85_Capri_4v
01-21-2005, 12:26 PM
I was going to post this as a reply on the "I never street race but…" http://www.foureyedpride.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14642 thread but I figured this might start something else so I am making a new thread.
So here is a few memories of street races won and lost and also the intimidation I spread.
Most recently I was cruising around Dobbin's Landing in Erie PA. It was a very busy night and quite warm out too. Not having A/C in the Capri is a bummer. So I was heading back up State Street there was an 87 GT next to me. I would let it get a head a bit and then zoom ahead a car length or so. The passenger finally hangs out the window and said, "Your car sounds quick, is it?" I just looked at him and shrugged my shoulders and smiled saying, “Oh I don't know." I zipped ahead and turned onto 12th street and then drove slow to see if he would follow. He didn't. I am guessing they accepted my bluff since they didn’t pursue me. Maybe they were not sure what I was driving.
Another time, summer 1987, while cruising Dobbin’s Landing aka the Dock I was driving my 79 Bronco. There was some guy and his girl friend driving around in his Camaro. It was something like a 76-78 year. You know the type, the kid with the camaro or nova with a 350 ( so he said ) but most likely a 305 or 307, hack sawed Y pipe, flex pipe duals, and cherry bombs. So here is this kid and he wants to impress his chicky. He starts blipping the gas. So I thought to myself, oh this is going to be fun!
Now my 79 Bronco was stock and I mean stock. It still had all the vacuum lines hooked up to everything. Single exhaust, and a quiet one too. The only thing I know of that was not factory was the lock out hubs. It had a different transfer case too, it has 2 wheel low in it.
So I shut the engine off, slipped it into 2 wheel low and restarted the engine. While in neutral I revved the engine a couple times so he knew I was game. I power braked the Bronco and as soon as I saw the flicker of green I was off. The Bronco moved about 60 feet and was already in 3rd gear. I beat him to the next traffic light and was happy he got stuck at it because if I had to beat him to the 2nd light there would have been 351M all over the pavement.
When I had my Cobra II in 1987 I had a lot of fun with it. One night my buddy Mike and I decided to install headers on the beastie. The only headers I could find that were a sure fit were Heddmans. When opening the box there was 6 pieces of a puzzle. We took the factory system off and began the long night of installing the headers. Finally about 2am they were installed. We fired the Snake up and it sounded GOOD.
Now you know, here you are 20 years old, fresh headers installed in your favorite steed and its 2am. What are you going to do? Yes you ARE going to take it for a run down the country road. Well that is what we did.
Now there was a family up the road that was, how shall I say it, a bunch of whiners. It was OK if THEIR son Mikey went hell bent for leather across the pasture on his piped up 2 stroke trail bike disturbing the cattle and neighbors but don’t let anyone else do it.
So Mike and I pushed the Snake down the drive and started it up and quietly left going down the road. We passed Mikey’s house and went down the road about 1320 feet *wink* and turned around. Yes we had 3rd gear wound when we came back through. I shifted into 4th and coasted down the road into Mike’s driveway and up into the garage.
5 minutes later Jim, Mike’s dad, came out and bore honed and chamfered our butts. He read us the riot act how he should not have to deal with neighbors calling him at 2 am and having to listen to why we should not have made a speed run with open headers. After he was done and turned away, he said, “nice job it sounds great!” Mike and I looked at each other and didn’t say a word until we knew it was safe.
Now I told you all that just to tell you this.
We still needed pipes and muffs on the car. It was hard to find someone who would bend exhaust for it. We finally found someone who was gutsy enough to do so. We had to drive it open headers from Albion PA to Ashtabula OH. Personally I wasn’t looking forward to that. The idea of driving that through a city was not cool to me. The only thing that made me feel a little OK with it is the fact that Ohio doesn’t have a safety inspection and there are many cars in Ashtabula County that are loud. So off we went.
I decided that when we got into the city that I would short shift and stay out of the throttle and shut the car off coming to stops.
As luck would have it during one of the engine shut downs I pulled up next to yet another 76-78 Scumaro. I just kind of minded my own business but I could hear them laughing and I look over. They are jeering at the Cobra II. Now most non Ford types believed that the Mustang II was nothing great and certainly not a performance car. They were pointing and laughing. I rolled down the window and asked what THEIR problem was. They continued and it was beginning to really upset me. So I said, “That piece of Chevy could not get out of its own way wide open down a mineshaft with a strong tail wind!” To which the late teen driver asked, “Wanna find out?” I nodded yes and flipped the key. Instantly the engine roared to life and the blood drained from their faces. Neither looked at me when the light turned green and they didn’t even attempt to race.
I have 3 more stories to add but we’ll see what anyone else has to add.
Thanks for reading, ~ Capri
So here is a few memories of street races won and lost and also the intimidation I spread.
Most recently I was cruising around Dobbin's Landing in Erie PA. It was a very busy night and quite warm out too. Not having A/C in the Capri is a bummer. So I was heading back up State Street there was an 87 GT next to me. I would let it get a head a bit and then zoom ahead a car length or so. The passenger finally hangs out the window and said, "Your car sounds quick, is it?" I just looked at him and shrugged my shoulders and smiled saying, “Oh I don't know." I zipped ahead and turned onto 12th street and then drove slow to see if he would follow. He didn't. I am guessing they accepted my bluff since they didn’t pursue me. Maybe they were not sure what I was driving.
Another time, summer 1987, while cruising Dobbin’s Landing aka the Dock I was driving my 79 Bronco. There was some guy and his girl friend driving around in his Camaro. It was something like a 76-78 year. You know the type, the kid with the camaro or nova with a 350 ( so he said ) but most likely a 305 or 307, hack sawed Y pipe, flex pipe duals, and cherry bombs. So here is this kid and he wants to impress his chicky. He starts blipping the gas. So I thought to myself, oh this is going to be fun!
Now my 79 Bronco was stock and I mean stock. It still had all the vacuum lines hooked up to everything. Single exhaust, and a quiet one too. The only thing I know of that was not factory was the lock out hubs. It had a different transfer case too, it has 2 wheel low in it.
So I shut the engine off, slipped it into 2 wheel low and restarted the engine. While in neutral I revved the engine a couple times so he knew I was game. I power braked the Bronco and as soon as I saw the flicker of green I was off. The Bronco moved about 60 feet and was already in 3rd gear. I beat him to the next traffic light and was happy he got stuck at it because if I had to beat him to the 2nd light there would have been 351M all over the pavement.
When I had my Cobra II in 1987 I had a lot of fun with it. One night my buddy Mike and I decided to install headers on the beastie. The only headers I could find that were a sure fit were Heddmans. When opening the box there was 6 pieces of a puzzle. We took the factory system off and began the long night of installing the headers. Finally about 2am they were installed. We fired the Snake up and it sounded GOOD.
Now you know, here you are 20 years old, fresh headers installed in your favorite steed and its 2am. What are you going to do? Yes you ARE going to take it for a run down the country road. Well that is what we did.
Now there was a family up the road that was, how shall I say it, a bunch of whiners. It was OK if THEIR son Mikey went hell bent for leather across the pasture on his piped up 2 stroke trail bike disturbing the cattle and neighbors but don’t let anyone else do it.
So Mike and I pushed the Snake down the drive and started it up and quietly left going down the road. We passed Mikey’s house and went down the road about 1320 feet *wink* and turned around. Yes we had 3rd gear wound when we came back through. I shifted into 4th and coasted down the road into Mike’s driveway and up into the garage.
5 minutes later Jim, Mike’s dad, came out and bore honed and chamfered our butts. He read us the riot act how he should not have to deal with neighbors calling him at 2 am and having to listen to why we should not have made a speed run with open headers. After he was done and turned away, he said, “nice job it sounds great!” Mike and I looked at each other and didn’t say a word until we knew it was safe.
Now I told you all that just to tell you this.
We still needed pipes and muffs on the car. It was hard to find someone who would bend exhaust for it. We finally found someone who was gutsy enough to do so. We had to drive it open headers from Albion PA to Ashtabula OH. Personally I wasn’t looking forward to that. The idea of driving that through a city was not cool to me. The only thing that made me feel a little OK with it is the fact that Ohio doesn’t have a safety inspection and there are many cars in Ashtabula County that are loud. So off we went.
I decided that when we got into the city that I would short shift and stay out of the throttle and shut the car off coming to stops.
As luck would have it during one of the engine shut downs I pulled up next to yet another 76-78 Scumaro. I just kind of minded my own business but I could hear them laughing and I look over. They are jeering at the Cobra II. Now most non Ford types believed that the Mustang II was nothing great and certainly not a performance car. They were pointing and laughing. I rolled down the window and asked what THEIR problem was. They continued and it was beginning to really upset me. So I said, “That piece of Chevy could not get out of its own way wide open down a mineshaft with a strong tail wind!” To which the late teen driver asked, “Wanna find out?” I nodded yes and flipped the key. Instantly the engine roared to life and the blood drained from their faces. Neither looked at me when the light turned green and they didn’t even attempt to race.
I have 3 more stories to add but we’ll see what anyone else has to add.
Thanks for reading, ~ Capri