www.the351cforum.com

I'm very fortunate to have a warm shop to work in. Getting there on the wiring. I ordered a tool from Summit to finish putting the ignition switch back in, screwdriver wasn't getting it done. And intake gaskets - which I kept forgetting to order. I'll put the 4V Funnelweb back on the car. I ordered the usualy Mr. Gasket Ultra Seal parts - but also ordered a couple of Speedmaster "3V" gaskets just to see. I'll report on those when they get here. Expectations are low on those parts.

Unless I really get interrupted - as usual - I might be done wiring by the weekend. The switch bank powers up everything. Still working on things like backup lights, neutral safety, gauge lights and such. Have to engineer something for switching from the line lock to shifter power. A few more wires and would actually start LOL! Been more careful with the in-car gymnastics so I don't twist a back muscle like I did last week. Even with the seats out it's not easy rolling around in there with the roll bar, let alone getting in and out.



Same pretty much - don't carry CC debt, mortgage and a car payment. Trailer is paid for, the RV is like $180/mth so we could roll that up later. When we pull some out of the 403B, we usually double up our pretax which hides even more income. We like to run right on the hairy edge with like a few hundred $ refund, if any. The proceeds of the 2020 F-350 sale will pay off the 2021 F-150 with some left over. Then we'll just push the 2022 F-350 pmt down as far as we can. Payments into retirement are way larger than the car payment. If/when we go on SS income we'll have half what we get working, so we plan to have as little debt as possible. Selling the house and buying some smaller, less nice (and more work dammit) is not off the table either. We've about doubled that assets value in the last 10 years. We may work another year and use the SS income - which we can draw in full and still work - to push pretax retirement to the maximum allowed. Then consider leaving the work force. The very thought after like 50 years of "goin' to tha job" is just weird.

_________________
Chris - Merkel, TX
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
"Owner built, owner abused."

Gaskets


Mr. G Ultras, the Cometic IGCOM3V225-060 I got from CHI, .060 thick Speedmaster PCE349.1027 and .120 thick Speedmaster PCE349.1024
When I get around to putting the Funnelweb on the car, I'll see how the Speedmaster stuff looks as to fit.

The price L to R - $38.15, $80.00, $11.10, $18.50

_________________
Chris - Merkel, TX
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
"Owner built, owner abused."

Falcon67
Good to see you are getting that wiring wrapped up. Wiring sure can be a chore.

What quick release steering wheel set up is that? I would like to put one in my car. Wonder if the one you have will fit mine?

80 bucks for an intake gasket? Sheesh, I'll pass. I hated spending that much for a damned head gasket, let alone an intake gasket. I've gotten cheap in my old age. LOL

I've been kicking around putting a quick release wheel in my car too, but honestly, I dont know how, and think it probably requires fab skills I dont have. Plus, we're back to that "cheap in my old age" thing as well. LMAO

All the tracks in this area have out their schedules for this year. I wrote down all the points races for the two nicest tracks (Piedmont and Galot) plus the one other close track (Roxboro), their special races, as well as the races the big money promotion group does, plus the dates for the two Flings. Holy crap, 60+ days. The amazing thing is, only one date overlaps. I didnt include Farmington in my spread sheet.
Uh, yeah, I'm not doing that. LOL
I did not include Farmington because it is the farthest track from my house, it's a decent facility, I love the people over there, love the managers, the racers, etc, but damn, in 20 years of racing over there I have only had any luck less than half a dozen times.
At this point I'm not planning on running all of anyone's points races, but I might try to make all of them at Roxboro. They only have 8 points races, and I tend to do fairly well up there. As for the big money races, at this point I only plan to run one entire event; the Fall Fling at Bristol. That track is just so beautiful, and it's too far to drive for just one day. After that, the Spring Fling at Galot, I plan on running just one day of it, plus just one day of each of the Loose Rocker races. The LR races have gotten to where they draw so many cars, you sit around so long it's just not much fun. Plus I havent done worth a crap at any of them in years, so they have turned in to a big waste of money at this point.

Right now I'm fighting some weird stray voltage issue. Something is backfeeding and I haven't yet figured out what is causing it. So yea - wiring can be a brain fry. Everything looks good on paper - then you power up the ignition circuit and between 4 and 7 volts show up on the fan trip circuit and trigger the fan relay. It's nuts.

We'll be at every race, Jr race, diesel race, TnT, etc, etc this year because my wife was hired to run the computer. The lady that was handling it got to be so unreliable that wife was doing it every Friday and then some weekends anyway. Track owner came at the end of last year and just asked "would you please consider doing this". So for sure she'll make more on a weekend than I will in the car - hah! But then I get everything else - track pics when I can, winner's circle, points tracking, track web site, etc. We work harder on race weekends than at the regular job.

Dragster - told the wife this weekend that I'm getting tired of begging chassis people to take a look at the dragster. I want a TIG welder. So after we replace the master bedroom mattress I'm going to buy a welder, and argon tank, misc stuff and a box of drops from the Chassis Shop and learn how to weld chrome moly. Then I can fix my own crap. Technically I think you can MIG CM but I'd rather go for a TIG because then I can weld aluminum for brackets and what not.

https://primeweld.com/products/tig-225x ... tig-welder

Quick Release - I think it's a Moroso, it's been on the car for over 20 years. Helps me get my pudgy self out and over the cage side bar. Similar to this part -

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/kys-100-192 Think mine is a Moroso 80160. Way expensive for no real reason.

I have been threatening to replace it with a multi spline unit because sometimes the 6 way puts up a fight coming on and off. One of the "squeeze release" type multi spline items would just be a little nicer. My steering shaft is right at .750 so anything in that size fits. I pinned the shaft part on rather than welding it.

Something like this I think would be nicer. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/joe-13400

Note that you can barely see the white paint on the receiver - the steering wheel has a wrap of white bandage tape to aid putting the wheel back on in the correct orientation. I need the arms of the wheel in a certain place so as to see the tach and trans temp gauge.

Cometic stuff is high $$$ - yep, yep. They were free from CHI as a gift, after shipping me and intake we all thought was a W base but turned out to be a C base. Otherwise I'd have passed on them.

_________________
Chris - Merkel, TX
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
"Owner built, owner abused."

Tell me about it. I've got Cometic head gaskets in my 377 now.

I kind of want to put a quick release wheel in my car, but honestly, I dont even know where I would begin.

I'll try to get a close up of the setup tonight.

_________________
Chris - Merkel, TX
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
"Owner built, owner abused."

The quick release. I just pinned the adapter to the steering column and it's been there for over 20 years. Welding not required IMHO.
The rubber cover that fits so nicely was found in some plumbing department. The adapter just fit over the stock steering shaft. I may have had to "ream" it out a bit with a sanding roll, it's been so long I just don't remember. It's a snug fit, then just drilled a hole and drove in a roll pin.






The real part number

_________________
Chris - Merkel, TX
http://raceabilene.com/kelly/hotrod
"Owner built, owner abused."

Thanks.
I cant weld, so all those kits that are weld on kind of spook me. The shaft that is in the car I dont think is the factory shaft, but it is splined on the end. I need to measure the diameter of the rod and take a closer look at the splined end and see if I can figure something out.