FreeThinker
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- Dec 30, 2005
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For Conrad, Tina, and any other past, present, or future drag racers.
A song I wrote about fourteen years ago.
(I know, the car described here is way over-carbureted, and I don't know that manual-transmission cars would even use a line-lock, but that's the way it dun bin writ!)
(The cadence comes through best when read out loud.)
For the uninitiated, a Glossary of Terms:
Twin 1350 Dominators: Two Holley Dominator carburetors, each with a flow of 1350 cfm (cubic feet per minute). A 750 cfm carb is fairly big...this is overkill.
Detroit Locker rear: A limited-slip differential, stronger than Ford's 'Traction-Lok' of the time.
T-4: Four-speed maunual transmission that Ford put in its performance cars, way back.
Thirty-thou over: Cylinders overbored (made larger in diameter) by 0.030 of an inch (significant increase).
Twelve-to-one: 12:1 compression ratio. (Stock was 10.6:1--more compression = more power)
Cobra Jet: Legendary version of Ford's 428 cubic-inch (about 7 litre)V-8, introduced in 1968.
Bottle-fed: Using nitrous-oxide (N2O), a gas that, when added to a car's air/fuel mixture, increases efficiency of combustion. Dramatically. To use N2O is to "squeeze the bottle", or just "squeeze".
Sled: From the drag racing slang "Sam's sled", used to describe a slow car.
Redline: Recommended maximum operating speed of an engine.
Airbrushed: Detail work painted with an airbrush--a flashy car.
'Cuda: Plymouth Barracuda.
Hemi: 426 cubic-inch Chrysler V-8 introduced in the mid-sixties (second generation "elephant" motor--first-generation "whale" Hemis were introduced in the fifties), with hemisherical combustion chambers (better flow of fuel/air mixture and exhaust gases than contemporary competitors, as well as increased combustion efficiency). Its basic design remained popular in drag racing for decades, evinced by the number of "Packy" motors in the sport (short for "pachyderm"--elephant).
Under 'glass: Has a hood made of fibreglass, to save weight.
LS6 Chevelle: Chevrolet Chevelle with the LS6 option--the most potent version of Chevy's 454 cubic-inch (about 7.5 litre) V-8.
Trophy queen: Car-show prize winner. Used in a derogatory way to describe cars restored to original factory condition, and trailered to events.
Line-lock: Holds the brakes while the engine builds up power, providing explosive acceleration when released.
Pony: Ponycar. A niche of car created by the introduction of Ford's Mustang (hence the name), but which also included the Chevy Camaro/Pontiac Firebird, Dodge Challenger/Plymouth Barracuda, and the AMC Javelin.
(I went really basic on the glossary. If I got some wrong, someone will correct it.)
A song I wrote about fourteen years ago.
(I know, the car described here is way over-carbureted, and I don't know that manual-transmission cars would even use a line-lock, but that's the way it dun bin writ!)
(The cadence comes through best when read out loud.)
Redline
She got twin thirteen-fifty Dominators and a Detroit Locker rear
Sixty-nine Mustang fastback body and a T-4 stirrin' the gears
Thirty-thou over, runnin' twelve-to-one on a rebuilt Cobra Jet
And mashin' the throttle's like shootin' a gun, and you ain't seen nothin' yet
And if you think you wanna take on my honey
Just remember what they say 'bout a fool and his money
This bottle-fed thoroughbred'll
Shut down your sled
And open up your eyes
Redline
Hear it roar
White line
Back for more
So fine
One more time
Gotta take it to that
Redline
Hopped-up drop-top airbrushed 'Cuda with a Hemi under 'glass
All show, no dough, out to stroke his ego: I just let him pass
Late night stop light, shiny old red and white LS6 Chevelle
Flashes me a money clip, we're headed for the airstrip, gonna raise some hell
Yeah, she looks like the cover of a magazine
But she's an Armor-All-sidewalled trophy queen
Just a box-stock roadblock
As I release the line-lock
And let that Pony fly
Redline
Hear it roar
White line
Back for more
So fine
One more time
Gotta take it to that
Redline
_________________________________
_________________________
She got twin thirteen-fifty Dominators and a Detroit Locker rear
Sixty-nine Mustang fastback body and a T-4 stirrin' the gears
Thirty-thou over, runnin' twelve-to-one on a rebuilt Cobra Jet
And mashin' the throttle's like shootin' a gun, and you ain't seen nothin' yet
And if you think you wanna take on my honey
Just remember what they say 'bout a fool and his money
This bottle-fed thoroughbred'll
Shut down your sled
And open up your eyes
Redline
Hear it roar
White line
Back for more
So fine
One more time
Gotta take it to that
Redline
Hopped-up drop-top airbrushed 'Cuda with a Hemi under 'glass
All show, no dough, out to stroke his ego: I just let him pass
Late night stop light, shiny old red and white LS6 Chevelle
Flashes me a money clip, we're headed for the airstrip, gonna raise some hell
Yeah, she looks like the cover of a magazine
But she's an Armor-All-sidewalled trophy queen
Just a box-stock roadblock
As I release the line-lock
And let that Pony fly
Redline
Hear it roar
White line
Back for more
So fine
One more time
Gotta take it to that
Redline
_________________________________
_________________________
For the uninitiated, a Glossary of Terms:
Twin 1350 Dominators: Two Holley Dominator carburetors, each with a flow of 1350 cfm (cubic feet per minute). A 750 cfm carb is fairly big...this is overkill.
Detroit Locker rear: A limited-slip differential, stronger than Ford's 'Traction-Lok' of the time.
T-4: Four-speed maunual transmission that Ford put in its performance cars, way back.
Thirty-thou over: Cylinders overbored (made larger in diameter) by 0.030 of an inch (significant increase).
Twelve-to-one: 12:1 compression ratio. (Stock was 10.6:1--more compression = more power)
Cobra Jet: Legendary version of Ford's 428 cubic-inch (about 7 litre)V-8, introduced in 1968.
Bottle-fed: Using nitrous-oxide (N2O), a gas that, when added to a car's air/fuel mixture, increases efficiency of combustion. Dramatically. To use N2O is to "squeeze the bottle", or just "squeeze".
Sled: From the drag racing slang "Sam's sled", used to describe a slow car.
Redline: Recommended maximum operating speed of an engine.
Airbrushed: Detail work painted with an airbrush--a flashy car.
'Cuda: Plymouth Barracuda.
Hemi: 426 cubic-inch Chrysler V-8 introduced in the mid-sixties (second generation "elephant" motor--first-generation "whale" Hemis were introduced in the fifties), with hemisherical combustion chambers (better flow of fuel/air mixture and exhaust gases than contemporary competitors, as well as increased combustion efficiency). Its basic design remained popular in drag racing for decades, evinced by the number of "Packy" motors in the sport (short for "pachyderm"--elephant).
Under 'glass: Has a hood made of fibreglass, to save weight.
LS6 Chevelle: Chevrolet Chevelle with the LS6 option--the most potent version of Chevy's 454 cubic-inch (about 7.5 litre) V-8.
Trophy queen: Car-show prize winner. Used in a derogatory way to describe cars restored to original factory condition, and trailered to events.
Line-lock: Holds the brakes while the engine builds up power, providing explosive acceleration when released.
Pony: Ponycar. A niche of car created by the introduction of Ford's Mustang (hence the name), but which also included the Chevy Camaro/Pontiac Firebird, Dodge Challenger/Plymouth Barracuda, and the AMC Javelin.
(I went really basic on the glossary. If I got some wrong, someone will correct it.)
