speedwagon

age does not cure the instability, but growing incompetence sure tempers it.

I ran pikes peak in 72. It was all dirt then, so grossly different. the car was an old form-car formula v with the seat moved forward and a 350hp turbo corvair engine (pegged a 30lb manifold gauge on the top). Had $1500 max invested. It was truly a life changing experience. I used to live in Grand Junction and we used to race each other up and down "lands end" the down trip was usually after dark! Also came down the Colorado NM on snow pack in a power drift with a fiberglass dune-buggy with studs all around. Passenger was emitting turds all the way down. It just amazes me that someone can still compete for so little today. and the paved road requires far more (although different) skill.

at first I just thought you were waxing elegant--But then I saw the pictures. You sir are leading The Life. Now I envy you for 2 of your cars. It is good to see one spending his money wisely.

I have 2 widebands. one will stay on the s1 when the rotary turbo conversion is complete. And I totally agree about using a wideband to tune a carburetor., it is the best of investments. The 2 barrel webers are just too expensive to tune ( I have one that was bought specifically for a na rotary that came jetted so far off that everything needed to be changed. and the cost to do that and then fine tune it is about the cost of 2 new carburetors) the easiest to tune is also a webber--- the edelbrock 4 barrel made by webber. "duck soup". But there are two good guides-- 1 no substitute for cubic inches and same for FI. But the SU was for a specific use and was very easy to tune once you understood the design and was as altitude insensitive as any (and you could far exceed the normal air flow with a large enough pump). john

MV8. Thanks and this is for the many times you have enlightened me on this site. Your willingness, vast knowledge and the time you obviously spend to answer some specific questions is admirable. but I have solved almost all my carburetor problems with injection. the only carburetor that worked for me was an SU ( used one on a draw thru turbo application) burned clean at 4500' and was still clean at 14,000 but a pain in the -- to learn how to use for an old Michigan farm boy.

OK, It was my job but I have slept many years since then, So hear in a nut shell- yes heat cycles, vibration or shock, exposure to magnetic fields, and third and most important the makeup of the steel. As most know a wrench or screw driver make good magnets whereas a low grade soft (made somewhere in Asia) does not. So like any other automotive application cost is of primary concern, so you will get a lesser Quality. And everything (almost) has a half life. And for the automotive world 10 years is a long one. Leave your car parked out in the high desert sun for 2 years and it will be clear. Sorry but I have been able to get old and have become sarcastic.

My superformance s1 that was intended for a zetek and built with a rotary and a 48 webber had a tee between the pump out and the return and fed the carb from the T with no regulator. I thought it was stupid but evidently I was the stupid one as I was never able to get a regulator to work on it. Guess that just the pressure drop in the lines was enough for the webber. john

sorry to be so slow, but the combination of being busy and old slowed me up. But finally looked at the original wheels and tires yesterday they are 16x7 and i measured from the tire outer to flange and got 5 5/8" with 2 1/2 from outer edge. tires were 8 1/4 wide. my calculation is 3" to 3 18" inset. seems that I remember the pattern to be the common 4 on 4. john

Where I live side by sides are multiplying like rabbits and out weighing 7s by at least 100 to 1. Most are street legal and even seen on the streets but still scarce on the interstates. My "buttugly" fiberglass buggy ( with doors, heat, and a turbo) is still the best all around combo. Keeps up with traffic easily, goes places the others cannot and still handles quite well. and cost a lot less than either of my 7ish cars. john (one far less formidable won pikes peak in the sports- car class before they paved the road). It is not as civilized as the superformance and doesn't handle near as well on pavement (mostly due to weight bias). But my 70s off road car would, and still win off-road races ( mid engine vw suspension/ 250hp turbo corvair). But people today want something that the dealer will maintain and are willing to pay. john

ford " it was what was on sale the day the car was built, so that is what was used".

the body work behind the driver's head is a leftover from USAC did not allow visible roll bars or cages on sprint cars hence the roll protection was inside the hump streamlined. We have come a long way.

at 81 i have been split 50/50 between Berkshire and vanguard VTI, this has served me well. john but still an element of the orient involved.

Usually wash my hands of all things with connections to that country, but like ALL Americans some items originating there have found their way to my property. And it is not just the usually poor quality being my reason, but survival. john

china ownership just like the last balloon.

That you would even think about him on the track in your Lola speaks volumes about your relationship. john

yes it is. I put 800 miles on my s-1 ( 600 interstate and 200 off) and still could walk and not real tired. john

Am thinking that controlling the weight on the foot-feed would be of more importance. john

when I was in the electronic industry both military and civilian nobody bought test equipment without complete manuals. Now they do not even give you an operation manual for a phone. The act like someone may steal some of their very poor engineering (mostly done by bean counters). It is a good reason not to buy any overly "secret" sourced junk. No schematic, no want-em. Very good argument for mega squirt or some major mfg unit made stand alone by one of the "smarter than the factory" back yard boys. I have never run across a electronic unit that could not be reverse engineered, (although sometimes with a destructive process). Btw I do not speak any asian language and do not plan to learn even if they conquer us. As bad as my superformance is there is at least a complete wiring diagram ( even though there is no parts list, and most certainly no factory support). but now the 66 Ranchero has everything you could possibly want. john

If there is liquid coming from that line, it is not suitable for the vapor system. For the vapor system you need vapor only. Any outlet that raw gas can splash from is unsuitable. ( try over filling your modern auto till fuel shows at the gas cap and you will soon have raw fuel coming out of the canister vent). Usually a line taped to the filler pipe is at the highest point but should be shield from splashing gas while filling and possibly routed to a higher point so that any gas that may get into it drains back to the tank. PS- I know this because-- " when we get older we do not get wiser, we just have a larger repertoire of mistakes we made". john

have a 30 x 80 straight lower sided Quonset. too much wasted surface and hard to do anything with. Go for flat side and roof, much easier to finish the inside and clean. john

ford interbred with jaguar, mazda and others. the results have mostly been poor mongrels with far to much asin DNA.

The cars are well built, mine has been both ways over the 75 miles of the "Burr Trail" at speed. My only complaints are- no foot room -- the front fender attachment is for crap-- and superformance has created an orphan of them-- and parts sources are non existent. For the driver-- well balanced and quite forgiving and not fatiguing.

It is the way they were built. Well accepted practice. john

Even if you cannot learn to weld, you can learn to prep and clamp the parts for a welder to come to you. And ditto on the pedal box from the boy with 13s. john

I wear hearing aids. The vents have been blocked and the molds set deep and fit tight due to my hearing loss. the aids Bluetooth to my phone and auto-compress noise to protect the ears. While I do not do it on a regular basis I have fired my 8" 44 mag without hearing any loud noise. the recipient of my phone calls does get background noise because my voice is transmitted from the hearing aid mike. I love them!