SUMMER 2008 1

It seems like we’ve known Rodney Burgoyne forever. When he informed us recently that he has offi cially retired from drag racing, a lot of memories came back. For at least the last thirty years, Rod has come to us for the parts needed to fi eld all eight of the top notch drag race cars he has campaigned during this time period. These cars ran the gamut from his fi rst, an A/Modifi ed Production ‘66 Chev-elle to the most recent ride, a Top Sportsman 2002 Pontiac Firebird. In between these two extremes were three Super Pro cars, a ‘72 Vega, an ‘81 Camaro and an ‘85 Grand Prix; and two other Top Sportsman cars, a ‘93 Lumina and a ‘95 Beretta.

When asked what his best ever elapsed time and top speed were, Rod responded by saying that he always wanted to run a six-second

e.t. at better than 200 miles per hour, but the best he had achieved was a 7.01 at 197 miles per hour. We’d say that was pretty close!

Rod is now turning his automotive attention to street performance and is currently refi ning a 1967 Chevelle. We’re sure it will be every bit as fi rst class as his race cars. Oh yes, about that six-second, 200 mph goal...Rod says he may sign up for Frank Hawley’s Drag Race School just so he can qualify for a Top Alcohol license and make a six-second pass at over 200.

Drag racers from all over the Midwest will miss Rod. He has touched the lives of many, many fellow racers in many ways. From helping in the pits to co-signing drag race licenses, Rod has been there for them. He has written a Thank You letter expressing his gratitude for all who have helped him over the years, and asked if we would print it here. R&R

At the end of 2007, I retired from drag racing after 30 years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank many people who have helped me along the way. George Lane of Lane Automotive, Don Adams, Dan Christopher and Gary Igert from Performance Chassis, Jeff Covey & Gang from Gun Lake Performance and Tom Troxell & Gang from Troxell Specialty Cars. Thanks to all the gang at Lane Auto-motive who have put up with me through the years. Thanks so much to Evan, Bryan and Linda at Torco Race Fuels for their help and support. Special thanks to Terry Stears for all of his help and friendship. Much thanks to Scott, Sondra and their families for the help they gave. Thanks, too, to every-one who came to the pits and helped me at various times during my racing years. There are too many to mention, but all the help was appreciated. I can’t leave out one major part of my operation, my longtime best bud, Roger Woodruff , who has always been there to help and pal around with. Finally, and not least, I could not have done this the last 15 years without my wife, crew chief, and lover, Carol. I have met a lot of people that I call my friends, and would not have met them had I not been racing all those years.

Thank you, everyone!Rod Burgoyne

FEATURES:The Spotlight ........................ 1 Editors Notes ........................ 2 Hot Rodding News & Notes .... 3New Allstar Products ............. 4New Products ....................... 5

Racing News.........................6,8,9New Vendors ........................ 7Rodding Journal.....................10Lane Happenings .................. 11Lane Collectables .................. 12The Parts You Need and the Service You Deserve!

Longtime Drag Racer Making A Transition To Street Performance

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Rod warms the tires on his ‘95 Beretta Top Sportsman car.

Rod’s ‘85 Grand Prix took over the quarter mile battle when he crashed his ‘81 Camaro.

Rod’s Top Sportsman 2002 Pontiac Firebird turned in a best performance of 7.01 @ 197 miles per hour.

2 Phone 269.463.Lane • Toll Free 800.772.5266

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Editor’s NotesR.I.P. Scott Kalitta

The recent horrifi c funny car explosion and crash that claimed the life of Scott Kalitta will very likely have repercussions that won’t easily be put to rest. Drag racing at the professional nitro level has gone way beyond being a simple acceleration contest between two high powered race cars. With speeds near 280 miles per hour at the eighth mile point, and often over 330 miles per hour at the quarter mile stripe, the dragsters and funny cars have transcended resemblance to automobiles and moved into the missile category. Drivers snuggle up close to 6,000 horsepower, 10,000 RPM “bombs” - some sitting behind, others perched in front of them - hoping that their aim is accurate when the green light shines. In the case of Scott Kalitta, that missile was fi red down a blind alley. There was no “back door” escape route at the end of the track at Englishtown, NJ, but rather a solid wall positioned just beyond what has to be the shortest sand trap anywhere.

Predictably, arguments are being made for a.) shortening the drag race length to either an eighth mile or a thousand feet; (as of this printing, NHRA has shortened the fuel classes to 1000 ft.) b.) cutting engine and blower size as well as nitro percentages; and c.) lengthening the drag strip for more shutdown area. All three solutions would likely have approximately the same eff ect, but all three also have shortcomings.

Shortening the track for Top Fuel, Funny Cars and other 200+ mile per hour race cars would hamper all the rest of the competition classes that encounter no problems with the quarter mile track length. To leave Stock, Super Stock, Comp, Su-per Comp, etc. racing on the quarter mile, while the really fast cars run on only an eighth mile, would seem weird. Reducing engine and supercharger displacement might work for a short while, until technology overcomes the handicap. Lengthen-ing the tracks involves the purchase of more real estate, which is not being made anymore. Most existing tracks have been surrounded by urban sprawl and/or commercial and industrial zones which severely limit the growth possibilities.

What really needs to happen is that the marketing types who haunt the offi ces at NHRA and IHRA need to sit down and re-evaluate their priorities with regard to just where they expect the sport of drag racing to be in terms of entertainment value. They just might realize that they need to de-emphasize the 340 mile per hour, 4.5 second idea and work on develop-ing the original premise that made the sport interesting in the fi rst place. The closeness of the races, the infl uence that quick reaction times can have on the slower cars and the absolute beauty of classic, highly individualistic drag car styling have all vanished in a major way in the past few decades. No one, regardless of how hardy they may be, can honestly say that they enjoy the feeling of impending doom that surrounds every Top Fuel and Funny Car pass, the ever-present fear that one, or both, of the drivers may not survive the run. Drag racing is supposed to be fun, not a matter of life and death.

What would be wrong, for example, with requiring that funny cars replace the current bizarre bodies with bodies that closely resemble the cars they now only loosely represent? Spoilers on the most modern of these cars have grown to proportions that more closely resemble small pickup boxes. Without those fl imsy headlight and grille decals, could anyone really distinguish Gary Scelzi’s Dodge from the Chevy Impala SS of Tim Wilkerson or the Ford Mustangs of John Force and his teammates? Most certainly the streamlining eff ect would be lost with more originally proportioned bodies, and the cars would be noticeably slower, too, but that’s the point. Dodge’s new Challenger, Ford’s newest Mustangs, and the new retro Chevy Camaro could all become the bases for beautiful funny cars and, judging by the enthusiastic response to the current crop of seventies era nostalgia funnies, the cars would be more realistically aligned with ones the public can buy, drive, and with which then can identify. Drag racing must get the visual aspects back, plain and simple...and keep the racers safer. R&R

In MemoriamLongtime friend, hot rodder and customer, Gary Ackerman,

passed away suddenly June 23, 2008. We’ll always remember Gary, baseball cap on backwards, motoring down the road in his pert little ‘23 T-bucket. R&R

Photos provided by www.dragracingonline.com

SUMMER 2008 3

DEJA VU All Over Again... In the whole big,wonderful world of hot rodding, there are not

many things that Al Bergler has not done. He has built, owned and driven dragsters, competition coupes, funny cars and street rods. He has masterfully hand-formed beautiful aluminum bodies and interior panels that have graced many of the fi nest and fastest drag cars in the world. Each car that has undergone his touch has become a work of art. His original “More Aggravation” comp coupe was the very fi rst recipient of the famous Ridler Award at the Detroit Autorama back in 1964.

Offi cially “retired” now, although you’d never know it, Al bides his time these days restoring drag cars, mostly Michigan-based cars with signifi cant racing histories. Among his more recent creations are four premier front engine fuel dragsters, “The Probe”, “Gang Green”, the Logghe Brothers “House Car” and, most notably, Al’s own “More Aggravation” nitro-powered, Bantam-bodied Competi-tion Coupe. Work will be underway soon in Al’s shop on the restora-tion of Maynard Rupp’s “Prussian” fuel dragster.

One other famous car that Al originally planned to re-create was his “Motown Shaker” Vega funny car. Young nostalgia funny car rac-er, Kyle Wurtzel, also wanted to build a “Motown Shaker” tribute car to campaign at nostalgia events. Some may recall Kyle’s beautiful “Nitro Pony” Mustang funny car, which took part in the “Noisefest” at our 2007 car show. Both men got together and it was decided that Kyle would rebody the “Nitro Pony” as the “Motown Shaker”.

The newly reborn “Motown Shaker” made its debut at the Goodguys Nationals in Indianapolis the fi rst weekend in June, running in the low six second range and surviving until the semi-fi nal round. The next weekend it appeared at the NHRA Holley National Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green, KY and was displayed with the Bergler & Co. cars in the pit area on Friday.

Kyle off ered Al a chance to do a burnout in the car on Saturday and Al accepted the off er. The last time Al had driven a funny car was in 1982, but he showed the crowd that he still knew how to make the car perform. He did a smoky burnout pass to about mid-track, backed up and did another short burst across the starting line before idling down the track and crossing the fi nish line. The smile on Al’s face as he climbed out of the car after the burnout session said it all. R&R

Erb Takes Second UMP DIRTcarSummernationals Crown Carpentersville, Illinois dirt late model hotshoe, Dennis Erb, once again topped all competitors in the 2008 version of

the UMP DIRTcar Summernationals. Erb, who drives self-owned Rayburn cars that are powered by Rhyne engines and carry sponsorship from Thomason Express, Petroff Towing and J&J Steel, beat fellow Land-Of-Lincoln driver, Brian Shirley, by 37 points to score his second consecutive title in what has been branded “Hell Tour” by series organizers. Dennis was the model of consistency, nailing two wins, 15 top-fi ve and 19 top-10 fi nishes in the 20 events contested. The only blemish on his record was a 12th-place fi nish on July 5 at Fairbury (IL) American Legion Speedway when a broken oil cooler on the fi nal lap cut his lead to just 4 points over Shirley. Erb and Chief Mechanic, Heather Lyne, showed that races are truly won through preparation, completing every feature lap run during the tough 20 race tour. Dennis banked $25,000 and the Summernatio-als title with a third-place fi nish in the series fi nale at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Dennis will continue his pursuit of his second consecutive UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model National Title and the $20,000 payday that accompanies it. At publication time, Erb holds a narrow lead in the quest for the double-double. R&R

Hot Rodding N

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Photos Courtesy Of Jerry Gilles

Tony Hammett Photo

4 Phone 269.463.Lane • Toll Free 800.772.5266

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New Allstar Products

Dual Pass RadiatorsDual pass radiators have universal inlets to accept standard 1-1/2” hose, -16 or -20AN

fi ttings which are all available individually. Water circulates across the top half of the radiator, then back across the bottom half for better heat dissipation. Double pass radia-tors off er the same features as Allstar standard aluminum radiators including furnace brazed tanks, two rows of 1” tubes, billet machined fi ller necks with overfl ows and standard 1-3/4” outlets. Inlet fi ttings are sold separately. Allstar Dual Pass Radiators may just provide the margin of safety to prevent overheating. Available in sizes...ALL30022 (19“x24”), ALL30035 (19”x26”), ALL30036 (19”x28”) and ALL30037 (19”x31”). R&R

Transmission StandALL10174

Avoid damage and fl uid leaks during storage and transport of many popular trans-missions. Multi-positional stand also keeps the transmission level and clean during servicing. An adjustable rear stabilizer bracket can be moved fore and aft as well as ver-tically to accommodate a variety of transmissions. Overall dimensions 11” x 14” x 6”. R&R

Spring Steel Lower Nose Support ALL23065

Provides support between the front nose piece and front bumper of Dirt Late Models. 1/16” thick x 35” long x 6” wide, 3.6 lbs. R&R

Air Hose ReelsHeavy-duty air hose reels are spring loaded for automatic rewind. A locking ratchet holds hose

at the desired length. Adjustable guide arm can be angled to compensate for the mount location. Mounting base has two 1/2” wide slots and two 1/2” drilled holes for easy mounting to a suitable fl at surface such as fl oor, ceiling, or wall. 3/8” hose is included. ALL10520 (25’) weight is 19.5lbs, ALL10521 (50’) is 41lbs. R&R

Compression TesterALL96520

Checks cylinder compression from 0 to 300 psi and features an air-hold valve to reset gauge. Two brass fi ttings with o-rings are included for 14mm and 18mm spark plug threads. Easy to read 2-1/2” dial is encased in a metal housing with a 12” fl exible hose attached R&R

Competitive Edge Tire TreatmentALL78105

Chemically treats and softens race tires to increase traction without making tires greasy. Apply race day or night before on new or old tires. Can be used on the inside or outside. One gallon container treats 4 to 6 tires. R&R

SUMMER 2008 5

New

ProductsNew Products

Performance Air And Oil FiltersSince as many as 10,000 gallons of air must pass through an

air fi lter for every gallon of fuel the engine burns, a good fi lter will make sure the incoming air is as clean as possible. The Wix racing air fi lter removes soot, carbon, abrasives and other con-taminants from the air before it mixes with fuel in the induction system.

Wix Performance Oil Filters are built to remove up to 94% more dirt than traditional fi lters. Many have built-in bypasses to maintain oil pressure even under heavily clogged conditions. Both fi lters are now in stock at Motor State and are available to fi t a number of applications. R&R

Hushmat’s revolutionary sound control material is the only such product approved and recommended by new car manufacturers to deaden interior sounds and reduce outside noise intrusion. Available in black and silver, Hushmat is adhesive backed and installs in half the time

with no surface preparation or pre-treatment required. Silencer Megabond material deadens noise as well as insulating against heat. Both products are now in stock and should be seriously considered as a part of the next race car or hot rod project. Don’t forget that muscle car restorations can benefi t from Hushmat technology as well. R&R

E85 CarburetorsThe age of fuels that are predominantly made up of

renewable ethanol is upon us. Many race sanctioning bodies are starting to mandate 85 percent ethanol laced gasoline as the fuel to be used in certain classes. Demon

Carburetion has answered the call for carbs that will accept this fuel. Identifi ed by bright gold baseplates and metering blocks, the E85 Demons are

calibrated for street or race operation on 85% ethanol fuel. With a wide range of tuning adjustments, interchangeable idle and high speed air bleeds, idle feed restrictors and main jets the carb boasts free fl ow, ridge free concentric venturi bores, billet metering blocks and baseplate. Versions are available for circle track, drag and general competi-tion in CFM ratings from 650 to 850. R&R

Performance Clutches Suddenly, well into the twenty-fi rst century, manual

transmissions are again gaining acceptance among the high- powered street warrior contingent. Horsepower at the rear wheels is of the utmost importance...and everyone knows that manual transmissions rob less horsepower than big, bulletproof automatic transmissions.

McLeod, a pioneer in the fi eld of performance clutches, has introduced a pair of units that not only will revolutionize the use of manual transmissions, but will put all that power to the pavement in the most expedient and eff ortless manner.

Imagine a street clutch that is quiet, with minimal pedal eff ort, that can easily handle up to 1,700 horsepower. The RST Street Twin is a dual-disc clutch and the best choice for the street car equipped with nitrous assisted, supercharged or turbocharged engine. Available in diaphragm, Borg & Beck and Long styles, it’s a bolt-in proposition that can put that monster in the winner’s cirlce.

McLeod’s entry in the street replacement type clutches, the Street Pro can handle basic performance modifi cations like headers and cold air intakes with street tires. The customer will notice a slightly heavier than stock pedal eff ort and im-proved holding capacity, but both characteristics will be a vast improvement over what the factory put in there in the fi rst place. R&R

6 Phone 269.463.Lane • Toll Free 800.772.5266

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Drag NewsLane Automotive and Allstar Shine At Joliet

Lane Automotive/Allstar Performance sponsored drag cars have been having a good year so far, with top alcohol stalwart, Bill Reichert, and Park-erTech alcohol funny car standout, Bobby Martin, both scoring major wins.

Bill Reichert and his potent A/Fuel Dragster have been 100% successful as far as Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois is concerned. In back to back visits there, fi rst on June 6-8 for the Torco Race Fuels Route 66 Nationals, and next on June 13-15 for the NHRA Lucas Oil Division III race, Bill scored two Top Alcohol wins.

At the Torco event, Bill waded through a fi eld made up of sixteen of the best alcohol and injected nitro dragsters in the country, taking out Morgan Lucas in the semi-fi nal round and earning a run against Thomas Bayer in a fi nal that turned out to be anti-climactic when both cars suff ered severe tire shake. Bill managed to drive out of it and win the race with a 5.35 elapsed time to Bayer’s non-recovering 12.40.

At the Division III event, Bill qualifi ed right in the middle of the eight car fi eld and proceeded to eliminate Noah Condo in the fi rst round, Dave Weber in the second and Marty Thacker in the fi nal with a 5.40 second, 268.92 mile an hour pass.

In his fi rst year behind the wheel of Frank Parker’s Top Alcohol Charger Funny Car, Bobby Martin is showing that he has what it takes to be a cham-pion. After qualifying well and surviving two rounds of competition at the Torco event, the Parker crew motored back to Joliet the following weekend with all eyes on a class win. They were not let down as Bobby qualifi ed number two, behind Mick Snyder, and parlayed that performance into a fi rst round win over Jay Payne, a semi-fi nal win over Fred Hagen and the fi nal win against Steve Harker where he turned in a fi ne 5.67 second 254.42 mph run for the trophy. R&R

Bobby Martin Makes It Two Wins In A RowNorwalk (6-29-08) marked the second consecutive win for the Lane Automotive/

CAP Dodge Charger R/T TAF/C in two weeks. It was also driver Bobby Martin’s fi rst ever NHRA National Event win.

This visit to the Winner’s Circle is special to Martin, as it represents a milestone, not just a win. After racing Top Alcohol Funny Cars for eighteen years, Martin has his fi rst NHRA national event number one qualifying position and race win. For Frank and Dan Parker, owners and crew chiefs of the Mopar Hemi-powered car, Martin’s achievement was expected. “We’ve known and watched Bobby for years,” said Dan Parker, the team patriarch. “He’s be-come skilled and track-wise from running his own car, but doing everything himself was a distraction. We just knew that, if we could hook up and take some load off his shoulders, he would really shine on the track.”

After tire shake aborted his fi rst qualifying round pass (6.75/147) Martin came back in the second qualifying round and laid down an impressive 5.645/255.63 to permanently take over the number one spot. Interestingly, Bobby was never out of the fi ve-sixties for the remainder of the event. That’s consistency!

In Round One, Bobby dispatched #16 qualifi er, Mark Poyser with a 5.679/256.11 pass. Martin’s fellow competitor, #9 qualifi er Von Smith, won his fi rst round match, but his chute failed and he went for a ride off the end of the track, bending his chassis. Thus, in the second round, Bobby Martin and the Lane car soloed, recording the quickest pass of the event, a 5.622/258.02.

After a short rain delay, Round 3 found Martin and the Lane/ParkerTech Charger paired with Andy Bohl’s Bohl Automotive Mustang. Bohl cut a fantastic 0.01 light, but soon went up in smoke, veering very close to the wall in the process, as Martin soared to a fi ne 5.63/257.73.

The fi nal lined Martin up against veteran Steve Harker in the OMS Graphics Monte Carlo. Martin was out of the gate fi rst with a 0.169 reaction time, but just fi ve ten thousandths of second later, Harker was on the pedal. The elapsed time was also separated by fi ve ten thousandths at the fi nish line. Martin won by a scant four feet (0.0102 seconds), posting a 5.624/256.84 to Harker’s 5.629/256.60 eff ort. What a race! R&R

Bobby Martin leaves the line at Norwalk on his way to a big win in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Bill Reichert warms the tires prior to his win at Joliet June 8.

Frank Parker making fi nal adjustments on his Lane Automotive sponsored Alcohol Funny Car.

SUMMER 2008 7

New Vendor ShowcaseN

ew Vendor Show

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Sprint cars are a specialized breed of race car and, consequently, require specialized components...items that are quite often hard to acquire. That’s why, whenever we come across a highly reputable sprint car component manufacturer, we don’t hesitate to add them to our product line. Such is the case with VMAC Racing Products of Visalia, Califor-nia. VMAC is a double rarity in this day and age. Not only do they manufacture hard to fi nd sprint car parts and pieces, but they also manufacture them right here in the U.S.A. VMAC Racing Products is an established company that has undergone a recent ownership change and has been streamlined to eliminate previous inventory related problems. Feast your eyes on some of the most sought after components from VMAC. R&R

Kevlar Brake Lines There is nothing tougher than Kevlar when it comes to a material for bulletproof brake lines. Ex-

tremely fl exible, VMAC Kevlar brake lines have crimped on collars with #3 straight aluminum ends. Four lengths are available: 15”, 18”, 21” and 24”. R&R

Aluminum Brake Line Quick Disconnects A 100% dry brake coupling, VMAC Quick Disconnects allow connecting and disconnecting

of brake fi ttings with no chance of air entering the system. Ethylene-Propylene seals will last a lifetime and the hard anodized, billet aluminum fi ttings can take a real beating. The male end is VMC2435; the female end is VMC2440. R&R

Honeycomb Radiator Protector Eliminate the problem of bent radiator fi ns with VMAC’s Honeycomb Radiator Protector (VMC2620).

All the top Outlaw teams rely on this piece to keep radiators doing what they are designed to do, mainly cooling expensive race engines. The protector also makes clean-up of the radiator an easy proposition, just remove, hose it off and reinstall. R&R

Quick Release Transponder Mount More and more tracks are using transponders to keep track of car positions during a race and

VMAC has developed the perfect companion piece: their Quick Release Transponder Mount (VMC2600). The black anodized, billet aluminum mount clamps on a 1” diameter chassis tube and includes a hairpin clip for quick mounting and dismounting. R&R

Super Flex Floating Front Motorplate The billet aluminum fl oating front motorplate (VMC1505) is made of billet aluminum and

designed to pivot so the chassis can fl ex and drive harder off the rear tires. Two tapered Allen head bolts mount the Rear Horse Shoe to the engine and two aluminum 3/8” spacers take up the off set from the horse shoe. A 4130 spherical bearing eliminates binding and black anodizing adds protection. R&R

Direct Mount Front Hubs VMAC aerospace aluminum alloy front hubs, with or without brake

mounts, are made to last and include bearings, seals and Grade 8 fasteners. Hubs will fi t Sanders, Weld, Circle, MPD and Keizer wheels and are available in silver and gold powder coated versions and in pairs or individually. All are designed to be oil or grease fi lled. R&R

V-Mac Racing Products

8 Phone 269.463.Lane • Toll Free 800.772.5266

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Racing NewsBerlin Raceway Lane/Holley Challenge Winners

Chris Anthony Ryan Gruppen

Dave Lake Tim Yonker

Dennis Mann Steve Needles

Denny Anderson Jack DeJong

Chris Anthony Dave Lake Dennis Mann Denny Anderson Jack DeJong

SUMMER 2008 9

Racing New

s Racing News

Kirk Meissner Nate Walton

Nick Bonstell Nick Sherrington

Steve Needles Denny Anderson Wins Super Stock Heat And Feature

Nate Walton Nick Bonstell Nick Sherrington

Chris Anthony And Crew Celebrate His First-Ever Late Model Feature Win!

Nick BonstellPro StockFeature Winner

10 Phone 269.463.Lane • Toll Free 800.772.5266

Anyone who has ever hunted the backroads for vintage tin is likely agonizing over the high prices currently being paid for scrap iron, and the long range problems these prices pose for those of us still involved in locating new hot rod project material. Hundreds of thousands of choice, re-storable antique cars and trucks as well as parts donors have been sent to the crusher, most with tons of desirable parts still attached, because, at $220-$240 a ton, they are worth more now as scrap than they ever were as parts cars. The tragedy here is that sooner or later, the scrap prices will go back down, but many desirable old vehicles will have disappeared forever.

Several hor-ror stories have circulated since the scrap dealers have upped the prices they are paying for old vehicles. A while back, a 1939 Ford 1-1/2 ton cabover truck was adver-tised in a local classifi ed paper for $500.00. It was an old Vernor’s Ginger Ale delivery truck, with the trademark gnome still visible on the doors. What I thought was really unique was that the original fl athead had been fi tted with a pair of Off enhauser aluminum cylinder heads. It seems that fl atheads were always prone to overheating, especially in the confi nes of a cabover engine compartment. Many COE Ford trucks in the forties had aluminum heads installed as a means of dissipating heat. The truck did not sell, and when the scrap prices escalated the owner hauled if off to the scrapper. At 7,800 pounds and $220.00 per ton, the truck yielded a check for over $850.00. He was happy because he had nearly doubled what he would have gotten from his original asking price. I was sad because a prime restoration project was gone forever.

Another, even more distressing occurrance, just a few weeks ago, added even more insult to injury. An acquain-tance had an old semi-tractor that he wanted to send down the pike, hopefully with someone who would restore it. The truck was in reasonably good shape, and had been fi tted with a rare aftermarket fi berglass tilt front end. The rig had not run in ten years or so, but its diesel engine would still turn over. The owner asked me what I thought the truck was worth. I told him I thought it might be worth a thou-sand bucks to a restorer...an accurate appraisal, or at least it was before the scrap market went berserk. While look-

ing the truck over, we discovered that both 75 gallon fuel tanks were full to the top. Doing some mental calculations, I determined that, at 12,000 pounds dry weight, the truck had a scrap value of $1,320. The “wet” weight value, due to the 150 gallons of diesel at nearly fi ve bucks a gallon, added at least another $650-$750 to the actual value of the truck. A double whammy to be sure! The truck now had a scrap and reclaimer value nearly twice what it realistically would have sold for even a year ago.

Is there anything we can do to save some of these ve-hicles, and maybe even purchase them for less than scrap value? There sure is! Right off the bat, it wouldn’t hurt to inform the owner of a poten-tial restoration (or scrap) candidate that the per ton price is paid upon delivery of the vehicle to the scrap yard. Ninety percent of those owning these vehicles have no

means of transporting the car or truck to the scrapper. At better than $2.50 a mile, or more for wrecker service, the price per ton fi gure can dissipate quickly. Generally, you will pay for a round trip with most haulers, so if the car is forty miles from the scrapyard, a round trip of eighty miles, at two and a half per mile, can run $200.00. Most scrappers do not like to take tires, deducting as much as $15.00 per tire on big rigs and at least $5.00 per tire on passenger cars and pickup trucks as a penalty. A six-wheel truck would be penalized to the tune of another ninety dollars deducted for unwanted tires.

Doing the math, it works out this way. When the guy rejects your off er of $750.00 for a dual-wheeled truck, saying he can get a thousand bucks for scrap, you can counter with the fact that he may only get $710.00 for it after tire and towing fees are deducted. The same holds true for cars, to a lesser extent, maybe, but making a potential seller aware of ALL the expenses can yield some amazing results. I’ve always fi gured it is certainly worth a try. It doesn’t hurt to tell the owner that instead of scrapping the remains of his dad’s beloved Modal A sedan or farm truck, he should sell it to someone who wants to restore it to its former glory. Hope-fully there is still a shred of sentimentality left there. After all, he has kept it around for many more years than he would have if he’d had no sentiment. R&R

The Ins And Outs Of The Whole Scrap Iron Deal

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I rescued this rare 1946 Dodge COE from behind a barn in northern Michigan.

SUMMER 2008 11

Lane Happenings

Lane Happenings20th Annual Lane Automotive Car Show An Outstanding Success

The weather was great, the show cars were splendid, as usual, and the crowd was outstanding for the 20th Annual Lane Automotive Friday night Cruise-In and Saturday Car Show, May 23d & 24th. The second an-nual Open Header Cruise through downtown Waterv-liet kicked things off with over fi fty hot rods, race cars and off -road vehichles rumbling without benefi t of muffl ers. A new twist was added this year as two front engine nitro dragsters joined in at the tail end of the cruise and followed the rest of the cars into Lane Drive. As the open header cruisers shut down their engines, the background rock and roll music of Al Giganti & Lou Brule and Friends was coming through loud and clear. A mild, late spring evening kept cruise participants here until 10:00 pm.

As the sun rose on Saturday morning, it refl ected nicely in the paint jobs of the two hundred or so show cars that were here and anxious to get the show underway. The Lane parking crew worked furiously and by 9:30 am had already parked and lined up nearly 1,000 vehicles. The fi nal tally was somewhere near 1,100 show cars and nearly 13,000 spectators.

A dozen nitro dragsters and one alcohol funny car fi red up at noon for the 8th Annual Nitro Noisefest and the B&M/Mo-roso sponsored Chassis Dyno was up and running the entire duration of the cruise night and car show. When the noise died down for the last time, Michael Roy’s supercharged big block inspired ‘71 Monte Carlo had pumped out 1,138 horsepower at the rear wheels to take undisputed possession of fi rst place. Mike Burrough’s ‘71 Nova placed second with a respectable 696 rear wheel horses. Verdell Bakers fi erce, naturally aspirated ‘79 Mustang rattled everybody’s chains with an awesome 588 horsepower reading! R&R

Our Relay For Life Team Raises Over $7,000The Lane Automotive Relay For Life

Team every year fi elds a variety of fund raising events in their eff ort to raise money for support of the Berrien County Relay For Life. This year was no diff erent as Lane employees bought delicious baked goods at several sales, shared in a wonderful variety of foods at an outdoor barbecue, purchased luminaria, adopted stuff ed animals, ordered gourmet popcorn, and even enjoyed frozen treats at an ice cream social. The funds from these events were augmented by the money derived from pop bottles, the B&M/Moroso Chassis Dyno registration fees and the donations from all the food vendors who sell their goods at our annual Car Show. The total raised this year was a record breaking $7,000+!

Each year the Relay For Life campaign culminates in a 24 hour event at the Berrien County Fairgrounds. Several members of the Lane team signed up to walk laps at various times. The walk goes on around the clock to signify that cancer never sleeps. All the funds had not been tabulated as we went to press, but the total raised by the Berrien County Relay For Life was already well over $505,000.

We fi nally were able to gather together most of our team members - when they’re not walking, they’re usually on the run around here - for a group photo. R&R

8300 Lane Drive Watervliet, Mi 49098Phone 269-463-LANE • Toll Free 800-772-5266 • Fax 800-772-2618

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