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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Finally1 on 2014-09-08 11:31

Title: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: Finally1 on 2014-09-08 11:31
A guy from Canada ran a 12.22 in a flat black 57 Custom earlier today . You can watch Drag Week Live in the early morning and afternoon .  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3H1TxTf2X4
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: JPotter57 on 2014-09-08 15:37
Bummer, man...I watched all day waiting to see it, never did...an endless parade of chevrolets and late Mustangs...Did see a couple old gasser type cars that were cool though...
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: gasman826 on 2014-09-08 17:14
http://stblogs.hotrod.com/files/2014/09/Tulsa_Monday__Drag_Week_2014-001.jpg

http://stblogs.hotrod.com/files/2014/09/Tulsa_Monday__Drag_Week_2014-033.jpg

any color as long as it is black!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: JPotter57 on 2014-09-08 20:01
That is cool.  I watched the live stream from about 1230 til the end at 330...they will be streaming tomorrow too, but I will be back at work...hopefully, they will have a saved version that I can watch later.
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: rmk57 on 2014-09-08 21:23
It has B.C. plates on it. That's a long tow to Tulsa!
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: 57AGIN on 2014-09-11 02:49
Guys:

Yeah, nice ET and I can see he's using CalTracs to get him off the line well ahead of the GTO.

Bob
57 AGIN
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: gasman826 on 2014-09-11 07:51
Missed yesterday's live feed.  The '57 is still in running mid to low 12s.  Michael Moore #67 in Class L (street race small block naturally aspirated).  I'll miss today.  Special 9/11 blood drive at Michigan International Speedway.  Big event every year on the anniversary.  Hundreds turn out to donate.  Track gives tours, lunch, traveling exhibit, t-shirts, and more.
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: rmk57 on 2014-09-11 08:21
The 57 is a friend of a friend from the lower mainland. I was told it has a stroked Windsor in it now, but usually runs a stroked 460 slipping and sliding its way to high 11's.
He travels around the U.S. and Canada with a buddy of mine searching for old defunct drag strips. Not sure what he's going to do with all this information they compiled but would make an interesting coffee table book though.

Randy
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: JPotter57 on 2014-09-11 10:49
Another pic from day 3...just a cool old Custom.
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: gasman826 on 2014-09-14 11:37
Day 6 and finale!!!!!!!!!!!!  The '57 is still in!  Up front in the staging lanes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N1C1cRVEbE
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: JPotter57 on 2014-09-15 16:29
cool...he ran 12.33 on the last day
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: michael m on 2014-09-27 17:22
Thanks for the kind words guys. On the final day, in the shootout, I managed a 11.95 @ 114 mph.

Michael.
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: Zapato on 2014-09-27 22:37
Michael welcome and that is one hell of a great first post.

Zap- :unitedstates:
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: sprink88 on 2014-09-28 10:48
Micheal, great first post! What powerplant are you running? Loved the clips!
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: michael m on 2014-09-30 01:52
As was said it's just a cool ol' Custom.
Engine is Dart block 363 cid. Afr 185 heads and Victor Jr. manifold,drives through a (Ahem) Th-400 into the original 9 inch housing
that's filled with Moser 35 spline axles, Strange center section with 3:90 gears.
I only had 22 miles on the car upon arrival at Tulsa,so those were my first runs! There was 1350 miles on it by weeks end at Tulsa.
Plans for the car are to refine things,learn how to drive it and get it to run consistent 11:50's. Don't want to put a bar or cage in.
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: JPotter57 on 2014-09-30 08:07
Michael, from the time that someone posted on here that there was a 57 Custom running drag week, I watched it either live or the replay in the evenings just to see that car run.  Im probably the only guy in the country watching DW that didn't give a crap about the unlimited class and all the 6 second ets.  I don't relate to that kind of racecar, because, a. I can never afford that kind of racecar, and b., they're all Chevrolets.  I like the classes and Daily Driver.  I hope to run in DD next year.  I would run the BB NA or SB NA class but my car has glass fenders, hood and trunk lid, and the rules state only a glass hood is allowed for those classes.  I guess they didn't take into account how hard it is to find a rust free trunk lid for a 57 Custom.  I believe most of them were fitted with rust from FoMoCo.  Anyway, great job on completing Drag Week, and congrats on the 11.95, that is awesome.
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: michael m on 2014-10-01 01:56
A word of caution should you do Drag Week. It can be quite addicting!
DD is a fun class with a good bunch of guys, and it's the only DW class that actually races at the end of the week.

Keep an eye out on Hot Rod's web site as there will be new rules coming out for 2015. I doubt there will be any major changes,just some minor tinkering here and there. They will post them up for discussion before they wright 'em up for the next 3 years.

At the moment I'm on the fence about going next year. I've done five and finished four (two in the '57 with one fail) and it takes a bit of commitment in time and money and I have a couple of other projects that could use some of that time and a lot of the money.

If you have any questions about DW don't hesitate to ask. I'll try to help.
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: JPotter57 on 2014-10-01 15:53
I've done the power tour long haul, and I imagine the drag week to be the same, except with racing and possibility of breaking stuff.  Ideally, that won't happen, but you never know.  Heck, I could break something leaving work today, truthfully.  I also know about the addicting part.  I took my son on Power Tour last year, and he is eaten alive with it now, lol..He is planning a trip in his 79 Mustang Pace Car when it is done.  I will download the rules as soon as they become available, should be a blast.
By the way, did you run your car at Columbus a couple years back on Labor Day Weekend?  If so, what did you have in it then?
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: michael m on 2014-10-04 03:31
My first DW was 2009 with the '57. Columbus was our fourth track that year and was an afternoon race. Unfortunately I lost a good portion of my valve train somewhere en route in rural Ohio and arrived via roll back,so that probably wasn't me. At the time I was running an A-429 headed 521.

I've had a series of stroked big blocks in the car,prior to the small block. The first 521 then a 521 with Al SCJ heads and even a 557 Boss 429. That last one was a lot of fun. Short lived but fun!
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: JPotter57 on 2014-10-04 07:08
wow..I'd love to have one of the Boss 9 style motors in mine..Are those Cal Trac bars on the car?  What caused you to switch from the big block to the small block?  My last Custom had a stroker windsor, 427 inches.  It went 11.31 @ 121, had more in it, but like an idiot, I sold it in a pinch.  I regretted it som much that i bought another one within 5 months, and started over.  I am getting closer now, it is wired, bodywork almost finished, trying to start getting it together now.  Just need to finish up some projects on my kids Mustangs so I can get back on my car.
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: rmk57 on 2014-10-04 09:59
Hi! Tom P was telling me about the Boss 9 in your 57. I'm putting together a 502 Eddie headed BBF for my custom. Should be done next spring.
Missed meeting you out at the Pro mod races at Mission a few weeks ago.
A quick question with your 521 swap, what oil pan did you use assuming your front end is stock? Was looking for something with a extra couple quart capacity.

Randy
Title: Re: 57 Ford Custom running Drag Week
Post by: michael m on 2014-10-06 16:36
Yes those are Cal Tracs. Some of my planned improvements will be in the suspension. Shocks and Cal Tracs mono leaf springs.

Cause of the switch from BBF to SBF? Frustration! That Boss is cool as hell and makes terrific horse power but it's so large it does not fit into much. I pretty much built the front end around the engine, which made it almost impossible to work on, without dismantling the front end. I had a 302 (in trade for some BBF parts) cluttering up my garage for some 20+ years and went Hmmm. Now in order to make up for the horsepower I was used to in my big blocks. Turbocharger! You know how people talk about SBF's splitting the blocks at around 600 hp? I can attest to that. Good excuse to buy that Dart block. It is turbo ready, but after DW I'm going to work on getting it to run as close to 11.50 (no bar) as I can with what I've got.

I've used two oil pans with the BBF's. Canton T-pan,however you have to lose the sway bar or clip/round off the edges of the pan. Second is a Moroso deep sump pan.