One more. Some may be upset with what I’m going to say I did to that car. I’m on our little farm in Bakerstown one day finishing up my modification to the hood. I had removed the reinforcing from under the hood and was left with just a stamped piece of sheet metal. A fellow from our sheet metal shop at work had fabricated braces for the underside that allowed the hood to maintain its normal shape. Probably shaved 50 or 60lbs. Was mounting it on 4 pins when up the driveway rolls this 69 Road Runner, ugly green with black wheels and no hub caps. Out of the passenger side comes Mike a guy married to my wife’s best friend from high school. He introduces me to the Plymouth’s owner who just bought the car. It was a 440 Six Pack with plain interior, rubber floor mats, 410 rear and 4 speed. Owner tells be he is taking it to Marvin’s Speed Shop in Evans City for some upgrades. I tell him when he gets it back I’d love to blow his doors off. Now I’m sure he saw my air cleaner that said 375HP and knew he had 390. What he didn’t know was how seriously under rated Chevys HiPo motors were.
About 3 weeks later he and Mike pull into the driveway with a much meaner sounding machine. Knows the wager is $100 but wants a 5MPH rolling start. Ok.
Now I ran the biggest fattest cheater slicks I could keep on the stock rims. I remember even as high as it sat I had to trim the wheel well flange and molding to keep from getting fine cuts on the top of the sidewalls. Those slicks had 2 fine lines of what could pass for tread so you could technically call them tires.
We roll down Bakerstown Rd and swing onto Rt 8 south. I have the wife with me who insisted on going so we could stop for some errand. She had never been I that car when I raced. Anyway I’m now in the slow lane and he pulls up in the passing lane beside me. We slow down to the agreed start speed traffic behind us be damned. When Mike yells go I punch it, those big tires break loose and almost immediately I’m pulling for second. I recall the front fender of that Road Runner beside my door for a very short moment. We arrived at the top of the hill and I turned off on Dickey Rd and pulled over with the Plymouth behind me. Mike walks up to my door hands me the hundred and say the kid is back there literally crying because he just spent $2000 and can’t believe what just happened. Mike also is saying he swears my front end was almost off the ground every time I shifted. I guess the whole time the Chevelle was throwing the wife towards the back seat she was swearing at me and continued her tirade while I was conversing with Mike. Taking her on that ride was another big mistake.
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Frank
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