SAAC Forum

I normally don't dwell on what really are routine celestial phenomena at any given time in any given place in the world but got inspired to write this ditty on the solar eclipse 2024.

The Solar Eclipse
By
Richard L. Elsliger 2024

When sun and moon and Earth align
The thought sends chills upon my spine
The sun and moon I cannot touch
Their beams and rays I cannot clutch

The sun shines light upon us all
But soon the moon will cast its pall
It moves with stealth across the sky
The sun's bright face it will defy

The time arrives the moon is here
A jaunty gloom so many fear
It glides with ease to block the sun
To tell us all the moon has won

But then the sun again appears
To warm the land, dispel all fears
I will not cross the river Styx
Yet still I fear the next eclipse


And no, I do not fear solar eclipses. Unless I stare at it unfiltered.  I plan to ignore it all on Monday and go about my business.  Besides, this is Chicago and the cloud cover will "eclipse" the eclipse, a spoiler for those who aspire to get a view.

I am very sorry for your loss.  She was a very pretty lady.

Quote from: tesgt350 on April 03, 2024, 04:43:16 PM
I believe it's in Oatman Arizona? 191 Turns in 8 Miles.

https://www.maturesolotraveler.com/post/the-sidewinder-is-one-twisted-road-on-route-66-in-arizona-usa

Never heard of the Sidewinder so thank you for posting.  It looks really worthwhile to visit especially with the Shelby Mustang.
Here is a short video I found on the road.  And yes, Side Oilers, donkeys identified in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDXmPOPuBu8

Driving to Meijer today the Hertz VIN came up yet again.  I wonder what the subliminal message might be.

Always a good idea to swap out old tires. This was the year for mine. Tires have a definite "shelf life" whether used or not.  They look great on your Hertz!

Since my car is seriously a day two car, I will consider Hane's option in light of the fact that there are no new holes needed to be drilled and it is a bolt on bolt off part.  Thank you for your analysis.

I happened upon a discussion about the alleged weak firewall on early Mustangs.  Apparently the brake pedal application can cause the firewall to flex.  I also have a clutch pedal.  The car is not tracked but are there any potential nasty surprises I might encounter with anything breaking or bending with the current pedal setup? 

This is the starting point of a video showing a totally modified 67 fastback where the topic was mentioned.
https://youtu.be/RazJt1rESh4?si=s1qbdQBGKFnwac8I&t=907

I got to researching the issue (as I am want to do) and apparently Hane Performance (Walt Hane who raced and won the B Production in 1966 in an R Model) created a solution.  Not something I would really want to do to a street car and especially not to 6s843 but I don't like surprises while out on a jaunt.
http://haneperformance.com/Firewall-Brace.html
https://youtu.be/RazJt1rESh4?si=s1qbdQBGKFnwac8I&t=907

Apparently no new holes need to be drilled.  It looks awkward but perhaps necessary in a car with metal that is 57 years old? 

As an addendum, I can really recommend Hane's book "Racing to Riverside."  It was a very enjoyable read and he really analyzed the weaknesses he found in the R Model that he modified to make the car indestructible during the racing season in 1966.  The ingenuity he used on his R model was inspiring to say the least. I have no proverbial dog in the fight.  Just passing on a good read.
http://haneperformance.com/index.html

Quote from: Jim Herrud on March 26, 2024, 05:23:02 PM
My issue wasn't brashness - more of a brain fart. I divulged my admission on this forum back in 2019.
https://www.saacforum.com/index.php?topic=7480.msg62613#msg62613

I went to the University in Laramie Wyoming where the WyoTech Automotive school is located. Some of those guys had FAST cars. Occasionally, they would hold clandestine drag races on a little used road north of town where they'd marked out a quarter-mile strip. They would post a guy about a mile away on either side to warn us via CB radio of any approaching traffic. That was probably my most radical scoff-lawery.

I refreshed my recollection by rereading your story.  That was quite an exhilarating experience that you can relive on rewind on any given moment.  It's in the rearview mirror to reflect upon, but you survived and the outcome was a success!  I really would like to write a story about the street racing scene in the 1970s.  I should get on it.  Yeah, the concept was sort of already done in American Graffiti but the 70s had a whole different cultural feel about it.

Quote from: crossboss on March 27, 2024, 12:23:48 AM

Quote from: deathsled on March 24, 2024, 01:57:10 PM
One can only imagine how many other great films he might have made.

Yes. However guys like him in Hollywood during his last days were dying out. McQueen's 'The Hunter' and 'Tom Horn' films were flops at the box office. John Wayne died a year earlier in 1979. By 1981, him and other legendary actors were pretty much finished. The 1980's brought in a new wave of actors like Sean Penn, Brad Pit, Alley Sheedy, etc. The 'Brat Pack' was the rage. Sad, but true.

Yes, very true.  Even wild stallions get put out to pasture so perhaps he would have retired or his star just faded in the nightsky and winked out.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lcD-ChO6i9Q

Maybe only the date changes and the rest stays the same.  According to Mark Twain history doesn't repeat itself but it sure likes to rhyme.

I wonder how many of us were as wild with our cars back in the day.  Me, I wasn't so brash.

One can only imagine how many other great films he might have made.

Quote from: 98SVT - was 06GT on March 23, 2024, 09:07:22 PM
What's with the off road stance?

It does appear to be riding high.  Wrong springs?  The tires appear to fill the wheel wells to an appreciable degree.

843 came up on my Aldi receipt today. Maybe it's a sign to buy a lottery ticket.

Looks like mint condition.

Quote from: shelbydoug on March 11, 2024, 03:12:25 PM
In some circles, Holley power valves have developed the reputation for being fragile.

What happens is that in the case of a backfire, the carbs vacuum chamber is instantly positively (+) pressurize and works the diaphram in reverse to what it is supposed to do.

This could be a common abnormality caused by the choke being too lean in cold temps. Cars that don't get used often in winter driving may never have had the choke adjusted right and having a manual choke can be a little bit of a challenge in sub zero temps too.

This can over stress the diaphragm and cause an "air" leak. Once ruptured or cracked, when the engine is running normally, fuel will leak through the diaphram and into the intake manifold.
How much it leaks fuel depends on how bad the leak is.

Normally there will be symptoms of this that illuminate themselves in the engine running very rich at idle suddenly. If you do not have those symptoms, it is very unlikely that the power valve is defective, so leave it alone.


I think that the change in dependability of the power valves is likely the change in the contractors or suppliers that build them for Holley. It isn't something that anyone talked about having issues with in the '60s that I recall and Holley didn't start to install anti-backfire valves in their carbs until somewhere in the late '70s.

One could argue that addition is in essence a default acknowledgement of an issue that needed to be addressed I think rather convincingly.


That Moroso tool is something that is very usefull to someone who disassembles and reassembles Holley carbs more then once in a while since they would want to be 100% certain there were no component issues.

It doesn't exist to create paranoia.


Personally I just ran into a bad cycle of something like a 50% "bad out of the package" situation and for my own peace of mind wanted reassurance that the new valves were ok. So I bought it.

Used in conjunction with a vacuum pump it lets you verify the opening point of the power valve as well.

For me it is a valuable tool.

Interesting dissertation Doug.  Thank you!