CK5
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The Shop Truck

1971 Chevy C20 with a custom flat bed.
It's easy for a play vehicle to all the sudden morph into a specific use deal, and now it's more of a job/work, and less enjoyable.
That's why I'm staying off the track with my burb.
I want a couple test n tune trips just for a sub 14 second time slip. Then I'm done.
I KNOW I'd slide down that slippery slope in a heart beat and it'd become a trailered beast that's no longer my vision for it.

So I just drive it as much as I can and enjoy it :waytogo:
What's the point of building it if not to enjoy it and let the world see? Lol
 
We're home now, 75 mile drive, zero issues, A/C blasting cold. Because I've been struggling to figure out the truck on the track, we haven't been able to enjoy it off track. We just need to do a little more testing before Duct Tape Drag's and we'll be ready.
 
I wasn't sure where to post this, I figured this thread was the best place. One of the requirements for using your RV at any NHRA track is that you put an exhaust extension on your generator that exhausts above the roof line.
The Genturi by Camco is the "gold standard". I bought a knockoff last year before Duct Tape Drag's, but it melted in the heat of the day (105°+) with the A/C running. I looked at reviews and the Camco has the same problem. Both of them are made of black ABS plastic, which just seems crazy to me. I decided to make my own and make it look and function better than the Camco.
IMG_20251002_151734334_HDR.jpg

It's in 3 6' sections of 3.5" stainless exhaust. The other end of the 90° bend has a v-band clamp attaching it to the generator exhaust. The bottom section has a 1.5" 90° mandrel bend that has 4 1/8"x1" blades that are notched into and welded to the 3.5" pipe leaving the bottom open to draw cool air in from the venturi effect. The mounts use pump down camera mount suction cups that are ridiculously strong. They seem strong enough that I could move the RV around a bit if necessary without taking it off.
 
Exhaust though ABS makes so much sence. :haha:

Nice work. Let us know how many orders you have after the first outing.
I don't have an LLC, no way am I building one for anyone I'm not good friends with. Now if I get enough orders... :thinking:
 
Well, they're predicting about an inch of rain on Friday so Firebird cancelled the drags :mad:.
Hopefully there's no issues with the Duct Tape Drags the following weekend. The predicted temperatures keep rising, they were 79 for a high when I first searched, it's up to 90 now, but no rain. Still cooler than last years 105.
 
Cruising the Coast had everything. We saw teenage girls driving a C3 to young ladies and dudes in square body's and first gen Broncos. Tuner cars and a lot of 20 somethings in rat rods. All of the old guys I talked to were asses. My son walked away from one and muttered, "what a prick".

ReTonkulous brings the non car people to it. I have great conversations with kids and young adults. And moms. :D
 
Cruising the Coast had everything. We saw teenage girls driving a C3 to young ladies and dudes in square body's and first gen Broncos. Tuner cars and a lot of 20 somethings in rat rods. All of the old guys I talked to were asses. My son walked away from one and muttered, "what a prick".

ReTonkulous brings the non car people to it. I have great conversations with kids and young adults. And moms. :D
The new "hot rod" is taking whatever car you have and making it faster. If you do it by putting a Ford engine into a Dodge with a Chevy transmission, it's still cool. Old people tend to get offended by that. A truck like mine seems a lot more attainable (especially when it was 700R4 with a stock LQ4). I had a younger guy in a very nice S-10 Xtreme checking my truck out on the freeway, when I dropped it into second and took off he pulled out his camera, so I dumped the bags and did it again :D. Trucks like mine and Wade's are just fun to watch do things that they shouldn't be able to do.
 
The new "hot rod" is taking whatever car you have and making it faster. If you do it by putting a Ford engine into a Dodge with a Chevy transmission, it's still cool. Old people tend to get offended by that. A truck like mine seems a lot more attainable (especially when it was 700R4 with a stock LQ4). I had a younger guy in a very nice S-10 Xtreme checking my truck out on the freeway, when I dropped it into second and took off he pulled out his camera, so I dumped the bags and did it again :D. Trucks like mine and Wade's are just fun to watch do things that they shouldn't be able to do.
The old hot rods were also taking whatever and making it faster. It is the way, and the most pure lineage of true hot rodding

Those guys that only want specific power, bodies, era, et al are the problem

I make a point of talking to the new school kids and whatever ride they bring. Most of them are super interested in the other vehicles, they just don’t like being judges for what they own

I try to catch the grumpies and give them the “I am glad your car is the only one that’s cool here” and walk off


So keep bringing weird shit that’s yellow or has a yellow hoist.
 
Younger folks aren't replacing older folks in the car hobby.

Motorcycle ind is projecting some trouble too
I've been thinking a lot about this comment for some reason. To be honest, I wouldn't have done this build if it weren't for "younger folks". Cleetus McFarland is the most influential person in the performance automotive industry currently and he just turned 30, I've been watching him for over 5 years.
I don't think that it's that they don't want to do it, it's that they can't afford to. All the cool hot rods are owned by people that lock them up and never use them because they're waiting for the big payday when they're worth 10x what they should be, entry level job market is shit, student loans are crippling etc. Cleetus did it different and showed that you could hot rod on a budget, look at Lumberjack for instance. A 9 second rust bucket that was built for under $10K (if you don't count the safety equipment).
 
I've been thinking a lot about this comment for some reason. To be honest, I wouldn't have done this build if it weren't for "younger folks". Cleetus McFarland is the most influential person in the performance automotive industry currently and he just turned 30, I've been watching him for over 5 years.
I don't think that it's that they don't want to do it, it's that they can't afford to. All the cool hot rods are owned by people that lock them up and never use them because they're waiting for the big payday when they're worth 10x what they should be, entry level job market is shit, student loans are crippling etc. Cleetus did it different and showed that you could hot rod on a budget, look at Lumberjack for instance. A 9 second rust bucket that was built for under $10K (if you don't count the safety equipment).
Cleetus is a big influence for the Holley in my truck, I was scared at first but thought if they can run those down the highway why can't I? It's the only project I can have at the moment so why not "hot rod" it.
 
I'm not young anymore (nearly 47) but I can say if cars and trucks were still as cheap as they were when I was a teenager and 20something year old, even adjusted for inflation, I'd have a lot more vehicles and a lot less space around my house.

Probably a different house.

Maybe a van down by the river too. Surrounded by cars and trucks.
 
Cash for clunkers and high scrap prices a bunch of years ago hurt too. I'm 43 and when I was growing up 80s rear wheel drive stuff was cheap and fun. I never see anything 80s or probably 90s driving around where I live very often. They're all parked due to people wanting something with better gas mileage or they were all scrapped.
 
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