rotor, points, condenser. No start, popped out the carb. Checked everything. My shop teacher (who sold me the beauty), was also flummoxed, to the point that he came to the house after school one day. He found it; someone had put the distributor in 180 out and "fixed" it by butchering the rotor so that the square peg fit in the round hole! So, I had put the new rotor in and, bingo, 180* out! My teacher was a used car guy who flipped the Impala to me and had no idea what the buddy he had gotten it from did to it.
Although that's where I learned what an out of time distributor sounded like, I learned more about shady car guys that day. (turned out, the Imp was a 300 hp 350, and the heads were swiped and replaced with whatever Chevy heads were cheap. I'm not a Chevy guy and don't remember.) The car did run smooth as glass though, until I seized it in cold weather running straight 30w. But that's another story.

[Greg Reimer 7376]

Originally Posted by Dave Gantz

I had a similiar experience. I had a 69 Impala when I was 16 or 17; I was in auto shop in school at the time. Anyway, I tuned up the 350. Plugs wires, cap rotor, points, condenser. No start, popped out the carb. Checked everything. My shop teacher (who sold me the beauty), was also flummoxed, to the point that he came to the house after school one day. He found it; someone had put the distributor in 180 out and "fixed" it by butchering the rotor so that the square peg fit in the round hole! So, I had put the new rotor in and, bingo, 180* out! My teacher was a used car guy who flipped the Impala to me and had no idea what the buddy he had gotten it from did to it.
Although that's where I learned what an out of time distributor sounded like, I learned more about shady car guys that day. (turned out, the Imp was a 300 hp 350, and the heads were swiped and replaced with whatever Chevy heads were cheap. I'm not a Chevy guy and don't remember.) The car did run smooth as glass though, until I seized it in cold weather running straight 30w. But that's another story.

Ever see anybody accidentally put a Chrysler V8 rotor in a Ford?

[Dave Gantz]

Originally Posted by Greg Reimer 7376

Ever see anybody accidentally put a Chrysler V8 rotor in a Ford?

Bingo,180 out!