"The Statement"

The statement “If it was easy everyone would be doing it” is the best way to describe racing. Yes, many can talk about how fast they are, or “I would have done it that way”, but until you put your own program together and actually go out to the track you will never know how really difficult it is. I have nothing but respect for those that race and are able to do it with some consistency and win. It is not easy.

 So why do we do it? Maybe the challenge to do something that most can’t? The thrill and excitement of driving fast?  The fulfillment of bottling up 1500 hp, strapping yourself in and lighting the fuse?  Or is it just the fact that you can get your friends and family together when the words are spoken, let’s go racing! I think it is all of the above but mostly the latter. 

 Sometimes things don’t go your way and a little part breaks to ruin your racing weekend. Do we get discouraged, yes.  But do we quit, no. Not if you really want it. You keep spending money, staying up until all hours of the night and dreaming of that perfect weekend when everything comes together and you win a race.

 Some go their entire lifetime and not win a race. I have won a few races in my life, some that I can barely remember yet I still continue. I continue because I like the people, I like the competition and l like the fact that family and friends come together at the races.  Some of my most memorable races were ones I lost by an inch yet I can barely remember the wins if not for a distant picture or two.  

 Recently someone told me,” I remember when you won the first nostalgia drags at Sacramento” and if not for his remembrance I probably would have completely forgotten. Why is that? I guess racing is much more than just about winning , it is a dream.  Anyway, thank goodness for computers as we can now document our musings, keep thousands of pictures and share the excitement of that big win and the story line behind it.

Let’s go racing!

Bryan's Altered Race Car Thrash

Bryan got a bee in his bonnet (lol) and decided he wanted to make the Nostalgia Reunion Race at Sacramento Raceway this weekend!

So, we Hall Bros., in typical fashion, went into overdrive and did a Race Car Thrash! 

(That's the way us "poor boys" do it!)

We started on Monday night with Bryan bringing over his heads to dad's garage:

 The heads needed an overhaul and a new set of valves. In addition new springs and titanium retainers were installed.

On Tuesday night, the thrash continued as the engine was put back together at Bryan's Garage:

Sweet Baby Claire was helping her Poppy make some decisions about the pushrods!

Uncle Cliff came over to help also.

And it was a good thing that he did...cuz it was looking like Claire Bear was not about to let go of her Daddy so that he could help out! LOL!

While the guys were hard at work...the little one's were distracted by a visitor to Rio Linda....

Yes! That's right...JB stopped by for a visit! (Well...at least the cardboard version of him stopped by!) The girls were busy entertaining him in the boat and didn't seem to be interested in the race car drama going on right next to them.

It's always good to have Dad around for advice and guidance!

Close inspection of the pushrods, to be sure they will hold up to the extreme pressure a blown engine can exert during one pass on the track!

The blower and injector.

When it was all put back together, and we tried to run-up, we experienced a minor problem with the batteries...

Soon, it was fixed and we had a successful start-up...at 11:00 pm no less!

Check out the video here:

Happy Faces all around here! 

With a few minor things to check-off the list, this baby is ready to run Friday at the Nostalgia Reunion!

Only one thing missing from this equation that could have made it any better...

Miss you everyday Dad...we know you'd be proud and we know you'll be there cheering Bryan on this weekend!

Blown Gas Enderle Injected 454 at UTI

This is a Blown Gas 454 that I built a test stand for and is taken to high schools and started. Ron Whitman and I work at Universal Technical Institute and Ron wanted something exciting to show the kids while giving his presentation for UTI. There is nothing better than a Supercharged Blown Gas Big Block except for maybe a Blown Nitro Big Block. This thing rock and rolls real good and it is loud. When I was building the test stand for Ron he found a ready to go 454 at Rex Hutchinson’s and I took the carbs off and put a Enderle Bird Catcher on it. I finished the stand and engine in early 2011 and he took it to many shows and high schools. Ron says he always gets the principal out of his office when he starts it! About the end of 2011 the engine started vibrating real bad. Come to find out Hutchinson put it together with only one keyway on the crank. We didn’t even race it and it spun the keyway starting it on the test stand! I had to take the crankshaft out with the hub still connected and had to cut the hub with a carbide wheel. $1300.00 later it is fixed correctly and runs better than ever.  I wish people would just do the work correctly the first time. I would have built the engine for him but time was of essence. Recently Ron decided to build a bigger engine and I said, “Hey, instead of putting it in the test stand, let’s just put it in my race car and you can take that to the shows and high schools and maybe we can race it in between”. He said that sounded good to him and we now have a 540 that we bought in Oregon that was supposed to be “turn key”…now that’s another story! Check out the video of the engine running at UTI campus!

How to Check Piston Ring Side Clearance

Just posted the 2nd "How-To" Video on the Hall Bros. Racing YouTube Channel.

This one is on Piston Ring Side Clearance.

Check it out:

Let me know what you think...leave a comment below and become a follower if you like what you see!

Thanks!

Mark

"How To" Videos

I will be putting “how to” videos on youTube about building engines, building blowers and race cars. 

This will be a "series" of videos so be sure to “follow me” on my blog (see sidebar - Join This Site) to get the new videos as they come out.

This is the same information that I give to my students at UTI. 

I have been building engines and racing now for 40 years and I would like to pass on this information.

The first video is “How to Check Oil Control Ring Tension”

Hope you will enjoy these short videos and find them useful.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment here or on my YouTube Channel.

Thanks!

Mark

My Dad's Racing Plan for Me

This is me (Mark Hall) in my Dads (Ray Hall) garage with the roadster probably around 1975. I spent many a night working on this car and actually spent some of my own gas station money on it even before I started driving it. That's how excited I was about it! I actually got to drive the car before it was retired. It was the most memorable run down the strip in my life. At the time I had a 56 Ford truck with a 390 3-duece set up and a 4 speed. This was during the time when I was working at Larry's gas station. Every time I went past the station on my days off I would burn rubber past the station to impress everyone. Well, one day I was streaking past the gas station and I was just about to grab 3rd gear when I looked over to see who I was impressing. To my dismay there was my Dad standing there talking to Larry Davis. So much for impressions as I thought I would be done for when I got home, but not a word from my Dad. I find out later he had a plan for me.  We had a race that weekend at Lodi and after the first qualifying run my Dad told me to strap in and take the car through a couple of gears down the return road. Is this how I am being punished for burning rubber in front of him?  Lodi is a big airstrip and the return road was huge. I thought my life was complete at that moment. After the next qualifying run he told me to try it again on the return road and this time take it in to third gear. Man, could my day of punishment get any better! Yes it could. He said lets go up and make one last qualifying run so we did. When we got to the starting line he said go ahead and strap in because you are going to take it down the strip this time. I could feel my heart leaving my body! I still hadn’t figured out his plan for me. Over the years I had watched as some of his friends had tried to drive the car. They would get scared and let off before the finish line as this was an open car, open headers, loud and it went through the lights at 8000 rpm! How would I be able to do any better than they had?  So as I was strapping in the car my dad told me if I got scared at the top end I could just let off the gas. I remember thinking there is no way I am letting off unless this thing is sideways! So when I pulled up to the starting line I was pretty scared but I had been down the drag strip in my 56 Ford truck. It had a 4-speed just like the roadster except the roadster was so small the shifter was between my legs. No problem, I can shift this thing. I pulled in and staged and everything got calm until the lights came down. When I let out the clutch and slammed down the throttle that thing took off like a rocket ship. Man there is a bunch more traction on the track then there was on the return road. It seemed twice as fast. I managed to get through all four gears like butter and held the pedal to the floor waiting for that top end charge. Now I am beginning to understand why my Dads friends would let off the throttle at the top end, this thing is FAST! The wind was blowing my helmet around, it was really loud, and the engine sounded like it was going to explode when I caught a glimpse of the tach at 8000 rpm. The finish line couldn’t come at a better time as I was thinking this thing is going to blow! I clutched in after the finish line and coasted to the turn off road like all the other big drivers. WOW! I have to do this for the rest of my life! What a feeling. I almost can’t describe it. Scared, excited, determined, accomplishment….those are just some of the words that come to mind. I think I puffed up a bit that day as some of my Dads friends that couldn’t drive the car were there and they seemed to be hanging their heads low as the teenager made it down the track. What did it run? I think it was 11.05 @125 mph. So do you remember about that plan I said my Dad had for me? Well the next time I went to burn rubber past the gas station I stepped on the throttle and it seemed like I was going backwards. That’s when the plan hit me. My dad could have yelled at me and taken my truck away when he caught me burning rubber but he was so much smarter than the average parent. He knew that if he let me drive his car I would never want to drive fast on the street again. He was right!