The 69 Adventure

Chapter 26 - June: a Month of Firsts

Recooperation is slow the older you get.  It didn't seem to matter since the bastard was safely vacationing and the weather was less than cooperative.  I found I missed seeing it in the driveway, but it wasn't a constant reminder of things left unfinished either.  

By the end of May, the doctor released me to race. I was in no rush.  I had determined I wasn't racing until the car was the way I wanted it - no more half-assed runs because this or that wasn't done.  I wanted the car perfect, so the only variable would be the driver - then I could work on getting better times.   I know this wasn't sitting well with some.

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Kat came over the last weekend in May and swapped out the 200lb springs for the 110s.  We had to put the new chrome bumpers on to make it legal.  The new spoiler went on too!
After the spring swap, I was sorely disappointed in the car's stance.  As far as I was concerned, it sat too low in the rear. 

 I was being a real baby about it, but I had this mental image of what my car should look like, and suddenly it didn't fit. 
Kat adjusted the suspension when I was at work the next day and hooked up the speedometer!  When I got home from work, we decided it was time for me to drive the Bastard with the new setup...and try out the line lock!   Sam suggested going down to Miller Airpark and using the terminal parking lot.  

 

Kat and I headed out and actually cruised through downtown Toms River.  The car handled as well as the vert!  With the speedo, I wasn't worried about the car being a cop magnet and speeding. 

Miller Airpark is a well-known area for street racing, but I wasn't terribly concerned.  It was a Monday evening and there was no one around.  
As Kat and I sat in the parking lot, I discovered I still had to stand (with both feet on the brake) before I locked it, if I wanted it to hold at more than 2000 RPM.  Even then, it wasn't holding much more than that.  I wasn't even doing much tire spinning, when I noticed the officer pull into the empty parking lot and roll up next to us.  

The County Mountie asked us what we were doing.  I can't lie and there seemed no point.  I told him I was trying out my new line lock, explaining that I felt it was safer and quieter in an unpopulated area.  He told us the 'park was closed'.  I didn't realize the airport was part of the county park system!  There's no "Closed at Dusk" sign at the street and Motor Vehicle and Doggie Park are in the same area.  It looks like any other county road!  But the cop was cool - told us we could finish up what we were doing: "Take your time, just don't take too long"   We should have asked to take his picture - the Bastard's first encounter with the law.  Kat and I cruised around, stopping for cold pills, on the way home. 

PK had been harping on the rollbar situation since he saw a Mustang crash at Atco.  The rollbar was the only thing that saved the driver's ass and PK was a man on a mission about our safety!  

S&W was having a rollbar sale and PK ordered his from 'Stokes' (in the pic on the left), an old Atco racer.

I ordered mine and took a half day off work.  PK borrowed his dad's truck and we journeyed over to PA to pick up the bars.  It was finally a nice day and I really enjoyed the ride, but the traffic was horrendous.  We didn't get back 'till after 6pm.  By the time we had dinner, it was 7 before we got to the track.

The good news: I finally did a decent burnout on my first run!  I also broke that 109mph barrier I had been fighting all last year.  I also got my best time: 12.4.  

Not bad for the warm-up run - I had just wanted to get a feel for the car - with new springs, gears, shift light, etc.  It felt like a fast run, but I wasn't trying for a best.  At least for me, it seems my best runs come when I don't try so hard.

The second run at 10pm sucked.  But it was me monkeying around with the rachet shifter.  The shift light came on just after I ran through the traps on the 1st run.  Kat reset it and I tried running through the gears manually.  I did fine shifting when the light came on, but obviously it's not where the car needs to shift.  It didn't feel like it was pulling as well as when I let the car do it on its own.  This is something I need to play with.

By the end of that run, I was tired and getting cold.  The Bastard doesn't like the cold anymore than I do, so we called it a night.  

     
`

Julie ran her car too!! 

I was happy - a really good practice run, the car still felt strong, and I hadn't screwed anything up - nothing was broken! 

Sam helped me get the Bastard back to PK's for rollbar installation, but there was no more racing - just rain.  

The driveway is empty again.  The car no longer seems to run my life, but I now have the distinct urge to race the car when it is ready.

  

79camaro305 (Pat) joined us at the track (with Julie above).

Chapter 25  /  Table of Contents