Seneca Blvd was across the river in Monessen. Now called Parente Blvd renamed to us old timers we still call it Seneca.
Was Nice once. Now a beat up depressed 60 something year old road.
Street Racing Confession(s)
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Was Nice once. Now a beat up depressed 60 something year old road.
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Epic night in like 1982-ish
an all steel 3000#s 1930 model A, with a 800+(900?)hp
LS7 rect. port roller nasty nasty BBC
1) 1450 dominator on a Victor, PG, 4 link car boxed chassis, roll bar, (IIRC) Dana-60
Concord (Ca) gang guy Rod B.
one of if not the fastest street car, in the bay area at the time
We were out in Pittsburg (Ca) late some Friday/Sat. night/early AM
on 10th street down past the PG&E power plant gates
had a nice 1/4 mile marked off, nice smooth & wide 2 lane rd.,
10ft + bike lanes to each side, then like 20'-30' of shoulder/flat gravel
some big $$$ races went down out there...
The only bad part is the line telephone/power poles,
about 20' off the side of a flat gravel shoulder
lined the left lane going west (normal direction) 'wind at your back usually'
or the right lane if you ran it back going east...
This evening a guy from out of the area, So. SF (?) IIRC, Larry V.
had a badass V8 Vega, BBC/PG 9" rear full roller motor, tunnel ram 2 dbl pumpers
lots of fiberglass/Lexan windows, tube chassis strip car ON SLICK w/license plates
(9.90 Super Gas/8.90 Super Comp lettering) kept spouting off, wanted to race
A few races went down, a couple fast cars
tensions started to build, the guy with the Vega was really a loudmouth
I had my piss yella' 68 Charger out there,
it'd run low 11's by that time, in 'real street trim' all day long
513cid 2 x Holley 4bbls TF/J converter, 5.13:1 gears, N50 M/T Sportsmans/street tires
It's just not fast enough to beat that Vega, him on slicks...
I went over & talked with Danny M.
has a freaky fast, Black with silver stripes 70 Camaro Z28, beautiful car
with a potent LS7 BBC/L88 snowflake heads,
solid low 10.0 second car on slicks, high 10's or low 11's on sticky street tires
(I talked about him in a prior post from Ball Cannery Rd. in Fairfield Ca)
& another buddy Rod B. with the badass dark green Model A 'coupe'
they both said they would run the guy
Rod B. says he didn't want to race for any money, he was broke
but he'd run him anyway
Danny M. was game, rich kid good job etc. if the Vega beat Danny,
Rod would run him,
Rods car would run 9.0's on slicks, an occassional hi-8s, it was no joke, 3000#s...
I told him we'd get the money up to bet, several of our group was out there watching
"the Vega guys wanted to run for like $5,000"
no freaken' way we were doing that back then
I think they were scared of the Camaro & Coupe, so trying to price it out of our level
so they'd save face & not have to race, claiming we didn't have the $$$
Another guy out there, a friend of a friend deal, said "he'd back both Danny & Rod"
the Vega guys changed their tune & the bet was now $2,000 (IIRC)
that's still too steep for my blood, I was just starting my Facility Mgnt/Const. Buss.
I got in on it $250, each race... I really couldn't afford to lose...
Danny lines up against the Vega, they both do a short burnout
pull to the line, Jim drops his arms & they're off,
the Vega beats Danny by maybe a fender,
we had spotters down at the finish to make sure no issues...
Danny said he wanted to 'run the guy back',
the Vega guy 'Larry', didn't want to
sort of 'chicken ****' for street racing at the time
Claimed it was getting too hot, it was summertime & like 90*+ after dark
they had a truck go down & tow the Vega back
about an hr later, Rod says lets go, I'm tired of waiting
the Vega guy wants more time, it's like 2 am now,
lets get it done
finally, the Vega guy (Larry) is ready, him & Rod (Coupe) line up
Rod does a FC style smokey burnout,
said he wants to get some heat in the engine it's cooled off a lot,
from sitting for hrs
The Vega (in the left lane) does the same style short burnout
he did against Danny (Camaro)
they both get lined up & the Vega is up hard on the converter/trans-brake like 5,500
(he didn't do that the 1st race against Danny)
Rod gets his in & only like 3,000 maybe 3,500 on the converter, foot braking
Jim (starter) drops his arms,
off they go the Vega starts to spin a lil'
Rod (coupe) nails it flashes the converter, & is hooked hard
and carries the front wheels about 75' out
the Vega hooks finally, Rod's got a car on him already
they get to about 600ft, the Vega starts to spin the tires/slicks....
Rods' still hooked up good, has several cars on the guy now
the guy in the Vega doesn't lift, gets all sideways, starts to fishtail
crossing over behind Rod in the wrong lane,
Vega guy still doesn't lift, gets almost on 2 wheels, 3 at a min,
left rear was off the ground
starts to really lose it, he overcorrects 'big time' & goes off
& sideways hits the gravel
& center punches his pass-
side door of the Vega, to a telephone pole
literally, cuts/snaps the car in 1/2, almost folds it around the pole
a slight fuel/oil fire, but it goes out quick
we run out & see if we can do anything, Jim (the starter) pulls the guy out of the car
still strapped in, in shock or stunned...
Rod won by a longshot even if the guy didn't center-punch the pole
some of the scariest **** I ever saw
Rod felt bad, he didn't want to take 'the guys bet money'
(we all agreed)
the guys' Vega is totaled, a mangled mess, total loss
even the engine block was cracked almost in 1/2, trans snapped in pieces
wasn't no hiding it
a wrecker came out & put it/dragged it up on the back
no cops ever showed up
it was sort of legend around that area for quite some time
lots of tall tales surrounding it
that's thw whole truth
as I remembered it
there was another deal like that with an out of town 'cuda
& someone else too a couple of years later,
no more races out there, after the second car wrapped around a pole
to be continued
an all steel 3000#s 1930 model A, with a 800+(900?)hp
LS7 rect. port roller nasty nasty BBC
1) 1450 dominator on a Victor, PG, 4 link car boxed chassis, roll bar, (IIRC) Dana-60
Concord (Ca) gang guy Rod B.
one of if not the fastest street car, in the bay area at the time
We were out in Pittsburg (Ca) late some Friday/Sat. night/early AM
on 10th street down past the PG&E power plant gates
had a nice 1/4 mile marked off, nice smooth & wide 2 lane rd.,
10ft + bike lanes to each side, then like 20'-30' of shoulder/flat gravel
some big $$$ races went down out there...
The only bad part is the line telephone/power poles,
about 20' off the side of a flat gravel shoulder
lined the left lane going west (normal direction) 'wind at your back usually'
or the right lane if you ran it back going east...
This evening a guy from out of the area, So. SF (?) IIRC, Larry V.
had a badass V8 Vega, BBC/PG 9" rear full roller motor, tunnel ram 2 dbl pumpers
lots of fiberglass/Lexan windows, tube chassis strip car ON SLICK w/license plates
(9.90 Super Gas/8.90 Super Comp lettering) kept spouting off, wanted to race
A few races went down, a couple fast cars
tensions started to build, the guy with the Vega was really a loudmouth
I had my piss yella' 68 Charger out there,
it'd run low 11's by that time, in 'real street trim' all day long
513cid 2 x Holley 4bbls TF/J converter, 5.13:1 gears, N50 M/T Sportsmans/street tires
It's just not fast enough to beat that Vega, him on slicks...
I went over & talked with Danny M.
has a freaky fast, Black with silver stripes 70 Camaro Z28, beautiful car
with a potent LS7 BBC/L88 snowflake heads,
solid low 10.0 second car on slicks, high 10's or low 11's on sticky street tires
(I talked about him in a prior post from Ball Cannery Rd. in Fairfield Ca)
& another buddy Rod B. with the badass dark green Model A 'coupe'
they both said they would run the guy
Rod B. says he didn't want to race for any money, he was broke
but he'd run him anyway
Danny M. was game, rich kid good job etc. if the Vega beat Danny,
Rod would run him,
Rods car would run 9.0's on slicks, an occassional hi-8s, it was no joke, 3000#s...
I told him we'd get the money up to bet, several of our group was out there watching
"the Vega guys wanted to run for like $5,000"
no freaken' way we were doing that back then
I think they were scared of the Camaro & Coupe, so trying to price it out of our level
so they'd save face & not have to race, claiming we didn't have the $$$
Another guy out there, a friend of a friend deal, said "he'd back both Danny & Rod"
the Vega guys changed their tune & the bet was now $2,000 (IIRC)
that's still too steep for my blood, I was just starting my Facility Mgnt/Const. Buss.
I got in on it $250, each race... I really couldn't afford to lose...
Danny lines up against the Vega, they both do a short burnout
pull to the line, Jim drops his arms & they're off,
the Vega beats Danny by maybe a fender,
we had spotters down at the finish to make sure no issues...
Danny said he wanted to 'run the guy back',
the Vega guy 'Larry', didn't want to
sort of 'chicken ****' for street racing at the time
Claimed it was getting too hot, it was summertime & like 90*+ after dark
they had a truck go down & tow the Vega back
about an hr later, Rod says lets go, I'm tired of waiting
the Vega guy wants more time, it's like 2 am now,
lets get it done
finally, the Vega guy (Larry) is ready, him & Rod (Coupe) line up
Rod does a FC style smokey burnout,
said he wants to get some heat in the engine it's cooled off a lot,
from sitting for hrs
The Vega (in the left lane) does the same style short burnout
he did against Danny (Camaro)
they both get lined up & the Vega is up hard on the converter/trans-brake like 5,500
(he didn't do that the 1st race against Danny)
Rod gets his in & only like 3,000 maybe 3,500 on the converter, foot braking
Jim (starter) drops his arms,
off they go the Vega starts to spin a lil'
Rod (coupe) nails it flashes the converter, & is hooked hard
and carries the front wheels about 75' out
the Vega hooks finally, Rod's got a car on him already
they get to about 600ft, the Vega starts to spin the tires/slicks....
Rods' still hooked up good, has several cars on the guy now
the guy in the Vega doesn't lift, gets all sideways, starts to fishtail
crossing over behind Rod in the wrong lane,
Vega guy still doesn't lift, gets almost on 2 wheels, 3 at a min,
left rear was off the ground
starts to really lose it, he overcorrects 'big time' & goes off
& sideways hits the gravel
& center punches his pass-
side door of the Vega, to a telephone pole
literally, cuts/snaps the car in 1/2, almost folds it around the pole
a slight fuel/oil fire, but it goes out quick
we run out & see if we can do anything, Jim (the starter) pulls the guy out of the car
still strapped in, in shock or stunned...
Rod won by a longshot even if the guy didn't center-punch the pole
some of the scariest **** I ever saw
Rod felt bad, he didn't want to take 'the guys bet money'
(we all agreed)
the guys' Vega is totaled, a mangled mess, total loss
even the engine block was cracked almost in 1/2, trans snapped in pieces
wasn't no hiding it
a wrecker came out & put it/dragged it up on the back
no cops ever showed up
it was sort of legend around that area for quite some time
lots of tall tales surrounding it
that's thw whole truth
as I remembered it
there was another deal like that with an out of town 'cuda
& someone else too a couple of years later,
no more races out there, after the second car wrapped around a pole
to be continued
Last edited:
Holy S#it who had that kind of money in 82. I was lucky to have gas money !!
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when we went & raced down at Terminal Island by Long BeachHoly S#it who had that kind of money in 82. I was lucky to have gas money !!
(it was in the 80s not exactly sure what year)
International Brotherhood of Street Racers, Big Willy & the boys
to get kids off the street
there was quite a bit of them kinds of bets
I did a race in my 67 Camaro all iron LS7 Rect Port Ported/Roller/468 BBC/PG 9" 14x32" D2s
one fast street car
went 8.98 in Pheonix, on M/T 33x18 street tires, during world's fastest street cars race,
back in Super Chevy Sunday days, black-tracking like FC the whole way down
photo is Sacramento Raceway in the mid 80s after the Car Craft show at CalExpo
One of the brothers, a big Somoan-looking guy with the IBSR's black vest with red white patch on the back
backed me for $5k, for 1 run
against a guy with an equally fast 70-71 Chevelle Blown BBC
I told the guy I'm confident in my car, I know what it can do
I got him covered I had raced him before at other legit organized events
But;
I don't want to race for that much, anything can happen
anyone can lose at any time
I don't want to be responsible for that...
Then he pulled out a rolled-up wad of $100s that'd choke an elephant
& he said don't worry, I got it covered
I won & he betted on me 3 other races that night
I won all 4
I only had like $100 on each
to be continued
Last edited:
Jeff_383
Well-Known Member
Ahhh, Parente's folly as they call it
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@Budnicks don’t worry about long posts, every word is worth it. Not growing up in the glory days, and being smart if I can say that, I like hearing y’all’s stories.
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Thanks, for the kind word
I hope people enjoy them
sometimes I get on a roll & keep remembering **** to add the post...
gets longer & longer
too bad I don't get paid by the word or post
Yeah, I hear ya. I'm a bit of a rambler too.
Us old guys that lived the life have forgotten more stories then we remember.
The days these cars were show room fresh,$80 a month car payments. Rides in AAR's,RR's,Darts and the brand X cars on any given night...
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Even some "superiority smugness" when we came across low-compression 400 cu in big blocks, or a 340 from 72 or 73...
Oh if only we would have known the potential of those "boat anchor" 400s...
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Here's one
I had a 71 (IIRC) v8 Vega "I know shock & surprise "
I was like 18 to 19-ish (1978-ish), it had shitty mismatched parts,
crappy 283cid/th350 crappy converter stock like 9.5" 4 or 6-cylinder converter
& a rear end with 4.88:1 gears from another car, a 304cid Gremlin, in it
& a L88 fiberglass hood, pinned down, in gel-coat black...
It had the full v8 conversion kit (don't remember which) done to it
had headers, exhaust, VW Scirocco radiator (not enough)
& some nice Cragers, with fatty street tires L60s in the rear, skinnies up front
homemade ladder-bars & floaters (junk) & coil-over rear shocks
Coil springs & trailing arm style top bars
(shitty shocks/with overload helper springs, not real coil-overs)
I had a good 4 bolt 400 block 4.125"+ bore (I know another Chevy),
a good 350 forged steel crank & Howards alum rods both from my altered
some domed pistons, no idea what compression ratio (now) it was above 12:1
all used parts from other combos, not the best match or balance even
& bearing spacers for the 350 crank, 372-377cid-ish IIRC
a way over-cammed roller (like 0.770 gross lift)
w/a rev kit/springs under the heads to keep the lifters in the bores
& Crane 1.6:1 roller rockers & a valvetrain girdle to stabilize it,
some "peanut angle plug heads" garage ported, 2.02" int. 1.60" ex.
decent iron heads
I had a 'smokey-ram' single 4 bbl GM box style ram intake ready to go on top,
830cfm Holley dbl pumper, blue electric Holley pump & bypass regulator,
w/dual points Mallory dist. & Acell coil, low ohm wires...
The car I bought from a friend, had it sitting for a while (years) behind his garage
in Antioch Ca., 'Bill' had a bunch of racecars & parts over the years
mostly GM/Chevys & Pontiacs, anyhoo...
We knew each other for a while I'd go over & bs with him while he worked on his cars
he was sort of a friend of a friend, of my stepdad Bob's (another Pontiac guy)...
He had this orangy/yellowy brown mustardy, fugly *** yella' (butterscortch)
Vega with a nice black bucket seat interior, clean body no dents, nice glass
just sitting there, $250 for my taking...
I had an extra engine ' in parts' (above)...
We struck a deal, a buddy of mine Jim C. came over, from Concord to Antioch
& helped me push the car to my parent's house, only a couple of blocks away
the car was a POS, but as a kid I could see the potential...
Light car, good engine, decent trans & good gears, subframe connected
(done wrong, but had it) would be a freaken' road rocket
we literally threw that lil' car together in an evening,
fired it up the next day, too late to fire the night before...
Then off we went to 10th street Antioch cruise...
It was a moderate cruise,
lots of mini-trucks & HS kids mostly, good rock & roll blasting everywhere
not many muscle cars/mostly just street racers, daily drivers, jap crap...
Mind you, I still haven't even put the car in my name yet...
We found a couple guys with 67 Barracuda Fastback nice lil' 318 4 speed,
down by the boat launch the typical Camaros, Mustangs
& a nice pearl white 62 Impala with 409 badges...
We stopped & talked with, and asked about 'any street racing' ?
I already knew a place where there was street racing out there from prior...
They said yes they were going out to a place by the
Antioch, Contra Costa PG&E power plant
(knew it well I worked for PG&E at a time)
near the gypsum plant (I know another power plant) in Antioch,
down by the Sacramento River, by the boat loading ramp near the hwy-4 Antioch bridge,
right near the drive-in theater...
On a sideroad (I hadn't been to this place yet) & I knew Antioch well...
We all hung out until the cruise died off & Antioch PD/LEOs started
running people out about, midnight-ish...
We just followed them out...
The 62 Impala sounded pretty damn good...
My lil' Vega was thumping like crazy, **** was rattling everywhere
the whole dash was barely attached, we had a 3 gauge cluster oil water volts
under the dash, only gauges that worked or had a light too
had a shitty Sun-tach on the column hard to see light didn't work...
Typical deal people started checking each other's cars out...
The guy with the Impala didn't open his hood...
the guy with the 73 Camaro 'his mommy bought him' paid for his gas etc.
was a real dick, and wouldn't open his hood either...
I was NOT afraid of that thing...
The Impala I was curious, we talked a while...
Nice guy sort of small in stature...
I'm not so small guy...
A Bunch of races go off, that lil 67 Barracuda fastback worked well,
the lil' teen ran a solid probably low 13s maybe,
pretty damn good for a manual car...
He beat everyone except for me & the Impala,
he didn't want to race either of us...
So I ask the guy with the 62 Impala does he want to run
he says sure, no hesitation at all...
We'd just do it for shits & giggles no $$$ on the line, just for fun...
I do my burn out it seems to be doing well
mind you not much if any real tuning or jet changes etc.
He does his burnout, it smoked the whole place up
I looked at Jim, with that we're in trouble look,
he said;
nah don't worry about it, he's 1,500#s heavier...
but I said he will hook, I may not...
Jim C. starts us & drop his arms, off we go,
1st I'm out on him like a car for 200'
already in 2nd gear starting to top it out already, short shift to 3rd & let it eat
he comes up on the side of me & stays right there
I got him by a fender "barely"...
We stop & pulls up rolls his window down & says:
"it's the 1st time he's ever been beaten on the street"
I asked him if he wanted to run it back & he said;
"sure, why not"
We putz back down to the starting area & do another burnout
get lined up again, same deal arm drop
I got him covered until about 330' this time, he comes up beside me
& I win again, still barely by a fender...
Vega is getting hot now, 220*+
he asked me; "1 more time"
I said;
"what the heck why not, I have to let it cool down a bit
that it was a fresh build & didn't want to burn it down"
he said;
"no problem lets go back & bs & watch some other races"
Now an hr or so goes by 3 or 4 races goes down,
bunch of `hi-13 - low-15 sec. streetcars really
He said;
"this time he wants the right side, I had it both times, prior"
I said;
"OK that's fair"
we line up after a smoky burnout again, his car sounds like a beast
I can hardly even hear my lil' mouse...
Jim drops his arms, off we go I got him off the line again, got him covered
1/2 track at a min. he's pulling hard, I'm losing ground
he nudges me by almost a whole car...
We roll down the windows & he tells me that's the fastest he's ever gone in his
& now my Vega is hot as hell now...
We drive back & start talking, he claimed his Impala
would run 11.60s to 11.70s at like (IIRC) 117-120, at Sears Point
& he claimed, that he just did a better run, there that night...
I told him about;
'all what we did & went threw in the past 24-48hrs'
he said he was impressed, told me he had a
Mark IV offroad crate engine GM Performance LS7
Iron 454/0.060" over 468cid rectangle port, roller iron engine,
(I know the engines very well)
(IIRC) a 0.690" lift solid cam, Victor singleplane & 950 Holley/Powerglide 4400 stall (?)
12 bolt 4.11:1 gears/spool in the Impala...
I never saw the guy ever again, after that night...
Too bad he was a stand-up guy...
So; (I know some people hate it when you start a sentence like that)
I think the lil' Vega thrown together was maybe a mid-high 11-second car
the damn dash almost fell off on the last pass,
I was bracing it with my right hand after shifting...
I never did take that specific V8 Vega to the track, I did a few others...
I drove the piss out of that car, went to JC Diablo Valley College in Concord
in it for 2 years, never worried about it out in the parking lot etc.
I put like 12k miles on 'as it was', a few lil' fixes like the dash & lights, gauges
& a speedo, along with a fuel sending unit finally, plugs & cap/rotor, points reg. ****
& reg. & insurance etc.
as I remembered it
to be continued
I had a 71 (IIRC) v8 Vega "I know shock & surprise
"I was like 18 to 19-ish (1978-ish), it had shitty mismatched parts,
crappy 283cid/th350 crappy converter stock like 9.5" 4 or 6-cylinder converter
& a rear end with 4.88:1 gears from another car, a 304cid Gremlin, in it
& a L88 fiberglass hood, pinned down, in gel-coat black...
It had the full v8 conversion kit (don't remember which) done to it
had headers, exhaust, VW Scirocco radiator (not enough)
& some nice Cragers, with fatty street tires L60s in the rear, skinnies up front
homemade ladder-bars & floaters (junk) & coil-over rear shocks
Coil springs & trailing arm style top bars
(shitty shocks/with overload helper springs, not real coil-overs)
I had a good 4 bolt 400 block 4.125"+ bore (I know another Chevy),
a good 350 forged steel crank & Howards alum rods both from my altered
some domed pistons, no idea what compression ratio (now) it was above 12:1
all used parts from other combos, not the best match or balance even
& bearing spacers for the 350 crank, 372-377cid-ish IIRC
a way over-cammed roller (like 0.770 gross lift)
w/a rev kit/springs under the heads to keep the lifters in the bores
& Crane 1.6:1 roller rockers & a valvetrain girdle to stabilize it,
some "peanut angle plug heads" garage ported, 2.02" int. 1.60" ex.
decent iron heads
I had a 'smokey-ram' single 4 bbl GM box style ram intake ready to go on top,
830cfm Holley dbl pumper, blue electric Holley pump & bypass regulator,
w/dual points Mallory dist. & Acell coil, low ohm wires...
The car I bought from a friend, had it sitting for a while (years) behind his garage
in Antioch Ca., 'Bill' had a bunch of racecars & parts over the years
mostly GM/Chevys & Pontiacs, anyhoo...
We knew each other for a while I'd go over & bs with him while he worked on his cars
he was sort of a friend of a friend, of my stepdad Bob's (another Pontiac guy)...
He had this orangy/yellowy brown mustardy, fugly *** yella' (butterscortch)
Vega with a nice black bucket seat interior, clean body no dents, nice glass
just sitting there, $250 for my taking...
I had an extra engine ' in parts' (above)...
We struck a deal, a buddy of mine Jim C. came over, from Concord to Antioch
& helped me push the car to my parent's house, only a couple of blocks away
the car was a POS, but as a kid I could see the potential...
Light car, good engine, decent trans & good gears, subframe connected
(done wrong, but had it) would be a freaken' road rocket
we literally threw that lil' car together in an evening,
fired it up the next day, too late to fire the night before...
Then off we went to 10th street Antioch cruise...
It was a moderate cruise,
lots of mini-trucks & HS kids mostly, good rock & roll blasting everywhere
not many muscle cars/mostly just street racers, daily drivers, jap crap...
Mind you, I still haven't even put the car in my name yet...
We found a couple guys with 67 Barracuda Fastback nice lil' 318 4 speed,
down by the boat launch the typical Camaros, Mustangs
& a nice pearl white 62 Impala with 409 badges...
We stopped & talked with, and asked about 'any street racing' ?
I already knew a place where there was street racing out there from prior...
They said yes they were going out to a place by the
Antioch, Contra Costa PG&E power plant
(knew it well I worked for PG&E at a time)
near the gypsum plant (I know another power plant) in Antioch,
down by the Sacramento River, by the boat loading ramp near the hwy-4 Antioch bridge,
right near the drive-in theater...
On a sideroad (I hadn't been to this place yet) & I knew Antioch well...
We all hung out until the cruise died off & Antioch PD/LEOs started
running people out about, midnight-ish...
We just followed them out...
The 62 Impala sounded pretty damn good...
My lil' Vega was thumping like crazy, **** was rattling everywhere
the whole dash was barely attached, we had a 3 gauge cluster oil water volts
under the dash, only gauges that worked or had a light too
had a shitty Sun-tach on the column hard to see light didn't work...
Typical deal people started checking each other's cars out...
The guy with the Impala didn't open his hood...
the guy with the 73 Camaro 'his mommy bought him' paid for his gas etc.
was a real dick, and wouldn't open his hood either...
I was NOT afraid of that thing...
The Impala I was curious, we talked a while...
Nice guy sort of small in stature...
I'm not so small guy...
A Bunch of races go off, that lil 67 Barracuda fastback worked well,
the lil' teen ran a solid probably low 13s maybe,
pretty damn good for a manual car...
He beat everyone except for me & the Impala,
he didn't want to race either of us...
So I ask the guy with the 62 Impala does he want to run
he says sure, no hesitation at all...
We'd just do it for shits & giggles no $$$ on the line, just for fun...
I do my burn out it seems to be doing well
mind you not much if any real tuning or jet changes etc.
He does his burnout, it smoked the whole place up
I looked at Jim, with that we're in trouble look,
he said;
nah don't worry about it, he's 1,500#s heavier...
but I said he will hook, I may not...
Jim C. starts us & drop his arms, off we go,
1st I'm out on him like a car for 200'
already in 2nd gear starting to top it out already, short shift to 3rd & let it eat
he comes up on the side of me & stays right there
I got him by a fender "barely"...
We stop & pulls up rolls his window down & says:
"it's the 1st time he's ever been beaten on the street"
I asked him if he wanted to run it back & he said;
"sure, why not"
We putz back down to the starting area & do another burnout
get lined up again, same deal arm drop
I got him covered until about 330' this time, he comes up beside me
& I win again, still barely by a fender...
Vega is getting hot now, 220*+
he asked me; "1 more time"
I said;
"what the heck why not, I have to let it cool down a bit
that it was a fresh build & didn't want to burn it down"
he said;
"no problem lets go back & bs & watch some other races"
Now an hr or so goes by 3 or 4 races goes down,
bunch of `hi-13 - low-15 sec. streetcars really
He said;
"this time he wants the right side, I had it both times, prior"
I said;
"OK that's fair"
we line up after a smoky burnout again, his car sounds like a beast
I can hardly even hear my lil' mouse...
Jim drops his arms, off we go I got him off the line again, got him covered
1/2 track at a min. he's pulling hard, I'm losing ground
he nudges me by almost a whole car...
We roll down the windows & he tells me that's the fastest he's ever gone in his
& now my Vega is hot as hell now...
We drive back & start talking, he claimed his Impala
would run 11.60s to 11.70s at like (IIRC) 117-120, at Sears Point
& he claimed, that he just did a better run, there that night...
I told him about;
'all what we did & went threw in the past 24-48hrs'
he said he was impressed, told me he had a
Mark IV offroad crate engine GM Performance LS7
Iron 454/0.060" over 468cid rectangle port, roller iron engine,
(I know the engines very well)
(IIRC) a 0.690" lift solid cam, Victor singleplane & 950 Holley/Powerglide 4400 stall (?)
12 bolt 4.11:1 gears/spool in the Impala...
I never saw the guy ever again, after that night...
Too bad he was a stand-up guy...
So; (I know
some people hate it when you start a sentence like that)I think the lil' Vega thrown together was maybe a mid-high 11-second car
the damn dash almost fell off on the last pass,
I was bracing it with my right hand after shifting...
I never did take that specific V8 Vega to the track, I did a few others...
I drove the piss out of that car, went to JC Diablo Valley College in Concord
in it for 2 years, never worried about it out in the parking lot etc.
I put like 12k miles on 'as it was', a few lil' fixes like the dash & lights, gauges
& a speedo, along with a fuel sending unit finally, plugs & cap/rotor, points reg. ****
& reg. & insurance etc.
as I remembered it
to be continued
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a hot summer night 1980-ish
I inherited a 68 Barracuda Fastback Formula S
383/4bbl 4 speed 4.10 gear
from my Uncle Jim
(died of complications from agent orange, several tours),
he was a huge part of me loving MoPars
his dad (my uncle Tink) was a MoPar (& DeSoto) guy
his mother (my Aunt) was a MoPar gal
my other uncle John, his younger brother was a MoPar guy
all military people too, Marines & Green Berets (not my aunt, she was a Navy nurse)
all truck drivers too, after Viet Nam...
(all bigtime fishermen/women, avid hunters & gun & dogs (Labs) people)
anyhoo;
He had recammed it, (don't know which or specs) bumpy idle, sounded great
he put Hooker fender-well 2" headers on it
he changed the intake to a Torker single plane, with a Holley 780 cfm 7310 (IIRC)
good clutch (Hayes IIRC) nice exhaust system,
all of the family was/were fabricators & could weld, wrench on most anything...
His dad, my Uncle Tink (my great uncle) was semi-truck driver after he retired...
They had a huge garage/shop at his house,
him, the boys learned to work hard, at an early age
(Tink, Marine Col/Green Beret Col after that)
It was dark green TT-1 Avacodo Green (?) with dark green (almost black) interior
(but I don't 100% remember exactly what color code)
like many cars from the late 60's all were...
He had Halibrand -kidney slot- Salt Flat style wheels 15x6 upfront & 15x8s in back
(man after my own heart)
Big O - Big Foot tires, white-lettered tire IIRC,
like L60s (?) out back, the biggest that'd fit
& maybe g60's (?) up front, poly-glass bias I'm sure
he had installed a driveshaft safety loop in it
so he could run slicks at Fremont Raceway
(I'm not 100% sure what it ran, can't remember, but it was quick, hook & book)
He would smoke the tires thru 3rd gear all the time, on street tires...
I grew up in that car, he'd take me for rides a lot...
I loved that car...
He lived out on/in Bethyl Island out on the delta...
I went to Walnut Creek Cruise night, picked up a couple buddies
like I did most weekends from 1975-ish to 1985-ish,
when I was in town, living in Concord/Pleasant Hill area
most in my younger years... late teens & 20's
I was proud of what I got, I was afraid to even get a ding or scratch in it...
Out of respect for Jim, I knew how much he loved that car...
A bunch of people that normally didn't hang out or care about cars
came over & checked it out, 'like good Uncle Jim Karma'
he was a great man...
We go out to Encino Grande our normal hangout after the cruise
where races went down
A nasty lil' 340/tf727 Demon 71 (IIRC) Go Green/Limelight black vinyl top
it sounded really good, you could hear the gear-drive from a block away
He pulls in & parks right a couple cars down
comes over & strikes up a convo, told him the deal I had just inherited the car...
He asked If I'd run him
I said;
sure, later when the crowd settled down &
I wanted to go out to Ygnatio Valley rd. not race up Willow Pass
he said;
fine ,he'd follow us up there...
I 'figured'/assumed he was an out-of-towner...
I got my buddies with me Jeff B. "the Beak" & Jim C. "Diamond Jim"
(Jim was a Chevy guy, thru & thru, a racing partner of later life)
& can't forget Scott H. "The Mouth"
Jim usually flagged/arm-dropped the races as a starter
everyone gets out,
we line up going toward Clayton rd direction, toward Concord
(this is right behind my house)
He does a killer, smoky burnout, I do a small burnout
I'm still babying Uncle Jim's car,
we line up, Jim drops his arms, I let out the clutch
I was setting at like 2500 rpm, it launches pretty good for street tires
like 5,800 I bang 2nd still don't notice the guy,
I bang 3rd still don't notice the guy,
coming up hard & fast on the finish line, he's right next to me...
I never saw him until we crossed, neither of us knew who won...
I tell him we have another 1/4 marked off going the other direction
toward Walnut Creek, I asked him 'if he wants to run it back',
it was too close to call & all
he said;
sure, lets go
we sit down there for a while
& let a bunch of late-night traffic go by,
he says;
he'll leave when I leave
I said;
that ain't really fair
he said;
it is NOT my turf (still thinking he's an out-of-towner)
so I said;
lets go on the light up the hill
he said;
cool that'll work
We let a few more cars go by
& the light up the hill was red so it was perfect timing
we both do a really short burnout...
We stage, he's up hard on the converter this time,
like 3,500+ stall or more
I did well traction-wise the last time,
I had heat in the motor & tires, so I was going to do the same
as I did last time 2,500 & punch it after I dropped the clutch
The light up the hill, turns green
& off we go, he gets me out of the hole bad
I spun a lil', I revved it to like 6,500,
I only went to 5,800 in 1st & 2nd last time,
I started reeling him in fast
I shifted into 2nd it was pulling hard to 6,500,
I shifted in 3rd I'm at his door & reeling him in hard/fast...
He's looking right at me, we see each other,
I nudge ahead by about a car, when I shifted to 4th
(I made up like 3 cars)
Then we got out after turning around at the light up the hill
started to BS some more...
And come to find out;
this is Danny M.'s the guy with the badass
black & sliver low-11 in street trim & low-10's at a min. on slicks
70 Z28 with the LS7, (in other posts)
one of his lil' stepbrothers
small freaken' world, we started to talk
I told him some stories about his big brother & he told me a few
about Danny too...
He told me 'his' had a solid 302*/0.590" Direct Connection cam
nice custom headers & exhaust
(someone in his family owned a custom Muffler/exhaust shop),
polished outside, ported inside STR-12 (?) Edlebrock box ram,
set of fully ported 340X heads (AAR cuda' heads) & AAR cuda' block
with an 850cfm Holley tricked-out, the typical Carter 7.5psi mech. race pump
H/S rollers rockers, Titanium Intakes etc., like a 4,200 stall converter
built manual valve-body tf727 & 4.56:1 gears, MT sportsman tires
wide 60's of some sort
Hot lil' SBM/Demon, figures it's Danny's lil' bros.
they are all fast...
It felt like a solid 12 second pass going back...
1st time running it even hard, ran like a swiss watch...
Flawless pass, except for a lil' tire spin, I didn't notice the 1st time...
Or he just beat me out of the hole bad
I was so proud, my Uncle Jim (RIP) would have been ecstatic too...
We ended up spending a lot of hrs working on MoPars
(I always had MoPars & a Gm car/build of some sort)
me, Jeff, Scott, Roland M. (I'll tell some about him later)
& my new found friend Eric B. & his 'blood brother'
(Danny's other stepbrother Carl B.)
had a wicked white 70 (71 ?) 440 six-pack Challenger
called "the Instigator" painted on the rear quarters...
To be continued
as I remembered it
I inherited a 68 Barracuda Fastback Formula S
383/4bbl 4 speed 4.10 gear
from my Uncle Jim
(died of complications from agent orange, several tours),
he was a huge part of me loving MoPars
his dad (my uncle Tink) was a MoPar (& DeSoto) guy
his mother (my Aunt) was a MoPar gal
my other uncle John, his younger brother was a MoPar guy
all military people too, Marines & Green Berets (not my aunt, she was a Navy nurse)
all truck drivers too, after Viet Nam...
(all bigtime fishermen/women, avid hunters & gun & dogs (Labs) people)
anyhoo;
He had recammed it, (don't know which or specs) bumpy idle, sounded great
he put Hooker fender-well 2" headers on it
he changed the intake to a Torker single plane, with a Holley 780 cfm 7310 (IIRC)
good clutch (Hayes IIRC) nice exhaust system,
all of the family was/were fabricators & could weld, wrench on most anything...
His dad, my Uncle Tink (my great uncle) was semi-truck driver after he retired...
They had a huge garage/shop at his house,
him, the boys learned to work hard, at an early age
(Tink, Marine Col/Green Beret Col after that)
It was dark green TT-1 Avacodo Green (?) with dark green (almost black) interior
(but I don't 100% remember exactly what color code)
like many cars from the late 60's all were...
He had Halibrand -kidney slot- Salt Flat style wheels 15x6 upfront & 15x8s in back
(man after my own heart)
Big O - Big Foot tires, white-lettered tire IIRC,
like L60s (?) out back, the biggest that'd fit
& maybe g60's (?) up front, poly-glass bias I'm sure
he had installed a driveshaft safety loop in it
so he could run slicks at Fremont Raceway
(I'm not 100% sure what it ran, can't remember, but it was quick, hook & book)
He would smoke the tires thru 3rd gear all the time, on street tires...
I grew up in that car, he'd take me for rides a lot...
I loved that car...
He lived out on/in Bethyl Island out on the delta...
I went to Walnut Creek Cruise night, picked up a couple buddies
like I did most weekends from 1975-ish to 1985-ish,
when I was in town, living in Concord/Pleasant Hill area
most in my younger years... late teens & 20's
I was proud of what I got, I was afraid to even get a ding or scratch in it...
Out of respect for Jim, I knew how much he loved that car...
A bunch of people that normally didn't hang out or care about cars
came over & checked it out, 'like good Uncle Jim Karma'
he was a great man...
We go out to Encino Grande our normal hangout after the cruise
where races went down
A nasty lil' 340/tf727 Demon 71 (IIRC) Go Green/Limelight black vinyl top
it sounded really good, you could hear the gear-drive from a block away
He pulls in & parks right a couple cars down
comes over & strikes up a convo, told him the deal I had just inherited the car...
He asked If I'd run him
I said;
sure, later when the crowd settled down &
I wanted to go out to Ygnatio Valley rd. not race up Willow Pass
he said;
fine ,he'd follow us up there...
I 'figured'/assumed he was an out-of-towner...
I got my buddies with me Jeff B. "the Beak" & Jim C. "Diamond Jim"
(Jim was a Chevy guy, thru & thru, a racing partner of later life)
& can't forget Scott H. "The Mouth"
Jim usually flagged/arm-dropped the races as a starter
everyone gets out,
we line up going toward Clayton rd direction, toward Concord
(this is right behind my house)
He does a killer, smoky burnout, I do a small burnout
I'm still babying Uncle Jim's car,
we line up, Jim drops his arms, I let out the clutch
I was setting at like 2500 rpm, it launches pretty good for street tires
like 5,800 I bang 2nd still don't notice the guy,
I bang 3rd still don't notice the guy,
coming up hard & fast on the finish line, he's right next to me...
I never saw him until we crossed, neither of us knew who won...
I tell him we have another 1/4 marked off going the other direction
toward Walnut Creek, I asked him 'if he wants to run it back',
it was too close to call & all
he said;
sure, lets go
we sit down there for a while
& let a bunch of late-night traffic go by,
he says;
he'll leave when I leave
I said;
that ain't really fair
he said;
it is NOT my turf (still thinking he's an out-of-towner)
so I said;
lets go on the light up the hill
he said;
cool that'll work
We let a few more cars go by
& the light up the hill was red so it was perfect timing
we both do a really short burnout...
We stage, he's up hard on the converter this time,
like 3,500+ stall or more
I did well traction-wise the last time,
I had heat in the motor & tires, so I was going to do the same
as I did last time 2,500 & punch it after I dropped the clutch
The light up the hill, turns green
& off we go, he gets me out of the hole bad
I spun a lil', I revved it to like 6,500,
I only went to 5,800 in 1st & 2nd last time,
I started reeling him in fast
I shifted into 2nd it was pulling hard to 6,500,
I shifted in 3rd I'm at his door & reeling him in hard/fast...
He's looking right at me, we see each other,
I nudge ahead by about a car, when I shifted to 4th
(I made up like 3 cars)
Then we got out after turning around at the light up the hill
started to BS some more...
And come to find out;
this is Danny M.'s the guy with the badass
black & sliver low-11 in street trim & low-10's at a min. on slicks
70 Z28 with the LS7, (in other posts)
one of his lil' stepbrothers
small freaken' world, we started to talk
I told him some stories about his big brother & he told me a few
about Danny too...
He told me 'his' had a solid 302*/0.590" Direct Connection cam
nice custom headers & exhaust
(someone in his family owned a custom Muffler/exhaust shop),
polished outside, ported inside STR-12 (?) Edlebrock box ram,
set of fully ported 340X heads (AAR cuda' heads) & AAR cuda' block
with an 850cfm Holley tricked-out, the typical Carter 7.5psi mech. race pump
H/S rollers rockers, Titanium Intakes etc., like a 4,200 stall converter
built manual valve-body tf727 & 4.56:1 gears, MT sportsman tires
wide 60's of some sort
Hot lil' SBM/Demon, figures it's Danny's lil' bros.
they are all fast...
It felt like a solid 12 second pass going back...
1st time running it even hard, ran like a swiss watch...
Flawless pass, except for a lil' tire spin, I didn't notice the 1st time...
Or he just beat me out of the hole bad
I was so proud, my Uncle Jim (RIP) would have been ecstatic too...
We ended up spending a lot of hrs working on MoPars
(I always had MoPars & a Gm car/build of some sort)
me, Jeff, Scott, Roland M. (I'll tell some about him later)
& my new found friend Eric B. & his 'blood brother'
(Danny's other stepbrother Carl B.)
had a wicked white 70 (71 ?) 440 six-pack Challenger
called "the Instigator" painted on the rear quarters...
To be continued
as I remembered it
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Oh I got a tone of them
my memory isn't like it was a few years ago
they come to me, something strikes up the old memory banks
usually while watching MotorTrend TV or something
while it's fresh in my thoughts...
I come over & start to type it out...
my 2 typing fingers are tired now...
some of the names & dates & specs etc. are a bit fuzzy...
But I muddle thru...
I keep having to change ****, as I remember ****,
as I type too...
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no N20 in the photo
This may take a while...
Part 1
Ok here's one with
#1
my piss yella' 69 RR 446 with STR-14-6bbl/18 spline 4 speed
good Hays 11" clutch, Lakewood scatter-shield, safety loop
garage pocket ported 906s, with bigger 2.18" (?) Titanium intakes
stainless exhaust, solid camshaft, it was probably the 302*/0.590" (?)
ductile Iron Crane adj. 1.6:1 rockers ball/cup style, hot MSD 6A ignition
& coil, std D.C. CEI dist., good wires, some colder plugs etc.
600hp+/600tq+ N/A, run mid 11.60's all day on shitty 9" slicks
3" Flowmaster exhaust dumped at the axles
4.30:1 gears 29x9" Firestones,
a solid reliable build, a nice solid uncut & all steel car,
with all the reg. RR, RB, bells & whistles, my reg. street car,
full interior, 'driver'
plus*
a new 250hp shot of Top Gun N20, plate under the center 2bbl
open 1/4" spacers under the outboards
We're 'going out fishing'
loaded for bear, some truly fast cars, for the day
out to the Sacramento, J Street cruise,
nice July 4th night (IIRC Maybe later 80s)
We (Me & Jim) find a couple of guys to come up & do a group cruise...
many tow their cars the 110+ miles to my buddy Rob C.s house,
upto Rancho Cordova, known then as Rancho Cambodia
we all unload there & drive them after that...
Going out eventually to the frontage road of
Rancho Secco S.M.U.D. Nuke powerplant, street racing
(I know another freaken' powerplant)
#2
Jeff B. "the Beak" with his 70 cuda' Gran Coupe 383/727tf
you heard about his car already (from Concord)
#3)
Rob C. (& his wife Dee) with his streetcar
70 Duster 400bb/low-deck with a long-ram/727tf,
8pt cage tinned/tubbed, 0.030" steel not alum., really sanitary build
nice interior, he did a few shows like Car Craft @ Cal Expo
& Oakland Roadster show, the Diablo Valley MoPar show in the 'Concord park' etc.
18x33" M/T Sportsman tires, 4.88:1 (IIRC) gears, solid low 11-second car
(he's from Sac. both my T/S racing teammates)
#4)
Roland M. (his wife Sue) his Yellow, 32 Ford coupe
with a 0.60" over 426cid Hemi, inline 2x4bbl 750cfm Competition AFB Carter
65 Race Hemi camshaft, 2.250" headers 3" Flowmasters out the back,
Dana-60 4.10 gears, a solid 500+hp, bunch of chrome, really 'perty' car,
with a bunch of bolt-on stuff he sort of babied it at the track, low 12s,
it has/had a shitload more in it
(he was from Concord, he's dead now)
#5)
Rob. D with his 71 Datsun 510 4" stretched wheelbase
468cid BBC, Engles Stack FI sort of a strange setup, ran a mechanical FI
on an electric fuel pump, old Barry Grant style 500gph,
a full-on racecar, cage etc., with license plates, mid 9 second car on slicks
(he's from Concord)
#6)
Jim C. with his 67 Camaro
468 Iron LS7 BBC 800+ hp N/A dominator/+500 N20 shot fogger/PG 5,500 stall
12pt cage tinned tubbed now Alston Engineering back halved racecar,
14x32" Goodyears, D2s, his streetcar (a racecar), with license plates
(he's from Concord & another of my T/S race partners)
#7)
Scott H. his 70 Buick Stage 1 455/th400, bunch of go-fast goodies added
with a narrowed Dana-60 some nice meats, don't remember what...
He's the mouthpiece, he's a funny SOB & one of my best friends back in the day...
He's an instigator too...
#8)
a guy Roland M. knew, I can't remember the guy's name to save my life
(Lanny ?) had Roland's old Pro-Street 68 Dart 426cid Hemi/727tf,
had a B&M Holeshot, 3,000 stall, mostly stock-ish engine inline 2x4bbl/trans
with a few bolt-ons, it's a convertible/caged, a tribute car, really 'perty' car,
tubbed with like 18x33"s (IIRC) never really raced it...
#9)
Eric B. & his brother Carl B. (Danny M.'s stepbrothers I mentions before),
in his bros. white 70 Challenger 440 6-pack, Hemi 4 speed,
Dana-60 super track pack 4.10 org., 'the Instigator',
a nice car, he drove it all the way, mostly stock iron components
a big camshaft 0.590" solid Dir. Conn., headers, hot ignition etc.
but highly tuned, nice wheels Crager (IIRC) & sticky street tires,
like n50s tucked underneath, skinny front like all of them...
to be continued
#'d them #1) - #9), so we/I can keep track
not have to explain or describe who's/whose combo again
it was a long night of good racing, until sunlight the next morning
lots of them some of us 2-3-4 times
(I probably won't go that deep into it)
I'll try to keep it going, as well as I remembered it...
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Part 2
We all parade down & go to the J street cruise,
at about 9:30 pm-ish, make a couple of loops/laps
We meet a bunch of people, we are all parked together
there's a tunnel underpass section of the loop
we park on the corner buy a park, all lined up, just before you go into the underpass...
Almost everyone always 'stands on it' going thru the underpass...
I don't remember the street name, anyhoo...
You couldn't miss us
A few serious cars, where cruising that night
but didn't really reel in any fish, we hung out & bs'd for a while
until maybe midnight-ish, then headed out to (Scott rd ?, that doesn't sound right)
anyway, it's out by Rancho Secco/SMUD,
bunches of cars started to show up, bunches of cars followed us out there
we were sort of hard to miss...
#1) I was 1st down the road, I'm always ready to roll
get it done before the LEOs show up...
I'm not the fastest car there...
I 1st wanted to do a test launch with the N20
did a decent short burnout, in VHT, staged & I hit the N20 purge
(I had no real failsafe or throttle micro switch, no progressive tuner
just an on/off toggle to arm the solenoids, a purge, next to my shifter
& a momentary activation button on my steering wheel, full 250 when hitting it)
rolled up to the line, some dude lined up next to me
'I was org. just doing a test hit', now it's ON...
A nice looking dark blue 67 Chevelle SS-396 4 speed
(IT had a big block, not a 396)
he does an impressive burnout
my car didn't look real fast, but it was hard to hide the sound
& the N20 purge, or the 29x9" slicks
Jim my buddy gets up & flags us, arm drop
we're off
I got him bad out of the hole, short-shifted to second about 5,900-6,000
spin it to about 6,800 in 2nd, that's more than I liked, but still pulling hard,
I hit up to 3rd & I don't see the guy 'yet', 500ft-ish (?) or so
I need to still test the N20, so I hit the momentary button
& it pulls freaken' hard as hell in 3rd gear, an instant 6,800rpm
I quickly pull it down to 4th, off the button, still rolling hard
I had bus lengths on the guy now
crossing the finish line my 120 mph speedo, was pegged @ 6,300...
1st one down & a successful 'short' 3rd gear N20 test hit...
Back to the staging area, pull a plug & look down in it
& at the ground strap to see if it's cool/OK tune, needed a tad more fuel...
I bumped the stand-alone fuel pump/by-pass reg. for the N20 system
a 1/2psi up to 5.5psi, everything else looked good, left the carb/s alone
bumped the timing back/down 2*s to 26* total (that engine liked timing, N/A 36*)
I'm ready for the next...
I'm gonna hit the button after the launch next time...
I hope I can shift it fast enough, 1st to 2nd,
lots of **** going on in my brain
not to do something stupid, miss a shift & blow it up
or N20 'backfire' in the STR manifold, blowing the top off, or gaskets out,
missing a damn shift etc.
(I'm used to N20, but not with a std 4 speed, I have Lenco/Jeffco & levers
in my racecars, no clutch after the launch too, until I cross)
I showed my hand kind of early, messed up sort of
I really didn't know I beat that Chevelle by as much as I did
& it's hard to get someone to race you, after they know you're fast...
That wasn't anywhere near as fast as it could have been too...
I did get another race, a guy in a 71-72 Pinto
with a inline 2x4bbl FE engine/c6 auto, lose converter
no idea how big of cubes, the car looked pretty well built,
really nice fab work & cage
later found out it was a Chris Alston Chassisworks built car/chassis
(the famed Tom Alston's fabricator builder, his younger brothers, shop in Sac.)
my car 69/RR only had a bolt-in 4 pt roll bar a 4 pt harness
& subframe connectors, gas shocks, front & rear &
I removed the front swaybar for race night...
This lil' Pinto looked potentially really, really fast,
he had a bunch of people out there too... $$$$
several other races have gone down by now (I'll get to that later)
some rubber down now, it was looking pretty damn good
like 90* out still
We agree on a $50 bet
we do our burnouts, his lil' Pinto makes a shitload of noise & smoke
I can barely hear my 440-6 over him, I'm not big on huge burnouts either
we stage he takes forever getting in, I do my regular deal 3,000 rpm
& I'll nail it after I dump the clutch...
Jim drops his arms & off we go, again I'm on it out of the hole, great launch
my forte'
N20 on, to 5,800 damn it came quick, I speedshift to 2nd still going well
I hear him, but too busy to look over or see him,
speedshift again to 3rd at 6,200-ish
still on the button seems like I'm barely at the 600' area,
I'm not letting off
I can see the lil' Pinto out of my peripheral vision now,
he's coming on me hard
still on the button, speed shift pull it down to 4th,
I'm only like 800' I'm in 4th already
'I think' this thing is eating 'up track' (seems like I should be way farther down)
I start to seem like, I'm actually pulling away from him too...
I cross the line like 6,600-ish at every bit of 130-135+,
buried the speedo bad...
I'm trying to look at the fuel pressure gauge/s, so I get an idea if it cool/OK or not
while still on the button & my foot to the floor...
All is well, I got him by 2 cars, maybe more...
He won't even look at me at the other end turning around...
I smiled at him 'like the asshole', that I am when I'm really happy & beat a car
I think is faster than me...
We get back to the staging area, a bunch of the people start talking
that yellow RR is fast...
I didn't get another race that night, I showed my hand way to early
But I'm there to support my group...
this is only now early 'Sat. AM' still too
That Pinto was quick, just not quick enough
he claimed it was a 10.50/125mph car, later...
I 1st let it cool down some, I pulled a couple plugs,
#1 & #8 & read them (#8 was prone to be really fat N/A)
make sure nothing bad is happening
& no problems... a success
all my boys were giving me ****, ribbing me
saying they saw 3' long blue flames/blowtorch out my turndowns/pipes
lighting it up down there
To be continued
We all parade down & go to the J street cruise,
at about 9:30 pm-ish, make a couple of loops/laps
We meet a bunch of people, we are all parked together
there's a tunnel underpass section of the loop
we park on the corner buy a park, all lined up, just before you go into the underpass...
Almost everyone always 'stands on it' going thru the underpass...
I don't remember the street name, anyhoo...
You couldn't miss us
A few serious cars, where cruising that night
but didn't really reel in any fish, we hung out & bs'd for a while
until maybe midnight-ish, then headed out to (Scott rd ?, that doesn't sound right)
anyway, it's out by Rancho Secco/SMUD,
bunches of cars started to show up, bunches of cars followed us out there
we were sort of hard to miss...
#1) I was 1st down the road, I'm always ready to roll
get it done before the LEOs show up...
I'm not the fastest car there...
I 1st wanted to do a test launch with the N20
did a decent short burnout, in VHT, staged & I hit the N20 purge
(I had no real failsafe or throttle micro switch, no progressive tuner
just an on/off toggle to arm the solenoids, a purge, next to my shifter
& a momentary activation button on my steering wheel, full 250 when hitting it)
rolled up to the line, some dude lined up next to me
'I was org. just doing a test hit', now it's ON...
A nice looking dark blue 67 Chevelle SS-396 4 speed
(IT had a big block, not a 396)
he does an impressive burnout
my car didn't look real fast, but it was hard to hide the sound
& the N20 purge, or the 29x9" slicks
Jim my buddy gets up & flags us, arm drop
we're off
I got him bad out of the hole, short-shifted to second about 5,900-6,000
spin it to about 6,800 in 2nd, that's more than I liked, but still pulling hard,
I hit up to 3rd & I don't see the guy 'yet', 500ft-ish (?) or so
I need to still test the N20, so I hit the momentary button
& it pulls freaken' hard as hell in 3rd gear, an instant 6,800rpm
I quickly pull it down to 4th, off the button, still rolling hard
I had bus lengths on the guy now
crossing the finish line my 120 mph speedo, was pegged @ 6,300...
1st one down & a successful 'short' 3rd gear N20 test hit...
Back to the staging area, pull a plug & look down in it
& at the ground strap to see if it's cool/OK tune, needed a tad more fuel...
I bumped the stand-alone fuel pump/by-pass reg. for the N20 system
a 1/2psi up to 5.5psi, everything else looked good, left the carb/s alone
bumped the timing back/down 2*s to 26* total (that engine liked timing, N/A 36*)
I'm ready for the next...
I'm gonna hit the button after the launch next time...
I hope I can shift it fast enough, 1st to 2nd,
lots of **** going on in my brain
not to do something stupid, miss a shift & blow it up
or N20 'backfire' in the STR manifold, blowing the top off, or gaskets out,
missing a damn shift etc.
(I'm used to N20, but not with a std 4 speed, I have Lenco/Jeffco & levers
in my racecars, no clutch after the launch too, until I cross)
I showed my hand kind of early, messed up sort of
I really didn't know I beat that Chevelle by as much as I did
& it's hard to get someone to race you, after they know you're fast...
That wasn't anywhere near as fast as it could have been too...
I did get another race, a guy in a 71-72 Pinto
with a inline 2x4bbl FE engine/c6 auto, lose converter
no idea how big of cubes, the car looked pretty well built,
really nice fab work & cage
later found out it was a Chris Alston Chassisworks built car/chassis
(the famed Tom Alston's fabricator builder, his younger brothers, shop in Sac.)
my car 69/RR only had a bolt-in 4 pt roll bar a 4 pt harness
& subframe connectors, gas shocks, front & rear &
I removed the front swaybar for race night...
This lil' Pinto looked potentially really, really fast,
he had a bunch of people out there too... $$$$
several other races have gone down by now (I'll get to that later)
some rubber down now, it was looking pretty damn good
like 90* out still
We agree on a $50 bet
we do our burnouts, his lil' Pinto makes a shitload of noise & smoke
I can barely hear my 440-6 over him, I'm not big on huge burnouts either
we stage he takes forever getting in, I do my regular deal 3,000 rpm
& I'll nail it after I dump the clutch...
Jim drops his arms & off we go, again I'm on it out of the hole, great launch
my forte'
N20 on, to 5,800 damn it came quick, I speedshift to 2nd still going well
I hear him, but too busy to look over or see him,
speedshift again to 3rd at 6,200-ish
still on the button seems like I'm barely at the 600' area,
I'm not letting off
I can see the lil' Pinto out of my peripheral vision now,
he's coming on me hard
still on the button, speed shift pull it down to 4th,
I'm only like 800' I'm in 4th already
'I think' this thing is eating 'up track' (seems like I should be way farther down)
I start to seem like, I'm actually pulling away from him too...
I cross the line like 6,600-ish at every bit of 130-135+,
buried the speedo bad...
I'm trying to look at the fuel pressure gauge/s, so I get an idea if it cool/OK or not
while still on the button & my foot to the floor...
All is well, I got him by 2 cars, maybe more...
He won't even look at me at the other end turning around...
I smiled at him 'like the asshole', that I am when I'm really happy & beat a car
I think is faster than me...
We get back to the staging area, a bunch of the people start talking
that yellow RR is fast...
I didn't get another race that night, I showed my hand way to early
But I'm there to support my group...
this is only now early 'Sat. AM' still too
That Pinto was quick, just not quick enough
he claimed it was a 10.50/125mph car, later...
I 1st let it cool down some, I pulled a couple plugs,
#1 & #8 & read them (#8 was prone to be really fat N/A)
make sure nothing bad is happening
& no problems... a success
all my boys were giving me ****, ribbing me
saying they saw 3' long blue flames/blowtorch out my turndowns/pipes
lighting it up down there
To be continued
Last edited:
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Love that story Budnicks. I almost feel like I was there.
6PKRTSE
Well-Known Member
Just way too many stories to type them all. Ask anyone from the Detroit area. The 70's, 80's and into the 90's used to be alot of fun street racing days.
WS23U1
Well-Known Member
Agree. Too many stories and most people wouldn't believe half of them anyways. Racing everywhere you went. Growing up in the "D" for racers was just unbelievable.
padam
Well-Known Member
When I was young that’s exactly what I thought the street scene was like in California.Part 2
We all parade down & go to the J street cruise,
at about 9:30 pm-ish, make a couple of loops/laps
We meet a bunch of people, we are all parked together
there's a tunnel underpass section of the loop
we park on the corner buy a park, all lined up, just before you go into the underpass...
Almost everyone always 'stands on it' going thru the underpass...
I don't remember the street name, anyhoo...
You couldn't miss us
A few serious cars, where cruising that night
but didn't really reel in any fish, we hung out & bs'd for a while
until maybe midnight-ish, then headed out to (Scott rd ?, that doesn't sound right)
anyway, it's out by Rancho Secco/SMUD,
bunches of cars started to show up, bunches of cars followed us out there
we were sort of hard to miss...
#1) I was 1st down the road, I'm always ready to roll
get it done before the LEOs show up...
I'm not the fastest car there...
I 1st wanted to do a test launch with the N20
did a decent short burnout, in VHT, staged & I hit the N20 purge
(I had no real failsafe or throttle micro switch, no progressive tuner
just an on/off toggle to arm the solenoids, a purge, next to my shifter
& a momentary activation button on my steering wheel, full 250 when hitting it)
rolled up to the line, some dude lined up next to me
'I was org. just doing a test hit', now it's ON...
A nice looking dark blue 67 Chevelle SS-396 4 speed
(IT had a big block, not a 396)
he does an impressive burnout
my car didn't look real fast, but it was hard to hide the sound
& the N20 purge, or the 29x9" slicks
Jim my buddy gets up & flags us, arm drop
we're off
I got him bad out of the hole, short-shifted to second about 5,900-6,000
spin it to about 6,800 in 2nd, that's more than I liked, but still pulling hard,
I hit up to 3rd & I don't see the guy 'yet', 500ft-ish (?) or so
I need to still test the N20, so I hit the momentary button
& it pulls freaken' hard as hell in 3rd gear, an instant 6,800rpm
I quickly pull it down to 4th, off the button, still rolling hard
I had bus lengths on the guy now
crossing the finish line my 120 mph speedo, was pegged @ 6,300...
1st one down & a successful 'short' 3rd gear N20 test hit...
Back to the staging area, pull a plug & look down in it
& at the ground strap to see if it's cool/OK tune, needed a tad more fuel...
I bumped the stand-alone fuel pump/by-pass reg. for the N20 system
a 1/2psi up to 5.5psi, everything else looked good, left the carb/s alone
bumped the timing back/down 2*s to 26* total (that engine liked timing, N/A 36*)
I'm ready for the next...
I'm gonna hit the button after the launch next time...
I hope I can shift it fast enough, 1st to 2nd,
lots of **** going on in my brain
not to do something stupid, miss a shift & blow it up
or N20 'backfire' in the STR manifold, blowing the top off, or gaskets out,
missing a damn shift etc.
(I'm used to N20, but not with a std 4 speed, I have Lenco/Jeffco & levers
in my racecars, no clutch after the launch too, until I cross)
I showed my hand kind of early, messed up sort of
I really didn't know I beat that Chevelle by as much as I did
& it's hard to get someone to race you, after they know you're fast...
That wasn't anywhere near as fast as it could have been too...
I did get another race, a guy in a 71-72 Pinto
with a inline 2x4bbl FE engine/c6 auto, lose converter
no idea how big of cubes, the car looked pretty well built,
really nice fab work & cage
later found out it was a Chris Alston Chassisworks built car/chassis
(the famed Tom Alston's fabricator builder, his younger brothers, shop in Sac.)
my car 69/RR only had a bolt-in 4 pt roll bar a 4 pt harness
& subframe connectors, gas shocks, front & rear &
I removed the front swaybar for race night...
This lil' Pinto looked potentially really, really fast,
he had a bunch of people out there too... $$$$
several other races have gone down by now (I'll get to that later)
some rubber down now, it was looking pretty damn good
like 90* out still
We agree on a $50 bet
we do our burnouts, his lil' Pinto makes a shitload of noise & smoke
I can barely hear my 440-6 over him, I'm not big on huge burnouts either
we stage he takes forever getting in, I do my regular deal 3,000 rpm
& I'll nail it after I dump the clutch...
Jim drops his arms & off we go, again I'm on it out of the hole, great launch
my forte'
N20 on, to 5,800 damn it came quick, I speedshift to 2nd still going well
I hear him, but too busy to look over or see him,
speedshift again to 3rd at 6,200-ish
still on the button seems like I'm barely at the 600' area,
I'm not letting off
I can see the lil' Pinto out of my peripheral vision now,
he's coming on me hard
still on the button, speed shift pull it down to 4th,
I'm only like 800' I'm in 4th already
'I think' this thing is eating 'up track' (seems like I should be way farther down)
I start to seem like, I'm actually pulling away from him too...
I cross the line like 6,600-ish at every bit of 130-135+,
buried the speedo bad...
I'm trying to look at the fuel pressure gauge/s, so I get an idea if it cool/OK or not
while still on the button & my foot to the floor...
All is well, I got him by 2 cars, maybe more...
He won't even look at me at the other end turning around...
I smiled at him 'like the asshole', that I am when I'm really happy & beat a car
I think is faster than me...
We get back to the staging area, a bunch of the people start talking
that yellow RR is fast...
I didn't get another race that night, I showed my hand way to early
But I'm there to support my group...
this is only now early 'Sat. AM' still too
That Pinto was quick, just not quick enough
he claimed it was a 10.50/125mph car, later...
I 1st let it coold own some, I pulled a couple plugs,
#1 & #8 & read them (#8 was prone to be really fat N/A)
make sure nothing bad is happening
& no problems... a success
all my boys were giving me ****, ribbing me
saying they saw 3' long blue flames/blowtorch out my turndowns/pipes
lighting it up down there
To be continued
View attachment 1429421
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Yep, it sort of was, but you had to know someone to know where to go
unless it was the reg. places all the street squirrels showed up at
like ElCentro (Sac.) or Ball Cannery Rd (Fairfield),
Nairobi Nats (Pitts. right off hwy 4) or 10th St. (Pitts.)
the 'dump rd.' or Theater frontage rd. (Antioch),
Willow Pass or Ygnatio Valley (Concord/Walnut Creek)
ElCamino Real (Curpertino)
Modesto had a cool cruise, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon,
So. SF, Redwood City, Hayward, Oakland (by the ports & estuary),
Santa Clara, Milpitas/San Jose south bay, Fremont was crazy at one time...
Some good street races out of town, all in my immediate NorCal,
vicinities, my known stomping grounds, there are many many more too...
(my best years for the street scene, were 1975-85-ish, after that
I was mostly a track racer, too much to loose on the streets)
Until about 85'-ish, (the K-car era) a lot changed,
most big Inner-cities with once thriving cruises,
that were the old reg. cruises mostly became,
mini-trucks & lowriders, circus paint jobs, really loud music & lifts,
(fights) not the same demographic really...
Not so much the muscle cars, the 2 prior decades,
still a lot of pro-street stuff was going on, lots of posers
all the chrome/billet, P/S look, a big block w/tunnel-ram
tubs & fatties or a blower & none of the boost,
more for show, not for go
But, there was still a decent mix, but not like it once was...
(my era 75, I turned 16) when most teens had some old muscle car
or their parent's old car &
by 95'-ish unless you went to specific shows like Car Craft CalExpo
or specific organized streetcar track events, that followed shows
(Super Chevy Sunday or Goodguys, SCTA etc.) it was really sparse
& 'sort of went underground', far more rural areas, on the real streets...
I sort of saw the 65-70-ish era too, when my stepdad Bob,
he was deep into it...
I'll maybe go into that, in later posts, we did have some fun still,
for a different day...
Last edited:
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