Shop Talk - July 2009

A little change of pace this month, just because the weather is getting “summery” and my mind starts thinking of all the neat car stuff one can do this time of year. I assume that the reader is a “car type”, what ever that means, and so this is written for that person. With summer comes vacations and without going very far, you can see multiple car shows and cruise-ins any weekend of the season.

Ask any car buff where something is going on and they will almost certainly be able to tell of several shows any given time. I have a schedule of shows all over the northwest hanging in the office if anyone is interested. Though I personally have not attended, every Wednesday evening there is a get-together called “Beaches” at Portland International Raceway (PIR) that often has 1500 cars, live music, good food, venders and so forth.

Right here in the local area, the Bow Tie Bash on 7/4, Untouchables Car Show in Kalama on 8/16, and the Unique Tin Show and Swap on 8/22 are all great shows with lots of local cars as well as many from out of the area to see and admire. All in all, there are probably well over a hundred different car events within a reasonably short driving distance scheduled this summer for enthusiasts.

If you like smoke and thunder, then maybe drag racing might be a fun and reasonably priced activity that the whole family can get excited about. Not only PIR in Portland, but Woodburn Drag Strip, just a few miles further south has some of the best racers in the country competing for trophies and award dollars. If you don’t mind the traffic, there is also Seattle International Raceway (SIR) that puts on incredible drag racing events on a weekly basis. Regardless whether you like dragsters, gassers, stockers or hot rods, there is something for everyone at these events. And the bigger facilities like SIR and PIR also have vintage road racing and CART racing (just like Indy Car racing) as well as several other types of go-fast cars!

Maybe you just need to get out in the old buggy for a drive that blows out the cob webs and gives you and your significant other a chance to unwind and see some back country.  We like to drive the back roads when ever we go somewhere which allows for a little less stress and a chance to see our beautiful country in all its summer splendor. I’ve not been everywhere around the country, but what I have seen doesn’t hold a candle to the beauty found right here in the northwest.

Summer also brings “salt racing” to mind. As most of you know from reading my previous articles, I am involved with the Catt House Racing team. We have a 1965 Buick Skylark set up for the Bonneville Salt Flats with a 498 cubic inch Buick engine and 5 speed transmission running in “A” Classic Competition Coupe class. The record for this class is around 220 mph so we have a ways to go as our best has been only 167 mph. However, we have a brand new engine this year with lots of modifications from the last engine so we are hoping for quite an improvement over our previous attempts.

If you have never been to Bonneville, then I would encourage anyone to check it out. The salt flats is one of the flattest places on earth (you can actually see the curvature) and has been used for speed trails for just about as long as there has been cars. Almost every racing legend has raced at Bonneville one time or another and to this day the pits are filled with many of my heroes from my youth. Not only that, but it is a different kind of racing in that you are not racing against another person, just the record. And there is not much big money interest as there are no cash rewards for winning, just your name in the record book, so it is a different kind of crowd that will share spare parts with others in the same class.

Lots of vintage type engines and chassis set ups so you get to see not only the highest tech setups but nostalgic cars as well. And the racers are friendly and you can walk around in the pits and literally walk up to most any vehicle to examine and admire the craftsmanship. A true car lover’s paradise!

Happy Motoring, Ray

email: rayscartalk@yahoo.com

Comment on this column online @ valleybugler.com