2QuickNovas Racing

This blog has moved

2010-06-14T20:44:00.001-05:00

This blog is now located at http://2quicknovas.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://2quicknovas.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Anyone Tired of Winter Yet?

2010-01-19T21:03:00.003-06:00

This 50 degree weather has me wishing for spring and the opening of the dragstrips.

2000 Wins--Go Big Blue!

2009-12-21T21:09:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I know this isn't a college basketball site, but for those that don't know, I'm a huge Kentucky fan. Born and raised in Kentucky, Kentucky alumni and still live here. You can say I bleed blue.

Tonight, UK got their 2000th win and was the first school to do so in NCAA Div 1 history. So its a great night to be fan.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-21T07:48:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all from 2QuickNovas Racing.

New Best 1/4 Mile ET

2009-11-21T21:16:00.003-06:00

I went to Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, KY today for the last test-n-tune of the year today. Nothing serious, just wanted to play around and get a 1/4 mile timeslip. It had been well over a year since I had run 1/4 mile and still didn't have an official 8-second run under my belt. I do now. Best pass of the day was a 8.749@149.02 with a very soft 60' and some high rpm break-up (hopefully just needs fresh plugs). The 1/8th mile was only 5.617@128.58, so I was leaving a lot on the table with my conservative tune-up. But I wasn't looking to push it too hard at all.

Craig wins last race of the year at Lake Cumberland

2009-11-08T08:07:00.003-06:00

1st pass of the day at Lake Cumberland Dragway in Jamestown, KY. 5.55@126 with a 1.31 60'. As you can see, there was a good bit of tire shake that slowed me down.

By the end of the day, it ran a 5.48@126.8 with a 1.281 60'...all new personal bests.

I also took home the win in Outlaw 8.5/DOT.

R.I.P. Bob Rowe

2009-10-19T17:56:00.001-05:00

The Nova community lost a great friend this weekend. Bob Rowe passed away after a short battle with cancer. Saying that he was a very generous and well-liked person barely scratches the surface. He will be greatly missed.

Carnage

2009-10-13T16:31:00.002-05:00

Bruce says I should update my blog

2009-10-13T16:26:00.003-05:00

...so I am.

This race season was a trying time. Seemed like it was one problem after another. First is was handling issues due to the rack and pinion setup I added in late winter/early spring. Then in July at the Nova Gathering, I threw a rod out of the motor. I got that fixed in August and enjoyed some success. Then last weekend I tore the ring and pinion out of the rearend. At least that one won't cost much to fix.

The good news is a new personal best ET, MPH and 60'. Two weekends ago I ran a 5.49@126.75 with a 1.283 60' on the 26x8.5" slicks. That puts me in contention for wins again if I can run that well consistently. Actually, I think it can go faster than that. Maybe low .40s?

And the Winner Is.....

2009-05-17T18:35:00.002-05:00

We are! 1st place in Trailered Custom '57! Wow. We felt we had the best car in the class, but you never know how the judges are going to see it. We were up against the winner of the class from many past years, a full custom chassis '57 convertible, another gorgeous '57 convertible and many other super-nice cars.

The one surprise was that we didn't get best paint. But that's OK, the car that got it was a mega-sweet '55 Nomad. It had orange peel in the top coat. You won't find that on Dad's car.

Dad seemed very pleased, as he should be. This was no small-town show and the competition was very tough. Our paint and body guys were at the show as well. I could tell they were very proud of their work and the results from the show.

After nine years, three body shops and countless hours, its beyond cool to win this show!

I'll post up some pictures in the coming days.

Another Update From Pigeon Forge

2009-05-16T15:03:00.002-05:00

The skies started out dark today with some sprinkles, but that gave way to sun and humidity. That's OK, we had plenty of time to prep the car for judging once the weather dried up.

I spent a good portion of the morning under the car, giving it a good going over. Sure is nice to be under a car and not come out greasy! Foreign territory. LOL

Judging seemed to go well, best I can tell. From what I overheard, I think we've got a good chance at a nice award. But we'll see in the morning.

It was also another day full of extremely positive comments from the spectators and fellow show car owners. Its really fun to stand back and listen to what people have to say.

Angella took tons of pictures, so we'll have a lot to share. Some of you have asked for interior shots, so we have those now. She got some cool reflection shots as well.

Tonight is all about go-carts! Let the battles begin!

More to come after awards in the morning.

Rain

2009-05-15T18:15:00.002-05:00

Rain has set in for the evening, so the car is all tucked away. Hopefully the rain will clear out before morning. Not sure what they'll do about judging if its still pouring tomorrow.

But all was not lost for the evening...we had a nice dinner at the Peddler in Gatlinburg. Yum.

We've made it to Pigeon Forge

2009-05-15T11:40:00.002-05:00

One blown tire on the trailer and 3 hours of engine work on the truck and we finally made it. So the 4 hour drive turned into around 8 :-( At least I had 4 spare tires for the trailer and we were able to limp the truck to the next exit and find a parts store. It was missing like crazy and detonating badly under a load. I couldn't find a dead cylinder or any valvetrain problems, so we put in new plugs. That helped a little, but didn't cure it. So next was new wires. Better again, but still missing badly. Finally, a new cap and rotor did the trick. Doesn't sound like any big deal, but working on a hot engine, while having to squat on top of the motor isn't fun. That distributor cap was tough to get at.

We've got the car at the show and done our first round of cleaning. Still more to do before judging tomorrow, but the bulk of its done.

I think we've got a good shot at some award. Not sure what, but I think we've got the best paint of the show. Other cars might be a little better on the under side and our interior is all stock (got put in the custom class, which I think is a bad call).

The response from other show car owners has been extremely positive. So that's worth a ton right there.

Check back later for more news from the Smokey Mountain Round-Up.

Getting Ready for the First Big Show

2009-05-10T07:53:00.002-05:00

The time is almost here to take Dad's '57 to the Smokey Mountain '55, '56, '57 Chevy Show in Pigeon Forge, TN. Its next weekend as a matter of fact.

We've been doing little items to the car to get it ready. Little paint touch-ups on the undercarriage, lots of cleaning under there, a couple custom items that I've made to give it a little flair, addressing a few exhaust leaks, etc. Nothing major, but all time consuming. Luckily we've still got the help of the Jackson brothers (our paint guys), who will be attending the show with us.

I'm off to NC the first part of this week. I'll be driving the Firehawk and enjoying seat time in it. Fun car. Needs a bigger rearend so that I can really thrash it at the track :-)

Dad's '57 Makes Its Debut

2009-05-02T16:17:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday saw our 9-year '57 Chevy project see the light of day. We took Dad's car to the first Somernites Cruise of '09 in Somerset, KY. The response to the car was unbelievable. The cruise attendees were incredibly complimentary and the Somernites Cruise team saw fit to park us right on the town square, in the middle of the action. That's a big compliment in itself.

The car behaved itself wonderfully. No leaks, ran cool, started quickly, drove smoothly, etc. So that was a nice bon

In two weeks, we'll take the car to the Smokey Mountain '55, '56, '57 show in Pigeon Forge, TN. We feel the car will show very well, but we'll have fun even if we don't bring home any awards. This car was built to cruise after all.

Hope you enjoy these pictures and a short video of it driving away.

Product Testing

2009-04-07T17:00:00.003-05:00

2QuickNovas Racing has reached an agreement with Cometic (famous for their multi-layer steel gaskets) to test their new progressive nitrous controller.

This controller is full of nice features, including two stage progressive control, laptop programmable nitrous curves, data logging of internal functions as well as from external sensors and high amperage solenoid drivers.

I will be applying my engineering background to this testing and will write a full report on my findings. Stay tuned.

Nova Update--Headers and Rack and Pinion

2009-03-27T16:37:00.002-05:00

My new headers arrived today from Wildman Racing in Walton, Indiana. Wow, what a great set of tubes and man are they big! Hopefully they'll be a nice boost in power. The fit is great. Better clearance in critical areas than the much smaller Stahl headers that I had before. If you're in the market for custom headers, let me put you in touch with Joe at Wildman Racing.

The rack and pinion project is in full swing. I didn't know if I'd get it done before race season, but looks like I will. I should have some pictures very soon and plan on documenting the details in a new Watson Guide. Looks like the weight reduction will be very close to 25 lbs. I'm keeping close track on that and will post the official results when all the parts are fabbed up.

2009 Sponsors and Sponsorship Opportunities

2009-03-27T16:28:00.003-05:00

2QuickNovas Racing (that would be me :-) would like to thank M&H Race Tires for continuing their support of my racing efforts in the 2009 season. John and Michael are great to work with and I greatly appreciate their assistance. Be sure to check them out for all your tire needs. www.mandhtires.com

I'm also working with a few other potential sponsors in an effort to enhance my race program. More on that as things develop.

If anyone out there is looking for cheap exposure, please contact me. It doesn't take much expenditure to reap the benefits of working with 2QuickNovas Racing.

Its almost race season!

2009-03-18T21:22:00.002-05:00

The weather is warming up, the grass is turning green, the birds are chirping and the race tracks are opening! Hope springs eternal this time of year.

For the past few days, I've been working on the rack-n-pinion installation in the Nova. Its going well and should be done in just a few days. I plan on putting together a page detailing this installation for others to use as a resource.

My new headers are about done as well. 2-1/8" with 4" collectors. I'm hoping that'll pick up the power a good bit since the nitrous jet is being limited in Outlaw 8.5 in Ohio Valley Outlaw Street.

So I should be out testing very soon.

Parts For Sale

2009-03-11T16:58:00.002-05:00

SBC solid roller cam--262/272@.050", .630/.630" lift, 108 lsa--$100
M&H 26x8.5" slicks. 19 runs on them. $125 for the pair.
Hoosier 275/60-15 drag radials--barely used. $300 for the pair.

Late Winter Mods

2009-03-11T16:43:00.003-05:00

The first round of modifications to the Firehawk were completed a little over a week ago. So far, I'm taking it easy on the new stage 3 clutch to let it break in, so I really can't comment much on the power increase from the SLP headers. But it sure is nice to be able to drive the car and not smell like a burnt clutch anymore.

I've started on the conversion to rack-n-pinion in the Nova. I ordered 4130 chrome-moly tubing and plate from Aircraft Spruce to make the tubular subframe cross members and rack mounting.

My new headers are being made by Wildman Racing in Northern Ohio. Joe is doing a great job and should have the new pipes to me late next week. Can't wait to try them out.

Dad's '57 is coming along nicely. We lowered it last week and now it looks like a real hot rod. The front end is on the car, as is the front bumper and some more trim. Before we know it, it'll be ready for the road! Finally!

Firehawk Mods Update

2009-02-28T21:57:00.002-06:00

I've been sneaking in a little time here and there this week on the Firehawk. Man, I love having a lift in the shop! Sure beats lying under the car and pulling a tranny on a floor jack.

I got a good bit of time in on it today and the new clutch is in, the tranny is re-installed and the headers are bolted in as well. But I ran out of time and didn't quite get it all finished up. I still need to re-route a couple plug wires to clear the headers and weld up the y-pipe to the front of the converter.

While the alternator is off, I'll probably go ahead and throw the LT4 rockers on it, even though I'd rather drive it with the headers only to see what difference they made.

I also noticed that the rear of the torque arm had started to crack, so I degreased that and welded it up. Might save up for a tubular torque arm at some point, but we'll see how the stocker holds up for now.

Beech Bend opens up next weekend, so maybe I'll get some runs in on the new setup before long. But I really need to stop playing with the street car and get the Nova ready for race season. Hopefully I'll be out testing in it on the 28th at I-40 Dragway.

2009-02-24T22:52:00.002-06:00

This is my dad's '57 Chevy. We're about to finish a very long, frame-off restification. Pretty much everything was gone through. Only the tranny and rearend didn't come apart. The bottom is as slick as the top, if I may say so myself. It has a fairly mild 355 with dual 4bbls, Comp XE268 cam, double hump 327 heads, JetHot coated headers, TH350, 3.08 gears and 2.5" stainless exhaust with Flowmasters.

Our first show with it is in May, so we should have it done in plenty of time. I think it'll do well.

Look for a full webpage on 2QuickNovas outlining the entire build. I have a lot of pictures from various phases and will be sharing those with the world soon.

Death Nova blisters Vette

2009-02-23T22:32:00.000-06:00

Here's an old one, but still a favorite. This was
shot at Lake Cumberland Dragway, which is
slated to reopen under new management come
April. WooHoo!

Death Nova Burnout Video

2009-02-23T22:11:00.000-06:00