Wompin Wagon back in the day
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Very nice and glad to see it has been saved and back in action! Thanks
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1,596 Posts
Nice shots! I love this car.
I have a question, since I've never popped a wheelie in a car (but have on bikes, quads, rails, and a motorcycle). Why do we turn the wheels when in the air? It's not good for when you land. I wonder what happened when he landed?
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Did you take him?
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Mike
I have a question, since I've never popped a wheelie in a car (but have on bikes, quads, rails, and a motorcycle). Why do we turn the wheels when in the air? It's not good for when you land. I wonder what happened when he landed?
Did you take him?
Mike
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1,502 Posts
I don't know what transpired in this event.....but normally the landing is not pretty. I had this happen to me early in my drag racing years and I promise you.....I did not want it to happen again. I learned quickly to lock my left elbow into the corner of the door glass frame and hold that wheel straight. Had an uncle that used to remind me just before every run......."Stick'er to the floor and hold'er straight." 
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13,578 Posts
Bob is definitely on the right track. When you pull hard enough to bring the wheels off the ground, and the other hand is on the shifter, it's pretty hard to not pull/push the steering wheel one direction or the other. Putting your elbow against something solid is a good trick to keep from moving the wheel.
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2,277 Posts
WoW!!!! Great pics from "back in the day"!!!!!
Looking back on those days it is sad we did not have the cell phones & HD video cameras like we have today. So much of those "fun days" and "great cars" were never filmed or pictures taken.
I owned quite a few cars that I only have a picture or two of. Some of which I either have NO pics of or only a few pics and of course many that I cannot find
For those of you that can still remember....... Just think of the cameras we used to have before the "Kodak Instamatic" came around.
Very few average drag racers spent $$$ for the 35mm cameras that were available back then. Most did NOT have the "automatic" mode and had to be adjusted for "light" & "focused" every time a picture was taken. Prior to the "Instamatic" all we had were those bulky Brownie & Box cameras.
If that wasn't bad enough..... then we had to take the whole roll of film before we could take the film to the drug store or grocery market to get the film sent out to get developed, wait a week to get them back and hope they all turned out OK....... which most of the time they didn't.
Back then ...... the cars were GREAT, the action even better...... but the cameras barely got the job done compared to what is available to us today.
Thanks again for posting the pictures!!!!!!
Looking back on those days it is sad we did not have the cell phones & HD video cameras like we have today. So much of those "fun days" and "great cars" were never filmed or pictures taken.
I owned quite a few cars that I only have a picture or two of. Some of which I either have NO pics of or only a few pics and of course many that I cannot find
For those of you that can still remember....... Just think of the cameras we used to have before the "Kodak Instamatic" came around.
Very few average drag racers spent $$$ for the 35mm cameras that were available back then. Most did NOT have the "automatic" mode and had to be adjusted for "light" & "focused" every time a picture was taken. Prior to the "Instamatic" all we had were those bulky Brownie & Box cameras.
If that wasn't bad enough..... then we had to take the whole roll of film before we could take the film to the drug store or grocery market to get the film sent out to get developed, wait a week to get them back and hope they all turned out OK....... which most of the time they didn't.
Back then ...... the cars were GREAT, the action even better...... but the cameras barely got the job done compared to what is available to us today.
Thanks again for posting the pictures!!!!!!
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2,322 Posts
He might have felt the car heading to the left a little also. When the front is up every feeling is multiplied and it is easy to over correct. My Firebird would lift and then settle down and touch, then lift again, all the while pulling to the right. This is the write up off my run that night. It describes the run in pretty good detail. This was before the turbo, on 200 hp nitrous.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hbjP3QN6jk&feature=player_embedded
Here's a post from another forum about my last night at the strip. See if you enjoy it.
Union Grove WI Great Lakes Dragaway. 10-3-07.
Imagine this. I'm pulling up to the front of the staging lanes. On my left side pulls up a full on ProStock Cuda. Big weenies on the narrowed rear. Full four link suspension. Full pretty chrome wheelie bars on the back. Wicked sounding engine of some unknown heritage cackling away with the sound of high compression pulling atmosphere thru too big ports, dumping the used high octane racing fuel out the too big chrome masterpiece headers (later found out he had a built 440 running nitrous).
I've been lucky pulling more mundane vehicles all night so this has got my blood boiling. I think to myself, well finally found that guy that they say is always faster than you. I'm thinking I hope I don't look too bad.
We stage. My trans brake has not been working all night so I am foot braking. I get staged and it takes a while for him to come up. I've been up and down several times on the brake waiting. I'm getting a little peeved as I'm wasting time wondering if they are going to run me solo or are we waiting for Mr. Prettycar.
Finally he comes up and stages. The lights start down and I mat the throttle at the last yellow, letting off the brake and hitting the nitrous in one outstanding (for me) motion. I see the Cuda jump out on me (I'm thinking I must have slept on the tree). The TA starts clawing at the sky lifting and dropping the front end once, twice, three times just as the front starts hooking to the right towards the wall. I correct, all this time holding the throttle to the floor and a good solid push on the nitrous button. I have to fight the wheel. I have the steering pulled all the way down until my thumb is almost pulled off of the nitrous button when the car finally corrects and I straightens out. No letting up on this one and I've already passed the Cuda.
The Cuda stays right at my door. 1/8th mile comes up and I start pulling just ever so slightly on him. He is 6.683 @ 106.45. I'm 6.578 @ 107.11. I hold this position thru most of the rest of the run but just start to pull him a little more going thru the lights. He hits a 10.401 @ 131.61. I hit 10.251 @ 133.80.
I'm so stoked I over shoot the turn off and have to go all the way down the extended shutdown area. (They need to fix that area up a little). After getting the time slip I realize that he actually red lit with a -.090 light and I hit a real nice, under the gun, .015. That's why he pulled out on me at first.
Well what do you think? Man what a rush.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hbjP3QN6jk&feature=player_embedded
Here's a post from another forum about my last night at the strip. See if you enjoy it.
Union Grove WI Great Lakes Dragaway. 10-3-07.
Imagine this. I'm pulling up to the front of the staging lanes. On my left side pulls up a full on ProStock Cuda. Big weenies on the narrowed rear. Full four link suspension. Full pretty chrome wheelie bars on the back. Wicked sounding engine of some unknown heritage cackling away with the sound of high compression pulling atmosphere thru too big ports, dumping the used high octane racing fuel out the too big chrome masterpiece headers (later found out he had a built 440 running nitrous).
I've been lucky pulling more mundane vehicles all night so this has got my blood boiling. I think to myself, well finally found that guy that they say is always faster than you. I'm thinking I hope I don't look too bad.
We stage. My trans brake has not been working all night so I am foot braking. I get staged and it takes a while for him to come up. I've been up and down several times on the brake waiting. I'm getting a little peeved as I'm wasting time wondering if they are going to run me solo or are we waiting for Mr. Prettycar.
Finally he comes up and stages. The lights start down and I mat the throttle at the last yellow, letting off the brake and hitting the nitrous in one outstanding (for me) motion. I see the Cuda jump out on me (I'm thinking I must have slept on the tree). The TA starts clawing at the sky lifting and dropping the front end once, twice, three times just as the front starts hooking to the right towards the wall. I correct, all this time holding the throttle to the floor and a good solid push on the nitrous button. I have to fight the wheel. I have the steering pulled all the way down until my thumb is almost pulled off of the nitrous button when the car finally corrects and I straightens out. No letting up on this one and I've already passed the Cuda.
The Cuda stays right at my door. 1/8th mile comes up and I start pulling just ever so slightly on him. He is 6.683 @ 106.45. I'm 6.578 @ 107.11. I hold this position thru most of the rest of the run but just start to pull him a little more going thru the lights. He hits a 10.401 @ 131.61. I hit 10.251 @ 133.80.
I'm so stoked I over shoot the turn off and have to go all the way down the extended shutdown area. (They need to fix that area up a little). After getting the time slip I realize that he actually red lit with a -.090 light and I hit a real nice, under the gun, .015. That's why he pulled out on me at first.
Well what do you think? Man what a rush.
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1,502 Posts
Congratulations Mark. I could just see the entire run, smell the raw gas and feel the adrenalin rush. I also know the feeling of looking at "the wall." I recall the '71 Spring Nationals in Rockingham, NC. I was running the Anglia in C/G during time trials and having a real handling issue. In the pits after one particular run I remember a gentleman approaching me a saying, "get a handle on that car before you kill yourself or someone else. It runs good but it'll run quicker if it runs straight." I replied that we were doing everything we new to do and blamed the problem on the combination of short wheelbase and horsepower. He then knelt down and looked under the car at the rear-end and commented, "move the rear-end over three quarters of an inch to the right." He got up and went on his way. Yep......I thought, is he crazy or what. A few minutes later I was telling my uncle, whom I owe a huge amount of gratitude, what the guy said. He asked if I had recognized the guy. I had no clue. "Smokey Yunick," he said. Needless to say we didn't waist much time cutting the rear out and moving it. And yes, it ran straight as an arrow.
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13,578 Posts
Wow! Loved the video and story Mark! Your Firebird was a very fast car, and good looking too!
Great story Cptnbob! Those were fun times back then, and I'm sure more fun ahead with your new project!
Great story Cptnbob! Those were fun times back then, and I'm sure more fun ahead with your new project!
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1,502 Posts
Thanks Val. Yea.....those really were "the days." Met some great people and had some fun times. Looking forward to getting the Morris started. I've got almost all the parts checked off my first phase list. I just need to find that perfect frontend and it'll be time to purchase the steel and get started on the chassis. Got my front tires yesterday and got them mounted on the cragars.
Is the Mouse Trap home yet?
Is the Mouse Trap home yet?
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13,578 Posts
Yeah, the Mouse Trap is in the garage, and ready to begin cleanup and assembly!Thanks Val. Yea.....those really were "the days." Met some great people and had some fun times. Looking forward to getting the Morris started. I've got almost all the parts checked off my first phase list. I just need to find that perfect frontend and it'll be time to purchase the steel and get started on the chassis. Got my front tires yesterday and got them mounted on the cragars.
Is the Mouse Trap home yet?
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