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We are back at it again for the 2001 race season. There were a few modifications to the car over the winter, but not many. I finally stepped up to a transbrake, beefed up third member and drive shaft, and am now trying to learn to drive it all over again. They say that once you use a transbrake you will never go back. I can already see that this is true. Who wants to foot brake when you can pull 8" wheelstands and lose sight of the track. The car's reaction time is much faster, and I am prone to red- lighting now. Time to learn the tree all over again. Once again I would like to extend my gratitude to Chilliwack Pick-A-Part for their continued support. In addition, a special 'thankyou' goes out to Jim Chand of Fairlane Collision & Repair for a most impressive paint job. This car will again participate in the 2001 race season at both Mission Raceway and the Ashcroft Eagle Motorplex, in British Columbia, Canada.
So far this year I have run a best of 10.33 at 128.24 mph. The overall combination is as follows. The engine is a 0.030 over 401 with stock rods and Arias 13:1 pistons. The heads have had mild bowl work (by Zoltan) and host 2.08" intakes and 1.68" exhaust Manley Extreme Duty valves. The cam is a Comp mechanical with .577 lift. Rockers are Harland Sharp rollers, and the push rods are from Smith Bros. ATI made the balancer, and Mondello manufactured up a custom SFI approved flex plate (in case I ever feel like going 9s - yeah right!). I upgraded to a Milodon 7 litre oil pan with the dual swing pickup assembly. The block oiling system was modified to add extra oil to the back of the cam gallery to enable rpm up to 7000. I am now running a set of Hooker Supercomp Headers and a Holley 850 double pumper carb. MSD 6AL and a factory electronic distributor provide the spark. The transmission is a Chrysler 904 with an aluminum front drum, Griner valve body and transbrake, and 4500 stall TCS race converter. A custom machined yoke had to be made so that I could move up to the 1350 Spicer U-Joint. The rearend is a 8 3/4" out of an early 70s 'A' Body Dodge. Dutchman axles and a Strange Spool keep the third member in one piece, and the 3.91 gears put the car at 6600 rpm through lights. The largest tires that I could fit on the car without mini wheel tubs were the Mickey Thompson 9.5 x 28 x 14 Drag Slicks.
The car weighs in at 2435 lbs (2620 lbs with me and a full bladder). The weight reductions were achieved by completely stripping the interior, removing the 40+ lb crash beam from each door, swapping all the glass with Lexan, and replacing the hood with a fiberglass replica of the '70 Hornet S/C 360 hood. The doors and fenders are original steel. The car has stock suspension with the exception of home made slapper bars. The 6 point roll bar is legal for the 10s as the floor and fire wall are unmodified. The battery is in the rear, and the fuel cell is in the engine compartment across from the stock battery location. For the most part, this is a relatively primative car when compared with the other equipment producing similar time slips. Light weight and a short wheel base is the key. In summary, Gremlins make GREAT drag cars!!
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