And now for something weird...

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,031
@shortbus Don has a museum near Tampa that you would love. In addition to most of his old dragsters, he has a LOT of other both strip and track cars. One that I had never heard of was a rail dragster that had a massive high-pressure air tank taking up most of the length of the frame. In order to provide the correct boost, a blower may take up to 3000HP to drive it. So he eliminated the blower and used compressed air instead. Only needs a few seconds worth. Apparently his "Great Idea" didn't work out for him but it made it into the museum. He was a leading proponent for rear engines after the transmission and bell housing between his legs on a front-engine dragster blew and the flywheel that went flying managed not to take his legs off. He was pretty injured but not amputated.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
He was a leading proponent for rear engines after the transmission and bell housing between his legs on a front-engine dragster blew and the flywheel that went flying managed not to take his legs off. He was pretty injured but not amputated.
The transmission was one of his own design, a two speed. I always thought/understood he lost his foot in that accident. Many of his dragsters, the Swamp Rats, think there were more than 50 of them, were driven by other people not him.

I did meet him as a teenager. One of the local guys (I hung out in their garage like a pest) was related to Art Afrons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Arfons) and big daddy was visiting Art. The guy asked me if I wanted to go meet them both. Was on top of the world after that!
 

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,031
My brother in law grew up in the Bessemer/Hueytown area and as a kid hung out in the Allison's garage. Home of the NASCAR "Alabama Gang". Ken won the national Dodge/Chrysler Shootout automotive troubleshooting contest in high school and went to work at a Chrysler dealership in Birmingham right out of high school. First thing he did was buy a new Corvette. Not sure how an 18-year-old kid buys a brand new Corvette off the lot but he and the insurance company had a dustup over his eligibility and they threatened to repo the car if he couldn't get insurance on it in the next 24 hours. He somehow kept it and then traded it in on the new Silver Anniversary model a couple of years later. He got into building and racing alcohol blown drag boats and won a few trophies before his wife and the family finally convinced him it was just too dangerous.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,079
https://www.statesmanjournal.com/st...ire-man-survives-sheltering-river/3478742001/

Under the bridge, a green chair and a Rolling Rock
He headed downstream, to a place where the river widened and came across three plastic chairs sitting on the side of the river. He grabbed one. Then he saw a 24-pack of Rolling Rock beer.

"I thought: 'What are the chances there's any left," he said. Sure enough, there was exactly one beer. He grabbed that, too. It was going to be a long night.
 
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