Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

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Originally Posted by Bob V

Does "she who must be obeyed" know about this...? I don't think so...:eek:

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Her Who reigns supreme very rarely comes into my shop, unless she needs something repaired, like the clothes dryer she brought in yesterday.
It was worth the ten minutes of thought—- and the fifteen minutes of fernagling, just to stack up more brownie points for my next visit to the USA.
Just need to keep my head down and my arse up to earn enough so I can turn left when I enter the “Dreamliner” to Orlando——- just can’t take all those screaming kids in economy who are off to see the mouse any more !
Done it again——- laid in bed last night realising I could have done this instead of that—- and how the screen and the bulkhead could be done in one piece instead of hours of “Cobbling” !
So, this means I’m going to have to make a pair of them — side by side. Should get one of them right—— the other I’ll give to my great grandson Broderick——-
Damned belt broke on my South Bend lathe last night——- its a stone bitch to repair—— and I don’t have any more alligator clips——but I thought I might fernagle a small hinge into something useful.
Let you know if it’s successful——- May patent the idea and make a fortune !
Anyone ever notice that most of the stuff on S&F is from a bygone age—— there’s me with the FONDA series——— Lassie banging on with his FACTS forum——- Even Rich with the OFFSHORE stuff —— most of it is between thirty and fifty years ago.
Was it really so much better in those days than it is today ?
Timmy is getting thirty F1 boats a time in the NGK series——— that’s far more than we had in the Fonda series——— and a hell of a lot more than the V8 series ever had !
If I remember right—— the most Boats we had at one time was around 26—- we had to run elimination heats,
Jesus Wept—— But the sheets are hanging this morning—- it’s an effort to lift my sorry arse off the mattress——- must be getting old .
Errrrr——- hope that answers your question Bob !

I could never afford to go checkbook boat racing. When it got down to the classes I was running that was it for me.

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Originally Posted by 2us70

I could never afford to go checkbook boat racing. When it got down to the classes I was running that was it for me.

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That philosophy applied to almost every guy I ever raced with ——- until the factory’s came along with kit and expenses. If your face fit, or you had “Front” in spades, you were made——- I could afford to feed the kids again.

I never had a bank account until I got out of motorsports. Snow skiing and bicycle racing just couldn't use up money as fast.

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Originally Posted by 2us70

I never had a bank account until I got out of motorsports. Snow skiing and bicycle racing just couldn't use up money as fast.

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My son in law and my grandkids are well into snow skiing and can spend as much on kit —-accommodation and flights on one trip as I ever spent in a whole year racing boats.
Jillys eldest boy paid £7,000 for a pushbike——— that was just to take him to work—— lord only knows what a “Tour de France” contender would cost !All boils down to HOW BIGS YOUR BANK BALANCE AND HOW FAST DO YOU WANT TO GO,

Sorry I’ve been off line, but my neighbour had a digger in his garden and he took out the optic fibre cable. Nets been down for two days——— enabled me to crack on with the wheels and axles on the Roller!

Two whole uninterrupted days in the shop,and all I have to show for my efforts are a front axle with a pair of wheels complete with tyres——— although I do have the rears all ready to assemble.
Each wheel has two bearings, so if a kid gives the finished car a shove—— it will be the closest thing to perpetual motion !
Looks like it’s bound for my youngest grandson Broderick——- if I ever get around to making number three —- it should turn out to be something rather special.

When the Internet went down for two days—— ( the village went into mourning, threats of suing for compensation) I realised just how much I depend on the damned device.
I don’t buy even a Sunday newspaper any more—— Kitchen goddess swears blind if the bloody thing could cook——— she would be surplus to requirements.
Lets see what tomorrow brings.

Final visit to the dentist today to have the new knashers fitted. Been a long and sometimes painful journey to get there. Surprised any dentist would take the time to bother fitting an 87 year old out with a full set of “falsies”.
Still—— if they manage to make me look twenty years younger,, I won’t mind !

By the way——- my brilliant idea of using a stainless piano hinge as a drive belt joiner failed miserably— didn’t last two minutes before it fell apart.
Tried stitching it together with fishing line——— that didn’t work either, simply stretched and cut through the belt.
I have to bite the bullet and buy some new alligator joiners.

Once I’ve gotten the chassis on to the wheels——- next up are the leaf springs——- last time I fernagled them out of brass ——- run out of that though—- have to think of something new ,!
We have Lizzie all day today—— Nana and me disagree over the length of time she should spend in the shop, she makes a bee line for me and the bench soon as she arrives—— demanding to see what I’ve cobbled together this week. Loves to spend time with me in there. Not many four year old girls do that. She’s way ahead of the game in the three R’s —— Nana has spent hours educating her ready for the big school in September !

And the days dwindle down—- to a precious few !!!!

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That damned “MALIBUSTANG” was pulled out from under the bench once again—— albeit with a wounded tail ! Cant tell you how many times a year this thing jumps up out of nowhere ?

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Michaels Mazda——- hoping he’s bringing it to the Goodwood festival of speed in June this year!
Its Apparently quite a rapid piece of kit ? I’ll believe it when I see it!

Well, that’s the end of a disastrous day !
Do you think I could get the wheel hubs to line up with the rims —-not on your nelly—— in the end, I simply threw in the towel and decided to turn up new hubs—— Somedays you eat bear !
Bloody falsies fit like a square peg in a round hole——- they’re going back first thing in the morning !
Feel like a fecking horse without the Mick Jagger lips !
Massive drink needed to ease the misery——- might not even go to bed, let alone not get up in the morning!
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Another of my grandkids——- Casey, Daughter of Boo—— mother of two, got to run the Geico boat today.
Kept it down to around the 130 mph mark——- just to be safe !
Doesn't really give the image much credence when a lightweight lady ——- never been in any sort of a boat before—— just steps up to the plate and pops in a A 132 run!
Must be in the genes——- she does come from racing stock !
Hey—— WARBY! —— you want to borrow her for a couple of demo runs ?
All negotiations are through the JRW AGENCY !

Warby doing lots of testing in Australia, running about mid 200's at the moment

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Originally Posted by powerabout

Warby doing lots of testing in Australia, running about mid 200's at the moment

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Amazes me Pilgrim, that a guy who just went out and “Did It”——- not only broke the WWS Record—— But Put it out of reach for forty years, is milking the speed cow BARREN.
Its been on the cards for over two years that WARBY was going to do another record run anytime soon ,albeit with his son at the helm!
Been lots of “LOW” 200 mph runs—— but let’s face it—- drag racers all over the USA do more than that every weekend.
It also looks like he’s the only one that’s even close to a record run——- isn’t it also the longest standing record of all time ?

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Look what I picked up at the car boot sale this morning——- cost me a whole quid !

There is not a single mention of either Tom Gentry—- Bob Magoon —— Or Richard Branson !

There is a mention of the HAYES TROPHY for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic for a liner with paying passengers.

It makes for some thrilling reading—— the likes of Sam Cunard And Vanderbilt raising the cash and getting engineers like NAPIER to build the steam engines.

Its called the BLUE RIBAND OF THE ATLANTIC—— written by Tom Hughes, everything in there, from the gleanings of an idea, to the meltdown of the SS UNITED STATES—— the fastest and the last BLUE RIBAND RECORD holder!

Ah well——- looks like everybody went to Cocoa Beach—— Post me when you get back!