It's Running! The smell of race fuel in the garage..hmmm!!!!

[Sledgehammer]

This car is telling me something. The last time I had the car running was July 5, 2002.

I restarted it unintentionally July 5, 2004.

This car and 2's is wierd.

I numbered the car 911......and this happened 11/11/2001.

On the 2nd qualifying attempt. 2 years since I last raced the car in 1999.

Well it is running....I am going to wire up the relays for the Nitrous systems today.

Keep a lookout for my name you never know where it might show up on the web or announced at a track **hehe...wink wink**

 

[AdamR]

Congrats. Glad to here its running !

 

[Sledgehammer]

Thanks....I was able to walk around Carlisle Friday and yesterday with my head held high and with pride. *laughing*

I even purchased some stuff for the car.

1. Top Secret purchase #1 :thumrigh:
2. Top Secret purchase #2 :thumleft:
3. 4" Fiberglass Cowl Induction Hood $415
4. Moroso Waterpump Drive - $25.00
5. 2 Relays and pigtails - $12.00
6. Window Felt Kit - $50.00
7. 2 10" electric fans and thermostat - $60.00
8. And $200 in misc. tools since I now can use my compressor in my garage :cheers:
9. And 2 Bad *** Mopar tshirts

 

[THEWHITEZOMBIE]

Sweet cant wait to see some pics or videos :salut:

 

[AdamR]

Sledge you have a PM.

 

[HawaiiDuster]

Congrats :cheers: Can't wait to see some new pics and et's

 

[Sledgehammer]

Weeeeeeellllllll I made it to the track. Whew....what an ordeal.

I can say this.....it sucks being the driver and the crew.

I got brave and towed to Quaker City Dragway in Salem, OH for the NSCA (National Street Car Association) race. YES>>>>I went to a race with the DART....it felt soooo gooood!!! I was the only Mopar in the Limited Street Class.

Jill and I left late Friday night around 10:30 - 11pm from Frederick, MD and I got a brilliant idea to go I-81 to the PA turnpike and head west trying to avoid the big hills before Breezewood, PA. 2.5 hours later I reconized I messed up and added a ton of time to my trip and still hitting big hills. So we stopped at a travel plaza before the Breezewood exit for a few hours sleep. That is when I found out I could not start the generator :evil: . So luckily I found an outlet outside so I could inflate the air mattress (man...that was worth the $34!!!!!!!!) Jill kept saying she couldn't believe that we were going to sleep at a truckstop. This is the reason why I purchsed my trailer.....it has a lounge in the front. We went to sleep for 4 hours and when we woke up she was like....I can't believe I slept so well. I laughed and told her the trucks create a steady droning noise that makes it easier to go to sleep. I wasn't parked with all the big trucks just behind the travel plaza before the fueling station so the one side of the trailer was facing a field that sloped towards a deep valley. Man..it was cold...forgot that we were almost on top of a mountain so it was a little chilly in the AM. Got up and got dressed and went in to the travel plaza in search of coffee and to my delight....there was a 4 Bucks Coffee (aka Starbucks)....so it was going to be a good morning :wink: . (to be continued)

 

[Sledgehammer]

Got back on the road...I will say this...I will be happy when they finish the construction on the western side of the PA Turnpike. OMG...right outside of Pittsburgh I had to pullover and check the trailer and car. MAJOR BUMPY!!! It was so bad I had a halogen worklight under the front of the Dart. The Dart bounced so hard in the trailer that it bottomed out on the worklight and crushed it. I strap the car down by the frame to limit how much the car actually bounces and travels in the trailer to keep from burning up my shocks. So now I have tempered glass all over the floor of the trailer from where it exploded. But otherwise the car was ok...so I close up the trailer and keep heading west.

Within a few hours make it to Quaker City Dragway in Salem, OH.

I start unloading the car and stuff from the trailer....luckily I unload the EZUP Tent first......cause in came the rain. At this point I just take my time and reorg my tools and do some well needed cleaning. I still needed to do some work to the car but didn't want to pull it out and work in the rain or on the wet ground since I could have pulled it under the tent.
(to be continued)

 

[Sledgehammer]

I talk with Tony Dipillo the President of the NSCA and tell him my car has been in mothballs and will not pass class tech and if I can finish the work on the car Sunday morning if needed since it was raining and looked like we were only going to get one qualifying shot which had just occured when I arrived. He said ok...just go on and take my car to tech and have it fail then correct anything that failed by 1st round Sunday morning.

Well I totally forgot about the seatbelts having expired.....$90 for 2 partial runs on those belts. *sigh*....luckily I had another set of belts in the trailer I had bought for the Nova. I ask tech if I could weigh the car to see what it was since I added a fiberglass hood and took out some more weight. They were like sure......I stepped on the scale and tipped it over at 377! (better than the 389 a few weeks ago). I jump in the Dart...and *wrrrr.rrrr.rrrrr POOOF* fire in the carb....so I keep it cranking to pull out the fire. I was able to pull out the fire by cranking on it....but killed the battery in the process. So now I am stuck at tech and have to walk back to the trailer to get another battery. (to be continued).

 

[rabius75]

expired seatbelts?....

 

[HawaiiDuster]

expired seatbelts?....

All safety harnesses are dated for certification and are only good for I think it was 2 years. I haven't read the rule book for a few years so I don't know what it is now.

 

[chad72duster]

cant wait to hear the end iof this saga

 

[Sledgehammer]

I will continue next week. This week at work was a beast of a time. So busy that I didn't even get home to do anything to the car till tonight. I leave at 6am in the morning for Maryland Int'l Raceway for another NSCA race.

Stay tuned!!!! :shaking:

-eRic

 

[HawaiiDuster]

Good luck this weekend :thumleft:

 

[Sledgehammer]

Thanks...I am going to need it. I am getting ready for bed now to get up in a few hours to head out after I get the Dart loaded.

-eRic-