Those Interesting Times

A few years ago I installed a few goodies on my truck. A high performance air filter. Not a cold air kit just a good filter. Then I put on a Granitelli mass airflow censor and a Hypertech computer upgrade. Here lately the truck has seemed sluggish and I couldn't figure out why. Then it dawned on me. Since I installed the computer program I have changed the tire size and started using a lower grade of gasoline. And I had installed the "economy" side of the program. So I got out the Hypertech computer and reprogrammed the truck for the current tire size and the lower octane gas and changed it to the performance side of the program. I then took it for a little drive. Man the difference is incredible. I can't wait to get it on a piece of open road as I also changed the top end cut off point. Oh, I also change the shift points for the tranny.
I case you haven't guessed I don't like stock vehicles. I always have to modify them for better performance. And I'm a hard driver. There is a set of tight downhill curves near my brother-in law's place. Specifically, the PP highway curves. Anyway I have always hit this section of road very hard. Last summer I broke the sway bar end links twice while storming these curves. My ultimate goal with this truck is to lower it, add different tires and wheels, install better brakes, a bigger throttle body, shorty headers and do some work to the top end of the motor. And definitely better sway bars and end links. As Tom Cruze said, I have the need, the need for speed. I had a totally bad ass '67 El Camino when I was 18. The motor was heavily modified and had a Muncie 4 speed tranny. I took that car on one memorable ride of nearly 8 miles in less than 5 minutes. Closer to 4. On a two lane State highway (33) loaded with hills and one curve known as, you guessed it, Dead Mans Curve.
One time I was on Decker's Flats going balls to the wall and I looked to my left at the Interstate and I was going faster than a State Trooper on what was probably a blood run. That was when Missouri used Mopar cars with high performance motors in them. Now those were truly bad cars. I was riding with my girlfriend, now my wife, in her 67 Chevelle convertible and we heard this ungodly sound, a roaring noise we couldn't place. Then a car flashed by and then we heard the siren. It was a Mopar cop car on another blood run. Back then helicopters were not part of the State Patrols corral. When a hospital needed blood in a bad way the State would pick it up from what ever hospital or blood bank that had it and then they would set up a relay of super fast State cars. In our area the hand off was at I-35 and PP highway. We saw the car that blew by us go sliding up the off ramp. The Trooper jumped out and tossed a little cooler on the waiting car. Then the second car took off it a cloud of tire smoke and a roar the only a hemi can make. Very cool times indeed.
One time some friends of mine were going to get tuxes for prom. One guy was driving a Ford with a 429 in it and the other guy was driving a bad assed Camaro with a small block. They were doing about 130 down 1-35 when a State Trooper pulled up by the Ford and motioned him over. The Ford pulled to the side, the Trooper ran up and told him don't leave I'll be right back. Now the guy in the Camaro saw this in his review and floored it. The Trooper caught him in less that 4 miles. Gave him a ticket and the made the return trip and gave the Ford driver a ticket. Ya gotta love that doing a buck thirty in a double nickle and getting a ticket. Now days they would take you to jail.