65ACCobra

After MONTHS of rain, I finally got a clear Wednesday and got to Orlando Speed World on Sept. 6, 2023, Got to the track late, but still got in a couple of races. First race against what I think was an Audi Turbo, and I thought it was going to be close. He must have had trouble at the line with a 60' of 2.34 he just couldn't catch up to me. I ran a 11.43 @120.98 mph to his 14.28 @ 99.65 mph. Second race was easy...no competitor but did an EPIC spinout at the start ruining my chances for a decent run. Compounding the embarrassment of spinning out was the fact that I just let it go on and on - my brain refused to tell my foot what was happening. I had trouble handling the cameras by myself and on the first race had only 1 camera. I've got 5 GoPro cams, all different models with different batteries and set up procedures - what a pain. Grandson(the camera wizard) was home with the flu. I ran a 12.0 @ 119.84 mph. The track was crowded due to a scheduled points race on Saturday. The street car lanes were crowded with MUSTANGS, lots of MUSTANGS and very few Dodge cars. The newer Mustangs look really nice - and FAST. But, I was surprised to see most of them running low 12's with a few in the 11's. They just look faster than that. Most people who are there are nice, they do the right thing and are respectful of other racers. Some, though, are rude and think nothing of parking their cars IN THE STAGING LANES and leaving them there for hours. What a hassle, and it caused problems because people who just came off the drag strip were getting in line BEHIND them. Others, just pulled up in front of the parked cars. So, when the gatekeeper sees a car's number that has just made a run, he closes the gates, not knowing there are very polite drivers behind the parked cars who are missing their turn. It's infuriating, these rude fuckers acting like they own the track. And I can't say anything to them because you don't know what's going to happen these days. Hell, I'm 73 years old and really don't want to fight anybody - especially some 20 year old hothead who doesn't respect anybody. Hell, I do this for fun, and can't afford to lose teeth, break bones, or become handicapped for the rest of my life over this type of thing. Just wish the track personnel would address the issue in some way. I'm so tired of having to deal with stupid people - and there are so many of them. One night, back in the beginning of my racing, my mechanic went with me and my son to the track. I let him race the Cobra. He's an experienced racer who was well known in his racing class and knows everything about what you should and shouldn't do on the racetrack. You can Google his name and find beaucoup info on him and his racing. Hell, I can't tell this story now. It's just too long, but it is an interesting one that brought us to the brink of disaster and I WILL tell it one day.

Dodge lost by over two seconds to the Cobra. Cobra has 363 cu.in. Dart aftermarket small block ford engine producing 615 h.p. at the crank. Best time for the Cobra is 10.95 seconds. Ran an 11.5second @ 121.5 mph, 60' = 1.6 secs. Dodge ran a 13.68 secs, at 101 mph.

With the chance of rain gone, I was finally able to get to the track on July 2, 2023 for some daytime races. But, it was 90 degrees, and on the track it felt a lot hotter. I was really suffering with the heat, just burning up in the safety equipment, with sweat running into my eyes. I kept thinking I could have been at home in the pool or air conditioning instead of suffering on the concrete and tarmac. The driver of the truck I raced, Steve, turned out to be a pretty nice guy and we hung out at the track. He's a nice guy that's gone through some hard times. With the heat I thought I'd be running in the high 11's and was shocked to see the 11.5 with both of my races. After the second race I just had to get out of the heat and I called it quits. It was, however, good to get a couples of races in after such a long wait.

My "pool boy", Joey, is a really nice guy, he comes every Friday to do the pool. Joey is always polite and is respectful of my property. We talk to each other like we are friends. One time the garage door was open and he saw the Cobra for the first time. It was up on jacks, not quite road worthy at that time, but still very impressive looking with fat rear tires hanging down. He really flipped out over the car saying it was his dream car. He couldn't contain his absolute glee in seeing an A.C. Cobra, even a replica. I reached in the cockpit and turned the key. It quickly roared to life inside the garage, which is always a real audio treat as the rumble is magnified in that confined area and you can feel the power in your chest. He loved it. I asked him if he knew how to drive a 5 speed to which he answered that he did. So, I told him I'd let him drive the Cobra once I was finished with the repairs and it was ready for the road. A few weeks passed and the day had come. I was using his cell phone camera, having forgotten to mount any of my GoPro's and he didn't have the time to wait as he had more pools to do. We got in the car and away we went. He did real good working the clutch, which is what I was worried about. He drove it for a few miles and even got on it a little bit. Overall, he was very excited and was truly appreciative of my letting him drive his dream car. Sorry for the terrible, low res video, but I had to download it from his Facebook page and this is what I got. I'm pretty good about giving people rides in the Cobra and letting people drive it. Once, I went to the store in it and about a mile down my road a man was standing on the sidewalk. His jaw dropped when I passed by and he didn't take his eyes off the car. "Hell", I thought and stopped in the middle of the road, backed up to him and asked if he wanted to go on a quick trip to the store. He said no in that strange way that I know means, "I'd love to". I said if he didn't go he would always regret it. He smiled and got in. I drove like a bat out of hell and gave him the ride of his life, he was hanging on for dear life. I later found out that he's my Doctor's father! He told his son about the experience and the next time I went to the Doctor I heard all about it. Small world.....

Well, the video tells the most of the story - except what exactly went wrong. What failed? Was a piece of equipment defective? Was something installed wrong? I wish I knew the answer. All of the equipment was damaged or ruined. I did the recommended 500 mile breakin of the clutch perfectly, no messing around - I took it very seriously. The equipment used was: SPEC #SF01A Billet ALUMINUM Flywheel. Clutch = P/P 10.5" KUSTOM Hi Rev ALUMINUM Ring with Replacable STEEL Insert @ 14.75 lbs. 11'' x 1 1/8 - 26 Spline Kustom Ceramic Both Sides. Throw out bearing was McLeod 1400 series. The equipment was installed by myself and all the rules were followed. It was checked, double checked, and even triple checked, then checked by my long time mechanic, a semi-professional drag racer who did most of his own work, and has a long history of working on this car, this engine, this clutch and this tranny. Pictures and video were sent to the tranny builder and to McLeod racing tech department. Here's what each of them said: The mechanic: after examining the parts said we have to think outside the box. We've had multiple transmission and clutch failures and we need to look at other parts that may be causing this. He brought up the bell housing. It's 23 years old, has been blown up once causing a dent in it that may affect the shape and fit. Also, it was re-drilled to fit the TKO 600 tranny instead of the T5. If it wasn't re-drilled properly, it could cause problems with the alignment of the tranny to the engine block. The Tranny Builder: Is convinced it was the throw out bearing being mounted on the shaft wrong - or somehow went wrong upon use. The video he bases this on was taken with a GoPro with a wide angle lens, causing the bearing to look really crooked on the shaft. I checked this closely and I don't think that was the problem. McLeod Racing: Answered that everything looked fine with the bearing and it is still good and can still be used as is. Nothing wrong with it at all. What am I planning? I'm going to buy a new duplicate aluminum flywheel. I'm going back to a dual disc McLeod racing clutch(two of my old ones rebuilt by McLeod are being delivered here today) and my old throw out bearing(also rebuilt by McLeod and being delivered here today). The old bearing is much longer than the newer ones, and I think it sets on the shaft more stable because it's longer. I'm going to buy a new explosion proof bell housing specifically made for the TKO 600 tranny. I'm going to have a carbon fiber driveshaft custom build for the Cobra - they are safer and actually flex a bit during launch, which should soften the blow to all the components. So, any opinions from the viewers ARE WELCOME! Am I missing something? Are there better options than what I have chosen? Is there anything else I can check to pinpoint the cause of this mess? I'm open to any and all suggestions and ideas. A lot of racers out there watch my videos, have you ever experienced anything like this? Is a faulty bell housing feasible?

After about 6 months of downtime, Cobra goes back to the track on 11/16/2022. I got in 4 races, but only two are shown. I got two wins and two losses. Editing was too difficult due to computer problems, so I only got the first two races done. My 3rd and 4th races were loses to a 1200 hp full size pickup truck, and a hot Camaro when I spun out on the launch. My wins were lucky as I bogged down on the launches a bit, unused to the new equipment and being away for over 6 months. It felt good to get back to the track and everything seemed to be working fine - but that was not the case. My next video will show the results of something that went very wrong with all my new equipment.