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mikelbeck
10-15-2007, 09:24 PM
Here's one of the worst days I've had racing...

Keep in mind that if it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Been that way my whole life...

The first one that sticks in my mind was from a $10k race at Atco a couple of years back. We got there the night before, got a good night's rest (for once), got to the track early and was nice and loose all day. I had some extra time to check out the motor before time runs, and found a vacuum leak. The first time run was a tenth better than I had been running and had the best 60' so far that year, so that leak was making a big difference. The second time run was just as good. The car was in the zone and my lights were good. I was gonna go rounds and make some money!

So I roll up for 1st round. Do my burnout, throw it into neutral, blip the throttle once or twice to clear it out and then drop it into 1st gear. No go. I try second gear. Still nothing. Then I try reverse. Nothing, the car won't move. WTF, I'm thinking to myself. The starting line guys come over to push the car back, it won't move at all. At first I thought I blew up the tranny, but then when it wouldn't move I thought maybe I blew up the rear. But where's the gears? So they come over with some dollys and roll the car away. After poking around a bit I find that the shifter cable broke. D'oh! Good thing there's a speed shop at Atco...

I got a replacement shifter cable, but the old one just didn't want to come out. My buddy was watching the starting line, telling me how many cars were left so I could get it done and make it back up. By the time I got the old cable out the last pair of cars were just rolling up to the line, so I was done for the day. Packed it up and went to the bar instead.

The next morning we went over to Englishtown, the car was still running good but my lights were awful... 2nd time run was a 008 red. I won first round somehow and then bulbed again 2nd round. The weekend went from what coulda been the best ever to totally sucking. All because of a broken shifter cable...:mad:

82GT
10-16-2007, 10:45 AM
I lost by .001 took way to much finishline when I was still getting use to closing rates.

82GT
10-16-2007, 11:41 AM
Finishing 8th in the points I was one of the cars going to Maple Grove to represent LID. Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone and had to mess with the carburetor, well I end up pulling the threads out of the main body. Lesson learned I no longer mess with carbs, called up Summit and had a new 650dp sent to me. Well somehow Summit ends up sending my Carb to Chicago, where someone was kind enough to sign for it for me. Time is running out so now I have to wait till ATV (Auto, Truck and Van) opens to get a carb at almost twice the price of Summit. Anyone remember ATV stores?. Well finally get the car back together and I head out to Maple Grove (missed one day of time trials). Crossing the Verrazano-Narrows the choke decides to snap shut on me, luckily I make it to the top and coast down the other side of the bridge. My nice Motorsport air cleaner nut is somewhere in the Upper New York Bay.

Finally get to Maple Grove, get one time run in, lights good but the car is slow, 4 tenths off, next day is first round and out of all the cars there I’m running the guy I ran my time run against, I snooze on the light and the car runs even slower. I get to watch him dam near put the thing in park to tighten up on me ugh……

mikelbeck
10-16-2007, 07:51 PM
I lost by .001 took way to much finishline when I was still getting use to closing rates.

I've done that plenty of times. ;-)

I'm usually the slower car, so I get the head start. When I race in Super against the 8 second dragsters sometimes I'm 3/4 of the way down the track before they even get the green. Once I was up against a guy, I didn't check his dial and wasn't sure how much of a head start I had... so I kept my foot in it. I broke out while the other guy had a problem off the line and coasted through the finish line, took the win with a 30 second run.

82GT
10-17-2007, 10:17 AM
I've done that plenty of times. ;-)

I'm usually the slower car, so I get the head start. When I race in Super against the 8 second dragsters sometimes I'm 3/4 of the way down the track before they even get the green. Once I was up against a guy, I didn't check his dial and wasn't sure how much of a head start I had... so I kept my foot in it. I broke out while the other guy had a problem off the line and coasted through the finish line, took the win with a 30 second run.

ouch :violent1:

novadose454
10-21-2007, 05:54 PM
my son and i and another father and son friends of ours trailered our car to island....trip there was great...it was the last day of the season...everything was running good....had my shortie mufflers on the 69 nova...big block..it just sounded sweet....new slicks..even.....ok..my buddy had his 68 cuda...340 punched out to 415...sounded good too....my son takes the car up to the burnout box..i told him smoke em up good get the stickers off..etc...ok..he does a jungle jim smoke out..god...i can see me buying another set...soon....ok...stages good ...hes up against a chevelle..big block...good...besides dialing in ..we get to see how this local guy does against us......or us against him...as usual..my son...sleeps at the light...come out about a car and a half behind the chevelle.....half track hes side by side....and beats him....10.80@127....so im waiting for the car to come back...no car???...wtf....arghhh so i take a walk..there he is..trying to push it...ok...except the nova has a locked rear...so if you turn the wheel..its like pushing the whitestone bridge....i asked him what happened...said he lost power and it just died....
we got gas...we got spark....but we got doody....pushed it on the trailer...
went over everything...nothing wrong...but it wont start...not even a spark
this car has a magneto....it always has spark
took the cap off......all looks good...the hell with it..my buddy gets up to the line...does his burnout...stages....runs a 11.7.....hes pissed....not what he was looking for.....ok...lets get back up there...try it again.......comes up ....burnout good.....hits it.....blows the axles out of the car....push that back on the trailer...and now were both broken.....lets go home...so much for the last day of the season...well be back.....
.brought it home...
starts up
drove it in the garage...
??????????????????????
went over eveything...nothing wrong..
took the mag out...spun it....knocked me against the wall....lots of gas squirting in from the dominator...put it back together...hmmmm....let me just look one more time...this time im outside....god..im old....the dist cap has more trail lines on the coil terminal than an ant farm.....ordered another cap....two days later...car just starts up like someone installed a new motor....just one of those days....anyone else????