Update from Mission by Frank Merkl

well we made it back !!! and the motors a slame duck , a slug or a show car motor but it sure ain't the race motor I intended to build!!
well here's the short course on the trip and I'll get to the run's
finished combining barley wednesday nite at 8pm parked the combine and started work on the car and worked until 3am , up again at 7AM
intended to leave by noon thursday but when I went to adjust the brakes on the trailer I discovered there was no wireing left under the trailer and a rewire job was needed and broken brake controller on testing the brakes needed replacement , needless to say when we left Brooks at 4PM the wasn't race ready but the major work was done
left Brooks Alberta @ 4:15pm made Calgary at 6pm and have to do 16th ave at rush hr , stop on the west side of Calgary Ab for a burger and hit the road 200km in , miss a service station for fuel before Banff Ab and need to take a side trip threw the tourist town that we never bought a pass to be in !!! got fuel and snuck out !! The old Motorhome and trailer (weights in at 21500lbs) climbs up the east face of the rocky mountains without to much problem!!! as it was a 8000ft climb in 200 miles !!! now the fun starts we have to descend 3000ft in 50 miles to get to Golden BC . Gas mileage really improves when you don't have to touch the gas pedal for over and hour !!! but the brakes get really HOT!!!!we roll through Golden wilth the brakes hot at double the posted limit knowing we have another hill (2000ft) to climb real quick !! and the brakes will cool on a 1 hr full throttle climb , next stop Revelstoke BC after a 30 minute 7% downgrade into Revelstoke BC 12:30AM its time for fuel , sleep and let the brakes cooll!!
more on the trip tomorrow
Frank

just a note as your climbing a 7.5% grade for 15miles with a MH and trailer there is no need for the sign saying MAX50km to the left, there should be a sign just do as best you can!!!
Frank

Frank Merkl wrote:just a note as your climbing a 7.5% grade for 15miles with a MH and trailer there is no need for the sign saying MAX50km to the left, there should be a sign just do as best you can!!!
Frank

LOL!

Looking forward to more updates

Day 2 after parking in a big truck parking lot that was full when we pulled in , Dillon and I woke up at 10 am in the morning with us being the only ones left in the parking lot and neither of heard a thing!!! Fueled the MH up and we hit the road a 1/2 hr down the road we started an other climb only this time the MH was pinging terribly ,I've always run the MH on 86 octane farm fuel and we'd filled with 87 reg at a Chevron station , well we definately needed better fuel so out with a fuel can of C23 put a gallon in each tank and the Mh was happy again , drafted a semi for about 50miles into Kamloops BC which really brought the gas mileage up on that tank (220 km as per our usual 170km) . We decided to skip the Coquihala highway (as it has some really steep climbs and downhills )and take the old #1 highway , fueled at Cache Creek, BC with 87 reg and you guested it more C23 into the tanks!! We rolled into the race Track at Misson BC at 7 in the evening . We found a great pit stall and unloaded the car and I proceeded to finish wiring the nitrous and the usual race car prep for the next day , we had a constant crowd around the car and I visited with quite a few people that had been watching the build on this site .
Day 3 Sat morning , we go for our first hit at the track we decide run just a motor pass and the car runs a lame 8.01 @ 167mph , okay time tyo start spraying next pass 8.03 @ 167mph and as soon as the car left I knew I hadn't put the fuses in for the nitrous!! okay 3rd pass 1 kit (24F-28N) nets a 7.81 @ 175mph still not what I'd hoped for !! next pass okay 2 kits first kit (24F-28N) .02 after launch ,2nd kit(28F-32N).02 after the trans see's 180psi in 2nd gear nets a 7.83 @ 175mph spinning hard all down track ,which is not what I expected at all this things a slug!!! so back to the pit and try to figure a strategic , do a plug check ,knock the fuel pressure down on the 2nd kit and take 1 degree of timing out of the retards on both the kits and stack the kits to come on in 1st gear !! 1st kit -.02 out ,2nd kit .02 latter!!,we get ready to make another hit and they call the end to time trials , so it's off to the barbecue and some drinks and listen to the band , almost forgot to mention earlier in the day I had a tranny customer of mine come around from Washington state and we stood around and bs'ed , latter in the afternoon he came to me and asked why people were asking him as to whether he'd built my motor and was helping me tune it ? that's when it hit me Dave Carman LOOKS exactly like Jon Kaase !!!I wish I would have brought along a Kaase t-shirt for him to wear !!
more tomorrow on sunday

Cool reading Frank..Thanks!!

Yep , enjoying the adventures so far ..

Day 3 we'll have to continue with Saturday nite before we get to sunday , as I had a young know it all (rich kid) come over and start yanking my chain and you don't aggravate this old dog!! saying that this street car could kick our ass!!! $1000 bet made on first run in time trials in the morning is set !!! .400 pro tree -first to the 1/4 wins!!! we do our fire up and warm up and valve check and The Kid comes over beeking at the mouth !! that he's going to hand us our ass !! and my kid still hasn't been told that we have a Race to win !! We pull to the front of the staging lane and this young buck pulls up for the race - the first time I let my kid in on the game play !!! Turns out he's the Super Pro track Champ 2 years in a row!!! My Kids pissed at ME !! so we pull up for the burnout ,give the starter $1000 bucks ,ask pro tree and he says YES and I get on the radio to my kid and tell him to take the car on the burnout , right to the 660 clocks to get the motor and the oil up to temp and he does. both cars stage , my kid stages first , the Kid bumps in , The tree comes down and it's a FULL TREE !! the other Kid gets out on our car ,I hear our nitrous kits hit , our cars drifting bad to the 330's ,about sideways at 1/2 track and you can read the full Merkl Race Shop on the pass door and smoke billowing of the slicks, then you can heard the nitrous cycle on a lift and cycle again !! and the clocks in both lanes read 8.01!!!!!!His with 162 mph our with 175 mph with the win light on on OURS!!!!!!!! and the starter reluctantly hands me the cash!!( think there was a set up hear!) run down to pick my kid up and he tell me that was an EASY pass as the other kid had gone RED on the start which I never seen on the tree!! as I was watching our car !!!! and had never looked at the tree after the hit !! Never did see that kid all sunday but I thought I heard someone call me an asshole once but never seen a face to put with the sound !! car back to the pits - regular service ,cool the motor ,cool the trans , run the valves, do a plug check- coloring right to the bend - nice tuneup!! but slower that shit!!! continued

2nd time trial , we got 2 kits hitting within .04 of the launch this thing sould run hard!!!!no it doesn't and it only runs a 7.85 @175mph ,starting to get and idea that this motor is a DOG!!!!!! get a call from the organizer on the deal with our Class , due to the fact that 4 of the original Qualifiers had blown up we'ed be exabation only and just split the prize money , sounded good to me !! as the track was way too slick for a real race , we tuned and made 3 more passes and as the day went on and the temp and track went away the car still made the best burnout to the 330's but the times weren't anything to write home about !!! 5pm My Kid informs me that he needs to be back at work Tuesday Morning!!! and I was thinking about a night of A&R but we load every thing and strike out for home , more fun!!! tomorrow!!!!
Frank

Frank Merkl wrote:in both lanes read 8.01!!!!!!His with 162 mph our with 175 mph with the win light on on OURS!!!!!!!! and the starter reluctantly hands me the cash!!( think there was a set up hear!) run down to pick my kid up and he tell me that was an EASY pass as the other kid had gone RED on the start which I never seen on the tree!! as I was watching our car !!!!

That's my kind of racing right there!! AWESOME read Frank...

Good read Frank. Wish the car was performing better for you! You will get her worked out.

That's just BAD ASS! I'm so glad you guys put him in his place

D's557BBF wrote:

Frank Merkl wrote:in both lanes read 8.01!!!!!!His with 162 mph our with 175 mph with the win light on on OURS!!!!!!!! and the starter reluctantly hands me the cash!!( think there was a set up hear!) run down to pick my kid up and he tell me that was an EASY pass as the other kid had gone RED on the start which I never seen on the tree!! as I was watching our car !!!!

That's my kind of racing right there!! AWESOME read Frank...

x2 that gets my blood pumping !!!!!

You could writa a book with stories like that. Lol

I gotta say Frank, You do know how to have fun

You might want to consider going back and putting your best C-460 headed engine in the car Frank.

Charlie

I thought hemi heads were supposed to make everything faster?

Absolutely nothing better than putting a punk azz, jive turkey, smart azz joker in his place Frank. Way to go. Wish the engine was performing better, but at least you took home some cold cash and a check.

Well we pull out of the track at 6pm Sunday evening and we head for Hope ,BC about an hour drive and stop for more fuel and some supper, and due a check of the tires and trailer and the nut holding the trailer ball has come loose!!! with no wrench large enough and even my crescent wrench won't go big enough so out with the largest hammer and chisel and proceed to spin the nut tight ,well it worked but my thumb still hurts!! well I decide that instead of heading home on the #1 highway we should go on the #3 Highway across the bottom of BC , boy was that a mistake as we were find out there are 6 - 28 km long climbs and downhill at anything from a 6% grade to 7.5% -8% grade , 5 miles out of Hope we start are first climb 28km up at 7% grade well the ol' motor got a work out - foot on the floor 4bbl's howling for 22minutes!!!! we make the first summit motor temps not bad but this is a cool evening!!! now the downhill !! more fun we find out it's really hard to hold back a 21000 lb MH and trailer on a 7.5% downgrade with 40km- 70 km switchback curves!!! needless to say there are a few nail biting curves with the brakes way over heated and the brake pedal going right to the floor !!! and this is only the first climb!!! two more summits to climb over and we roll into Osoyoos ,BC at 1 AM ,180miles east of Hope and pic a spot to park for the nite and I'm tired!! Up in the morning at 7AM fuel the motorhome and have some breakfast and we hit the road , 1 mile out of Osoyoos another 28km climb!!!! and 28km down hill only its getting hot now so we don't make the summit without getting the motor hotter than I like so over to the side of the road and cool down , Grab the weed sprayer out of the trailer that we use for cooling the racecar when needed ,well it works well on MH's also!! Two more summit climbs and descends with the kid hanging out the pass side window spraying in front of the rad and it sure works to keep the motor temp in check and were home free . we roll back into Brooks Alberta at 10 PM at nite and were Home!!!! All I can say is what a trip !!!
I'd like to say thanks to all the great people we meet at Mission !!!
and Charlie the 600 will be going back in the car for next year !! the 712 will be going in my NEW car for me to drive next year after I figure why it's suck a lame duck!!
we only have 1 race weekend left in Medicine Hat Sept 23-24-25 , so the 712 staying in with a gear change ,I don't know if swapping out the 3.89's for 3.70's will help must but we'll give it a try!!

2350 km's or 1450 miles - $1156.00 in fuel , but we had a ball!!!
Frank

how is the new car coming along?

looks like life might have to get put on "Hold" again as we had a big wind storm while I was in Mission and it decimated my Alfalfa seed crops!! 2 1/4 sections of alfalfa seed that were going to average 1200-1500 lbs an acre will be lucky to produce 200 lbs an acre now , that's an lose of about $400,000.00 . sure sucks when your destroyed by 1 day of bad weather!!!!
Frank
Farming SUCKS!!!

Frank,

I am certainly sorry to hear about the loss of your alfalfa crop. I hope you can recover from it.

Charlie

Frank Merkl wrote:looks like life might have to get put on "Hold" again as we had a big wind storm while I was in Mission and it decimated my Alfalfa seed crops!! 2 1/4 sections of alfalfa seed that were going to average 1200-1500 lbs an acre will be lucky to produce 200 lbs an acre now , that's an lose of about $400,000.00 . sure sucks when your destroyed by 1 day of bad weather!!!!
Frank
Farming SUCKS!!!

sorry to hear Frank ,

but on a lighter note i just had to chase these damn calfs up the driveway and just ruin my new tennis shoes ......i love the country oh and this one little bull calf thinks he is funny , im going to take a 2 x 4 to his head

bruno wrote:and just ruin my new tennis shoes .....

Your not suppose to step it, don't you know the difference between sh&% and shinola

wrong footwear Nick .......

racnrick wrote:

bruno wrote:and just ruin my new tennis shoes .....

Your not suppose to step it, don't you know the difference between sh&% and shinola

He learning what can you think out of a city slicker on the farm