Okay. I changed the exhaust tip to come out the passenger side. Didn't make sense to have hot exhaust blasting at you as you open the barn doors. Also, a couple of pics of my high output Spal fan and fitment in the engine compartment. Yeah things are tight. That fan pulls all kinds of air. Triple digit days and the AC cranked, the temp stayed right where I want it. I think I've finally licked any over heating issues. We'll see how it does going up an down a few grades in 2 weeks and next month!
Well, my thinking went from thinking to action. Started bending the base pieces for the second and third row seat. My third row seat is non-existent. My middle seat is possibly from a later Suburban? The base never even came close to the key holes. Plus, most of the steel is in a rust arrested condition.
So, third row first. The plan here is to come close to looking like an original seat. The goal is also to make a seat that can be reversed. When we push the dragster, my partner hangs out in the back. I should actually say, he rolls around back there. Tools and all. After the dragster fires, it rolls down the track under power and parks in a designated spot. Rules are that one crew member is allowed to stay with the dragster and driver in case anything goes nutty and to generally assist the driver. That is my partner. I drive the Burb, following the dragster down the track, stop long enough for my partner to get out, then go to my designated parking area off the track. Usually, I have a phone booth challenge going on in the Suburban and have about 200 people that ride along in the thing. Video of the process minus me slowing down for my partner to jump out. That year he decided to wait until until we parked the Burb, then he would jump over the wall.
Anyway, none of us are getting any younger. At the beginning of the year, we had an incident while playing with the actual go fast race car. A fuel altered or AA/FA. A 6 second car. We were on the track to do a maiden shake down run. We started the thing and it lurched backwards. I was on the left side of the vehicle to operate the starter, next to the front wheel. My partner, who is the owner of the car, was standing on the left side of the car to gas the injector. He was behind the front wheel. Our shakedown driver is an awesome, natural driver. And is greatly experienced. He had the forethought to have it in reverse because that was the direction where nobody was and would do the least amount of damage if something happened. Like I said, the thing lurched when the ignition caught, and the car ran over my partner. Chaos ensued. The car is stopped, on my partner's leg. The engine is running and he reaches up and kills the fuel. He's funny as he said, "Well, no one else was going to do it!" The driver couldn't because he was wrestling the brake handle and gear box. The car is stopped, and stuck in gear, on my partners leg. We finally get it off of him, compound fracture, here comes the ambulance, etc., etc. My job is the get the car, pit, camp, everything packed up and put away. Or, at least direct everyone who doesn't know what to do. Just one of those things. Like I said, we aren't getting any younger.
Long story short, my partner is healed and has a nice titanium rod down his bone. He's in his mid 60's. I'm in my mid 50's. Also, keep in mind, these guys associated with the dragster raced back in the 60's-70's. They have a little time on them too. I like giving them a comfortable place to sit. So, time for my partner to have a seat he can sit in and not have to roll around the back cabin. And that's why the seat needs to be reversible. So I'll probably make the bottom section narrower than stock, if I can. The beginnings.
