.....But Al and Chris have Barracudas honey!! I need one too!

Billy just drop that new addition up here we can fix those cosmetic issues for ya

Better stock up on saltines.....you're gonna need 'em!

I wouldnt either, Im a hoarder

94 days till Dragweek.

We loaded the racecars in Dale's trailer, and hopefully we will be pulling them out, and loading the Gremlin and the Truck in about 100 days...or 90 days, which is it? Dang it Darryl, you were supposed to warn me when we hit double digits in days left, and triple digits on the thermometer...time to get to work!

By the time I was loaded up, and ready to head back to Phoenix, the Truck had made it halfway into the shop, and Boone's attitude was vastly improved over where it started when I arrived. Whether that results in the kind of productivity this project needs in order to be ready for DW 13? that remains to be seen!

This is what Darren's Charger currently looks like...

Fiberglass bumpers were purchased at the same time as the hood, but he just got around to tackling the install, and was shocked to discover that the actual bumper isn't really all that heavy, it's the reinforcement and brackets that add most of the bulk. So, a day with the plasma cutter was in order.

Now they are ready for the Ron Silva hole saw / drill treatment.

Billy, those roll cage lower bars go to the frame right, not just to plates.

yeah Billy... I think we are down to 90 days... I
have to get seat belts and put them and the seats in...
then start testing.... finally...... good luck with
your stuff

Don (KSJ) tells me I'm overdue for an update..
Well, easier said than done. Sometimes this Mopar hobby takes you through some twists and turns that, in retrospect, has you wondering if the tail is wagging the dog on occasion! Maybe that's not it at all, maybe the cars are just a microcosm of what is going on in our journey through life as a whole. My outlook on everything, my hopes, and dreams, are all different as I approach 50, than they were at 30 or even 40, and sometimes situations and circumstances change, and the cars just get caught in the middle.

In 1999 I sold a 73 Cuda race car I had only owned for 6 months, to jump on a 70 Challenger race car that I had actually went to look at for someone else. Shortly after that, I purchased a 96 Dodge Ram 1/2 ton, and combined with my lowly 16ft open trailer, we took on the western half of the United States. Houston, St. Louis, Denver, Sonoma, OKC, Mopar races and NHRA Super Street were the focus, but brackets, and 2 stages of spray in a quest for low ET fun were mixed in as well.
It was great fun, and heady competition and I really enjoyed the chase from 2000-2006.

Then in 06 I went with Boone to our first Drag Week and had a blast. That planted a seed that became the Valiant. A 10 second race car that could compete in SST, weighed under 3000 lbs. but with tags and registration. Sure, I had another 70 Challenger in the backyard, and a 70 Cuda on ice in Dad's shop in Oklahoma, but you can't get an E-body that light in street trim, so here we go!
Things seemed to go sideways from there, or backwards, or in circles, heck, I'm still not sure. I had a decent season in 07 with the Challenger, as I worked on restoring the Valiant to it's former glory, sitting unused does terrible things to racecars. I also had the idea that with both cars running, I may want to compete in 2 different classes at some of the bigger races, so I picked up an old 1 ton Dodge, and 2-car open trailer. This picture was taken at the 2008 Arizona Nationals at Firebird Intl. Raceway. I thought I was on my way to the next level...seems pretty naïve looking back on it now!

When I left the 2008 NHRA Divisional Finals at LVMS, I had a just purchased 93 diesel 1 ton, towing the two car trailer with the Challenger sporting a borrowed engine, the Valiant wrecked, friendships and credit cards strained to the breaking point, and the national economy in a full-blown crisis. I haven't raced an NHRA National or Divisional event since. The Challenger hasn't ran since. It wasn't "the plan", it's not what I expected, it's just... reality.
I've tried to sell the Challenger on several occasions over the last year, even as I've still continued to gather parts and have work done on it for it's eventual return. Race car prices are just terrible right now, and it doesn't help that tracks seem to be shutting down almost daily!
I sold the "restoration project" Challenger out of my back yard, finally admitted to myself that I'm a racer, a street grinder, and that pipe dream of a beautiful restored muscle car would never happen. Through a progression of trades, purchases, and family deals, I gave up the 70 Cuda, and sold a 69 Dart I had acquired in order to get the 67 Belvedere from Boone, and to be completely honest, if the only thing to ever come out of that was sharing Drag Week 2012 with my Daughter, it was worth it!

Last week I was presented with the opportunity to trade the Challenger race car for the 66 Satellite that Dale took on Drag Week 2011, and boot. I tried to dissuade Dale's friend from making the deal, but he apparently wants it more than I do at this point. When he arrives later this week, and the deal is done, I will be without an E-body for the first time since 1985. I will also be without the car that I've made 55% of the passes down a dragstrip in, of my entire life. Both Dale, Boone, and my Wife have all made the observation that I may look back and realize that I'm selling the best racecar I may ever own, to which I answered all of them, "You may turn out to be right...and I think I'm okay with that".
At least I think I will be. What the heck am I doing?
This picture has been my PC wallpaper, since we returned from DragWeek 2011, now I'm going to own all 3...how weird is that?

So with Darryl's count down clock ticking which car are you taking to dragweek this year?

Sorry if that was a little sharp, was just having a little fun with ya.

I'm sure you will miss the old car, I know I would. But it looks like you are going a different direction with your toys and it is nice to have a back up plan for the valiant & belvedere.

I look forward to where this will go with the Valiant, and hope you get the parts in time to get the new combo ready for this years adventure.

Rod