Hi, I'm Chad, and I'm an FE addict. Mostly to the enduring engineering wonder that it is, but also to the fun it adds to my toys and it's near infinite combination of configurations. My first dose was my dad's 1963 1/2 Galaxie 500XL R-code. Peering over the fender at that pair of carbs and the cast iron headers set my path forever. My first tire-boiling, powershifting ride was pure bliss. Drag racing has been in my extended family since before I was a wicked thought, and it's still my favorite motorsport. First drag race: Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1975, age 5, supporting my uncle Ed's (the Bohemian Bulldozer!) campaign for a national title. Wandered the pits solo all day, nosing around where I had no business, nobody seemed to care. I haven't had much track time lately, but soon I hope to be crewing on my buddy Mick's new jet dragster, maybe pilot it a time or two.
I toyed with other Fords and Mercs over the years, and have ended up with my 1964 Galaxie P-code (HD suspension, 390/Toploader) and my 1967 F-100 (240 I-6) cruiser. Unfortunately dad's R-code is long gone, but he's got a 1964 Comet/289 that we play with from time to time. Someday I'll finish the 427LR I'm collecting parts for and stuff it in the Galaxie.
Long ago, I was a small part of the Usenet/AHPBBFM community, but tired of the urinary Olympics (did Rick ever finish one of his cars? did hurricane ever stop trolling?). By the time most of that traffic had migrated to fordfe, I had abandoned the 'tubes for vehicular interaction, and focused on playing with my cars and the other humans I shared space with. A friend of mine sent me a link to a thread here; seeing the technical discussions moved me to join. Thanks to Jay for getting the ball rolling, this looks to be a great community. I've received a copy of Jay's book (thanks for the prompt ship!) and have almost finished it. I'll be posting some questions after I re-read it to make sure I'm not asking any questions that have already been answered. Next book on deck will be Barry's.
Chad D
Wahoo, Nebraska