My latest project: 1970 Dodge Dart 512 C.I. Bracket Racer

Some of you may remember that I used to have a 1972 Dodge Dart which I drag raced.

Well, I got the itch to get back into racing Our new house is only 3 miles from the Speedworld racetrack and I can faintly hear them running the cars from our house. It was just too much for me to bare I haven't been doing much in the way of local fourwheeling, so I thought drag racing would give me something to do on the weekends.

A couple weeks ago I bought a 1970 Dodge Dart off of E-bay. The car was located in New Jersey, a mere 2500 miles from home I decided this was the right car for me mainly because I really needed to get out of the house on my own for a couple weeks and this was just the excuse I needed

The car is going to be stripped and repainted. It will get new quarter panels, at least one rocker, one floorpan, new door hinges, fiberglass hood, bumpers, and most likely trunk lid as well.

The new color will most likely be orange, but it just may end up being red, like my old one. Plans for it include a 650HP, 512 CI, big block Mopar and an automatic transmission. I'm just not sure if it will be from BB or SB or whether or not it will even be a Mopar I plan on ditching the torsion bar front suspension for an aftermarket K member which gives you rack and pinion steering, upgraded brakes, and the choice of coilover shocks or airbag suspension.

The rear end in the car right now is a trussed Mopar 8 3/4", with a three link suspension and coilovers.

 

[Rick]

Here's the photos from the FNF race a couple weeks ago:

 

[Trckmagik]

Awesome Rick. Love the black and white photos.

 

[tdavis]

Hi Char!

Probably one of the few times Char, You, and your car is in the same picture!

 

[Rick]

A couple shots from yesterdays races. Started out good, but I got knocked out in the third round

 

[Rick]

Wow!! Just found out that I will be able to compete in the "King of the Track" competition in a couple weeks. They take the top ten finalists from all of the different groups that run at the track and put them together for this invitation only event.

I placed 9th out of 31 cars in our group and didn't participate in the first two events so not too shabby!

I'm honored to have made it to this event considering this was my first year behind the wheel in over 25 years!!

 

[GJarrett]

 

[BigRondo]

Nice!

 

[olskool reddevil]

Been away for a bit just trying to get caught up congrats Rick!! BTW that car looks like it hooks up pretty wicked both front tires just a hair off the track looks like equal amount though am I correct?

 

[Rick]

Yes, it lifts evenly. No twist.

 

[olskool reddevil]

Kool, thank you

 

[Rick]

...

 

[Rick]

Top shot is during the wheelie. Bottom shot is just as it landed.

Found out my CalTrac bars need to be in the upper hole to make them level at rest. I never put an angle finder to them before. When eyeballing it, it looked as if the top hole would have made the bar angle upward at rest. Found out that in the top hole the angle is ZERO. May help the weight transfer, reducing the 60ft time. Can't wait to try it out. Could also pull a bigger wheelie. Hopefully I can get some pics when I try it.

 

[gmanpaint]

Sweet stills! Seeing wrinkle walls working is always a rush to me.

 

[techieman33]

enough said

 

[Cobraguy]

I don't know if you got the news or not Rick, but the County ordered the track (the entire facility) shut down this morning. It has to do with permits, construction, etc. It's been ongoing, but no resolution has been met, so they shut it down. I hope Dan Matthews can work it out, or we all lose. Hard to blame the county if you read the entire story...there has to be a better way. Sad.

 

[Rick]

It's very easy to blame the county. We just built a detached garage after living in our house for 8 years. After a month of sitting on the 7 site plans we delivered to the county they came back and said we never had a final inspection on the drainage for our property... 8 years ago. They wanted me to have an architect redo all 7 site plans and resubmit them. Then they wanted us to pay for inspections which were already done 8 years ago. Thankfully I don't throw anything away. I had my copy of the signed off permits which they LOST in my safe deposit box.

Permits for our garage were nearly $1000 it cost Jeff Draper $50 bucks for the same kind of thing, but in Pennsylvania.

The Ford/Volvo proving grounds are about 1 mile from Speedworld. The county nailed them for not having proper permits to do some work even after Ford begged the county to expedite their permit process. As you know construction has just about been at a stand still in our state for the past 5 years or so. One would think that the powers that be would be doing everything in their power to encourage projects like these. No, instead they are doing all they can to be roadblocks to progress.

June 17, 2012 | AZCentral.com

County beating up on a job creator


Politicians and government bureaucrats from President Barack Obama down to the lowest city employee are pleading for the creation of jobs.

Unfortunately, they do not have the slightest idea about how to do that.

Ford Motor Co., in its attempt to build a test track at its proving grounds near Wittmann, pleaded with the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department to expedite the granting of a permit ("Ford gets fined; did not wait for permit," Saturday).


What an opportunity for the county to help create jobs. It is lobbed a soft pitch, and rather than help a private business in this flat economy, it drags its feet and then fines Ford for completing the test track without a permit.

I suppose their excuse is that the county's planning-and-development people were too busy in this roaring economy.

Yeah, busy dragging their feet so there will be work tomorrow.

Rather than creating an environment friendly to businesses, our current administration, right down to Maricopa County, makes no effort to help.

Temporarily easing up on regulations, mandates, permits and other government requirements is so simple - and it doesn't cost anything.

What makes it all the more pathetic is that even when the county sends out their inspectors, and they sign off on projects VERY often what they signed off on was done out of compliance. For example... one of the homes built by our builder had all their windows installed upside down All of the drain holes were at the top on about a dozen windows

IMO the permitting process is nothing, but a hidden tax.

 

[Rick]

Well folks, the fun is over. The track which is just 4 miles from my house is closing, permanently, within the next 2 months. Firebird Raceway on the other side of town was supposed to shut down completely this year. Latest news is that "professional" racing will continue, that makes it sound like National events only.

I now have a VERY expensive paper weight

 

[GJarrett]

Oh my.

 

[olskool reddevil]

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Like my old drag car detune (not exactly needed) tires and mufflers(well tires I ran straight pipes) register and drive

 

[BKennedy]

That SUCKS!!
I was hoping to get over there this year and watch you race.