ezryder has returned to the building
Hi everyone,
Been a while since I've added anything to this thread. So decided to at least do some short notes today, before we head to my mother-in-law's for dinner.
I've been spending a lot of time in my race shop working on my "Mustang Sally" restoration. It's a slow road, but making progress.
Also spending time on my 20H "popper" project. And it's also coming along very well.
I'm basically building this engine from the bottom up. I bought the power head and 16/21 gearbox from Joe Welch.
Got the mid section and bracke assembly on eBay. It was in great shape, but was not the correct long reach transom long reach brackets.
I found a 20H bracket assembly on eBay, complete with a 20H I.D. plate in place.
I'm currently working on the paint job. Then I can assemble it into a complete package.
I'm doing the paint job just as it would be if I had bought a conversion kit from Mercury in "the day", and installed it on my motor. And that includes everything, including the fuel pump and carb conversion.
I just recently found a 16/21 prop for it courtesy of John Schubert, so
I'm set have a go with it as soon as I finish up the assembly.
Thanks John!
I've also been spending a lot of evening time on BRF exploring the late sixties on up into the 80's via Wayne's postings and photos.
Thanks so much to everyone for adding to my knowledge of my "lost years" after I was forced to quit boat racing (another story for another time). And moved on into cars and then m/c racing.
"Random pit shots" and "Random pit shots 2" have been a great help. And I'm still not all that far into them.
Same for Konig thread and the Tim Butts thread.
As some of you already know, I drove Konig's for Deter and Walt Blankenstein in the 50's.
I'll try to get busy and scan some more pictures to post soon. But don't expect the "Wayne" treatment. We took very few pictures back in those
days.
Regards,
George (AKA "ez")
Walt Blankenstein memorys
Around late 57 or early 58, don't remember for sure ---
Walt was a great guy, but he could be a bit "crotchety" at times when
you "messed" with his mind!!
Walt had bought a Volkswagen "Beetle" to carry him from home to the race shop every day.
Man, he preached to me every day about how fantastic that "beetle" was!
Didn't impress me much! At the time I had a Chevvy tow car with a "heated up" engine in it. I could do the 1/4 mile in less than 12 seconds.
So I spent a lot of time "deriding" his Beetle. Boy, did he ever get "hot" under the collar when I kept giving him ****!
Finally, one day I decided that I was going to bring this whole gig to a boil!
As usual, Walt would keep preaching to me about how reliable the "Beetle" was! And deriding my Chevvy because I had done a "power shift" and blown the transmission. My dad was "pissed" and Walt was "over the moon" with insults to me about my Chevvy.
I got fed up, so I plotted out a plan to get even! And boy, did I ever!!.
Most of you "old timers" will remember the "car bomb's" you could buy back then. The ones you wired into the ignition system. Then hung around and waited for your target to start his engine??
Well, I wired one up in Walt's beloved Volkswagen without his knowledge. And then hung around until he closed up shop to leave for home.
OH MY!!!
First the siren went off --- followed by the huge explosion -- then the smoke!
By that time Walt was in the next thing to "cardiac arrest"!! :D
FUNNEEEEEEEE!!!! He "banned" me from his race shop for a week!
But he needed me to finish a project I was working on for him, so I got off "light"!
It took Walt about a month to get over that stunt! hehe :D
And this is just one story of MANY really funny stories I have to tell about my days hanging around Walt's race shop when I was driving for Konig.
George (aka EZ)