SAAC Forum

A tow bar?  Even back in the day I would have regarded such an add on to be highly inappropriate for such a special car.  I do recall a Hertz from one of the SAAC publications that had a snowplow on the front.  Such abnormalities are known to occur.  Then again, maybe that was their only car.  There was a time when one car garages were the accepted standard when building a house. 

Hi Van, thanks for reading said poem.  Your times driving in the desert sound magical and mystical.  You should put your experiences down to paper and create a book if you haven't done so already.  I could not imagine driving 170 mph on my own.  The fastest I ever drove behind the wheel was 125 in my 89 Saleen Mustang along a part of Route 66 a very long time ago.  At high speeds anything can happen and that "anything" is most often bad, never good.  I had a blowout of one of my Firestone tires in that Saleen when I was in Toronto driving along Birchmount Road at about 25 mph.  That was a couple years after my Route 66 experiment.  Had said blowout happened on Route 66 it more likely than not, would have spelled my doom.  So I am much more cautious these days.  I could handle 95 mph class on the Silverstate but would not venture beyond that.  Regardless of my worthless hide, it would be heartbreaking to ruin the Boss 302.  Even moreso if the Hertz were to fall victim to an accident.  I think there are minimum and maximum speed limits during each class (except the unlimited) so that it makes it more challenging to meet the target speed.  Great story about the vulture and how it sized up the danger before reacting, unfortunately too late!

Richard

Quote from: TA Coupe on April 08, 2024, 09:25:51 PMMy corner carver Supercab,
Supercharged F150 Lightning. Ran in the 1995 Silverstate Classic open road race. Almost hit 150mph. I was supposed to run it at the Ferrari Virginia city hill climb one year but after keeping up with them on the fast drive up and even going to pass one of them until I was cut off, they had a  meeting and decided to make it a "car" only event so I couldn't set a faster time than some of the Ferrari's.

    Roy

I was interested in running the Silverstate Classic in the lowest category.  I think it was 95 mph per hour as the average speed.  But I understand it is very tricky to maintain as close to your designated speed without going over.  The closest wins I think  Looking at their site now it looks like the speeds for beginners start at 95 mph for the touring class.  It would be fun to take the Boss 302 to the event.  But one needs to have very precise timing instruments on board and likely a navigator for timing.

It is a great look!  Thank for the time expended!

Got inspired by the Sidewinder Road. Wrote this as a result.

Sidewinder Cemetery
By
Richard L. Elsliger © 2024

From the depths of cold darkness
Came the sign for eternal sleep
A land so foul and heartless
Forever placed where souls will keep

Death guards the locked Iron Gate
No soul dares tread beyond the realm
Long resigned to their grim fate
They dally beneath the witch elm

Coyote and sidewinder snake
Tread with grace over Death's dry ground
Happy lives did souls forsake
To this barren land without sound

Locked between heaven and hell
Dawn light breaks through a darkened sky
These restless souls Death must quell
Returned to their graves they must lie

And when the living drive past
The lonely cemetery road
If they knew they'd be aghast
At souls that haunt in their abode

Quote from: FL SAAC on April 08, 2024, 02:34:59 PMHi Rich

Long time no hear. I thought for just one moment that the Aztec God Huitzilopotchi had sacrificed you.

Good to hear all is well

Still alive. Won a trial for a client.  Been busy.  Thor, Loki and Odin are the Gods I need to fear. It's a very old religion. 

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.