mullinax95
Well-Known Member
Captainkirk said:
One prayer sent.
Captainkirk's Duster project
- Thread starter Captainkirk
- Start date
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One prayer sent.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. Wife is back home recuperating after a scary adventure. I'll tell you about it some time. In the mean time, I'll try to get back to writing next week..... A big thanks to all of you.
340dartswinger
Well-Known Member
glad things are ok captain!
flyboy01
Its almost done!
Worry about the car 2nd, family is always first.
I remembered a couple of names from the Peoria street action. Maybe this will jog your memory and more stories.
Danny Powell had a mean 70 or 71 'Cuda. Danny's still big into Mopars, there was a piece in MCG this month about one of his projects.
The opposition had a guy named Jay Roy in a 2nd gen Camaro. Jay hung around a guy with a very wicked 65 'Vette with a 454. Can't seem to remember his name though.
The guy that ended up with my Challenger T/A was Pat Black.
Also, did you ever go to the industrial complex called the "Space Center" to race? We would line up races on Peoria while cruzing, then go out to the Space Center, which was very quiet and deserted at night, to run. The Space Center had nothing to with astronautics, just a play on words for industrial space to rent. :toothy7:
Anyway, glad to hear your wife is doing better.
Danny Powell had a mean 70 or 71 'Cuda. Danny's still big into Mopars, there was a piece in MCG this month about one of his projects.
The opposition had a guy named Jay Roy in a 2nd gen Camaro. Jay hung around a guy with a very wicked 65 'Vette with a 454. Can't seem to remember his name though.
The guy that ended up with my Challenger T/A was Pat Black.
Also, did you ever go to the industrial complex called the "Space Center" to race? We would line up races on Peoria while cruzing, then go out to the Space Center, which was very quiet and deserted at night, to run. The Space Center had nothing to with astronautics, just a play on words for industrial space to rent. :toothy7:
Anyway, glad to hear your wife is doing better.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
I don't recall the Space Center. Also, while I saw a LOT of nice cars on The Boulevard, I mostly hung with the Spartan guys and didn't meet the owners, or if I did, don't recall the names. But man, it was a magical time and the memories are burned into my hard drive, that's for sure!
BTW, wife is recovering well and returns back to work after next week. Maybe I can get some writing done here in the near future (I miss entertaining you guys!) and maybe, just maybe I can squeeze in some Duke Time this month. It's been a long while and I get dirty sidelong glances from His Lordship everytime I go into the garage........
BTW, wife is recovering well and returns back to work after next week. Maybe I can get some writing done here in the near future (I miss entertaining you guys!) and maybe, just maybe I can squeeze in some Duke Time this month. It's been a long while and I get dirty sidelong glances from His Lordship everytime I go into the garage........
340dartswinger
Well-Known Member
hope to see the latest installment in the future cap!
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Thanks for hanging in there, folks. Currently working on the next installment........
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69signetv8
Well-Known Member
Most excellent!
Man...It's going to take me two weeks just to read all of your thread....No wonder they had to update the software..LOL :toothy10:
Man...It's going to take me two weeks just to read all of your thread....No wonder they had to update the software..LOL :toothy10:
Glad to here your wife is doing better.:cheers:
I may have to go back and read about the night the duke was asking you some questions in that dark corner of the floor, A great read!!
Every time I go to the old house I think of the duke when I look at my 440
covered with a tarp trying to get my attention.
Have you seen a fist full of dollars? Clint Eastwood.
I think I will put a cigar and a hat on top of the tarp and see what he has to say to me, Awaiting your next installment .
your reader. memike:toothy10:
I may have to go back and read about the night the duke was asking you some questions in that dark corner of the floor, A great read!!
Every time I go to the old house I think of the duke when I look at my 440
covered with a tarp trying to get my attention.
Have you seen a fist full of dollars? Clint Eastwood.
I think I will put a cigar and a hat on top of the tarp and see what he has to say to me, Awaiting your next installment .
your reader. memike:toothy10:
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Crazy, man......It's the middle of summer and I've logged no Duke time at all yet. Not to mention I'm having a scuffle with my ISP service operating correctly, it's a miracle I've even managed to get online to read the postings in the forum.
The good news is, I've been working on the next chapter when time allows and hopefully will be able to fill you all in and amuse/entertain you.....soon. Please don't go away!
The good news is, I've been working on the next chapter when time allows and hopefully will be able to fill you all in and amuse/entertain you.....soon. Please don't go away!
340dartswinger
Well-Known Member
im still here capn!
Know exactly what you're feelin' Captain. I can't believe the very small amount of work I've actually done on my restoration. I remember vaguely before actually beginning the neighbor saying something like, "we'll get this done so you can take it to the shows this summer." Yeah, right. Maybe 3 summers from now. When you work full time & have family obligations, the car just sits and waits patiently (or not so much) for your scraps of attention. Mine is Charlotte by the way and I'm sure once she has her new doo, the Duke would love to meet her. From the sounds of it, they would have much in common. LOL Here's the graphic for her um...hood.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Now that's COOL!
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Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
So, after a long summer's nap
we're back!
I apologize for the delay. I had a good thing going here, then Life interfered.
Where was I? Oh yeah, the Nighthawk. The one that, ummm, ran.
Well, in between not running and running, another thing happened. Another Nighthawk. This one came and went in about two weeks; a quick-turn sale that netted me enough cash to pay for the first one. (big grin). Since then, the garage has seen a steady stream of bikes in and out, keeping me extremely busy and leaving absolutely no free time for the Duke . Until now. So, I'm hoping to make some progress this month and give you guys some car stuff to chew on instead of all this motorcycle rubbish. But since motorcycle rubbish is all I've got for this installment, youll have to take it or leave it and bear with me!
Well, as I mentioned, the #3 exhaust valve was bent. OK, let me correct that statement; both #3 exhaust valves were bent. I found this out after replacing the first one. More on this later. I made a few phone calls and located a source for a new exhaust valve ..at $47.00 per! So I checked eBay, and found an entire cylinder head for $35.00-sounded like a good deal to me! In the long run, it was. Because after I changed the first valve, I decided to check the other one. Logic dictates, if one valve kissed the piston, why wouldn't the other one, as well? Why indeed? If Archie kissed Veronica, wouldn't it follow that he might kiss Betty, too? (careful, there Captain, you're dating yourself here with the Archie stuff .) As it turned out, it did. It wasn't readily obvious by looking at it; at least this one closed. But after I pulled the valve and rolled the stem on a flat surface, the wobble... and the ugly truth .''were pretty evident. Hey, no problem! I had an extra head chock full of free $47.00 exhaust valves! (big grin!)
It was a short night's work to pull the valves, clean them up and lap the seats. I slapped them in and went about reassembling the whole mess. As it turned out, I ended up finding several collapsed lifters (just happened to have extra ones with my eBay head!) so that didn't set me back at all. Not one bit! So after a bit of work the whole shebang was back together and looking as unmolested as when I'd started. So, now for the moment of truth! I ran a cranking compression test and wound up with 180 psi. Even better than I'd hoped for!
Now what to do about carbs? The missing parts from the carb bank were (as usual) way more expensive than a whole bank of rebuilt carbs
which, incidentally, was way more than I wanted to spend to begin with. Fortunately, I found a complete set of carbs on eBay for a reasonable price, and snatched them up. The intention was to cannibalize parts off these and use them on my original carbs, but they were clean enough and the bank was complete, so after pulling the bowls and slides blasting them with a little GumOut and compressed air and checking the jets, I just used them as-is instead.
Now, usually, a motor that has not run in seven years will give you a run for your money. Not this one! I don't think the crank made even one complete revolution before it roared to life, causing yet another big grin to appear on my mug! Who's yer daddy?!!! I howled gleefully to a rather annoyed-looking BuellosaurusRex , (who could care less about any Jap motorcycles, and this one in particular.) The Duke stirred, but stayed soundly asleep.
Oh, sure, I've still got some issues to deal with, but the biggest hurdle has been leapt. NOW it runs, mister! I mumbled under my breath, to no one in particular, as if the previous owner could actually hear me. There are times, I'll admit, especially when I'm in the groove, that if I were somebody else, I'd likely find myself rather obnoxious. Most of you motorheads know exactly what I mean. We tend to get rather cocky about our mechanical prowess at times, and this was one of them. I didn't revel in my mechanical mastery too very long, though, for, I noticed a pool of gas collecting on the motor-one of the carb joints was leaking, most likely a dried-up seal. So the carbs would have to come off yet again, for the third time. (First time was for a leaking fuel inlet Tee, the second time for a choke issue). But hey, it runs. For real, this time. I know The Duke would approve!
So off they came. It was, as I suspected, a dried up joint seal. No problem. I had extra parts. Back on they went, this time, with no leaks. A quick tweak with the long #2 Phillips and the mercury gauges (carb sticks), and they were all reasonably synched; lickety split. Meanwhile, eBay parts were arriving daily. First the new tail light, then the new front signals. Before long, this thing might be ready for a merciless test flogging!
Meanwhile, while perusing a Jeg's magazine out in the garage, I stumbled across a 2X4 carb/manifold package that would be killer on the Duke. I haven't decided to buy it yet, but its a heckuvalot cheaper than the six-pack combo I was eyeing before. Will you look at that? I mumbled to myself. Suddenly, I could feel the Dukes sidelong stare burning holes in me through slitted eyelids ...Oh, you are awake, big fella? He was. I guess I have some apologizing to do ..
I apologize for the delay. I had a good thing going here, then Life interfered.
Where was I? Oh yeah, the Nighthawk. The one that, ummm, ran.
Well, in between not running and running, another thing happened. Another Nighthawk. This one came and went in about two weeks; a quick-turn sale that netted me enough cash to pay for the first one. (big grin). Since then, the garage has seen a steady stream of bikes in and out, keeping me extremely busy and leaving absolutely no free time for the Duke . Until now. So, I'm hoping to make some progress this month and give you guys some car stuff to chew on instead of all this motorcycle rubbish. But since motorcycle rubbish is all I've got for this installment, youll have to take it or leave it and bear with me!
Well, as I mentioned, the #3 exhaust valve was bent. OK, let me correct that statement; both #3 exhaust valves were bent. I found this out after replacing the first one. More on this later. I made a few phone calls and located a source for a new exhaust valve ..at $47.00 per! So I checked eBay, and found an entire cylinder head for $35.00-sounded like a good deal to me! In the long run, it was. Because after I changed the first valve, I decided to check the other one. Logic dictates, if one valve kissed the piston, why wouldn't the other one, as well? Why indeed? If Archie kissed Veronica, wouldn't it follow that he might kiss Betty, too? (careful, there Captain, you're dating yourself here with the Archie stuff .) As it turned out, it did. It wasn't readily obvious by looking at it; at least this one closed. But after I pulled the valve and rolled the stem on a flat surface, the wobble... and the ugly truth .''were pretty evident. Hey, no problem! I had an extra head chock full of free $47.00 exhaust valves! (big grin!)
It was a short night's work to pull the valves, clean them up and lap the seats. I slapped them in and went about reassembling the whole mess. As it turned out, I ended up finding several collapsed lifters (just happened to have extra ones with my eBay head!) so that didn't set me back at all. Not one bit! So after a bit of work the whole shebang was back together and looking as unmolested as when I'd started. So, now for the moment of truth! I ran a cranking compression test and wound up with 180 psi. Even better than I'd hoped for!
Now what to do about carbs? The missing parts from the carb bank were (as usual) way more expensive than a whole bank of rebuilt carbs
which, incidentally, was way more than I wanted to spend to begin with. Fortunately, I found a complete set of carbs on eBay for a reasonable price, and snatched them up. The intention was to cannibalize parts off these and use them on my original carbs, but they were clean enough and the bank was complete, so after pulling the bowls and slides blasting them with a little GumOut and compressed air and checking the jets, I just used them as-is instead.
Now, usually, a motor that has not run in seven years will give you a run for your money. Not this one! I don't think the crank made even one complete revolution before it roared to life, causing yet another big grin to appear on my mug! Who's yer daddy?!!! I howled gleefully to a rather annoyed-looking BuellosaurusRex , (who could care less about any Jap motorcycles, and this one in particular.) The Duke stirred, but stayed soundly asleep.
Oh, sure, I've still got some issues to deal with, but the biggest hurdle has been leapt. NOW it runs, mister! I mumbled under my breath, to no one in particular, as if the previous owner could actually hear me. There are times, I'll admit, especially when I'm in the groove, that if I were somebody else, I'd likely find myself rather obnoxious. Most of you motorheads know exactly what I mean. We tend to get rather cocky about our mechanical prowess at times, and this was one of them. I didn't revel in my mechanical mastery too very long, though, for, I noticed a pool of gas collecting on the motor-one of the carb joints was leaking, most likely a dried-up seal. So the carbs would have to come off yet again, for the third time. (First time was for a leaking fuel inlet Tee, the second time for a choke issue). But hey, it runs. For real, this time. I know The Duke would approve!
So off they came. It was, as I suspected, a dried up joint seal. No problem. I had extra parts. Back on they went, this time, with no leaks. A quick tweak with the long #2 Phillips and the mercury gauges (carb sticks), and they were all reasonably synched; lickety split. Meanwhile, eBay parts were arriving daily. First the new tail light, then the new front signals. Before long, this thing might be ready for a merciless test flogging!
Meanwhile, while perusing a Jeg's magazine out in the garage, I stumbled across a 2X4 carb/manifold package that would be killer on the Duke. I haven't decided to buy it yet, but its a heckuvalot cheaper than the six-pack combo I was eyeing before. Will you look at that? I mumbled to myself. Suddenly, I could feel the Dukes sidelong stare burning holes in me through slitted eyelids ...Oh, you are awake, big fella? He was. I guess I have some apologizing to do ..
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Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Jeez, guys. What a summer. I apologize for not being here on the forum much, and for not getting a lick of work done on The Duke all summer. And now summer's over, leaves are falling, and we're heading for cold weather and snow. Seems the time for writing and the time for working are different seasons, yet totally dependant on one another!
I'd love to tack more onto this thread every day, yet it's downright difficult, if not impossible when my project sits dead in it's tracks (for the moment). More will come.....yet, the work needs to come first. It will. Hang in there.
On a more jovial note, I'm getting the itch to write again (usually comes with the fall colors). Anyone interested in reading some sort of automotive fiction (since I no longer have any factual Duke stories to tell), or short stories?
BTW.....you guys are the greatest.
I'd love to tack more onto this thread every day, yet it's downright difficult, if not impossible when my project sits dead in it's tracks (for the moment). More will come.....yet, the work needs to come first. It will. Hang in there.
On a more jovial note, I'm getting the itch to write again (usually comes with the fall colors). Anyone interested in reading some sort of automotive fiction (since I no longer have any factual Duke stories to tell), or short stories?
BTW.....you guys are the greatest.
1973dartswinger
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2007
- Messages
- 197
- Reaction score
- 27
Hey captin,
Your stories are great and I enjoy reading each installment. I would love to read anything you write about cars, something to keep me occupied.
I just have one recomendation that if you decided to do off topic short stories that dont involve to duke or true stories that all relate to the duke in someway; possibly start a new thread in the off topic or the general section. This way we could keep this one jsut for the Duke. Just a suggestions to keep this particular post "deticated" to the duke ;-), hope to see more stories soon.
-Mike
Your stories are great and I enjoy reading each installment. I would love to read anything you write about cars, something to keep me occupied.
I just have one recomendation that if you decided to do off topic short stories that dont involve to duke or true stories that all relate to the duke in someway; possibly start a new thread in the off topic or the general section. This way we could keep this one jsut for the Duke. Just a suggestions to keep this particular post "deticated" to the duke ;-), hope to see more stories soon.
-Mike
Woodys_Cuda
Ontario, Canada
This a great thread, I've been following along. You should write a book, very entertaining.
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Thanks for the suggestions. I want to keep this thread going, but with little progress on The Duke it seems I'm drifting off-subject some. If I did decide to do short stories or something different, I'd certainly start a new thread elsewhere; after all, this IS The Duke's thread.
Hopefully, I'll get the block assembled over the winter and have updates and pix to go along.......
Hopefully, I'll get the block assembled over the winter and have updates and pix to go along.......
1973dartswinger
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2007
- Messages
- 197
- Reaction score
- 27
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
Not that it's much in the way of progress.....but....
I did manage to pick up a brand-spanking-new Edelbrock Performer in "EnduraShine Finish".......not that I'm even sure I'll RUN the thing, as I'm a Holley guy from way back. But it was too good of a deal to pass up, so I bought it. Manual choke and all.
(one more + a tunnel ram and The Duke is on it's way to 11-second land.)
Why do they say "spanking-new".....did anyone actually spank something "new"? I never spanked any of my carburetors. It just seems....wrong.
At any rate, it warrants a trial evaluation over the Holley, if for nothing else, curiousity's sake.
I did manage to pick up a brand-spanking-new Edelbrock Performer in "EnduraShine Finish".......not that I'm even sure I'll RUN the thing, as I'm a Holley guy from way back. But it was too good of a deal to pass up, so I bought it. Manual choke and all.
(one more + a tunnel ram and The Duke is on it's way to 11-second land.)
Why do they say "spanking-new".....did anyone actually spank something "new"? I never spanked any of my carburetors. It just seems....wrong.
At any rate, it warrants a trial evaluation over the Holley, if for nothing else, curiousity's sake.
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speedyvision
Well-Known Member
speedyvision
Well-Known Member
oh i can`t resist saying it...
FRESH OUT OF THE BOX!!! (i don`t believe me...roflmao)
FRESH OUT OF THE BOX!!! (i don`t believe me...roflmao)
Captainkirk
Old School Mopar Warrior
That's just wrong.
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bigdaddydon
Active Member
hey captain kirk, i haven't stopped laughing for about an hour. you should be working for a magazine or actually publish this story. i wish i could type well enough to tell my stories of yesteryear, but i can't match your wit. you are quite the story teller. i love every minute of it so far. i haven't had the time to actually read the entire script but it is amazing. i wish i had the extra cash to send you so you could finish the way you want to. the story is worth it.
thanks and keep it going,
big daddy don
thanks and keep it going,
big daddy don
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