Messages

61

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Ford Y Block?

« on: October 20, 2017, 07:57:47 AM »

I planned on getting the Flat-O shorty kit and bellhousing.

I have thought about doing a Banjo axle.  I was just asking my father about that.  He owns Leadmine Products, and sells a lot of axle stuff.  I also thought about using a Ford 8", too.  I will probably buy cores for them all, and pick one as I am building (or having built) the chassis.

I have seen the remote battery setup on a lot of FEDs now.  I will probably do that, too.  No trans brake.  Vertex mag.  Maybe a little Sun or Moon tach.  No shift light.  Single four barrel with a Surfer's scoop.  Mooneyes style headers.  8" slicks.  I REALLY want a Hilborn stack setup, but there were only 144 of those made, and if you ever see them they are going for $4k.  I would gladly pay that, if I ever saw one.

62

Your Builds / Photo Gallery / Re: Hello From Iowa!!!

« on: October 14, 2017, 08:12:38 AM »

I forgot about Bonneville.  I have added that...

I called our three team group "Camp Corn" in 2016...

63

Your Builds / Photo Gallery / Hello From Iowa!!!

« on: October 13, 2017, 09:59:42 AM »

My name is Justin Calkins.  I am located in north central Iowa.  And I am a young 34.73 years old.

My drag racing addiction began in the late 1980's around the age of seven.  My father (forum member "captndiet") crewed on Denny Prochaska's "Magnum Force" TA/FC, of which I was drug along, too.  My father also had a little alky Jr. Fueler then, named "Plum Krazy".  Around the summer of '96, our family moved to north central Missouri, and our fun times at the racers were over.  Flash forward to the summer of '01, I am out of school, back in Iowa, and started putting together the altered that my father started building before we moved south.  By the end of the summer, I finally got to drive the "Vulture".  The next two summers were spent working on dirt cars.  Then, I got married, had two amazing daughters, and got divorced.  Now, it's time to go racin', again!  The beginning of 2007 had me working on Dale Suhr's brand new Neil & Parks "Orange Crate" NT/F.  I crewed for Dale & Kathy for three full seasons.  Bikes took over at that point.  I crewed for Bill Gately three times in four years on his Triumph flat tracker on the pro tour.  I also helped my local friend, Alan Rodenborn, on his Kawasaki flat tracker.  In '13, I attended Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt flats with seven others.  Three of us returned in '16.  The other two make licensing passes on a street bike.  We should be ready for Speed Week in '18 with a little turbo bike that one of them has been building.  There were three of us Iowa teams pitted together in '16, and we found a couple of others that year.  We are hoping that more of us Iowa boys can find each other in the years to come.  We like to have fun.  Bonneville is truly magical.

Over the years, I slowly found "me", as most people do.  Since the first event in 2010, I have attended every Vintage Torque Fest here in Iowa.  The vintage, pre '65 shows are what I really like.  I am a big history fan, and do a ton of reading and research in my free time.  Oh, and during work...    Old Ford trucks and Triumph motor bikes are my passions.  My intentions are to build a late '50's or early '60's Ford Y-Block powered (Dragmaster) dragster and a similar era Triumph drag bike.  And of course, I will pull it to the track with a 1960 Ford truck, similar to the one my grandfather once had.  I hope.

64

Altereds / Dragmaster Roadster Altered?

« on: October 13, 2017, 06:54:06 AM »

Going thru my saved Dragmaster dragster photos, I found copies of one of their catalogs.  I noticed that there is an altered chassis shown.  Anyone ever seen a chassis like that?  It looks like their Mark VI dragster chassis with the rear axle moved back.  This is probably 1962, or so.

65

Front Engine Dragsters / Ford Y Block?

« on: October 11, 2017, 02:43:54 PM »

Is anyone currently running a Ford Y Block in a FED?  I am gathering bits to build a "legal" late '50's/early '60's style digger with carbed or injected gas 292, C4, and a 9".  I really like the late '50's Dragmaster Mark VI, which were 96", but I may build a traditional Woodie style car in the 140" area instead.

Before I get yelled at for wanting a short car, here me out.  I spend my time at "traditional" shows.  Vintage Torque Fest, Meltdown Drags, Fallout Drags, HAMB Drags, Back To The '50's, Eagle Field, TORG, etc.  I have no need to set the world on fire.  I am happy with foot braking to a 10.90.  It won't have more than 500hp, ever.  Heck, 350hp is probably about all it will see.  This car will be based around the C/GD class ran at Eagle Field.  Tim McMaster, The Y Block Guy, has a very similar setup.

66

Altereds / Re: Altered or Front Engine Dragster

« on: October 06, 2017, 07:16:42 AM »

More of the restored car...

67

Altereds / Re: Altered or Front Engine Dragster

« on: October 06, 2017, 07:15:09 AM »

Restored car...

68

Altereds / Re: Altered or Front Engine Dragster

« on: October 06, 2017, 07:12:15 AM »

Original car...

69

Altereds / Re: Altered or Front Engine Dragster

« on: October 06, 2017, 06:13:06 AM »

VIA:  NHRA  https://www.nhra.com/news/2009/misc-files-j-keeping-joneses-and-johnsons-etc

And finally, what's the old saying ... "Everything old is new again"? Take a look at today's nostalgia Top Fuelers with their upright seating and compare them to this piece, Paul (P.G.) "Injun" Johnson's "funny digger" from the early 1970s. I actually found two pics of this car, built by Race Car Specialties and Jim Hume, both taken at Irwindale, but with two different car numbers: one with Johnson's (7717), and this one with Butch Maas' number (7720). Earlier this year, Bob Frey sent me a long list of cars that Maas had driven (compiled a year earlier in Pomona), but this one wasn't one of them, meaning that it was truly forgettable or that he only drove it a very few times. In the shot with Johnson driving, the car has canard wings in front of the rear meats, so I'm guessing that maybe Maas shook it down, it handled poorly, and they added the wings before Johnson took the saddle.

Also on DragList:  http://www.draglist.com/draglist/search.php?q=Funny+Digger&search=Search&exact=exact&VIEW=Extended