Gulfport Dragway

[JimNolan]

Gang,
    I'm going on the Gulf Coast Cruise and staying in Diberville. Is anyone going to the Gulfport Dragway on the 5th and 6th. I'll be running my 57 Fairlane. Just hope it stays together and gets me back home. If you are going to be there please let me know, I'd enjoy meeting you. My car is Red and White with Indiana plates.
Jim

[57AGIN]

Jim:

Go for it and best luck on your runs.  Keep us posted.

I'm trying to get my 57 Custom 300 ready for the Fun Ford Weekend here in Calif. on October 20 & 21.  This year I'm going for traction.  I recently installed CalTrac bars and I've 2 Weld Prostar's (5.5" back space) and 255 x 60R15 M&H E.T Street Radials on order.  Last week I found that even to get my BF Goodrich 255 x 60R15 TA Radials mounted on Cragars out of the rear wheel wells I have to drop both the rear shocks and the shackles.  The M&H's are .2" wider at the widest part of the tire, so this year it will require mounting the tires at home and trailering the car to the strip (that's a first for me).  But, last year I spent so much time at the starting line spinning those Goodrich's, the et's didn't relate very well to the top speeds (14.85 @ 98mph).  We'll see what this year brings, cause that is just plain embarrassing.

Bob
57AGIN

[JimNolan]

Bob,
   I've got a question. I haven't been drag racing on a strip, ever. So tell me something. (In bracket racing) What advantage is there to going fast. I don't think I'll do well with my manual transmission anyway. But, if I could learn to leave the line without spinning my tires and do it consistantly, what advantage would I have leaving the line quickly. Remember, I won't be entering the 13.99 and below ETs to begin with. Thanks, Jim

[57AGIN]

Jim:

My bracket racing experience is very minimal.  Nearly all of my drag racing was in heads-up class eliminations, where generally the first off the line (reaction time) plus the quickest acceleration through first gear generally worked for me.  My 65 Mustang had a very low 1st gear 2.78:1 (it was a wide ratio 4-speed) coupled with a set of 4.57 rear end gears, it also had a good set of traction bars and some cheater slicks.  I'd usually jump my opponents by about 2 car lengths at the start, and depending on how strong my opponents car was Through midrange or at the other end, I's usually win against other street driven cars.  Consistency in your et's is critical in bracket racing.  So in theory if you cut a really good light and your opponent doesn't, you should get there first or force the other guy to "break out."  Good bracket racers seem to be able to get that really quick acceleration coupled with cutting a good light and then slam on the brakes at the other end.

The guy to ask is Shopratwoody (Ron) he's had many years of drag racing in his Ranchero.  But, I'm not sure if it was in heads-up or bracket racing.

Hope the above helps.  Also any of you other gear heads out there speak up, because I'd like to know, too.

Bob
57AGIN

[Hoosier Hurricane]

Guys:

As stated, good reaction times and consistent ETs are the key.  Slow cars have a slight disadvantage in the reaction time department.  They're more difficult to cut a good light.  Human reactions are fairly consistent from person to person.  The strip reaction time is a combination of human reaction and car reaction.  With cars capable of running in the 12s, most people can leave the line as soon as they see the last yellow come on, get a decent reaction time without redlighting.  Slower cars have to start sooner than that to get a good reaction time, which means you have to leave somewhere between the second and last yellow light.  Difficult to do consistently.  Very few cars can leave on the second yellow and not redlight.  One little trick for a slow car is to "deep stage", or continue creeping toward the starting line until the "pre stage" light goes out and the "stage light" stays on.  This means you have a shorter distance to go before you trip the starting line beam.  Now you can probably leave on the last yellow and get a better reaction time than if you "shallow stage".  Remember that deep staging will change your ET, it will be slower.  On my 12 second car it makes about .1 second difference.  If you are going to deep stage, put "deep" on your windows so the starter will know to wait until you get staged before firing the tree.  Hope this helps, good luck Jim.  Was good to meet you at Columbus.

John

[JimNolan]

Thanks Guys,
     I'll try to do the 57 proud. I think I'll start with the second yellow and adjust from that. I'd rather redlight than let my son know his 60 year old Dads got the reaction time of FEMA. When I was at Columbus I saw a guy stage his car and when his oppontents staging light came on, he left. It was funny at the time, but now that it's me getting ready to do this, it doesn't seem as funny. Whatever I do I just want my wife and I to have fun. I've never raced on a strip before. I raced plenty on the street when I was younger. I wonder if my knees will shake like it did when I first started drag racing way back when.
    If anyone gets to Gulfport on the 5th and 6th, look me up. I'll be glad to talk to you about anything. When I was at Columbus, John spent a good deal of time answering my questions and making me feel welcome to be there. Appreciate that John.
Jim

[Ford Blue blood]

Yes they will shake!  I'm 60 and when I get challenged on the street in my 03 Cobra the pumps turn on, breathing increases, heart rate goes way up and a sudden rush of feeling good all over starts in the gut and sweeps to the top of my balding head and the smile is ear to ear!

[JimNolan]

Well guys, I did it. First time out I left on the second yellow, red lighted, took four trys to get it in second gear and went through in 16 sec.
2nd attempt was worse. Left on the third light and got a reaction time of .31. Smoked the tires off the line, let up and jumped on it again and smoked the tires again. Finally got it straight, shifted slow and made it through the quarter in 19 sec at 87mph. I used up 3.5 sec at the 60 ft mark. When I completed the second run the transmission wouldn't come out of third until I pushed in the overdrive handle.
  Said that was enough, I need to get back to Indiana so I hung it up for the night. Learned alot. Need a new transmission and a driver. Boy was it FUN. Met James Potter, great guy. Had a wonderful time down there.
Jim

[F570RD]

Good for you Jim.Sounds like you had a fun time.Still quicker than FEMA.lol

[shopratwoody]

Well Jim it sounds like you're hooked. Get out the check book and enjoy. I did for years.
Good Luck, Ron

[KidKourier]

Bob (57 AGIN)  Are you gathering 57 Fords to attend the Super Fords Weekend at Fontana on the 20th of Oct. again or just doing your own thing? Also,I just received the flyer for John Force Show for Dec.2nd (Featured Display of1957Fords & Chevys),how's the recruiting going? I'll be down at the Temecula Fall Rod Run this weekend and will try to make Fontana next weekend,try to catch you there and see about the John Force Show.  Kid Kourier outta Kalifornia (Inland Empire)

[57AGIN]

KidKourier, Et Al:

Yes, I'm trying to get 57's out to both the Fun Ford Weekend on October 20-21 and the John Force Holiday Show on December 2, 2007. 

The Fun Ford Weekend event is a really fun event, whether showing your 57 or putting it onto the strip.  Jim Nolan is absolutely correct, about knees shaking, etc.  Last year while sitting at the starting line, revving the engine to 4000 and watching the tree cycle down to the last yellow, I was 22 all over again, sitting in my 64 Mustang at Lions Drag Strip.  What a blast!!! 

I'm busy right now getting my 57 ready for this years trip to the strip.  Last year my weekend was much like Jim's experience, searching for traction and the right combination to get the car hooked up at the starting line.  In April I got CalTrak traction bars and last Saturday I picked up a pair of Weld Prostar rims with Micky Thompson ET Street Radial slicks (235 X 60R15).  Found out that in order to get my regular tires out from under the car I need to drop the shocks and rear shackles to clear the brake drums and side panels.  I'm currently arranging to trailer the car to the strip and this is a first for me.  When I was a kid we always drove our cars to the strip, ran them and hoped they would get us home again.  Back then I was lucky, never did have to get towed home after breaking at the strip.

I really can't tell what success I'm having in getting 57's out to the John Force Holiday Show.  I've been passing out flyer's, talking it up at the car shows I've been attending and emailing my email contacts.  I've even invited the 57 T-Birds to help get a decent showing of 57 Fords out to this show.  I know the Brand X 57's will be filling up their alloted spaces without trouble.  So far I have 2 or 3 cars coming up from San Diego and a similar number from Fresno.  I'm getting in touch with the Skyliner club, too.  Two weeks ago, I passed out 25 flyer's to 57 T-Bird owners at the Thunderbird Pageant in Anaheim.   We'll see, my guess is we'll end up with somewhere between twenty-five and fifty 57 Fords and Birds.

Bob
57AGIN