Baller dbski Posted November 5, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 5, 2019 Looking at the upcoming weather forecast it looks like it's the end of roadster season. Went for a great drive today and if it's the last one, I'm bummed but it's been a great summer. I can't decide if I'm more dejected about the end of ski season or the last drive! Since getting the car legally on the road in May I've put almost 5000 miles on it. While building it one of my biggest concerns was, would I enjoy driving the car? It has performed well beyond my expectations! It is truly a blast to drive. I've driven it on a couple 300 mile trips with no problems. The only breakdown I had was on the initial drive, I popped a loose radiator hose. I drive it as my daily driver, weather permitting. The car handles great, is fast and cruises on the interstate straight as an arrow. 80MPH is 2100rpm's. Not to say everything is perfect. The seats provided with the kit look nice but are kind of a joke. The seat bottoms have 1" of foam over steel bars. Every big bump was a shot of pain up the back. I was beginning to learn where all the big bumps were around my house. I put a set of Corbeaus in, what a difference. 4" of foam over springs makes a huge difference. The clutch is ridiculously stiff, time for a different pressure plate. The exhaust dumps in front of the rear tires right at earshot. It's fine for a short distance but tiring on a trip. I'm going to extend it to the rear and french it in the center of the rear pan. I bought the removable hardtop when I ordered the car, big mistake. I haven't owned a ragtop since high school, I forgot how much fun driving with no top is. I can't imagine driving it with a top. The only problem is getting caught in the elements with no top. I'm going to order the soft top that stores in the trunk when not in use. I drove most of the summer with no hood. I just recently installed it but I made it easily removable with hood pins as I really like it equally with or without. As bummed as I am to end the driving season, it's now time to start working on it again. There is a ton of body work ahead of me. I see a lot of sanding in my future! I've been going back and forth about color, right now I'm thinking a med-dark metallic gray. One thing about a Hot Rod is that it will never be done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jetsetr Posted November 5, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 5, 2019 Looks great! Out the back exhaust will still sound great but be much less annoying on long drives... Here’s my winter project... 1940 Ford pick up (all steel) on a 1998 GMC 4WD chassis, powered by a Rolls Royce 601-22 with afterburner... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 2Valve Posted November 5, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 5, 2019 @dbski I feel your pain. Major withdrawals this time of year, pulling the Inboard out and then having to winterize the two motorcycles. I keep the Corvette available for those sunny salt free days though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller jhughes Posted November 5, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 5, 2019 @Jetsetr hilarious one-up with a legit jet engine, hahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jetsetr Posted November 5, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 5, 2019 Not meant to be a one up...his hot rod is great...a ton of pride/feeling of accomplishment goes into building anything that’s unique like his hot rod... Sorry if it came across like that... Both my ‘40s are turbine powered... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller dbski Posted November 5, 2019 Author Baller Share Posted November 5, 2019 No sweat, never gave it a thought! I love anything mechanical, my father actually built a jet-powered car in the 50's as a high school shop teacher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Ed_Johnson Posted November 6, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 6, 2019 It's definitely in Skiers DNA to have Fast Toy's !!! I Loved building a 12' Aerobatic Jet that went 350 mph and could go straight up !!! You Guy's need to keep these on the ground though !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jetsetr Posted November 6, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 6, 2019 Lots of LSR “keep it on the ground” trickery on the red 40. Have had it to 270+ with no issues (but that’s fast enough/probably too fast without wind tunnel testing). It usually runs 205-215 in the 1/4 so I measure off another 660ft when we do airshows with it and chop it there... The “big” 40 is for Monster Jam shows and car burning...no go fast for that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Ed_Johnson Posted November 6, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 6, 2019 @Jetsetr... Les Shockley let me drive his jet dragster at one of our Airshows and it got to 250 pretty quickly and so smooth. The problem was, at that point, it was accelerating better than ever, unlike a regular dragster that the engine is finished at that point. With the jet, your grinning from ear to ear and you just want to keep going. The hardest thing is to shut it down. That thing would have gone till it disintegrated itself in no time. What a ride !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 76SS Posted November 6, 2019 Baller Share Posted November 6, 2019 @dbski Beautiful ride, what did you power it with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller dbski Posted November 6, 2019 Author Baller Share Posted November 6, 2019 @"76S&S" It's a 302 small block Ford. Pretty mild right now but I see "more power" in the future! I'm a big proponent of a Ford in a Ford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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