Dirt Chronicles

dirt

CHRONICLES

By: Bob Mays

Al Gordon was one of the top west coast drivers of the Legion Ascot era, earning the 1935 Pacific Coast title. An extrovert, Gordon at different times was a tire builder, salesman and even owned a bar. He along with his riding mechanic, Spider Matlock, were killed at Legion Ascot in 1936. (Ted Wilson photo)

GOLDEN STATE GREATS

Inaugural National Sprint Car Hall of Fame class member Jan Opperman won his first sprint car race in this car at Vallejo, California, in 1967. The Rangerpowered car was owned by Hank Hanstead. It wouldn’t be his last win by a long shot. (Bob Mays collection)

Gary “The Preacher” Patterson (McRay 21) and Lealand “The Tempe Tornado” McSpadden (Bailey Bros. 01) battle at Knoxville, Iowa, in 1980. Both had long careers that ended with National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductions. (Bob Mays photo)

Southern California veteran Troy Rutherford glides into turn three at Perris Auto Speedway during qualifying for the 2012 Oval Nationals. (Bob Mays photo)

new & featured

PRODUCTS

ROUGH TRACK, TOUGH PARTS!

Introducing our new heavy duty J-bar! Say goodbye to the double adjuster, and hello to an increase in strength for rough track conditions.

WM4019STL | 19” Center to Center J-bar.

WM4020STL | 20” Center to Center J-bar.

WM4021STL | 21” Center to Center J-bar.

WM4022STL | 22” Center to Center J-bar.

Wehrs Machine N4477 State Hwy 162 Bangor, WI 54614 608-486-4343 wehrsmachine.com

BRODIX® INTRODUCES NEW VALVE COVERS

With the addition of our new sheet metal valve covers, BRODIX® puts the finishing touch on your engine combination! These new valve covers feature an ultra thick .500” rail for excellent sealing and maximum clearance to fit most stud girdles and shaft rockers. These aluminum covers are fully weldable for use with additional fittings and include installation hardware. BRODIX also offers an additional laser engraving option for a customer’s logo. These new valve covers are available for either our big block or small block Chevy compatible cylinder heads. Call your local dealer to inquire about this exciting new product! For more information: Phone (479)394-1075 Fax (479)394-1996 Brodix, Inc., 301 Maple Ave. P.O. Box 1347 Mena, AR 71953 www.brodix.com

GET YOUR LINES CONNECTED WITH JIFFY-TITE QUICK-CONNECT FLUID FITTINGS

Few other parts say you are serious about performance and reliability more than AN fittings and lines. They are a major improvement over a roll of rubber hose and a handful of worm gear clamps. But AN fittings and hose ends have their own drawbacks: Stripped Threads: Tighten too much or forget to lube the threads during assembly and you’ll destroy the soft aluminum threads when wrenching Crossthreading: You think you had the hose end and fitting perfectly in line only to discover they were off by a millimeter and you stripped the threads screwing them together Over-Tightened: All you did was try to give it another quarter-turn and voilà, the nut broke and now there’s a big leak Under-Tightened: Plumb an entire car and you’re bound to have a couple of dozen fittings to tighten. Sometimes, you miss one and it’s leak city…or worse Stripped Fitting Hexes: The edges of the fitting hexes round-off easily, even if you’re using the proper AN tools. Good luck unscrewing the fittings after that happens! Scratched Finish: Anodized finishes are extremely thin and scratch very easily. Kiss them goodbye as soon as you put a wrench on them Leakage: Take a connection apart and whatever fluid is contained in the lines will spill onto the car and ground. And if a flammable liquid drips onto a hot surface… well, you get the picture

Designed by racers familiar with the downsides of AN fittings, Jiffy-tite QuickConnect Fluid Fittings and Hose Ends don’t have those drawbacks. Jiffy-tite fittings provide a 100% leakproof seal. A brass valve and stainless steel ball bearings that shut off fluid flow when the fittings are separated. A series of internal seals prevent leaks when the two ends are disconnected.

Jiffy-tite fittings are easy to work with too. To make a connection, simply pull back on the socket collar, insert the plug, and release the collar. No tools are needed, and it only takes a second or two to do. To disconnect the fittings, just pull back on the socket collar. The springloaded valve automatically releases the male plug without making a mess. Plus, the collars are ribbed to provide a slipproof grip, even when your hands are dirty and grimy.

You might be wondering if the Jiffy-tite fittings restrict flow. While a miniscule restriction does exist, Jiffty-tite’s high-flow valve design is so efficient that you will never experience a loss of performance or damage to any component due to lack of fluid flow. Other features include: • Bi-directional flow through the valve and the plug • Rugged 6061-T6 aluminum construction with black or gold anodized finish • Corrosion resistant for extra-long life • 360° swivel design • Approved for use by all major racing sanctioning bodies including the NHRA and IHRA • Made in the USA

Jiffy-tite fittings can be used in nearly any automotive application and with most fluids including fuel, water, coolant, oil, and transmission fluid.

Summit Racing Equipment www.SummitRacing.com 1-800-230-3030