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How I got Into The Class

To: land-speed@autox.team.net
Subject: How I got Into The Class
From: ARDUNDOUG@aol.com
Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2002 13:32:38 EST
>Scott,
>    I originally chose the Lakester class in the late 80's because I wanted
>to build a dual-purpose car, one that could compete at the nostalgia drags
>and at LSR events. At that time the nostalgia drage were going well here on
>the Left Coast and there were several pretty good events annually.
>    I soon found out that a dual-purpose car is usually a compromise in
>either venue. My car did pretty well, however, as a LSR car, so I ended up
>building a FED Dragmaster Dart replica in 1991-92 to run at the drags. I
>wanted to retain the short wheelbase FED of the late-50's and early-60's,
but
>it had trouble getting the horsepower to the pavement.
>    In 1996 we put a SBC into the lakester for Speed Week and promptly found
>that the roll cage was "oh-too-thin" and "oh-too-small" to pass SCTA specs.
>When we built the car we mistakenly assumed that if it was built to NHRA
>specs and certified as such it would satisfy SCTA. Wroooooong.
>    To redo the cage on a RE car involves everything from the front of the
>engine to the front axle, so I decided to look for another car. I found a
>modified roadster project car in my area that was for sale. In modified
>roadster class I had a chance of going over 200 and earning a "hat", and it
>was an open-car class (easier for an old-guy to enter and exit the car).
>    As it turned out we used little of the project car. The SBC that came
>with it didn't suit our class, I didn't like the R&P steering, VW torsion
bar
>setup, or the Anglia spindles, I wanted a C-4 rather than the 4-speed that
>came with it, I wanted to use my Champ QC with the 3.6 R&P instead of the 9"
>Ford RE, and the body was only suitable as a "plug" from which to fabricate
a
>new ont that had the aerodynamics my "Wind-Wizard" aero-guy wanted.
>    Anyway, two years later (late 1999) the car "hit-the-salt" at World
>Finals and has been entered at several LSR events since.
>    We still use the Dragmaster Dart for R&D on our various engine
>combinations, but it isn't really competitive against the 200+" WB RED cars
>with tranny-brakes.........Ardun Doug

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