Line-Locs

[JimNolan]

Gentleman,
      This question is for those that run line-locs on their cars. When you first installed it, was it hard getting use to. I installed one on my car but letting out on the clutch, mashing the gas, steering and not forgetting to let off the button seems to be giving me problems. I think I would have a better chance of hopping on one leg while rubbing my stomach with one hand and patting myself on the head with the other. I changed the setup today and I now use the horn ring to engage the line-loc. Haven't tried it yet but I thought I'd get someone else's advice on using it. Thanks, Jim

[shopratwoody]

Jim,
I've seen the Horn used for NOS....It'll sure work for the line lock. I always raced with a auto so I never
needed one
Later, Ron

[JimNolan]

Ron,
   I tried it out yesterday and it works great. Still awkward though. When I installed it, I hooked it up to a toggle switch that feeds a relay that directs control to either the line-loc or the horn. That way I can run the horn in one position and the line-loc in the other position. I just leave it in the horn position until I'm ready to run it.
    If I let out on the clutch a little before I launch, I find that I have less tire spin and more clutch slip. Seems that I come out stronger, may be wrong, I'll find out at Gulfport.
Jim

[shopratwoody]

Jim'
For God's sake don';t forget which way the toggle sw is!
Later, Ron

[JimNolan]

When I got to Gulfport I was ready to use the line lock. Got too excited and forgot about it. Car didn't move on line anyway. I think I've got a conversation piece now. Oh well, keep throwing money at it. Jim

[JPotter57]

Jim, when I ran one on my last `57, when doing the burnout, get in the water( with slicks), spin the tres over, then engage the linelock.  Put the car in second gear and let out on the clutch, keep tach on about 3000 or so for a few seconds.  Launch was really fun for me.  I engaged the line lock, put the tach on 5500(2 step rev limiter, lol) and sidestepped the clutch.  Talk about fun, launch at 5500 on slicks once or twice.  I had fun.  I use one of the old style Hurst switches that mounts on the stick, directly below a T-handle.  Next time, I will probably mount it somewhere else, possibly at the base of the shifter so I will be forced to take my hand away from it to shift.  I never really had trouble getting off of the switch because of where it was.  It wasnt very comfortable to depress the switch anyway as your finger had to stretch to reach it.  It worked out ok, just was a little ugly.

[JimNolan]

James,
   If I reved my engine to 5500 and slipped my foot off the clutch I think the whole car would go straight up in the air and come down in thousands of little pieces. If I rev it to 2000 and take my foot off the clutch the rear tires go up in smoke now. I did that at Gulfport and it took 3.5 secs to go 60 ft. I think that until I get traction my car is a conversation piece. I'll be able to chirp the tires on command but until I get going about 20 mph my car ain't a threat to nobody.
   The Line-Loc on my car wasn't really needed. I found out that if you take a 4000 lb car, let some of the air out of the rear tires and park it on a 10% grade, you'd still have to get out and push it to make it roll. I'd have gotten more use out of 125 dollars if I'd used it for toilet paper.
    I've used this forum to seek advice from you guys on the correct way to approach problems I have with my car. I want you to know that I've become fundimentally an expert on what NOT to do with a 57 Ford. So, if you want to know what NOT to do, just ask me.
Having fun, can't wait for Columbus and the Gulf Coast again. Jim

[custom300fe]

Ok Jim

What souldn't we do with our 57 Fords???   

[JimNolan]

Custom300,
     Here's a list. Mind you this is just the things off the top of my head.
1. Don't buy a 650 dollar radiator from Cool Craft that can't stay together over a year. And then have them egnore your phone calls.
2. Don't buy an on-car wheel balancer to balance drum brakes and then convert to disc brakes.
3. Don't buy new carpet until the windshield is sealed.
4. Don't buy a 500 cfm carbutator and expect performance or gas mileage and then convert to a four barrel and get both.
5. Don't have custom upholstery made for your car and then decide you want reproduction instead.
6. Don't power shift a Borg Warner Overdrive and expect it to stay together very long.
7. Don't come out of the hole with a 330 horse 390 and low gears and expect to go anywhere using 205X70X15 tires.
8. Don't pay exuberant prices for NOS parts on a car that your not going to make original to begin with.
9. Don't believe the girl at the Package Mart that tells you the cheapest you can send a steering wheel to Australia is 370 dollars and find out later that is was delivered next day.
10. Don't tell your wife the truth about anything you screw up that costs money.
11. Don't listen to a word I'm saying because I'm having the time of my life playing with this 57 Fairlane. If it were exactly what I wanted I'd change something just to be able to work on it.
Enjoying ever minute of it whether it works or not. Jim

[JPotter57]

Jim, I bought a universal aluminum radiator from Jegs a couple years ago, only used water and Redline Water Wetter for coolant, never got above 190 with only a belt driven flex fan.  Total cost on the radiator and my custom fabricated brackets was about $200.  Note this was not the Jegs brand radiator, but a real honest to goodness Griffin.  This thing is very light when compared to the old copper and brass radiators.
Also, I want to run the repro rubber floor mats in mine, mainly because they are more business like for what I am intending to do.  I have this truly evil plan going on for mine, I'll unveil photos whenever I get this thing mocked up.  I believe it should produce a little shock and awe.....

Custom300,
     Here's a list. Mind you this is just the things off the top of my head.
1. Don't buy a 650 dollar radiator from Cool Craft that can't stay together over a year. And then have them egnore your phone calls.
2. Don't buy an on-car wheel balancer to balance drum brakes and then convert to disc brakes.
3. Don't buy new carpet until the windshield is sealed.
4. Don't buy a 500 cfm carbutator and expect performance or gas mileage and then convert to a four barrel and get both.
5. Don't have custom upholstery made for your car and then decide you want reproduction instead.
6. Don't power shift a Borg Warner Overdrive and expect it to stay together very long.
7. Don't come out of the hole with a 330 horse 390 and low gears and expect to go anywhere using 205X70X15 tires.
8. Don't pay exuberant prices for NOS parts on a car that your not going to make original to begin with.
9. Don't believe the girl at the Package Mart that tells you the cheapest you can send a steering wheel to Australia is 370 dollars and find out later that is was delivered next day.
10. Don't tell your wife the truth about anything you screw up that costs money.
11. Don't listen to a word I'm saying because I'm having the time of my life playing with this 57 Fairlane. If it were exactly what I wanted I'd change something just to be able to work on it.
Enjoying ever minute of it whether it works or not. Jim

[JimNolan]

James,
   I made a typo on my previous post. The charge for sending the steering wheel to Australia was 170, not 370. There's a difference between crazy and stupid. Stupid you can fix, crazy you can't.
   The Opti-Flow radiator I bought from Cool Craft had the top tank seperate in normal conditions six months after I had it. I fixed it myself and didn't involve them. The rest of the radiator started coming apart after I came back from the Gulf Coast.  If you remember I had a fan shroud melt on me sitting in 90 degree heat for two hours. The reason I went with them was because of the fantastic claims they made about how good thier radiator was. The radiator is made of the heaviest material possible. But, it looks and mounts like the original radiator except for the core. I'm going to take it to the radiator repair place in Plymouth and have it resoldered.
  I'll be looking for your mock up photos. Jim

[57AGIN]

Yeah Jim:

Sometimes the things we do to get a little more performance out of our rides don't work exactly how expected, or we have to just figure out how to properly use them.  During this last year I put a good set of traction bars and drag radial tires onto my 57 and went almost .5 seconds slower in the quarter.  My problem (I think, because I haven't been able to get back on the strip since the Fun Ford Weekend out here got blown away by our Santa Ana winds ending our drag racing weekend a day early) was too much traction.  I came off the line at 3000 RPM and promptly bogged at the line.  I think I need to hit the throttle a little harder 4,000 to 4,500 RPM to avoid the bog, but I won't know until sometime next year.   The photo is my 57 at the starting line this year, the line staff are looking down the strip at the car in the other lane boogeying down the strip, while I'm still at the line.

I'm sure hoping that the $1,500 I spent on my traction improvements wasn't just more money into the parts bin.  Maybe I can get Shopratwoody into coming out and giving me some pointers on getting down into at least the 13's.

Bob
57AGIN

[JimNolan]

Bob,
  You got a really nice car. I don't think I'll get to the point I've got too much traction. What I need to do is learn how to drive my car. I just came back from the hanger and got stuck behind someone turning left at a traffic light. When he finally turned the light was turning yellow, since I'd been sitting there the entire time while the light was green I decided to beat the light. I gunned it and let out on the clutch slowly to make sure I didn't sit there and spin the tires. I shot out really good and I covered about 30 ft. real quick. I need to learn how to do that at a drag strip without getting nervous and looking like an idiot.
   The things I bitch about I'll probably not remember in years to come anyway. All I'll remember is the fun I had working on it and playing with it. If it were taking food out of our mouths that'd be different. I tell my wife I could be in a bar somewhere drinking the money away. Or, I could be still flying using 10 gallon of fuel an hour @ 4.50 a gallon. Figure out how many hours of fun you can have doing that.
   Are you going to try and make Columbus next year.
Jim

[57AGIN]

Jim:

I doubt if I'll be able to make Columbus this coming year, but possibly next.  I just bought a motor home and my wife and I are going to use it this summer to go to Wyoming, Idaho & Washington towing the 57 for regular transportation.  That is of course if I can get the use of a trailer reasonably for the two weeks and if it pencils out financially.  Unlike a number of the members in the Midwest we out on the Westcoast are very limited in space on our properties, so buying a car hauling trailer is out of the question (storing the motor home is about $100/month, & we just can't afford to double that).  Once I retire and maybe get an overdrive setup on the 57 or plan specific trips to the Midwest hauling the 57, I'll just have to jealously read about the great shootouts at Columbus, Carlisle and Gulfport.  I'd sure love to do it though.

Bob
57AGIN

[JimNolan]

Bob,
    My sister lived in Upland, Ca. I visited her once while she lived there. I know what you mean about space. I retired last May and I've got to say that the last 10 years of work for me was debilitating. If I'd only knew then what I know now, I'd have saved more and went sooner. With retirement comes choices I didn't think I'd ever have to make though. I need to sell my airplane and hanger and get a big garage to work in. I just can't afford this stuff anymore. I've spent the last 6 months pretending I had a never ending supply of money. I've got to get a new attitude now. Jim