Hey Screaming Metal
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Screaming Metal
Active Member
I'll be posting some pics the next few months, I've just purchased several CNC machines I'm getting up and running right now. Once I shut down the shop from Racing Operations here, I'll be able to post pics in and around the shop.
You see....I'm liable for any and all photos taken on the premise's....some of our stuff is done just for folks to go race their cars....but they are under contract to only be photographed racing or at official events....bla, bla, bla...Its like endorsing a product and someone snaps a pic of someone drinking a Pepsi instead of a Dr. Pepper....
I kid you not, theres signs in the shop that say pictures being taken past the outside loading area is strictly probhibitided. No cameras are allowed in the shop or any recording devices.
Well....this is gonna be my last year actively building stuff for the big boys, so-to-speak. Unless they want me to privately build things for them. I'm going to gear my shop toward ratrod and hotrod fabrication. Then I'll be able to pic myself silly!
On my inline 6, everyones been building mountain motors for the streets and the tracks. Some of the open class motors are over 900 cubic inches....but no-one has done a big inch 6. The big 6 cylinders are all thru the trucking industry, heavy equipment....but no big inch gas burners.
I just checked around and had a set of 3 machined out.....the other 2, I can always sell to get my money back out of it. I can say this.....it is torquey! Only one big drawback, at idle it jiggles with authority....but it jiggles the whole darn car! One thing for sure....it doesn't sound like a v-8 coming down the road.....more like a mad over-the-road rig....and its loud. The 4-71's whistling its butt off.....
We about have the transmission issues ironed out.
You see....I'm liable for any and all photos taken on the premise's....some of our stuff is done just for folks to go race their cars....but they are under contract to only be photographed racing or at official events....bla, bla, bla...Its like endorsing a product and someone snaps a pic of someone drinking a Pepsi instead of a Dr. Pepper....
I kid you not, theres signs in the shop that say pictures being taken past the outside loading area is strictly probhibitided. No cameras are allowed in the shop or any recording devices.
Well....this is gonna be my last year actively building stuff for the big boys, so-to-speak. Unless they want me to privately build things for them. I'm going to gear my shop toward ratrod and hotrod fabrication. Then I'll be able to pic myself silly!
On my inline 6, everyones been building mountain motors for the streets and the tracks. Some of the open class motors are over 900 cubic inches....but no-one has done a big inch 6. The big 6 cylinders are all thru the trucking industry, heavy equipment....but no big inch gas burners.
I just checked around and had a set of 3 machined out.....the other 2, I can always sell to get my money back out of it. I can say this.....it is torquey! Only one big drawback, at idle it jiggles with authority....but it jiggles the whole darn car! One thing for sure....it doesn't sound like a v-8 coming down the road.....more like a mad over-the-road rig....and its loud. The 4-71's whistling its butt off.....
We about have the transmission issues ironed out.
Take a look at some of the Super Stock pull tractors. They are over 500 inches. The one we worked on was a John Deere with 3 chargers, making 180 lbs of boost.
one finger john
Active Member
I'll show my ignorance on the six cylinder subject, but a couple of years ago there was an announcement from Chevy that they had a new dohc, 4 valve six for lite trucks that was coming out. Are these they ? Do you have weights, hp, torque, streetability, etc. ? On a different note, I know you're busy but any word on your T ?
John
John
Screaming Metal
Active Member
Well OFJ, I don't know anything about the DOHC you were talking about. Now, on the T, had it setup for the 392 Hemi.....had it running....guy came into shop, fell in love with the motor.....after he offered me twice what I had in it....we unbolted it....stuck it in the back of his race car hauler.
Just a few days afterwards I always wanter to build a Killer 6 cylinder. I've built the big diesels and all,but I wanted to do a all out mountain motor 6. I sold my Pontiac 421 SS Drag Catalina that had the all alum. front end and frame.....it was a collectors item, this guy gave me what it was worth......so I sent off to have the Alum block, alum. head and custom crank done.
At Christmas time....I gave all the crew here at the shop a nice bonus and told them I'd bring in a caterer if they'd switch my frame over to a 6 cyl. They had it done in 2 days....we ran my motor in on the dyno, they all stood around with they're mouth hanging open....so....I gave them the rest of the week off for Christmas....
Got it all back together....she shakes alot....one of the Altered guys took it out on the hiway and he said its like riding in a racecar.....and it has rubber motormounts.....busted the bellhousing.....took that trans. out, put another in. Auto with overdrive...runs a little better, but doesn't shift right.....so the trans. guy is working on it. So far.....I had to change out the starter for a gear reduction starter.....busted 2 stock ones.....
Just before New Years, I drove it over to ADA....it was awesome....alot of folks were turning their heads seeing this mad person/ BlueHealer in a flatblack T haulin butt down the road.....one of the guys was following me on my old harley.
She's alive and well.....motor wise....just have to get the trans all sorted out. Now....this one stays!
Mike
Well-Known Member
Race engine work really stinks, these days. People don't have a lot of money to spend, so that kills one end of the business. And for the very fortunate few who can actually afford to race, they are all wanting to move their engine programs in-house.
Unless you can develop an engine program around something like NHRA's Super categories, where you can build the same combination, day in and day out, it's really hard to keep up with the level of development necessary to remain atop the heap. And if you're trying to do a Super class motor, there's a zillion other whores out there tearing the heart out of any potential profit margin you had hoped to make. What a dog-eat-dog business it has become.
Screaming Metal
Active Member
I'm with you Mike....its a dawm shame what the sport of racing has become....I've seen several whole racing setups for sale....turnkey! 2 cars, rigs, all the parts....all you need is a building for a base of operations. I have seen some big guys selling out because they can't afford it any more.
I'll keep doing blowers and intakes on the side....but I'm gonna gear up for HotRodParts. Affordable parts....inhouse and I'm going to sell out to the regular folks too.
Gerry
Well-Known Member
Its happening to everything. We now have car manufactures offering 7 year or lifetime warranty. Its putting the non main dealer garages out of the picture. Once a car has exceeded its warrany its only good for junk because any major work will cost more than its worth.
Ho Hum to have the power and lobbyists of the big multi nationals.
We are at THEIR bidding. And the governments are helping them to do this.
really glad Im near 60 and wont live to see a world of worker bees
Gerry
Mike
Well-Known Member
And the real problem is that as the really good automotive machine shops are starting to shut down, there are no new shops opening up to replace them. Because anyone with half a brain can quickly see what it's going to take to get the right equipment on the floor is an impossible number when compared to what your earning potential will be. Look at the guys that think they can cut a fat pig in the arse and sign lease agreements on all the equipment for their race engine shops. It usually takes about 18 months for them to see they can't afford to make the payments.
And without trying to take unfair swipes at any of the equipment manufacturers, some of that stuff ain't what it used to be, either. :no: Everyone thought they needed to dump their CK-10 hones to buy a CV-616 several years ago. And you wouldn't believe the number of shops that offered to trade us their new CV-616 for our tried and true CK-10, even Steven.
We could see that a steady diet of race work wasn't going to give us enough to survive, so we did standard, street work too. A L-O-T of standard work. And as Gerry pointed out, the way the auto manufacturers started doing business took almost all that work away from us. Racers love to talk about how they're going to do this and that on their next freshen, but it doesn't change the fact that only about 2% - 3% of them have the financial resources to walk the walk.
It got to the point where you couldn't drive by a dealership with the windows down, the salesmen were trying to throw the keys to new vehicles in your window as you went by. And why should anyone have a vested interest in their vehicle, so drive in here, sign your name, get your keys and drive out of here in a new car that we all know you can't afford. Now you get to make payments for 6 years, if you can keep your head above water that long. Remember the old Mitsubishi deal, where you could get a new car today and not make a payment for 12 months? After a year, Mitsubishi was suddenly in the used car business, trying to sell all the cars people knew they couldn't afford to keep. Look at how many farmers are playing the trade game with farm equipment. The days of keeping that old 8N Ford running a gazillion years are over, let's go get a zero interest deal on a new tractor and then trade for something new when the interest kicks in.
My son's ex-girlfriend was on cloud nine a few years back when she leased a Pontiac she could barely afford the lease payments on. And now, it's time to roll over the lease and we all know how that works. The residual is about $4K more than the car is really worth, so she's right back where she started. But her daddy convinced her this was the way to always drive a newer model car. Aye. Right.
And people wonder why they are up to their eyebrows in debt? Hello???
Errr, excuse me. Was I, uhhhh, going off on a rant? :blush: I'll stop now.
Screaming Metal
Active Member
I totally agree guys....And things are really getting worse by the day. Hasn't been that long ago....I think Snakeman had his old racing operation up for sale. Its getting to be too expensive for ordinary folks anymore. And the rules.....theres way too dawm many rules in the classes now.
We'll probably live to see the top 5 Automakers.....some GM derivitive, Nissan, BMW, Fiat, and Subaru......you get the picture, gas going up agian and probably no ever coming down. I priced a worktruck last week, 1-ton Dually Extended cab......$46,000.00, new.....and that was with a big discount! I don't know about ya'll.....this ain't the same country I grew up in! Bought one just as good, if not better, low milage, more metal in it, 2004, for about 1/5th that price....
Yep, figured theres a few years left of the hotrodss....make a few parts and work on them in my later years and have some fun. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd see folks hopping up old cars with computers on them.....the old iron is almost gone.....its worth more as scrap than it is for young kids to fix up. I guess thats the way of things though.....
And don't even get me started on the government as it stands today......SS running out in 2037? They've blown all the money?????What a suprise......
We'll be old retired outlaws
running up and down the roads causing chaos in our unsafe, unholsum hothods of yesteryear......running our blowers, tunnelrams.......and the 1st TSA guy to put his dawm finger close to my blower belt, I'm gonna nudge this elbow a little
!
Mike......I like to see you on a rant every-once-in-a while! Makes me think all is right with the world!!!!!
We'll probably live to see the top 5 Automakers.....some GM derivitive, Nissan, BMW, Fiat, and Subaru......you get the picture, gas going up agian and probably no ever coming down. I priced a worktruck last week, 1-ton Dually Extended cab......$46,000.00, new.....and that was with a big discount! I don't know about ya'll.....this ain't the same country I grew up in! Bought one just as good, if not better, low milage, more metal in it, 2004, for about 1/5th that price....
Yep, figured theres a few years left of the hotrodss....make a few parts and work on them in my later years and have some fun. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd see folks hopping up old cars with computers on them.....the old iron is almost gone.....its worth more as scrap than it is for young kids to fix up. I guess thats the way of things though.....
And don't even get me started on the government as it stands today......SS running out in 2037? They've blown all the money?????What a suprise......
We'll be old retired outlaws
Mike......I like to see you on a rant every-once-in-a while! Makes me think all is right with the world!!!!!
Gerry
Well-Known Member
Well
I am now at the point where I dont care what the government says or does. I will put my T on the road and be dammed with the consequences. Ive put in to this country for 40 years and now its my time to enjoy a little of my own stuff.
They can do what they like, including giving me 30 days for my T related 'problems (theirs not mine). It still will not stop me. By the way NEVER had a motoring offence on my licence.
If its bucket shaped and make a noise I all for it
Gerry
I am now at the point where I dont care what the government says or does. I will put my T on the road and be dammed with the consequences. Ive put in to this country for 40 years and now its my time to enjoy a little of my own stuff.
They can do what they like, including giving me 30 days for my T related 'problems (theirs not mine). It still will not stop me. By the way NEVER had a motoring offence on my licence.
If its bucket shaped and make a noise I all for it
Gerry
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