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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: deaks]
#1672933
09/19/14 12:56 AM
09/19/14 12:56 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,480
Minnesota
Hemi_Joel
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,480
Minnesota
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Quote:
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Billy, it was great to finally meet you and get to know you a little bit on Drag week. Congrats to you and your family on the SoDW award! 
I am looking forward to the story, as only you can tell it. 
Were you running an oldsmobile ?
Yup, that was me in the 67 Olds. I didn't get my Mopar done in time, so the 442 was my backup.
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: Hemi_Joel]
#1672934
09/19/14 01:44 AM
09/19/14 01:44 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 4,669
Wichita
GY3
master
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master
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 4,669
Wichita
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Quote:
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Billy, it was great to finally meet you and get to know you a little bit on Drag week. Congrats to you and your family on the SoDW award!
I am looking forward to the story, as only you can tell it.
Were you running an oldsmobile ?
Yup, that was me in the 67 Olds. I didn't get my Mopar done in time, so the 442 was my backup.
Thought I heard your name at Great Bend and recognized it from the Mopar world. I was confused... 
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: MoparBilly]
#1672935
09/19/14 02:12 AM
09/19/14 02:12 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
MoparBilly
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
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The sun coming through the window convinced me to climb out of the covers. New Mexico gets pretty cold at night, and even with two blankets and my clothes on, it had been a rough night. I bought a small set of metric sockets, and dropped the driveline down, only to discover it was tight, and had no issues that would've led to the vibration I was feeling. Somewhere in west Texas, I caught a family pulling a car behind a U-Haul Truck followed closely by a 3/4 ton pick-up with a loaded down car trailer. They were the only people I passed the entire trip, I gave a whoop and a fist pump as I enjoyed my brief time in the left lane!
I rolled up to Dale's house in Owasso Ok at about 2:30 AM Saturday morning, and decided to just jump back in the truck for another night's sleep. I knew from previous phone calls that they had made the Friday night TNT, and had probably only been in bed about an hour, so I didn't want to wake them.
Part 2: Thrash Week
I woke up around 8am, grabbed my clothes bag, and eased into the downstairs bathroom, everyone in Dale's house was still sacked out, but I was going on 42 hours without a shower, and that's all I could think of. The shower head was missing... the adapter and knuckle was there but nothing else? I didn't care, the solid stream was wet, hot, and got the job done. I walked outside feeling like a new man, just as Boone pulled up in his 80 something 300K mile Mazda 323. He helped me pull my rig around into Dale's back yard, where I began to set up camp for the week. We unloaded both the cars, and were about to disconnect the trailer from the truck, when we ran into a problem. The tongue jack broke, and Boone decided right then and there to tear it apart and figure out what was wrong.
"Let's just jack it up with the floor jack, and set it on blocks", I implored.
"Nope, we can fix it...give me a screwdriver", he shot back as he removed the end cover.
Twenty minutes later he had diagnosed it as a broken roll pin, after digging around in Dale's shop, he decided a trip to Lowe's was in order.
"Boone, we have Drag Week stuff to work on!" I complained but to no avail, he is not easily swayed once he decides to take on a certain task.
I decided to pick up a shower head while we were there, then I had Boone take us to the store so we could load up on refreshments like soda, water, PowerAde, tea, lemonade, and a ton of ice. When you plan on having an Army of gearheads descending on one location for a solid week, totally trashing a persons back yard, staying up all hours of the night, making messes, demanding to be fed...you should try to make things as easy as possible for the lady of the house who is going to be putting up with you. I figured to take the four coolers Rachael had stuck me with, set them in the bed of our Drag Week trailer, and load them up with cold drinks, so everyone wouldn't be marching through the house on a constant basis. I also figured fixing the shower her husband had neglected for six months might help as well!
"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks"
4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: MoparBilly]
#1672936
09/19/14 03:10 AM
09/19/14 03:10 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
MoparBilly
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
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When we returned to the house, Dale was out in back working on a 68 Coronet. This was the car I had been hearing about. Darren had sold the body to this kid named Hunter, then Dale had sold him an engine, brakes, converter, etc. They had bought a trans from Wade Metzinger, and basically spent the last month putting it together for the guy.
"It's Drag Week time Dale, why are you still working on this thing?" I scolded.
"This thing", he gestured with a dead level stare, "is partially financing Darren and I's Drag Week."
"OK, fine...what do we have to do to get it out of here?"
"I just sent him after plugs, it fouled these NGK 7s last night, but O'reilly's doesn't seem to have anything that will work..."
I've got some NGK 5s, should be perfect for a low compression, oil burning, cammed up motor home motor", I offered.
"Cool...I'll call him and tell him to get back here".
"In the meantime, why don't you install this showerhead", I teased as I placed the package in his hand.
"That's not the problem, it's in the pipe..."
"BS! Get in there and put it on!"
I started loading up the coolers while Boone re-assembled the jack. Dale came out a few minutes later with his Wife in tow. She thanked me for getting her husband to actually fix something around the house. Dale just shrugged, "It works great now..."
With that out of the way, I questioned Boone about where he was on the Barnyard Viper.
"Still cleaning the intake, the new cam is installed, I just need to button it all up."
Last year, the 508 in the Barnyard, and the 440 in the Gremlin, both ran the same Howards solid, flat tappet cam. It was a 300 advertised, 272@ .050, .639 lift cam, on a 108 lobe center. Dale had rushed to get the two together, and hadn't bothered with a degree wheel. He decided to advance the one in the 508 4 degrees, and the one in the 440 6 degrees. Not a bad decision, but Howards already have 4 degrees advance in the grind! Oops! Both motors have some serious grunt but seem to fall off quickly up top, and the extra cyl. pressure was wreaking havoc on the Barnyard's ability to run down the road on pump gas! By the time the mistake was discovered, Boone couldn't be convinced that backing that cam off would give him what he wanted, which was less cylinder pressure and more top end. The new choice? A Comp Cams solid, flat tappet grind. 305/320 advertised, 279/287 @ .050, 652/630 lift, straight up on a 110 lobe center.
"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks"
4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: MoparBilly]
#1672937
09/21/14 02:47 AM
09/21/14 02:47 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
MoparBilly
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
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As Boone jumped under the lowered canopy and started in on the Barnyard, I turned my attention to Dale, and Hunter with the 68.
"How did the TNT go last night", I asked casually, looking at Dale.
"Not worth a darn!" Hunter blurted out, "just 17s, felt like it was only running on 4 cylinders!"
Dale gave me a sheepish grin, and chuckled as he looked at the dead plugs arranged on the fender, "Probably more accurate than you know, Hunter!"
"I managed to get all six runs I needed for my license", Dale continued, "So the Gremlin got a pretty good workout!"
"You're that worried about getting legal? You buffaloed the guy last year into signing off on 8.49, and this year it's at your home track!"
"Well, it's been a long time coming... I just need to get it done", he sighed.
"What about the trans? That glide was your Achilles' heel last year, and the one in there now has some laps and miles on it."
"I'm a little concerned, just don't know if I'm going to have time to rebuild it", he shrugged. "Hunter, go in the shop and find an old chrome 14" air cleaner...you can't drive this thing 5 hours back to Arkansas without an air cleaner!"
The kid came back a few minutes later with one. The element looked like the guts from an oil filter, the other ones he dug out of the shop on subsequent trips were too tall. Finally Dale sent him after the element off my Belvedere to see if it would fit.
"Ok, that'll work, bolt it down", Dale ordered.
"We'll pick up a new one for your car later", he looked at me, "I have to get him rolling"!
I made my way back to the Valiant. As much as I wanted to chat with Boone and Dale, I had stuff left to do as well. The 950HP I had borrowed from Darryl was leaking out of both accelerator pumps, and the front squirter stream looked to be way off. I pulled it off, and brought it over to a table sitting under the shade tree next to where Dale was working on the Coronet. He had a cool little plastic and aluminum carb stand on it, that made disassembly of the 950 much easier. I had my notebook out, so I could write down all the particulars of the carb, and get a baseline on my tune up.
Dale can't resist an open carb, I could've set down a fresh pizza on that table and got less of a reaction. He was over my shoulder and poking at parts before I got the thing separated.
"That's a 30cc arm and pump cam with a 50cc pump on the front", he grabbed a tool and started pulling the arm free, "See, it's too wide, and it's not even riding on the cam...I just need to grind this area flat and it will work"!
He headed off towards the grinder as Hunter glared at me hand on hips, as if to say, "You just stole my mechanic!"
"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks"
4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: Dragula]
#1672939
09/21/14 02:48 PM
09/21/14 02:48 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,480
Minnesota
Hemi_Joel
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 7,480
Minnesota
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somewhere bee's a resin slinger who would take the pizza over one a dem berries any day of the week!
[img]http://i.imgur.com/boeexFms.jpg[/img]31 Plymouth Coupe, 392 Hemi, T56 magnum RS23J71 RS27J77 RP23J71 RO23J71 WM21J8A I don't regret the things I've done. I only regret the things I didn't do. "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. ~ Plato"
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: MoparBilly]
#1672940
09/23/14 02:00 AM
09/23/14 02:00 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
MoparBilly
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
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I mounted the 950HP on the small block, and it was still leaking in the back. Removed it again, and found that I had crimped the steel washer on the inlet fitting. I still had to fix the throttle linkage, which is a solid rod with a threaded heim joint on the end. The new intake changed the geometry just enough to throw everything out of adjustment.
Finally, I pumped it twice and fired the engine. It came to life, with a satisfying thump from the side pipes. The idle was set way too low, and it died. I was pulling myself from the driver's seat when Dale walked up, screwdriver in hand.
"Whatcha doin' here?" he asked
"Getting ready to set the idle".
"Fire it up, I got this..."
I settled back into the seat, with a knowing smile on my face, I knew he couldn't resist...it's just his thing.
Once he was happy with the settings, we shut it down and went to check on Boone who was buttoning up the Barnyard. Darren finally made his entrance as we were gathered around the Dodge.
"Where have you been all day?" Boone questioned, "Thought you were driving up to Neosho to pick up your Dakota?"
"My back is out", Darren gestured, "I can barely walk...someone is going to have to go with me in the morning to pick it up...I can't do it myself".
I kept quiet, but in my head, I was counting the lost man hours we were loosing because someone had to go with him for a full day.
Boone was ready to fire the truck, and begin breaking in the cam, he turned on the A-2000 pump to prime the fuel system, and it growled a few times and locked up solid. The initial inspection revealed the fuel tank was bone dry, which sent Boone into a fury. Dale's place is a hangout for unemployed early Twenty-some things, who come over to visit his stepson, and Boone was quick to point out that the Barnyard had 10 gallons of fuel in it when he brought it over two weeks earlier.
"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks"
4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: MoparBilly]
#1672941
09/23/14 02:37 AM
09/23/14 02:37 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
MoparBilly
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
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Dale coaxed Boone into going home to find his back-up pump, more to keep him from going after every kid on the property, than anything else. We removed the pump and tore it apart for a closer inspection. I've always loved my old Holley Volumax 250gph Dominator pumps, which are a gerotor design similar to a mopar oil pump. I have to say when we got into the guts of the A-2000 Aeromotive and it's nylon vane type pump, I was definitely not impressed.
"Well", I pointed out to Dale, "All that scoring didn't happen on one no-fuel start-up!"
"Nope. Remember though, last year he used it to empty his tank everyday, so he could put race gas in...plus, it was a used pump when he bought it."
We carefully sanded all the nylon surfaces, and removed as many nicks and burrs as possible, then greased it up and stuck it back together. We had it working with a couple of gallons of fuel in it by the time Boone made it back, but the impetus to get the cam broke in was gone, as it was getting late and we were losing daylight.
Dale finished up Hunter's Coronet, and he headed off to Tulsa for some street racing. Dale, Darren, Boone, and I gathered around Dale's kitchen table to strategize, and list what parts we still needed to order. I was shocked to learn that Darren's I-pad, and Dale's smartphone were the only available internet selections! Good grief, we were in the stone ages!
"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks"
4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: MoparBilly]
#1672942
09/23/14 02:45 AM
09/23/14 02:45 AM
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,454
Glendora Ca.
Just-a-dart
pro stock
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pro stock
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,454
Glendora Ca.
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Billy I always enjoy your telling of the tale. Thanks for taking us along.
"Just a Bracket car dressed up like a streetcar"
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: MoparBilly]
#1672943
09/24/14 04:36 AM
09/24/14 04:36 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
MoparBilly
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,448
Phoenix, AZ
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The bull session around the table wasn't really enough to keep my attention from the offered bedroom across the hall, as I was still feeling the effects of the trip, so I called it a night.
I was the first to move the next morning, and after my shower, I eased out to the back yard to take stock in what was going on. I noticed immediately that all my stuff I had left scattered about the night before was covered with water, even though it had clearly not rained. Something called dew? Twenty-seven years in the desert had left me unprepared for such a phenomenon! I decided to take the Belvedere for a spin. Rachael had been driving it quite regularly, but it had been a while for me, so I figured a few miles in it might flesh out any problems I needed to look at this week. I filled it up with 91 at the local convenience store then went to Reasor's to buy some meat for the weekend, as I figured some grilling was in order.
When I returned to Dale's, Boone had already taken the 1 ton and trailer, and was on his way to help Darren pick up his Dakota. They would stop by Mom and Dad's on the way to Neosho, so Dad could ride along and keep them company. Dale and I had breakfast, and discussed the things on everyone's lists.
"I'd like to add a second stage of Nitrous on the Gremlin", he surmised.
"What for?" I looked at him incredulously, "Why can't you just go out, try to get 5 9.50s without pushing the crank out the bottom or cooking the powerglide, and call it a successful Drag Week?"
"It pulls real good in low, and the bottom of drive...I just think it could take some more from there to the stripe!"
"Stock block with no filler, stock main caps, steel rods."
He smiled, "It's got studs, the rods are H-beams, and the Venolia pistons are really nice..."
"You detonate it just a little and it's going to explode...you can't cheap out on fuel, and you have to keep the timing out of it!" I warned him with a stern look and the waggle of a finger.
"I've been using 110, and it's back to 24", He shrugged.
"Not good enough, you're gonna kill it..."
"I blew my passenger's side window out Friday night", he changed the subject.
"How did that happen?"
"Well...you know how each side had like 40 screws last year, I've been putting in less and less each time I run it. Only had 6 screws in it, and the wind pulled the leading edge out at 139...poof! It just exploded!"
"You called Granny Large yet?"
"No, Tuesday", he blushed, "You're gonna get me in trouble calling her that!"
Berta Large is Dale's Mother in Law, and, she is a grandma. So I see no reason she would be offended by the name. She is also our go to source for all things Lexan, as she works for Regal Plastics in Tulsa.
"Livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks"
4 Street cars, 5 Race engines
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: StealthWedge67]
#1672947
09/24/14 04:35 PM
09/24/14 04:35 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,021
Tulsa OK
Bad340fish
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,021
Tulsa OK
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It sounds great but they have stated drag week has found its home in the midwest. I would love for a cooler drive lol.
68 Barracuda Formula S 340
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: Bad340fish]
#1672949
09/24/14 04:48 PM
09/24/14 04:48 PM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 52,972
Romeo MI
MR_P_BODY
Master
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Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 52,972
Romeo MI
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Quote:
It sounds great but they have stated drag week has found its home in the midwest. I would love for a cooler drive lol.
Seems like they do a mid-west or a mid-east but basically
central in the country to get the most drivers..
but being they fill up in minutes now days, maybe
they could look at other areas to have to starting
point.. I dont ever think they would have a border
crossing due to passports.. its taking longer to
get a passport.. speaking of that.. I have to re-new
mines pretty soon(within a few months)
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Re: Hot Rod Drag Week 2014: The Experience
[Re: Polarapete]
#1672951
09/24/14 10:55 PM
09/24/14 10:55 PM
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 52,972
Romeo MI
MR_P_BODY
Master
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Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 52,972
Romeo MI
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
It sounds great but they have stated drag week has found its home in the midwest. I would love for a cooler drive lol.
Seems like they do a mid-west or a mid-east but basically
central in the country to get the most drivers..
but being they fill up in minutes now days, maybe
they could look at other areas to have to starting
point.. I dont ever think they would have a border
crossing due to passports.. its taking longer to
get a passport.. speaking of that.. I have to re-new
mines pretty soon(within a few months)
A few years back we had "Pinks All Out" at Pacific Raceways and the attendance was phenomenal, better than the national event and the variety of cars was impressive as well with guys coming from all over the NorthWest and Canada. That including the Canadian with the Diesel powered Chevy pickup that nailed the left lane Jersey Barrier and moved it couple of feet when he lost it. Ouch!!
What I am saying is that the racers and the interest is here and the weather is a lot better this time of year...no tornadoes or floods!!!
Seems the interest is there all across the country,
they would/will fill up anywhere... unless they price
it out of sight that people just wont spend that
much money... for me it was out of my price tag this
year by the time it would have been all said and done..
it would have been $3000 for the week
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