Roll call for Drag Week...

[cjshaker]

Any update on who all is in for Drag Week this year? As far as I know, Alan and I are the only 'for sure' people going this year. What about Kevin? Will you be going this year? Looks like it will be a small FE crowd this year. Maybe 3 or 4 total, and only 1 or 2 of those are forum members, me included.

Except for an oil change and replacing my stock type starter with a Rob McQ starter I bought, I've got all the small things done I wanted to take care of. That gives me roughly 4 weeks to get the DW trailer and hauling rig ready for the trip, which is good because I've got about 2 weeks of other stuff planned before then.   My goal this year is, A: to make it through the week without any issues, and B: to start out running the same as my best last year (12.5) and improve on that. I don't think I'll have any chance of catching Alan with my current set-up. Oh yeah, and C: not get threatened to get kicked out of Drag Week, like I did last year

[jayb]

Sounds like Scott and Jack Miller will both be going with FE cars.  My former trunk monkey Joel is hoping to have his 33 Plymouth ready, but will bring his GTX in case that one is not finished.  Kevin says he is going one way or the other.  The Drunk Monkey and I are staying home 

[thatdarncat]

Plan A, my '67 Cougar, looks like it will not be done in time for Dragweek 2017. My machine shop also is behind on the FE I dropped off, mostly my fault for not getting it there earlier this year. The good news is I feel confident in having the car ready to race by the beginning of race season here next year, so hopefully I can get some track time in before Dragweek 2018. It's disappointing though, since there are always so many unknowns for next year - How far away will Dragweek be?, How much will gas cost?, etc. I'm continuing to work on the car though. 

Plan B this year is going to be my '96 Lincoln MK VIII. Not very exciting I know, but it should be about a second quicker than my '78 Lincoln MK V ( AKA The Road Pillow ) I took last year. I had planned on taking the '96 Mark back on Dragweek 2012, so it already has a set of slicks mounted and a driveshaft loop installed. My mechanic buddy BradFORD & I did an inspection last Friday for any needed maintenance, and we have a list to address over the next few weeks. The '96 Mark is my daily driver and has 234,000 miles though, so it's not a slam dunk that it can complete Dragweek. Even without the Cougar done I still wanted to go this year, hopefully I can provide some reports during the week.

Here's a link to the Dragweek prep we did to the '96 Mark VIII in 2012: http://fepower.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=635.0

[bluef100fe]

I have lots of work to get done but I'm planning on attending. Not booking any hotels or anything, maybe I can snag one at one of the stops along the way. Otherwise does anybody know if any of the tracks have shower facilities? I've slept in the truck enough times but a shower can sure make a person feel refreshed... I bought a slew of safety items the truck needed to be legal for sub 11 ET's... hopefully I didn't forget anything and hot rod will clear me for faster than 11's.   If I read the IHRA rule book correctly, items I needed are 5 point harness, 1-3/4 x 0.118 6 point roll bar, sfi balancer and flexplate, transmission shield, driveshaft loop, wheelbstuds to the end of the lugnuts...  along with getting all that installed, I have to get the new 35 spline rearend, new leafs and brackets installed, sort out the new rear disc brakes, also run a second fuel line for the extra electric pump I purchased since I feel the edelbrock mechanical pump isn't up to the task to keep the new engine fed...nothing like a thrash before dragweek... can you guys that have participated before let me know if there's anything I've missed or over looked? Besides making major changes right before dragweek lol. Thanks

[AlanCasida]

Yup I'm going to be there unless I blow something up ahead of time.    Sorry to hear your not going to make it Jay. It won't be the same without you.

[thatdarncat]

I have lots of work to get done but I'm planning on attending. Not booking any hotels or anything, maybe I can snag one at one of the stops along the way. Otherwise does anybody know if any of the tracks have shower facilities? I've slept in the truck enough times but a shower can sure make a person feel refreshed...

I don't remember noticing any showers at Cordova, GLD, or Gateway - maybe? And I haven't been to Byron before. If no one here has an answer maybe try emailing the tracks? Most of your decent sized truck stops have showers for a few bucks, I've done that a few times while on the road. If you buy Hemi Joel some shrimp during the week you might be able to talk him into using his hotel room shower One issue with booking hotels for Dragweek is often you don't get to spend much time there. I think Jeff Lutz sleeps in his car more than anywhere else. That's one thing about dragweek, it's the great equalizer.

Do you have a trunk monkey going with? Do you have a smart phone? If you do it will be a big help for the map and internet. Last year I bought a suction cup phone holder thing off Amazon to hold my iphone in view while I was driving. It helped since I was alone. If you have a cell phone try to have a way of keeping it charged while on the road - cigarette lighter plug, etc. I've been bringing a clipboard along to hold my Dragweek route sheet - it helps keep the sheet from blowing out the window while you drive ( I assume Big Blue doesn't have A/C ) and if you need to make notes on it. If you don't have a clipboard they're usually available cheap at a thrift store. If you don't have a camera on your phone you'll need a digital camera for taking pictures of the checkpoints, and being able to show the dragweek crew the next day. One good tip I saw was to take pictures on both a camera and your phone - if you lose or break one you'll still have a backup. You have to turn in your timeslip each day too, I take a picture of my timeslip first, just for my records. On registration day you'll need your Drivers license, Proof of insurance and proof of registration that matches the vehicle and VIN. And as you probably remember, they will check for functioning lights, turn signals, brake lights and horn. A cooler is good if you have room for it, and liquids of course. Although the tracks have food stands, they often have long lines, or are quite a ways from the pits, and you may not have much time to leave your vehicle. The tracks often are not prepared for the amount of people that turn out during a week day, and the fact that we are concentrated there for only a few hours. Bring any "unique" or special tools you've modified just to fit your truck. You can probably borrow just about anything up to a welder from another competitor, but it's that special wrench you've bent just to adjust your valves that no one will have. I'm sure I'll think of more stuff, glad you're getting a chance to go.

[cjshaker]

Well duh, I forgot about Scott and Jack

Kevin, I remember that post about your Lincoln. You're going to get a reputation as having the most comfortable cars at Drag Week
I look forward to seeing you again.

Cody, that's great that you're going! I'd love to see your truck going down the track. Sounds like you've got a "Jay's" week worth of work to do (that's a month to normal people ) Hope you get it all finished.

That was all great advice from Kevin. I don't recall seeing any showers at any of the tracks last year, but I'd doubt they'd have them open even if they did. Like Kevin said, being only a partial day event at each track, I doubt they'd have all the amenities open at the tracks. In the event of no shower, a couple of wash rags and some water will get you through the week. It's not like you'll be looking to pick up a hot date    Last year, I had planned on just sleeping at the tracks. That didn't work because they didn't open them the night before. Luckily my wife and sister had booked rooms (they tagged along just to watch), so me and my son just stayed with them at night. A smart phone and clip board are both good ideas and come in very handy. If you don't have a smart phone, a camera and good map are good ideas. Last year one of the roads on the DW map was closed so you had to improvise after the checkpoint. That wouldn't have been possible without a good map or punching the address in a GPS unit. You do have one big plus going for you, you don't need a trailer.

Jay, bummer you won't be going. I'm sure Freiburger will also be disappointed not to see you there. It certainly won't be the same without the Drunk Monkey, he was good entertainment last year

So it seems that 7 or possibly 8 forum members will be going, with either 4 or 5 of them being FE's. Good, I won't be the only forum member there with an FE.

[bluef100fe]

I'm uncertain if I'm going solo yet or not.  hard to get anybody to take a week of vacation to ride along and fix anything that breaks on the mistress... I don't blame them but it would be nice to have somebody to keep me awake... do I need a race license for faster than 11.0? If so thats probably a problem... hoping to have cage installed after this weekend... fit the rest in before the following weekend... been talking about making this trip since I met Jay at kaukauna in 2006? 2007? Should be a hoot if plans come together.

[cjshaker]

Cody, you don't need a Competition License until you run 9.99 or 135 mph.

Ditto on finding someone willing to do this with you. My son went with me last year, but he's into the No Prep, Outlaws thing, so he loved it. This year, my wife is coming, but that basically means I'm on my own when it comes to fixing things. I'm not saying anything more for fear of jinxing myself, and I don't mean with the wife

[thatdarncat]

I'm uncertain if I'm going solo yet or not.  hard to get anybody to take a week of vacation to ride along and fix anything that breaks on the mistress...

Lol, yeah that's why Jay & I have had such a hard time getting our mechanic buddy BradFORD to go along again. Poor guy works all week on peoples stuff, then we try to get him to go on a "vacation" that is really just a communal rolling vehicle torture test.

You don't need a competition license until you hit 9.99, above 10.00 you're ok. 11.00 to 11.50 requires at least a roll bar with padding near driver ( roll cage will obviously be ok ), SFI belts and SFI jacket. What do you have for a seat in the truck - stock bench? One issue I'm not sure of is if they will require you to have a headrest of some sort, at the point where the roll bar is required ( 11.49 ).

Having someone with is nice, it's a cool roadtrip, my issue is Dragweek is always the same time as the NHRA Division V ET Finals, and most of my racing friends are busy there. I found in 2015 I was so hyper sensitive to listening to whatever sound the car was making I didn't really get tired, even late at night. You're also pretty hopped up on adrenaline. Add in usually having to check the route map often, and stopping occasionally for the checkpoints ( which can turn into local car shows ) You'll find you can hook up with random groups here and there on the road portion, and that will help keep you alert. If you do start to get tired there will be plenty of opportunities to stop along the way and help other broke down Dragweekers 

[Nightmist66]

Hope to be there one way or another. Would like to be FE powered, but the project is not looking good right now. Definitely a jayb DW thrash.....

[AlanCasida]

I am in the same spot. My friends don't really want to use up a whole week of vacation just for a ride-along and I can't get them to take their cars. So, I do it by myself. I really don't mind. I have always tried to be self sufficient and I decided from the beginning if there is something wrong with the car that I can't fix myself or requires two people I will call AAA and call it a day. I'm not into pulling transmissions or changing rod bearings on the side of the road anymore! Trying to navigate the driving directions are the most challenging part.

[bluef100fe]

 OK I'll have to check the sfi rating code on my jacket, stock bench seat in the truck and it's gonna stay that way not sure where I would put a headrest since when I have my helmet on in the truck my head is pretty much against the back window already... I was looking in the rulebook and they don't give a height dimension for the 1.25 seatbelt bar?  I assume it needs to be below my shoulders to help hold me down in the seat but I'm uncertain how low I can put it because there's not a Lot of room behind the seat in that cab.. thanks for all the advice so far and any other pointers you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated

[bluef100fe]

How strict are they going to be for proof of registration?  the truck has had collector plates on it for 20 years? All I have is the title and the plates that are on the truck. Would that be sufficient?  I recently put insurance back on it so that's not a problem but as far as the little registration paper that comes with the plates that is long gone lol,  thanks again

[57 lima bean]

"communal rolling vehicle torture test."....Perfect..lol.BradFORD is with out a doubt someone you want on your side.