"Project 4-Link" torn to pieces -- on purpose.

Well, I am not sure where all my readers are from but it is COLD up here in Iowa. In my last article I mentioned things to do as cold weather and the off-season approaches. Last winter all I did was store the dragster for the winter, look it over and plan for the next race season. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES! I am in the middle of freshening my 540-inch Mopar that Indy Cylinder Heads built. Looks great so all it will get is a new set of roller lifters, a set of bearings and a Roeder Performance hone job for the new top ring. The Mike's Transmission powerglide is out and apart so the clutches and internal pieces can be checked. The chassis is getting the "going over" to see if there are any cracks and to maintenance the four-link rod ends, the Strange third member, lube the front spindle bushings and change a few things in the wiring to meet the new IHRA/NHRA rules (more on this later!). I get a lot of comments about "how nice it must be to have the money to have someone else build your race car". It isn't about money it is about "VALUE". If you buy the best parts you can they will be durable and the resale of the entire racecar remains higher than most home made cars. As you can see I have some "REALITY" in my race budget. I do my own engine rebuilds and maintenance. I do not have a trick shop with all the bells and whistles. It is a 75 year-old garage with three stalls filled to the roof with boxes of dragster parts right now. Not sure if it will all be back together in time but I'll stay at it every night while the snow flies!

I have added a few photos to this column to show how "not trick" the garage is. When Barb comes out to the garage she can't believe the "piles of parts" out there.

The inside view of the Mike's Transmission Ultimate 'glide. Everything looks great after about 400 runs and all it will get is a dual ring servo from BTE, some seals and a little TLC from local transmission expert, Steve Oldani, and get put back in along with the BTE 9-inch converter.

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