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| For Sale -- Sept 29 2002 |
| For Sale: One Fast Diplomat Call 1(306)249-4980 or E-mail CHCLTS@aol.com for more information, serious inquiries only please. |
| Into the 11's!! -- June 6 2002 |
| Sorry it's taken me so long to get an update posted but with work and more tinkering on the car there has not been much time. As you can see from the new spec sheet the car set a new ET and a new miles per hour, 11.96 sec. @ 110 mph at the first points race of the season. I am quite happy with that but I still know there is more to get out of her. I have to work out the settings for the carb as I have a stumbling problem just after the launch. It is getting the right combination of jets, performance spring, pump cam and shooter. After playing with some different combinations last night I think we are closer but a trip to the track on the 14th of June for a Street Legal Race, the day before the next points race, and I should be able to get the combination right. If everything works out I am hoping to see the car run around 11.8 to 11.7 sec. Will let you know how the work and tinkering has helped after the next race. |
| Almost Done. -- April 29 2002 |
| Almost all the work is complete. The only things still waiting to be done are the transmission work and getting the car to Collision Plus for the paint repairs. Engine is back into the body and has the initial break in, just putting a few more miles on the engine before racing her. The improvements to the engine this year are just awesome. Just the little playing around I did with the car you can really feel the added horsepower. Can’t wait to try both the engine and the NOS at the track in two weeks. Will let you know how that turns out. |
| Grandpa’s Toy update. -- Feb. 28, 2002 | This winter (off season) has really been going by quickly and the opening date for the Drag Race season is approaching rapidly. Even though I did not try to leave things improvement wise to the last minute it seems that all the work planned will come together with about a week or two to spare. Back in January we pulled the motor and took it out to the engine builder, got the car moved over to Racers Edge and started waiting for the new parts to arrive. I found out shortly after getting the body over to Racers Edge that changing the headers was not going to be possible. I wanted to increase the size to 1 7/8” from the 1 5/8”. Unfortunately, no one makes a weld up header kit using the small radius bents. I could have tried using the large radius kit but unless I wanted to pass the exhaust thru the fender walls this was not work able. The only other option was to send the car south to a custom builder and have them bend the pipe to fit. My improvement budget could not be stretched enough to complete this. The price I was quoted was 1200.00 US and I still had to get the car there (S. California). So I decided that I would run the car with the smaller headers and work around the reduction of horsepower at the higher RPM’s. The rest of the work is progressing at a slower pace. Just can’t seem to get the parts out of the States as fast as I would like. Have got the new forged pistons and the adjustable rocker arms and the 2.02” intake valves with the rest expected later this week. The engine builder at least has some of the parts and he can get the heads finished and start on boring the block. If all goes well and the rods, cam, lifters and the rings are here this week the engine should be done by the middle of March. While the engine work is being done the body is getting some work as well. The roll bar should be complete and installed as well as the extra fuel regulator by the middle of March. I can then reinstall the motor and get the car over to Extreme Transmission and Mike will install the new deeper transmission oil pan, check the transmission components and add an extra ground wire. This should be done by the first week of April and I can then get the car to Collision Plus and Dale will fix and refinish the small rock chips and small marked that occurred drag racing and driving the car to the different shows we had her at. Dale feels this should take about 3 weeks. It will take this long as Dales gets his staff to work on it between jobs and when there is extra time. Besides this is the finishing touch and I want her to look good. If it takes the full 3 weeks, the car will be ready to race and show the last week of April. Just in time for the first Street Legal Race on May 3rd, and the first test and tune the weekend of May 11th and 12th. |
| The End of the 2001 Race Season --December 9, 2001 |
| As I reflect on the past season I am reminded of some goals that I had thought
about back in February and March of 2001. We had decided that even though S.I.R.
(Saskatchewan International Raceway) allowed 12 and 13 second cars to run in
the Sportsman Class we where going to move up a Bracket and run Pro for the
2001 season. Last year was my first season back after taking a 20 year leave
of absence. I ran the car in the Sportsman Class and also raced during the Street
Legal Racing. I had a lot of rust to knock off and there where times it really
showed. I was happy with the 11th place finish but should have been able to
stay in the top ten. During the off season I got to thinking about how, when
we were in Calgary racing ,we had to run the car in the Pro Class as we where
running low 13’s. I came to a decision that I would run the car in Pro
Class for the up coming 2001 season. I was planning on racing in Calgary again
and knew that I would have to run Pro there so why not run Pro here as well.
With that decision made I got to thinking about where I would like to finish
in the standing. I felt that if I was able to finish in the top ten that I would
be happy. If we where able to finish in the top 5 I would jump for joy, and
if I was able to finish in the top three I would probably do cartwheels. And
boy was I joyfully when the season standings came out and I had been able to
hold on to 5th place. With the improvements I had done to the car over the winter
I was expecting a low 12 second car and got it with a season best 12.25 sec.
The only real disappointment I feel from this past season pertains to the inconsistency
we experienced with the performance. I hope that with the improvements planned
for this off season, I can get the car to run more consistently. We continued to show the car at different Show and Shines, Fun Runs and Formal Car Shows. We started the season off with the 41st Draggins Car Show and were very pleased when we won third in our class. I was also very happy when the car won third overall at the Knights of Columbus Show and Shine. What follows is a list of the shows we attended this past 2001 season. 1. 41st Draggins Car Show, Saskatoon, Sask. As you can see from this list, combined with the Drag Race Season, we had a very busy summer showing and racing Grandpa’s Toy. |
