Drip Pan
DRIP PANSEE AND BE SCENE (DRIP PAN) ...aaaand a couple of Bonneville Reviews…....
This-here is where we run pics of iron that we get in the mail or by e mail. You know, kind of a ‘Reader’s Rides’ thing or “See and be scene”. In fact, we’ll kinda call this “See and Be Scene” !! So if you got a project or some iron you had for a long time or whatever, e mail us a look at it and hell, you too could be Fairly-Famous with 18 other really bitchin guys.
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KEN SCHMIDT OF THE ROLLIN’ BONES SAYS:
WHY IN THE HELL WOULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND TAKE THEIR STREET RODS TO BONNEVILLE ! IT’S THE NASTIEST , HARSHEST , MOST METAL EATING PLACE IN THE WORLD ,AND HOT AS HELL TO BOOT !!!!!!!!
FOR STARTERS I BLEW A HEAD GASKET IN MY COUPE THE FIRST NIGHT AFTER DRIVING 700 MILES . WE HAD TO CHANGE IT WITH FLASH LIGHTS AT AN ABANDONED GAS STATION , DIDN’T GET TO THE MOTEL UNTIL AFTER ELEVEN . AT LEAST WENDY’S WAS STILL OPEN AND RICHIE ( OUR FOOD GUY ) HAD PLENTY OF BEERS ON ICE . EVEN WORSE A PHONE CALL FROM DENNIS VARNI TOLD OF THE POSSIBLE CANCELLATION OF SPEED WEEK DUE TO RAIN . KEITH , RICHIE AND I WANTED TO GO HOME BUT DAN INSISTED HE DIDN’T COME ALL THE WAY FROM ENGLAND TO TURN AROUND AND GO HOME , BESIDES WE HAD A ROLLING CHASSIS TO DELIVER TO JOHN SWANDER THE NEXT NIGHT , SO ON WE WENT ARRIVING IN DES MOINES THE FOLLOWING NIGHT . THE FOOD WAS GOOD ( JOHN BOUGHT ) BUT HE DRANK ” OUR ” BEER . THE COUPES WERE ” STILL ” RUNNIN’ SO WE CONTINUED WEST STILL NOT SURE IF THE RACES WERE ON . KEITH , RICHIE AND I WANTED TO GO HOME BUT REPORTS FROM DENNIS WERE PROMISING AND DAN INSISTED WE KEEP GOING . IN FACT HE TALKED ME INTO LETTING HIM DRIVE MY COUPE CAUSE ” I’D BE MORE COMFORTABLE IN THE VAN PULLING THE RACE CAR ” .
BY NOW RICHIE HAD PULLED HIS 48 BOBBER OUT OF THE BOX AND WAS TAKING IN THE SIGHTS ON HIS ” SCOOT ? ” . SOMEWHERE IN UTAH THE STARTER SMOKED ON THE COUPE SO PUSH STARTS WERE IN ORDER . ONCE AT THE EDGE OF THE SALT WE WERE GREETED BY ABOUT A HALF A MILE OF 6 TO 8 INCHES OF WATER FOLLOWED BY A MILE OR SO OF WET SALT . KEITH , RICHIE AND I WANTED TO GO HOME BUT YOU KNOW DAN .
HOW RACING STARTED AND WAS EVEN HELD ON TIME WAS JUST A MIRICAL DUE TO THE UNBELIEVABLE EFFORTS OF THOSE IN THE STCA !!!!!! . INFACT AS THE MEET WENT ON THE SALT GOT BETTER AND BETTER . WE MADE TEN PASSES IN OUR 276 CI FLATHEAD ROADSTER WITH AN ADVERAGE SPEED OVER 120 MPH WITH ” THE LIMEY ” DAN AGAIN HAVING THE FASTEST RUN OF 122 . 632 .
THIRD CREW MEMBER LOOKS LIKE BILLY, SO…..
ARE THE FIRST TWO DINO AND DESI????????
KIM VINCENT EVEN MADE A PASS AT 115 + MPH . OF COURSE BEING ” MEN ” WE STARTED TO RAZE HER A LITTLE WHEN SHE CUT US OFF AT THE KNEES WITH ” HOW FAST DID YOU GO ON YOUR ROOKIE RUN ? ” ( 102 ME AND 104 KEITH ) TOPPING OFF THE WEEK GEORGE POTEET LET KEITH AND I MAKE A COUPLE OF PASSES IN HIS 32 ROADSTER AND 60 STARLINER , BOTH POWERED BY ROUSH BUILT 800 HP ENGINES . WE GOT C LICENSES AT 167 AND 174 .050 (KICKED HIS ASS AGAIN ) . NEXT YEAR WE WILL GO FOR THE B AND A .
FOURTEEN TRIPS THROUGH THE SALT WATER TOOK IT’S TOLL ON THE COUPES HOWEVER , LIKE I SAID WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD TAKE THEIR STREET RODS TO A PLACE LIKE THIS ??????
MY NEW STARTER AND KEITHS ALTERNATOR QUIT ABOUT WAY HOME AND HIS UNIVERSAL WASN.T SOUNDING TO GOOD EITHER . ( OF COURSE COULD THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE WAY HE DRIVES ? THAT NEW ENGINE IS JUST FLAT MEAN !!!!!! ) EVEN WITH A NEW ATERNATOR HIS COUPE WASN’T CHARGING SO IT WAS BATTERY SWITCHING FOR HIM AND PUSH STARTS FOR ME . ” DAMN WE HATE BONNEVILLE , IT’S JUST SO HARD ON OUR POOR LITTLE STREET RODS ”
THEN TO TOP OFF THIS HORRIBLE TRIP WE ARE WITHIN JUST ONE EXIT OF GETTING OFF THE THURWAY , NOT TWENTY FIVE MILES FROM THE END OF THIS NIGHTMARE AND TRAFFIC STOPS , FOR TWO HOURS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SEEMS A TOUR BUS FULL OF OLD FOLKS CAUGHT ON FIRE , THERE HAD TO BE FIFTY EMERGENCY VEHICALS . KEITH AS ALWAYS WAS WAY AHEAD OF US SO WE FIGURE HE’S ALREADY HOME BUT THERE HE WAS , NEXT TO THE SCENE ( NO ONE GOT HURT ) , BATTERY DEAD , ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SUROUNDED BY TROOPERS TELLING HIM ” WHEN YOUR BUDDIES GET HERE YOU GOT ONE MINUTE TO GET THIS PIECE OF SHIT OUT OF HERE OR IT’S GETTING TOWED ” WITH NO CHARGED BATTERIES AND IN THE DARK WITH HALF DEAD FLASHLIGHTS WE TOOK THE BATTERY OUT OF THE VAN WHILE IT WAS RUNNING , PUT IT IN HIS COUPE AND GOT THE HELL OUT OF THERE WHILE THE GETTIN ” WAS GOOD !
WE ARE STILL CLEANING OUT THE SALT , LIKE I SAID , WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD TAKE THEIR STREET RODS TO A EVIL PLACE LIKE BONNEVILLE WHEN IT’S SO MUCH NICER TO TRAILER YOUR QUEER ” OPPS ” I MEAN ” QUEEN ” TO A NICE CAR SHOW WHERE YOU CAN SIT BEHIND IT , DUSTER IN HAND , AND IF THE SKY LOOKS A LITTLE DARK , PUT IT RIGHT BACK IN THE BOX .
BONNEVILLE AIN’T NO CAR SHOW AND OUR ” HOT RODS ” AINT NO STREET RODS AND WE STARTED MAKING PLANS TO GO FASTER WITH OUR FLATHEAD ROADSTER THE NIGHT BEFORE WE LEFT TO COME HOME .
” GOD ” WE CAN’T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT’S BONNEVILLE
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JOE DAVIS’ SPEEDWEEK STORY:
THAT’S HOLLYWOOD JOE DAVIS LOOKIN’ PITHY IN THE BACK
Pic from Marc D’ Estout
Speedweek, 2007 was a smashing success for the Hop Up Racing Team with 2 records in the books. As “ Carlos”, (Mark Morton) was involved in wedding plans for a relative, as well as business stuff, and couldn’t make it, back up driver ” Mild Mitch” (Allen), took the bull by the horns, or the steering wheel in this case and stepped up to run the car.
Needing a father figure to look after him,” Hollywood”, (Joe Davis) took on the job of crew chief and together we flew from Sacramento, Ca. to wonderful River City and drove the Hop Up Magazine rig to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Arriving in Wendover Thursday afternoon we went out to the end of the road to see how wet it was. It had rained quite a lot in the last week and we were expecting the worst. Talking to an official, she said” This is Lake Bonneville Marina: A NO WAKE ZONE: 5 MPH OR LESS”, so we returned to town as neither of us could swim. Friday morning brought clear sky and much less water to wade thru to get to the track. SCTA had 3 courses ready until the rains came, and they scurried to get 2 courses good to go by Friday. Which they did! Wonderful work by all involved! The courses were the best in a long time, but short: 6-7 miles long on both courses. Tom Burkland, who received Hot Rod Magazine’s fastest car trophy for last year, didn’t even unload, knowing he needed 8 miles to reach 410 mph and STOP.
DAYLIGHT RECORD RUN COMIN’ UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TUGBOAT’S FORD TRUCK IS THERE IN CASE YA NEED A POOOOSH!!!!!!!
Above two pics from Gus Varetakis
We needed to do a “rookie bailout” as Mild Mitch hadn’t driven a car here before, which we did, and the car passed tech with out any problems. Friday we were joined by the rest of the crew; (Mark )” Big Johnson”, The Mean Munchkin Motor Man,” Tugboat Mike” (Epstein) and his father,” Wild Jim”. These guys really were the ”Jive Five”. Saturday brought even less water on the flats and our first run of the season turned a 111.589. Ok, but not beating Carlos’s record of 116.196. We left the rig in line Saturday night and turned another 111.748 Sunday morning.
Ok, time to make some changes, which we did, and Sunday afternoon we hit 120.217 which caused quite a stir within our group.(And outside, so I hear.Ed.) People in the pits said they could hear us yelling out on the race track. And off to impound we went. The stress level went up several degrees as we rechecked everything and put her to bed for the back up run the next morning. We had to be on the flats by 6A.M. Monday to be ushered to the starting line, and the back up record runs were the first to run each morning. I was so nervice it took three tries to get MM belted in correctly before they let him run. That run netted 118.992 for the new improved record in Vintage Four cylinder Flathead Modified Roadster of 119.604.
Not satisfied with one record, as the inspector was verifying our car, he mentioned we should try for the record in the Fuel class. It cost $150.00 to change classes with the same car and we were not going to do it, until our fantastic pit pals antied up the money . Many thanks goes out to our new good friends, Randy Gribble, from S.D., his brother Todd, from AZ., his son Chris, Ken Black, from Mo. and Ken Treloar, also from S.D. I can’t thank them enough for all their help with setting up the banquet Monday night also. Ken renumbered the car from 1243 to 1249 with colored tape and it looked great in keeping with the Hop Up tradition of lookin good! Running on an open record, against a 9 mph headwind, we turned116.351 Tuesday morning. Off to impound we went, again. This time, the stress level was nill, as we did nothing to the car, and enjoyed socializing with the other racers. we bavcked that run up Wednesday morning with a 115.642, against a 11 mph headwind, giving us another record in Vintage Four cylinder Flathead Fuel Modified Roadster of 115.868. not bad for an old 1932 “B” motor, with a Winfield head, two 97’s and a ‘39 box. Wednesday we decided “You meet the nicest people in impound” as all the officials bent over backwards to show us a great time.
The 100 mph Banquet went off Monday night as always, drawing the largest crowd yet. Marc D’Estout gave out 4 shirts there: nathan stewart in V4F/BGL turned 150.700. His brother Jeff went 150.292 with the same car in Blown Fuel Liner. Tom Branch did 111.589 on his saturday rookie run, and his Mildness Mitch got a shirt also. Dick Martin got a shirt for his run at El mirage, and before we got outta Dodge, Fabian received a shirt in a small but neat ceremony at his pit. Bill Lattin also, and as we were packing up to leave Wednesday morning, our favorite Rocket Scientist, Ron Jolliffe, came tearing up wanting the hat, key chain and T-shirt for his101.861 thru mile one. He actually broke the borrowed motor and still coasted thru the traps above 100 mph.The trip home was uneventful except for listening to the hookers on the CB outside of Winnemucca, Nv. Our heartfelt thanks to Mark and his lovely bride Evonne for all their hospitality and for making this grand experience possible. As “Almost The Oldest Living Hot Rodder ” , Frank McFadden, told me: There is nothing in the world like having breakfast on the salt and watching the sun come up. I am hooked and hope you can join us next year.
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HOP UP KINFOLK FROM CONNECTICUT, ROB GIBBY AND HIS RACER
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Here’s a couple cars spotted at the BBQ; see Ted Bowen’s other pics of the Bang-quet in Hopupland
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DARRYL SAW THIS ROADSTER AT DEUCE DAY
Always trad and always in good taste; those Canucks know something.
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DAVE TAKES THE FIRST LAP IN HIS BANGER/SPRINT CAR
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JAKE AND LOU ANN ROLLIN’ AT THE RUMBLE
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BOSPARTS
Here’s some doo-dads that go along with the chassis we showed last month. We’ll track this car all the way to a feature in Hop Up Volume…well, Paul..which one will it be???
Paul says those nice ‘Bergs are from Max Musgrove, our ‘connection’ in Utah who pulls some strings each year for the 100 MPH Club Bang-quet.
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STEVE SERR NEW BONNEVILLE BANGER
Kinda makes ya think Mitch oughta quit while he’s ahead…them banger’s are done gettin’ scary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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HOPUPLAND HAS LOTS MORE AND SPEEDSHOP HAS BACK ISSUES AND SWAG!
