Skip Talbot Dual Engine Dragster 1967

**Mark75H** · 03-29-2003, 06:50 PM

From Hot Boat October 1967

They were running about 110 mph back then with 250 hp total
(this boat has a pair of modified 110 Mercs)

**ggarland** · 03-30-2003, 12:42 PM

Sam:

To think of all the people who try to tell me that the old inlines were dogs that could never run with the pack?

My ass.

Inlines forever, Man.

George

**Raceman** · 03-30-2003, 05:50 PM

"To think of all the people who try to tell me that the old inlines were dogs that could never run with the pack? "

Hell G, I don't know who all those people are, but the old inlines were the pack.

**delawarerick** · 03-30-2003, 05:58 PM

Im speechless bring them to the Rumble 03. I have a 150 in the garage for 2 years and havent touched it. Like the v-4 better. Great picture Sam I will agree with the way they sound but have seen too many detonate. Rick

**ggarland** · 03-30-2003, 08:08 PM

Raceman:

Boy, you don't know the half of it. They are quick to point out that it is only the bent six loopers that are compeating for the money right now, and that I have my head stuck in the past with my talk of the old Twisters and such. No respect, thats all. I told one young whipersnapper that if Mercury ever builds a six inline looper I would build a killer stacker engine that would take his fancy 2.5 and....... hey, wait a minuite. Don't Merc make a triple looper right now? The guy across the street has one on his fishin' boat! Didn't Mercury make the first inline six by stacking two engines together? Now if I was to take that 90HP looper shortblock I got in the shop and do a little cutting and welding.....'course I need two blocks.... I wonder if he is gone out for the evening?

I'll talk to you boys later, I gotta get out to the shop........ I got me an IDEA!

George

**Raceman** · 03-30-2003, 10:29 PM

Y'know, they've got a 4 cyl inline looper now that I think's over a hundred inches, but I understand the crank's too weak for any serious performance work and the exhaust side of the block looks like it'd take some serious re workin' to make any real horsepower. It's interesting to think about though.

**ggarland** · 03-30-2003, 11:11 PM

Raceman:

Well, that didn't work out too well. I went into his yard to see what his looper looked like dressed and his dog ass bit me. Shoulda asked first!

Yes I know about the four cyl looper. But you know, who knows what would happen if you built a running prototype. I remember a story about a guy who owned Grand Spaulding Dodge, Mr. Norm, who sold Mopars in the sixties and seventies. He built some real badass cars and sold them right out of his dealership. Story goes that he wanted Dodge to build a big block Dodge Dart to go with the 340 GTS so he could sell it. Mopar told him no, the 383 and 440 were to big to fit, so it could not be done. Well, he put a big block into one of the Darts himself, drove it to Highland Park, and called out the big boys at Chrysler to see and drive it! Well this caused a sensation there, and a lot of embarrasment for the engineers who said it was impossable to do. Guess what, the following year they offered the 383 and by special order the 440 in the Dart! Get the picture? So come on, you genius, help me build this thing and convince Mercury to do the same! What a retro engine THAT would be! Think of the possabilities!!!!

I wonder if there is anyone out there who is good at computer generated graphics who would like to offer thier rendition of what such an engine would look like? Think retro! Anyone up for it?

George

**dragonwolfe** · 04-01-2003, 09:45 PM

What mods can be done to the 110 Merc? I'm just curious since I own one

**Raceman** · 04-01-2003, 10:02 PM

DR, the problem with inlines is that people just won't play by the rules. Somebody's constantly posting around here that they run regular gas and 50:1 oil and Xº timing (anything above 21º) and don't have any problems, then somebody else does all that crap, detonates a piston and whines about inline reliability. Super unleaded, good oil at NO LEANER than 40:1, timing at 21º, propped to turn a minimum of 5800 at WOT, water pump kept in good shape, and they run forever.

Dragon, the old inlines don't respond well to much in the way of modifications. With there being no practical way to raise compression, the gains of port timing changes are offset by not being able to restore the compression that port timing change requires. Most of the enhancements you'll find are along the lines of optimizing the set up. The old 1100's are the older crossflow design, which went away in 1970 and parts are getting harder to find.

**Mark75H** · 04-01-2003, 10:04 PM

Exhaust stacks; bigger carbs; change the port timing a little (very little, mostly square the tops of the exhausts); increase the compression ratio by moving the head closer to the crank (squishing) or the crank closer to the head (milling and align boring) or by welding in inserts in the head (or if you are really brave, welding onto the pistons); add a piston port intake port from the reed cage to the crankcase; you could also add carbs to the piston port intake or to the transfer port covers (with their own new reed valves).

Any of this work is harder than just buying a 150

**dragonwolfe** · 04-02-2003, 12:28 AM

I was just curious what kind of mods may have been done back in the day.
Any suggestions on the bigger carbs?
BTW
I found some interesting info on Skip Talbot. He has pursued a variety of endeavors over the years -- broncobusting in New Mexico, ranching in Arizona, outboard motorboat racing in California. But he made his mark in target shooting, where he set the 200-yard record with the .44-magnum pistol, Dirty Harry's weapon of choice. The pistol has such a fierce recoil that after about 30,000 rounds the tendons in Talbot's right hand collapsed. So he moved on to the .50-caliber rifle, and in April 1999 set the world record at 1,000 yards, putting five rounds together in a space 2.6 inches across.
Quite the guy.
Here he is today.

**Mark75H** · 04-02-2003, 04:43 PM

By far the best carbs available back in the 60's were the Italian Del'Orto's ... the familar Mukini motorcycle and snowmobile carbs are basically copies. Today the "flat slide" Mukini and Lectrons are superior to the round slide Del'Orto. Another popular carb that was harder to use was the Carter N type. Much harder to use with success, but cheaper and easier to find (used on big West Bend and Chryslers).

The boat above is a Jones picklefork. Note that 1967 is very early for a true picklefork hydro or tunnel hull.

Here is the 1964 or 65 Westbrook he traded in for the Jones. This boat has a very obvious "S" bottom. Look at the different height of the bottom at the front and back (with approximately the same angle of attack).

**Powercat** · 04-02-2003, 07:44 PM

Sam:
I don't follow you on the "S" bottom thing... I have looked at that photo and can't really tell what you mean..
I was looking at some posts of yours and others on one of the
"kneel down" racer sites and saw all the variations of 4-point hydro designs and was amazed !! I gathered that a lot of them were drag or kilo boats only and didn't turn very well....
Is that done very often for straightaway class records to build a
one off design ??
Danny Leger

**Mark75H** · 04-02-2003, 11:00 PM

From the front to the back, between the sponsons the bottom follows a line something like the line I have drawn on this image in red. It is a heavy exaggeration to get the point across. I turned the image around to make the "S" frontwards instead of backwards.

I think those 4 pointer alkys were all oval course competition boats, I don't remember any kilo boats. I think they were variations working towards having a wider transom without being wider for the full length of the boat. You could email Jim Apel japel1@charter.net and ask. 4 pointers remain a minority

Click here to go to Jim Apel's site