Car Club: NETO; North East Timing Organization, pt.2

Folks, I'm sorry I missed the mid-week post I usually make. I had a nice handyman job this past week that ran about twice as long as I expected, so I was tied up with that. If you missed the last post (and why would you?) you should probably go back and review it for background info. Amber has had a refreshing drink, and is ready to see more NETO cars in the pits, after their first time-trial run, so let's get to it.

This wild Fiat-based altered runs a big injector in the Comp class. I'm not certain, but I expect this car would run in the 7's.

Here's the immaculate early Corvette of the club President. He is a professional engine builder, and this car runs deadly-consistent 8.50's

This Corvette is more of a street/strip car; I believe it was road-raced extensively in the past by it's current owner. Early Corvettes are well represented in NETO, there are quite a few.

How about a blown and injected big block 1967 Chevelle, alcohol fueled, no doubt? A serious hitter in the Comp class.

Good advice is not too far away from the driver of this roadster.

Drag cars have to start their engines many times over a day, and usually don't run long enough to recharge the battery fully. These battery chargers ensure that the trunk-mounted battery gets topped-off. Mounting the battery in the trunk takes a big chunk of weight from where it hurts the car's performance, and puts it where it helps the car's performance.

Ford Mavericks, originally considered a compact economy car, are unusually plentiful, this is the first of three on hand this day.

I believe the owner of this fantastic Chevelle joined NETO on this very day. He lost a head gasket in the first time-trial and was done. He'll be back.

Another immaculate Nova. The '68-'72 Nova is by far the most popular car type in NETO. Then again, even I like them, and it's easy to see why: Great styling, available, affordable, nice size, good visibility, etc. If it's not the best bracket car platform out there, it's at the top.

There are so many great classic cars in NETO, I feel like I'm repeating myself. Here's yet another; show car good looks, blown small block, and 9 second performance. What's not to like about this 1968 Camaro?

This 6-cylinder Maverick is a long time class-legal NHRA car. I've seen the owner display 4 NHRA "Wallys" it has earned over the years.

The Chevrolet cowl-induction hoodscoop (so named because it was open at the rear, near the cowl) was originally about 2 inches tall over the hood surface. As induction systems became more exotic, this scoop style has morphed into 5-6 inch tall monsters like these. Works good though.

Oh my goodness, my dad had one of these Dodge Swingers. I loved driving it. I thought it was quite peppy with a stock 318, imagine how fast this one is.

A little racer trick is shown on this early Camaro: draping a cloth over the rear tire that is in the sun to prevent the heat of the sunlight from expanding the air inside, which can increase the pressure and change the diameter of that tire slightly. Does it matter? In drag racing, everything matters.

This '70's-model Corvette is a great drag racing platform. The engine sits back pretty far in Corvettes, this is good for weight distribution and traction.

When you run an alcohol-injected 528 Keith Black Hemi in an altered, you need a small crew to help out. Times in the 7.50's is the result.

Oh, I love this early, early Thunderbird. Classic styling, it's different, and it's a good size package with a relatively long wheelbase. If I was more of a Ford guy, richer, and shorter, I'd get one of these (I don't fit in these smaller cars well). I like this car because it has the cool 8-stack injectors, vintage paint, it bangs a 4-speed manual trans, and it runs 10's, the advantageous fast end of it's class.

And now for something, as John Cleese would say, completely different. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I believe this is a Mazda RX-7, with a Chevrolet V-8 small block, with dual 4-barrel carbs on a tunnel-ram intake. It's wheelbase is SHORT, looks to me like about 90 inches, so this must be a real handful to drive. It certainly is creative and different, and probably inexpensive, relatively speaking. I'll have to talk to the owner some time and get more info.

If you look closely, you can see the wear of thousands of passes on this class-legal NHRA 1968 Camaro. There is something about these veterans that just captivates me. It is just so interesting to see the nicks and scratches, and the faded chrome and aluminum, from sitting in the hot sun during hundreds of days at the drags. I know, nice paint is nice, but there's just something about these warhorses that I totally dig.

Here's the third Maverick as promised. Period color, Cragar S/S mags, vinyl top; it's perfect, and a great bracket racer as well.

If you're ever at a show or race and you see this booth, please go over and talk to the nice people of NETO. You don't need to own a car to join, and it is a family-friendly, fun organization. I'll be back with them next year with my big '58 Chevy, if all goes well.

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Thanks, and I hope to be back with more mainstream street-car coverage next. Also, some early exploring on the '58, so I'll have lots of tech articles coming as well. Bye for now.