I saw Jesus at the 660' and...................................

.........................he said no drag racers allowed in Heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I hit the guard rail at 90 mph just past the 1/8th mile!!!
I went to the Mid Michigan Motorplex Sunday with some friends to do some test and tuning on my Mustang. My car had never hooked up well before, the BFG drag radials just went up in smoke- the M/T ET Streets weren't much better! So I had Team Z install their upper control arm relocation mount to improve the geometry for the radials and then I bolted in 190# over the rear axle to help the weight distribution and bolted on a set of 11.5" WIDE 325X50X15 Hoosier drag radials and headed to the track. The first pass was eye opening, not only did the car hook but it actually pulled the front skinnies 6" up in the air. My first wheelstand! The 60' 1.526 which is about .2 to .3 faster than my previous best ( only 4 previous passes with this car). The car ran 11.03 (my fastest ever) at only 115 because I had forgot to turn up my rev limiter. The next pass was about the same but I still hit the rev limiter at 6500 just past the line? The third pass started out with my best reaction time ever .027 but really went bad just before the 1/8th mile when the car tuned suddenly to the right heading for the guard rail. I bounced of the guard rail after hitting it hard in the passenger side headlight area. The car bounced of the rail and back headed toward the other side of the track. I was cranking hard on the wheel trying to avoid the guard rail on the other side. The car seemed like it was going to come completely sideways and I figured it was likely to start barrel rolling which I know wouldn't be good since I only have a 6pt rollbar. The car finally changed direction and now I was headed across the track headed at the other guard rail again. The car was finally starting to slow down and I finally got on the brakes hard and spun the car 180 and came to a stop. I ran 16.65 @ 41 which is pretty good since I hit the guard rail and slid sideways for over 600' before I came to a stop 30' past the 1/4 mil3 timing blocks! The damage was confined to the front corner of the car, with a busted radiator, bent bumper and bumper cover, front fender and headlights. The frame is tweaked between the bumper and the strut tower. IT doesn't appear that the strut tower moved any. The core support is pushed back causing the radiator to impale itself on the ballancer and water pump pulley. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone that had video of the pass. I wasn't injured, and the car doesn't appear to be totaled so I guess I was fortunate. I really don't know what happened, the track announcer assumed that I blew a hose off but the hoses are still o even after hitting the guard rail. Something is broken in the rear end, it sounds like a can full of rocks in it when they towed me off the track. Spectators said it looks like the right rear tire just went up in smoke before the 1/8th? Oil or water on the track from a previous car? Broken posi unit? Broken axle? Water on the tires? Oil on the tires? I don't see any sign of leaks so far after looking it over, I'll have to put it on stands and look it over real good tomorrow.
Gary

Sorry to hear that Gary.

jasonf wrote:Sorry to hear that Gary.

X2.

damn ...glad to here you are ok gary

I hope you're alright Gary ... when tomorrow comes and your body starts feeling it.
I don't want to minimize this or any damage which happened however, your target was 11.00 and I would say that you are right there.

For what you describe; something in the rear either broke, locked-up or both.

Sorry to hear that Gary, Sounds like your rear axle ,IMO. Your damn lucky you didnt roll it. Any faster, and you might have.
What year is your car? There is a NICE junkyard down from me, and Cheap. Rick Brown knows it. I saw a couple Fox Mustangs in there.

Let me know if ya need anything.
Regards.
Al 989-494-9746

Damn that sucks At least you walked away, better pull the third member out of the axle.

Sucks to hear gary. I wonder if the right rear axle broke? What's the rear end consist of?

dam bad luck,get into it and you'll find what caused it.just be glad your ok

Sorry to hear

Glad you are ok Gary! Check to see if any of the work team Z did let go...

Glad your alright, Sucks to hear abot the car but they are the easier to fix than people.

Glad your ok.

rmcomprandy wrote:I hope you're alright Gary ... when tomorrow comes and your body starts feeling it.
I don't want to minimize this or any damage which happened however, your target was 11.00 and I would say that you are right there.

For what you describe; something in the rear either broke, locked-up or both.

Randy, I was mistaken the rear end and axles are ok- it was just the bodywork rubbing on the tires. I guess I was lucky. no pain or discomfort anywhere when I woke up today. I'm going to have to pull the motor to get the car fixed so I might bring it to you for a lookover and freshening. All that fuel my old carb was dumping into the cylinders probably didn't help ring seal or bearing life!

72mav wrote:Sorry to hear that Gary, Sounds like your rear axle ,IMO. Your damn lucky you didnt roll it. Any faster, and you might have.
What year is your car? There is a NICE junkyard down from me, and Cheap. Rick Brown knows it. I saw a couple Fox Mustangs in there.
I think a buddy of mine has a parts car with most of what I need, but I might come down and checkot some junkyars to see what I can find.

Let me know if ya need anything.
Regards.
Al 989-494-9746

A friend has a parts car with most of what I'll need. I may come down and checkout some junk yards to see what I can find when I go on vacation in November, I'll let you know

jbozzelle wrote:Sucks to hear gary. I wonder if the right rear axle broke? What's the rear end consist of?

Its a narrowed 8.8 w/ 9" housing ends, 31 spline Strange axles, Eaton posi, Motorsport 3.73 gears and FRPP rear cover. After opening it up today I found that neither the rear or axles broke, the tires were rubbing on the bumper cover which came loose after the crash.

D's557BBF wrote:Glad you are ok Gary! Check to see if any of the work team Z did let go...

Everything Team Z did is still A#1! After talking to a friend, I found out that he was the last to go down the right lane before I did and he said that even his 13.5 sec 347 cu.in Fox coupe had "stepped out" just before the 660 and that he thought that someone else must of dumped fluid on the track! My rpms through the traps seemed higher than they should have been, I'm thinking I might of been HAZING the tires at the top end of the track and when she hit fluid it instantly slid sideways.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and support, this forum is like family- well maybe a large dysfunctional family!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gary

This is terrible Gary Glad you're doing well. Post some pics if you can. Take er easy man

This is for those that say it "ain't worth posting without pictures!". Actually it doesn't look bad considering how fast I was going! That is if they can straighten the frame. A guy shot video of the wreck with his I-Phone and tried to email it to me, but I never got it. I watched it on his phone but you couldn't see much on that little screen, I was hoping to get the email so I could watch it on a bigger screen. Oh well, I may never figure out exactly what happened!
Gary

I was watching from the starting line on that pass..it appeared that there was loads of white smoke from under the center of the car,ahead of the rear tires before you went sideways,then....carnage..thats what it looked like to me from my vantage point for what its worth..so glad you were ok!...I was the guy with the red/white t-bird..went 8.43@162 ,first quarter mile pass in years!(1/8 usually)...Brian

Glad to hear you are ok!

birdracer wrote:I was watching from the starting line on that pass..it appeared that there was loads of white smoke from under the center of the car,ahead of the rear tires before you went sideways,then....carnage..thats what it looked like to me from my vantage point for what its worth..so glad you were ok!...I was the guy with the red/white t-bird..went 8.43@162 ,first quarter mile pass in years!(1/8 usually)...Brian

Thanks for the info, I tried to find someone who had shot video but apparently everyone missed it. One guy had it on his Iphone but you really couldn't tell what was happening on the little screen. ???????????????? I'm puzzled to what actually happened! I'll have to see if I can get it up on a hoist to see if I can find anything.
Gary

GTmustang wrote:This is for those that say it "ain't worth posting without pictures!". Actually it doesn't look bad considering how fast I was going! That is if they can straighten the frame. A guy shot video of the wreck with his I-Phone and tried to email it to me, but I never got it. I watched it on his phone but you couldn't see much on that little screen, I was hoping to get the email so I could watch it on a bigger screen. Oh well, I may never figure out exactly what happened!
Gary

YUCK .... It's alway bad when you can't take it home in the same condition you arrived in. Just glad you're doing good Gary. Knowing you you'll get it back even better than it was. Good luck my friend! Hollar to me if I can be of assistance.

That should straighten up with a GOOD frame shop Gary.
My Dad bought a 79 Indy pacecar version that was worse than yours. We installed new inners and rad support from the towers forward. Pretty simple.
You wanna check out that yard let me know. Im half-way between Lansing and Flint, off I-69 (exit 113)
Regards.
AL

72mav wrote:That should straighten up with a GOOD frame shop Gary.
My Dad bought a 79 Indy pacecar version that was worse than yours. We installed new inners and rad support from the towers forward. Pretty simple.
You wanna check out that yard let me know. Im half-way between Lansing and Flint, off I-69 (exit 113)
Regards.
AL

Al, been looking at parts availabilty and it looks like NOS Ford core supports are available from a couple suppliers. I looked at my buddies 2 parts cars and the core supports are too rusty to use even if they are free. They make repro ones also for about a $100 cheaper but if they aren't right it will make getting it all in and looking original hard to do. I'd like to get the frame straightened and the core support welded in, then I'll probably wait to figure out what else needs to be replaced. I've got a pretty good nose assembly from a GT parts car I used to have, but I'm not sure if I want to use it or get one of the Cervini Stalker bumper covers? My fenders were real nice before this, now I'll need a passenger side one. I was planning to eliminate the fog lights and try to use the old holes for some type of cold air intake. I also need to find someone good to paint the car. My buddy was going to paint it for me, but since he had a heart attack at 53 he doesn't do any side jobs anymore. I don't think I want to drive around in amulti color car for a couple of years till he retires! As far as the local body shops, they turn out some real nice work and sometimes they turn out some real crap, high priced crap at that. My car doesn't have to be perfect, but I want it nice. Maybe I should drag it down to Ky to 56Tbird!
Gary

Man that sucks, glad your OK.

It could have been any number of things. You might have spun a little and got out of the groove causing one tire grabbed more & turned the car. Or it might have just been the track.

Well after hearing "birdracers" expert eyewitness account where he reported seeing white smoke ahead of the tires before I started to lose it, I decided to investigate further. I had heard many eyewitness reports from other spectators, but because they weren't as knowledgeable as birdracer they diidn't understand what they were seeing. I now believe that it all started with a broken motor mount. The engine rotated toward the pass side forcing the fan into the radiator causing the blade to cut 3 of the tubes in the core on the pass side. The coolant leaked down in front of the right rear tire causing it to go up in smoke and allowing the left rear to turn me toward the wall. Also with the engine torqued over it wouldn't allow thew throttle to close all the way after I got out of it. This would account for reports of a couple people that thought the throttle had stuck open. There is also possible that there was some fluid on the track in that area before I made my run, it may have contributed to my problems but didn't cause the accident!
Gary
P.S.: Birdracers car is Bada$$- 80's t-bird, tube chassis and A-heads!

That good you figured out what happen at lest you want be left wondering