One or two... :3gears: I got a good report from the stands 3 years ago when lining up against a 94 vette ragtop. Wagon being green, rusty, and ugly as sin we get a lot of comments. A couple friends had come by to see Wagon race and were sitting right in front of a couple loudmouths. They were overheard as saying "That idiot brings his grandmas car to the Friday drags, John (presumably the vette owner) is gonna embarass him". `ol Wagon fried up the vette rather well, he was runing street tires and cut rather long light, I pulled away for the entire race. ...so apparently one of my friends looks back and says "He can run faster if he takes the groceries out, but he didn't want to embarass anyone."
So I'm driving the sporty on a 4 lane road driving up to Dad's one Saturday morning last summer to do some work. I pull up to the stop light waiting to go and this 40 Willy's pulls up next to me. I figure their must be a show going on somewhere. It has a roll bar, a blower and appears to be tubbed. Just a nast car. So I can no longer hear my wagon run do to this thing next to me. I give the hey your car is cool nod, and he and his girlfriend/wife kinda giggle and he tachs heck out of his motor. Its 9:00 in the morning its a clear shot, 4 lanes, I figure what the heck. The light goes green and I actually jump him by a car. I think I am as suprised as he is at this point. The wagon pulls hard in second and I am able to hold him at my quarter panel. Around the time I set it into overdrive we are now into the 1/2 mile point of our run, I just start walking away. Doing well over 100. He kind of gives up after that but 5 or so miles down the road we end up next to each other again. His passenger is still obviously hysterical with laughter, and the driver is shaking his head and looks pissed. He rips away from this light, and I just let him go. Now the irony is my car is very quiet and unsuspecting, which made it more fun. Tony
When I drove my wagon on the street, I really didn't get in trouble, but at the tract, I would try to line up next to a camero with a hood scoop and BIG tires or bad @ss Mustang with BIG tires. Two years ago when the engine was still together, I staged next to a Mustang that had NOS stickers on the window, bunch of youngster kept looking at the wagon .The one kid said "Our car runs low 11's, whats your wagon run? I told him " Oh, it doesn't run 11's ". Thats all I said and they smiled and talked among themselves. We raced and the wagon run a nice 10.52 to the stang's 11.0 something. I was told that the announcer said "I would hate to be the driver of that Mustang being spanked by of all things, a buick wagon ! The one kid did come over later and said" I thought you said the wagon wasn't fast "? I told me that I said it didn't run in the 11's !
I envy you guys. The Sabre is a boat but its no wagon or a 10sec machine. Gotta get me on of those Buick wagons. your probably running 10sec and still getting newer suv mileage. Worth the extra fun.
I was at New England dragway a couple a years ago. I had a dial in of 12.17 that day. There was a cuda and a couple of guys hanging around behind behind my car in the staging lanes. I had been walking around the lanes and finally made my way back to the wagon. As I approached I heard one of those very knowledgable Mopar racers say that the only reason that Buick runs so fast is its got no rear window and the tail gate is gutted. They not knowing I owned the car continued there conversation as I got into the car and started it up. If the 3" exhuast didn't get there attention which I believe it did, then the point when I hit the switch to put the window up did. They were now staring at the dial-in up close. I proceeded to take my turn on the track and broke -out with 12.12 . And yes they were watching. I didn't have the heart to tell them it wieghed in at 3950 lbs. :grin:
Bill we really miss your wagon, any further progress? Who is the fellow from Alaska with the Stage II wagon? He had posted some of his adventures from up there in another thread.
My Wagon's kill stories Dang, how'd you get your 68/69 Wagon DOWN to 3950 lbs?!! The lightest I got mine I had to pull out all the back seats and clean out all the garbage and it still weighed 4350 lbs on a quarter tank of gas and no one in it! I think I already shared this story, but it's still my favorite so far with my wagon: Once I got the 455 running in my 69 Sporty I took it to San Antonio's River City Raceway a couple times. The second time I went I had the whole crowd cheering me on! Anyways, it was early in the night on my first run, I was lined up in the staging lanes against a newer Nissan Maxima from California that was out of the ordinary for most imports, it was actually turbocharged and done up really well. The dude had all of his ricer support group pushing him up to the start and my friends were lined up against the fence when they said these guys started talking some serious trash about my grocery getter station wagon. My friends told them the wagon was pretty quick, but they refused to believe it. They were so hyped up because this was their "fast car" there was no way an ugly green station wagon was going to beat it. Well when the light turned green I left him at the lights by about 2 carlengths and he never caught up. I ran a 14.2 and he ran a 14.6, apparently as soon as I won all his buddies watching that were talking all this trash just instantly shut up, turned around and walked back to the pits. It was the first run of the night and the dude parked his car and didn't run again the whole night. It was awesome. I've actually got a video my dad took of my wagon racing a RICED out Ford Focus at San Antonio raceway that I like to show people. When I do my real short burnout you can hear everyone in the stands cheering! My dad was filming from behind the start line and when I take off the wagon launches and gets over 3/4 of the way down the track before the Focus even comes into view on the camera about a quarter way down the track. Everyone always asks, "where's the other car?" and then it finally pops up WAY far behind. I gotta get some aluminum stage 1 heads and a rebuilt tranny on that car when I finally get home!! -Andy
Hi Doug, The wagon is coming along and plans are to have all the changes completed by the BPG NATS in August. Things have changed in our lives the past year, helping my brother take care of our 93 year old Mom, planning on a new house, my son Tony getting married in Sept 05, my daughter and hubby telling us that we well be "GRANDPARENTS" in August, and than comes the wagon. Back to the wagon, buying everything at once to build the engine schocked me . My last engine was built and changed over a three year time frame. We plan on replacing the original gas tank with a cell located inside the frame rails , alter the frame making more room for wider slicks and additional body work, diet time (-200 to 250 lbs).
Bill - Great to hear all the news.....Tony getting married AND you'll be a grandparent all in the same year ?? :eek2: :eek2: You're gonna be a very proud man in '05 - Congrats !!! Its understandable how the "Wagon from Hell" can take a backseat to all you have going on - you know we all LOVE seeing it run so Keep at it !!! .... and dont chuck that gas tank !!!
I had some fun with Beth's wagon last fall at GLD up the road from Bruce & Shirl's. We were at the track most of the day when this real nice 442 vert showed up with a fresh Dick Miller 455. I saw the guy head for the staging lanes , told Beth I'm takin Da Wagon and met him in the lanes, had a few freindly words then off to the lights. Unfortunatly he red lit but it was still a good race with Da Wagon chasing him down by half track and coming up a 1/2 second quicker at the end. :3gears: :Brow: Saw him in the pits after we raced and he wasnt quite as freindly then :ball: More kills to come in 05...............A red car is in our sights :moonu: D.
I have too many to even recount here in what is now Beth's wagon, I had 450ish passes on the dragstrip with it and suprised more than a couple of folks!
Kurt, You'll get a chance to add a few more to your pile o' timeslips come August :Brow: :3gears: Beth
WOO HOO!!!!! If the regal breaks down again this year I'm sellin' some bikes and buying a running GS455 :Smarty:
Why dontcha just do that anyways :spank: If I had a herd o 2 wheelers like that, I sure would :Smarty: Maybe even market that garden gnome you got hiding out back :Brow: But thats me D.
Wagonstrain An unusual "kill story" of mine is our trip to Bowling Green GSCA Nats in 2000. Cruising down I65 the wagon running excellent for about 8 hours from Pittsburgh, Pa., started developing a tick tick tick, from somewhere in the car. It didn't take long to determine it was an exhaust header gasket(Mr. Gasket brand) leak. The wagon was way down on power like it was tied to a tree. It strained our ears as we limped it to the Bryce Motel about 2 hrs after the problem occurred. The next morning we reached Beech Bend where I purchased a new composit gasket from a local vender. With my work cut out for me, we headed back to Bryce Inn where I replaced the gasket in the parking lot using the sidewalk as a makeshift jack stand. It was a killer job but it got done. We took pictures just for the proof. Will post pics soon.
