Marty Robbins:Musician, Actor, and Stock Car driver!

Hell on Wheels, a movie well worth watching.  Its from 1967, and happens to feature Country music legend Marty Robbins.  Besides his day job of singing Country, Robbins raced stock cars.  It makes for a better acting experience in my opinion since what makes for the best acting role in regards to a stock car driver?  Somebody who actually has raced in the USAC, Nascar, and other various stock car circuits.  Its well worth watching, even though some of the acting is cheesy, but there is a lot of good racing action.  

When racing was simple

In today's racing world, everyone seems to use way too much technology.  Months are spent perfecting aerodynamics, computer models made to test suspensions, computer programs made to run the engines if needed, and on and on.  Take a look back 40 years ago, and it was a completely different field.  Teams were not 20 members strong, and they did not have giant big rigs to carry a single car or two around.  They didn't travel in motor homes, and the parts they used, were not all billet.  When funny cars were a real production car that was chopped apart, and rebuilt to go faster with altered wheelbase, instead of a space ship with wheels.  It was a time when you didn't see the same few models every pass, a time when passion was obvious.  It was an amateur sport, but it was better, corporations were not running everything, and the big three were helping out.  Long live the original spirit of drag racing!

Chop it!!

Although I do not agree with the looks of most of the cars that are built by this show, it is well worth watching, and actually very inspiring.  Taking nothing but cars that are worn out, and are almost ready for the scrap heap, this team in England turns them into concept cars, in only a matter of weeks.  The techniques, and how they attack the builds are amazing.  

A sad day for the car community

Its always sad when somebody dies.  Well today, one of my hero's, Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins died.  He was 81 years old.  He started racing in the late 1950s, and in 1963 he won little eliminator at the Nationals in a A/FX Chevy II.  In 1964 and 1965 He raced in A/FX and eventually Super Stock Eliminator with his Black Arrow Dodges.  Due to Chrysler officials not wanting to meet his terms in 1966, Jenkins went back to Chevy's, and the rest is history.  Racing Camaros, Vegas, Monzas, and a ton of other well built cars.  His last full season was in 1975, and in 1976 he only raced the first event of the season and then handed driving duties over to Larry Lombardo, who won the season.  After 1983 the Grump' retired from being a team owner, but was still involved in helping teams throughout the years after his retirement.  He will be greatly missed!

sunday drive

This is what happens when you follow your friends 1959 Rambler through a nice industrial section.  You get some great photos, and on a nice day, its like a flashback to the 1960s.  

And now, for something completely different!

There are a lot of odd things that you see in the automotive world, but for me, this one has to take the cake!  Starting in 1979 Honda started putting oval piston engines in their bikes.  Making 150hp with these weird pistons, it wasn't exactly exactly slow on power, but it wasn't very competitive. It won only once well in competition, which would explain its short life span.

 

Take a look at the comparison of the oval block to the regular piston block!

The rotating assembly of the motor.  So crazy

Got dome??

The bike that the motor was used in

Emissions!

I think that all hot rodders and car enthusiasts hate emissions.  It makes your car heavier, slower, and it limits how much you can modify it.  Well California might be changing the laws a bit, so that cars that are from 1981 or older, will not have to comply with emissions. Currently the law is all cars that are 1975 or older do not have to comply with emissions, but either way its still not fair to the car crowd.  streetlegaltv.com reported on the article, and hopefully on March 27th, all cars 1981 or older will be allowed to be emissions free!