[cuz68]

Originally Posted by ponyakr

its a sad day for all the danica haters--she finished 12th her 1st time at martinsville. sorry about that boys! i suppose now they'll say she spun Jr. out on purpose. oh well, nobody's perfect. i say "you go girl".

I was happy for her also Read what i wrote.

[ponyakr]

it wasn't a bad weekend for the girls--they did better than most of the boys! no wins, but 2 girls in the semi-finals of funny, courtney got ru, erica got ru in prostock, & brittany(sp?) got her 1st round win in top fuel. that ain't even half bad ya'll!

[ponyakr]

i've been thinkin on what to call my new series of posts. for many on this site, they'd call it "what not to do". in my 1st series "how to win more races"--some came on imediately disagreeing with what i said & saying that just the opposite of what i said was true. if you really want 2 get the most out of this series, & you haven't already done so, you need 2 go back & read that series 1st--that way you'll better understand where i'm comin from. i could call it "low buck bracket racing"-- or how about "cheap thrills"--or "po-boy racin"--or TJ just said "redneck racin". that reminds me--i just watched a couple of episodes of duck dynasty. if your not familiar with it--watch a couple--it'll help you 2 better understand me--except for the beards--i ain't a whole lot different from them. they live less than 50 miles from me, in a town near our local drag strip. we're sorta like mountain people, but we just got hills instead of mountains & most of us don't make moonshine.----i've got it "hillbilly hot rods"---no? oh well, i'll thank on it some more & git back 2 ya'll later. any ideas?

[Greg Reid]

You completely distracted me with those horse pictures. That is an incredible job of duplicating the markings and coat on that miniature. Even the bottoms of the hooves. Really, really impressive.

[ponyakr]

TJ said "thanks so much, that made my day!" she's had 4 horses--the 1st 3 lived 2 be around 20 or so & spot is now 17. she's doin models of them all--2 are finished--but spot has the most show chrome. spot is just what i call him--she calls him "pokey"--short for "poka dot man". the other 3 are flicka, scooter & rascal. & last & least she's had plenty of good trail hounds, some are pictured--we called these "red poohs" lets see, there was "lil red", "roscoe p. gravytrain"(my favorite), "roxie pooh", "rosie red pooh", "rusty red pooh" & many, many others down thru the years rite up to our last 1--a big black lab named "rupert" who just passed away last summer at the ripe old age of 13.5. they all shared a common bond--they loved trail rides!

[ponyakr]

this is 1 of those subjects that has been beat 2 death--then revived & beat some more, time after time. obviously, for all out racing, a solid roller is best--no argument from anyone. for anything less, a hyd roller is probably best for those with $ 2 burn. but with just the lifters going for about $500 a pop, the roller set up is just 2 hi for the low buck street/bracket racer. so i'll only discuss flat tappet cams. sbc guys like solids, so they can rev into the 8000 range if they want 2. but since most pontiacs operate at a much lower rpm, the hyd flat tappet is more than adequate, well down into the 10 sec range. there are probably some stockers scaring the 9 sec range by now. oil requirements for flat tappets still concern some. but there are plenty of additives now 2 solve this problem. i just run diesel oils, like rotella t 15w-40--problem solved--plenty of zinc. other additives like z-max & pro-blend are probably good ins also. everybody has their favorite cam--the selection today is almost unlimited. with hi-rev type lifters, you can now rev into the 7000 rpm range, if need be--well above where most 455 street/mild bracket motors should go. i use & recommend nothing but rhoads lifters--used dozens of sets--never 1 failure. they extend the usable power range of any cam & produce more vac at low rpm. they have real snap ring retainers & won't float at higher rpms--so for me--why consider anything else? but if you are 1 of the rhoads haters, there are plenty of other choices. just make sure you don't use those with the cheap, flimsy, paperclip style retainer. i had 1 come apart at a race--not fun!

[ponyakr]

i find it almost comical on some of the drug commercials, when they give the disclaimer at the end--telling all the bad side effects & negative reactions you could experience with their drug. some even say it could cause serious physical problems that could lead 2 blindness, bleeding & even death! i say "i'm not about 2 take something that mite cause all that". well, with these commercials in mind, i now present my disclaimer for all the tech info i have & will present. "Although the parts, combinations, techniques, & methods presented here worked great for me for many years--i must warn you that they may not work at all for some of you. tho they worked great in the 1970's, its a different century now. everything is computerized--so the old school info i have presented may no longer be aplicable(may not work). so if you decide 2 try any of this stuff yourself--do so at your own risk. i assume absolutely no responsibility for the outcome of anyone's actions. results may vary! your engine may develope problems which will cause you 2 experience loss of power, erratic performance, strange noises, severe leaks, broken or prematurely worn parts, or complete catostrophic engine failure, which in some cases could lead 2 lost races, traffic accidents, breakdowns in the middle of rush hour traffic & yes, in extreme cases, even physical harm. therefore, if you choose 2 use any products or procedures mentioned here, we highly suggest that you purchase sufficient life, accident, auto & health insurance in advance. good luck & happy motoring!

[ponyakr]

i realize, probably more than anyone else, that i am not the brightest star in the sky. i wasn't even anywhere near the smartest guy at our little country hi school. i realize that there are lots of pontiac dudes on this site who are MUCH smarter than me & know far more about all things pontiac than i ever will. so, with that in mind, let me say this--the info i have & will present here is not intended 2 contradict the info from anyone else who posts on this site. these are simply MY ideas & opinions & accounts & results of my actual hands on experience with pontiacs & racing. this forum is entitled YOUR best pontiac stories. thats exactly what this is--its MY story. this is the way it was--2 the best of my recollection(as the old folks used 2 say) i've discovered that my memory sometimes doesn't agree with our written account of events as they occurred--so i'll try 2 always use those records 2 keep the facts straight & refresh or correct my memory as needed. however these records do not contain most of the tech specs on engines & details of all that was required 2 get a race car 2 the track that was capable of winning a race. so, for that info, i must rely on my memory. not sayin this is the last word & everybody should do things like i did. no, this is simply what i did that did, or in some cases did NOT work for me. it is presented mostly for entertainment value. but, i hope that something i share will help someone in some way! so please receive this material in this light & not as a putdown or 2 badmouth any other person on this site. THANKS!

[Stuckinda60s]

In 1997, I had a conversation with Bruce Fulper. I was intrigued by the 350 and thought it had potential, was thinking of doing one for a friend and asked him if he'd had any experience with one. I got the same tired old mantra from him that you always got if you were thinking of doing one. "Don't waste your time, build a 455 and tear everybody up."

There have been a lot of NHRA class records set by those poor old 350's despite being factored up just about every year. Bill Rink got his '74 GTO down into the low 11's running Stock. He's running S/S now, holds the SS/LA record at 10.51.

Oh, yeah, remember Fulper telling me to not waste my time? Well, he built one and got 632 hp out of it, naturally aspirated. There have been a couple of magazine articles written about it.

[ponyakr]

here's what TJ recorded in our scrapbook about this mopar(will have pics soon) april 6, '75--she was #3 in an 8 car qualified field--a y/sa 6 cyl chevelle was #2--& the b/sa national record holder from houston was #1. so they finished like they qualified--the y/sa beat TJ in the semi's, then lost 2 the cuda in the final. they built the straight 6 chevelle because of a super low hp factor. if i remember correctly, somebody bombed the record with this combination, so nhra refactored the hp, which moved him up a class. anyhow, for what ever reason, the car disappeared. this happened 2 a lot of old muscle cars thru the years. some super smart class racer would figure out a way 2 coax a little more out of a certain combination & set a new national record, which would bring it 2 the attention of the nhra officials, & they would increase the hp factor on that combo. then everybody else runnin that combo would have 2 go quicker, switch combos, or quit. only the strong(smart) survived. lots of class racers would watch the hp factors & records closely & quickly switch 2 another combo if what they were running suddenly became non-competitive. i figure thats the main reason we saw all the 4 cyl, 6 cyl, & wagons. so many people flogged the popular musclecar combos that very few could be competive with them after a few hp refactors. but, the refactoring had 2 be done 2 keep the classes competitive. pontiacs are a good example. in '68 & '69 base 400's were rated at 330 hp in birds, but 350 in goats. or how about '69 ra4--345 in bird--370 in goat. or ra3 in goat 366--ra4 only 4 hp higher. so you can easily see why somebody had 2 sort all this out & come up with more realistic #'s. anyhow, in mid season our local track went back 2 running off local track records instead of the nhra index(i guess they got tired of TJ winning all the races) & cenla at forrest hill,la closed for good--so we hung it up for '75--no more stock elim for us--although it was fun while it lasted! Thank God for bracket racin that was rite around the corner!

[ponyakr]

here's the b/sa record holder, a 6cyl chevelle, & TJ's bird at cenla, still in red primer.

[ponyakr]

this lil injun is goin 2 do battle in the east texas bracket wars--lookin 2 take some chevy scalps. ba with the snorkel is the last early bird i had. mb's wife drove it. i got it from him after he started dirt racin. he likes red & white, so naturally, it had 2 be painted before we could race it(black is beautiful)(& quicker 2!) but hey, thats just my opinion--you are entitled 2 yours(even if its wrong!) ps: just noticed the '66 goat in the background is the 4-speed car i sold 2 my 1st girl friend & her husband in the late '80's. it was a nice ride after a tranny swap.

[ponyakr]

looked thru a paper sack full of old racin pics & found some more 2 share--a few went thru then they stopped--pics won't upload now--i hate it when that happens--don't ya'll. oh well, i'll just try it again tomorrow. thanks for lettin me vent & good nite!

[Greg Reid]

Keep 'em coming. Post some more of that '66 if you find any.

[ponyakr]

don't know of any more pics of the 66--just happened 2 see it in the background. but i can give ya a little more info on it. i bought it from the man who built super bee speedway dirt track about 20 miles from here. i think it opened in '87. when i started racin there & he saw i was a pontiac freak, he thought i might be interested in this goat he had--& of course, i was. the engine compartment looked clean & almost stock--almost original--but at that age probably wasn't. anyhow, it had a 4bl afb & a 4-speed with a bad gear(either 2nd or 3rd--not sure) it was clean, inside & out--so i was purty sure i could put a good tranny in it & make a few bucks. me & TJ decided 1 day 2 cruise up town in it & make a few loops--just like in the old days. i thought--most of the young people who see this car want even know what it is. the only '66 i remember was a black 3x2 4-speed--but it led a hard life with a hard drinker & his buddies & was gone from our streets soon. anyhow, back 2 our cruise--i soon figured out how 2 bypass the bad gear & we had a smooth & enjoyable cruise--made several loops around the old musclecar route we'd made so many times, 20 years or so earlier. but it just wasn't the same--we were the only musclecar in town that day. well, we were still busy racin so the '66 had 2 set awhile. one day the brother of my 1st girlfriend was passing & saw the car. her husband was a car salesmen at a big dealership in shreveport, if i remember correctly. anyhow, the brother told the husband about the car & he was interested & came 2 look. he liked it & i suppose told his wife 2 call me about it , thinkin she'd get a better deal--just for old times sake--he was rite. i sold it 2 them for exactly what i paid--which i think was $3500. the brother put a good tranny in it for them & they took it back 2 shreveport. don't know from there. that was the last time i ever talked to her. after they had raised a family, her husband died of an illness. but i heard she is now remarried & doing well. so i wish them the best! that's all i know about that '66 goat.

[ponyakr]

here's the Colt that TJ took her 1st solo flite in at age 16. then when she got her license at age 17, i went on a few flites with her in this little plane. it was purty slow & real bumpy. i thought flyin would be real smoothe--now so! a little turbulance can rattle yore teeth! TJ added that all our race cars were faster than its top speed of 100 mph!

[6x400gmc]

Originally Posted by ponyakr

here's the Colt that TJ took her 1st solo flite in at age 16. then when she got her license at age 17, i went on a few flites with her in this little plane. it was purty slow & real bumpy. i thought flyin would be real smoothe--now so! a little turbulance can rattle yore teeth! TJ added that all our race cars were faster than its top speed of 100 mph!

I thought I saw you mention a V-Tail Bonanza a few posts back. This is a pic of a buddy of mine's 1955 F-35. My car is in the background.

Britt

[ponyakr]

thats sorta what his looked like all rite--septin his'n didn't use boomerangs fur props--his were straight! lol. TJ don't know fur shore where 2 find any bonanza pics. but if she runs across some, i'll post.

[6x400gmc]

Cellphone cameras capture moving props oddly. Either that or in 1955 they used rubber propellers.

Britt

[ponyakr]

pics won't upload--logjam at py tonite i reckin--so i'll just hunt-n-peck awhile. i think i've decided what 2 call this latest series of old school tech stuff. its "get by tech", which from now on i'll refer 2 as "gbt". i started 2 call it low buck tech, but then i thought, no, you can't "get by" with some of the low buck tech. if a part won't hold up 2 the stress of racin, at the level you want 2 compete, then you can't "get by" using that part. here's some examples that i've already used. in the old days you could "get by" with gm cast pistons--but not napa cast pistons. today, for a 455 bracket motor, i consider trw(or whatever they are called now) forged flat top replacement pistons "gbt"--but 2 me, cast pistons of any kind should not be considered. yes, they are cheaper initially, but soon as 1 fails that initial savings quickly disappears(& then some!) now here's an example that has changed in later years. i now consider the 5140 forged rods "gbt" & stock rods no longer worth the risk. 30+ years ago i would have considered cast rods with good bolts "gbt"--but 30+ years & many heat cycles later, i don't consider them worth the risk--although i realize there are probably thousands of pontiacs still out there runnin stockers. & as i've said, thats what i used in the old days--but back then, the 5140's were not available. if you're in the boat with most others, you need 2 stretch your street/racin $ as far as you can. if so, some of this "gbt" mite help. but if you have the extra $, i'll usually mention some "h$t" overkill for a little ins. again, not the last word--just MY ideas & opinions.