Turning back the clock

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The seats are back from Legendary Upholstery. Don't mind the temporarily wrinkled
covers, fresh from tightly packed minus zero temperature shipping boxes.

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Yall are really doin this thing justice. I am plum proud to be even watchin this unfold.
 
A big bunch of powder coated items have come back and are ready.

Note that although it was powder coated, in the interest of originality we did not grind smooth the lumps and bumps of the original K-member.

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rmchrgr said:
Nice progress. Any idea how much the seat assemblies weigh?

Also, kind of surprising the sanctioning bodies let them have that removable trans tunnel.
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I bet that Hemi won't care what they weigh. lol
 
on another topic, stopped by to check on the Flash yesterday......almost ready for the paint booth with just a couple of small items (like replacing some seam sealer) to address before the paint starts flying.

thanks for following along....the really fun part is almost ready to start.
 
rmchrgr said:
Nice progress. Any idea how much the seat assemblies weigh?

Also, kind of surprising the sanctioning bodies let them have that removable trans tunnel.
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...it doesn't say you cannot. It does state .....full upholstery must be retained, equivalent to factory specs. Since this is not only the way the car was built, but raced successfully, NHRA certainly deemed the removable steel tunnel equivalent to factory specs

if the seats are 5 lbs lighter than "factory" seats....I would be surprised. The weight savings are in the (legal) aluminum seat brackets.

I have read the rule book from front to back and so far....as built, I have only found ONE thing that coulda /woulda possibly been deemed illegal.....and that depends on the meaning of what "is" is. Would not be considered a performance enhancer by any stretch. ......Butch Leal and the 396 cu in Hemi right out of his 73 Pro Stocker (both legal)....how much more trick do ya need?
 
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HemiDenny said:
just for giggles....OMM can use my rule book and post the text....100% allowed and legal.

if the seats are 5 lbs lighter than "factory" seats....I would be surprised. The weight savings are in the (legal) aluminum seat brackets.

I have read the rule book from front to back and so far....as built, I have only found ONE thing that coulda /woulda possibly been deemed illegal.....and that depends on the meaning of what "is" is. Would not be considered a performance enhancer by any stretch. ......Butch Leal and the 396 cu in Hemi right out of his 73 Pro Stocker (both legal)....how much more trick do ya need?
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They didn`t use seam sealer in most of the race cars them back then. jfyi
 
famous bob said:
They didn`t use seam sealer in most of the race cars them back then. jfyi
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they did in this car....a small amount.

This car was picked up at the Chrysler factory in Detroit and drove to California, directly to Ron Butlers Race Car shop.

I removed factory seam sealer on the trunk / splash pan seam when we filled some holes from battery boxes that did not belong.

I'm only putting back what it had in it.
 
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HemiDenny said:
they did in this car....a small amount.

This car was picked up at the Chrysler factory in Detroit and drove to California, directly to Ron Butlers Race Car shop.

I removed factory seam sealer on the trunk / splash pan seam when we filled some holes from battery boxes that did not belong.

I'm only putting back what it had in it.
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cool. I remember reading that most all the teams took it all out while they were building the cars. Chrysler didn`t bother putting all of it in, guess Butch left it.
 
I agree with you and I do not see any sealer other than in the trunk. Gary Hanson who built the car at Butlers Race shop said Butch liked any weight aft of the rear axle. No additional ballast was allowed in that class, so I'm guessing he took all he could behind the axle.
 
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Sorry to Hijack, @HemiDenny is getting some press on the Nats site. We need to have Mike (2darts) make a couple banners for the tent roof. HDK and FABO would look cool up there.
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toolmanmike said:
Sorry to Hijack, @HemiDenny is getting some press on the Nats site. We need to have Mike (2darts) make a couple banners for the tent roof. HDK and FABO would look cool up there.
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Mike / 2Darts made us a jam-up banner.....no charge I might add, for the first time we did the big tent. We hung it for the first 2 years. I do not know if they are shy or what (?????), but we didn't get enough interest from the overall FABO members in bringing their cars to the reserved area next to the tent to keep reserving it. I feel bad when a cool B-body shows up and we tell them it is reserved and to find another place (it is a primo spot!!)....then NO ONE shows up.

We probably get 50 or so that do come by year after year, but many already have their spots with their buddies....and I am way good with that. But all are welcome to join us. The way I feel, the more the merrier!
 
Freshly powder coated California Flash brake pedal bracket with new Wilwood / Girling dual master cylinders as originally built at Ron Butlers in 1975. Another piece of the puzzle ready to go.

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I am in the process of scanning my collection of old 35mm slides. I ran across this one yesterday. It was taken in the Spring of 74 at Bakersfield, CA. Thought you might be interested. Enjoy! L8r
Jim
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That 74 was one slick Pro Stocker. ...I think Roy Hill bought it as a roller from Butch when he started campaigning the Direct Connection M/P HemiDuster beginning early '75 thru '76.

I am pretty sure the race Hemi ended up in the Direct Connection car....and after that, his match race Arrow
 
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HemiDenny said:
I agree with you and I do not see any sealer other than in the trunk. Gary Hanson who built the car at Butlers Race shop said Butch liked any weight aft of the rear axle. No additional ballast was allowed in that class, so I'm guessing he took all he could behind the axle.
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Ya know, lead makes a GREAT seam sealer and is quite heavy. Once you paint it, nobody knows... hint hint.
 
Butch must not of got the memo (E-mail). The '75 rear bumper assembly on the M/P Duster with its steel re-enforcement piece and 5-MPH shock absorbers were probably all it needed ....or wanted. Every picture I have seen of the M/P car launching, it is "wheels up"....traction never seemed to be a problem.
 
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HemiDenny said:
Butch must not of got the memo (E-mail). The '75 rear bumper assembly with its steel re-enforcement piece and 5-MPH shock absorbers were probably all it needed ....or wanted. Every picture I have seen with the car launching it is "wheels up"....traction never seemed to be a problem.
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yeah, I watched Butch carry the front wheels (thru musta been low gear, twice) was very impressive. he got beat 2 out of three by Sox. He stopped the long wheelies on the third one, and Sox had traction problems. Tulsa, many yrs. ago, back when the cars were cars !! 'Track sucked during that period, they did their thing w/ yellow rosin track prep back then, helped build excitement watching the drivers do it themselves !
 
Just a thought on the modest amount of seam sealer found in the trunk area.......perhaps it is there to keep ....not the rain or weather.....but the tire smoke and rubber out of the trunk.

I'm going with that.
 
HemiDenny said:
Just a thought on the modest amount of seam sealer found in the trunk area.......perhaps it is there to keep ....not the rain or weather.....but the tire smoke and rubber out of the trunk.

I'm going with that.
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that won`t work, any tubbed car I`ve seen , the interior gets filled w/ smoke anyway !
 
You got that right....

maybe I should have said "some" of the smoke and rubber.
 
exactly what I say to myself EVERYTIME I get to work on it.

I am one lucky S.O.B.
 
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