1950 Chevrolet 1/2-Ton
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"Kirby"Owned by Ron and Kim Plender
Talking about this truck |
11 April 2011 Update
# 1476
From Ron :
Kirby, our 1950 Chevy 3100 racing truck, was out of commission for a while. Actually, we blew up the engine last summer and had to start with a new block through the winter. It turned out to be for the better.
The new engine makes slightly less peak horse power but more torque. Kirby seems to like that.
Kirby's best pass with the original engine was an 11.73 at 114.25 mph. In far less than ideal conditions this summer, he ran 11.60 at 114.91 mph on the only day we made it to run the 1/4 mile.
While we were there, my wife caught this shot of me leaving the line. If you look closely, you'll see air under the front wheel.
Ron
Ron ~ outstanding. Glad to hear that Kirby is still racing ... and looking good at the same time! Thanks for the update. ~ Editor
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03 August 2009 Update
# 1476
From Ron :
Kirby has finally made some trips to the track. He has made about 6 1/4 mile passes and 8 or 10 1/8 mile passes. Here's a YouTube video!
We must have made some good guesses on the set up because he has run straight and hard every pass - or at least every pass the driver did his job!
Kirby weighs just over 3000 lbs with the driver (me) and his best 1/4 mile time was out at the Gasser Reunion race in Ohio. He ran 11.72 at 113 mph.
One of the pictures is of our last run against a very nice '55 Chevy "gasser" style car. I loved the car but couldn't help but enjoy "blowing his doors off" -- OK, maybe we didn't blow his doors off but on that pass, he ran 11.93 and we ran 11.73. We definitely got there first.
He may not be fast in comparison to the mega engined street cars that folks are building these days but for a little old 6 cylinder in a 1950 pickup, he does OK for himself.
Ron
Cool job on the video! Amazing to see the classic truck racing! Keep it up! ~ Editor
21 March 2009 Update
# 1476
From Ron :
It has been a long time coming but the race truck we told you about some time ago is finally taking shape.
We were wanting to have a "presentable" truck we could go racing with but, as things sometimes go, we ended up with a way nicer vehicle than we had planned. It turned out nice enough that the guys who did the body and paint work asked if they could enter it in the local car show. So we said " Why not?" It didn't win any awards, but it did get a lot of attention as "Something different."
I don't know how the color will come through but the body is a sage green with black fenders and it's all covered with a satin finish clear coat (not flat - not glossy).
We still have a little wiring to do and we need to install the seat belts, but other than that it is ready to make some shake-down runs this spring. We've added some pictures of the engine and interior to the Photobucket account.
We'll keep you posted on how it runs! Keep enjoying those old trucks!!
Ron & Kim Plender
Wow, you two have come a long way with this truck! You're right ... she looks to nice to race! ~ Editor
01 June 2008
# 1476
From Ron :
Hi fellow Stovebolters! Arpee here and I am WAY overdue for an update on our race truck project. It is amazing how much life gets in the way of finishing a project.
Anyway, even though it has been painfully slow, we are beginning to see daylight. We hope to see it run this summer.
Most all of the fabrication is done. The paint work is almost completed. So we need to get the wiring done and some final assembly. In the Photobucket link above you'll find good photos of the chassis front, right front, finished firewall, and dismantling
The truck now has a name (as all our trucks do!) and it is Kirby. We kind of borrowed that from Mike Kirby who has been so helpful getting the engine built and providing invaluable advice and assistance.
A quick recap of Kirby’s spec’s:
- 292 late model engine
- .060 over bore
- Approximate 12 to 1 compression
- Crower Cam
- Hilborn injection
- Dyno’d at 460+ hp
- Jerico 4 speed trans
- Ford 9 inch rear end
- 4.86 gears
- Original chassis, boxed and reinforced
It’s hard to tell from the pictures but the cab, bed and hood (when finished) are a sage green color and the fenders and running boards are black. The whole truck is (will be) sprayed with an egg-shell clear coat. It won’t be flat but it won’t be slick and shinny either. We are hoping it will look like a clean old truck that you might have seen parked in front of a gas station in the 1960’s.
I wish I could take the credit for all that nice work on Kirby. Unfortunately, I am not that talented. Two brothers down the road from me have done the fabrication and body work. I am a reasonably competent parts replacer and enjoy working on the drive train but that’s as far as it goes. It is also a big part of the reason it is taking so long to get Kirby on the road (track).
He will be a Nostalgia Drag truck that should be a lot of fun.
Otis (our 1964 Chevrolet C-20 Fleetside) and Walter (our 1950 pickup truck) are still both running well and we use them everyday – ok, maybe every week (every chance we get!). The ’56 Chevy street car we do a little racing with is also running well. It’s a 292 (of course) and we had some additional head work done last year and it ran a best of 13.67 at 100.8 mph. We changed the rear end last fall and added a little more gear with a little more tire.
I’ve also included a picture of a little car we picked up a couple summers ago. It’s kind of our 4 wheeled motorcycle. Since it was a 6 cylinder, we just couldn’t resist. I am so fortunate to have a wife that loves old trucks and cars as much as I do!!
As soon as the weather cooperates here, we hope those changes will lead to improved performance.
Keep enjoy’n those Chevy 6 cylinders!!!
Ron and Kim Plender
You build a mean truck. Nice job on the new firewall, very tidy. ~ Mike "Burgandybolt" Allen, Welcome (Panel) Wagon
17 May 2007 Update
# 1476
From Ron:
I sent in an update on Otis, our 1964 Chevrolet C-20 Fleetside, so I thought I'd include a little bit of update on the "race truck."
Our race truck isn’t quite done so we are racing the ’56 for the first part of the season. It isn’t nearly as fast as the race truck will be but it is still fun. The race truck chassis is done, the cab is painted and mounted and the bed sides are painted and ready to be installed. Once we get that done we can finish the plumbing and wiring and by then hopefully the fenders will be ready to install. Then it will be time to hear it run. I will get some pics off to you all as soon as things really take shape.
As you may have guessed, we are long time Inliner International members and REALLY enjoy our 6 cylinders. The Inliners have set up their own drag race classes and (at least for the moment) the ’56 is the C/G record holder with a 13.81 in the quarter mile at 98.4 mph. (The picture above is Otis pulling the '56.) It is also a 292 with more head work, more cam and more compression – but it is still a street car that we race when we can. We call ourselves “Six is Enough Racing.” Six is enough to have a lot of fun with and embarrass a lot of V8’s!!
Ron and Kim Plender
20 March 2006
# 1476
From Ron:
Hi fellow Stovebolters. I had sent some pictures of Walter, our 1950 pickup truck that we use as a daily driver and also do some drag racing with. In that note, I mentioned that we also have a 1964 Chevrolet C-20 Fleetside, Otis that is a nice old truck. This is our second 1950 Chevrolet [ pix ] that we are building as a race truck.
I’ve included a couple pics of the race truck in progress. He doesn’t have a name yet. We have to get him running and see what “fits.” The frame has been completely boxed and the rear suspension has been changed to a ladder bar, coil over system with a F++d 9 inch housing. The carrier is an aluminum Moser assembly with 4.86 gears using 35 spline axles. A Jerico 4 speed transmission with a Long vertical gate shifter was chosen to keep with the nostalgia racer theme of the old truck. The engine is kind of the crown jewel. It is a 292 with an aluminum 12 port cylinder head and Hilborn injection. It’s running about 12 to 1 compression and a cam with about .700 lift and around 300 duration. We had the engine dyno’d before we brought it home and it made over 450hp on racing gas.
It should be great fun. I’ll keep you updated as the race truck progresses. It is now completely in pieces so that we can paint the frame and begin the final assembly. It may not make the first race of the season but we hope not to miss very many.
Best of luck to all you Stovebolters out there working on your own projects. It’s a great way to spend your time, don’t you agree?
Ron and Kim Plender
"Arpee"
Bolter # 10489
Box Elder, South Dakota
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