Mr. Skip Holbert 
Mr. Skip Racing
Winter 2010
Summer 09 Spring 09 Winter 2008-09
Feb. 7, 2010 - I never thought I would live to see the Saints as Superbowl Champions! Let the Mardi Gras parties began! New Orleans will never be the same. Congratulations to the Saints and the City.
Feb. 6, 2010 - I went over to Reggie's to look at the headers. They look very good mounted on the engine. He is making some last minute adjustments and a few things to tie up loose ends and he should be ready to start up tomorrow.
I will be knee deep in cooking for the Superbowl. Go Saints!
Menu for Superbowl: Large pot of Gumbo; Spaghetti and Meat Sauce; Chicken Wings; Baby Back Ribs; Potato Salad; King Cake and Rice.
Right now I am getting ready to watch Danica Patrick in her NASCAR debut. She will be starting from the 10th position in the 200 mile ARCA Race at Daytona.
Mark Martin and Dale Jr. just qualified for the Daytona 500 at #1 & #2 pole positions. The rest of the field will be set by the order of finish in the twin 125 mile races this coming Thursday at the speedway. I have seen these races in person. They are very exciting.
Being from Daytona Beach, I grew up attending the races on the old beach-road course down at the inlet. Those races were really exciting. I always sat in the car at the North Turn on the beach, in the infield, and would run from the beach side over to the road side to watch the cars come off of turn two. My dad was a Daytona Beach policeman and always got "Press Pases" for the race.
One month later, I would be right back at the track watching the Motorcycles compete in the 200 mile motorcycle event. All of this took place back in the late 40's to mid 50's. I entered the Navy in 1956. I just happened to be home for the 57 race, which was won by a Pontiac that year.
I have only been to one Daytona 500 at the present speedway, I think it was 1973, Richard Petty won when Kale Yarbourgh's car blew up during the last few laps, after leading all day. When Kale's car let out a big puff of black smoke, the crowd cheered because they knew King Richard was in 2nd place and would go on to win the race. The people in Daytona loves Richard and always cheered him to victory. He remains as popular today as he was when he was driving.
I attended the twin 100 mile races in 1990 (before they changed it to 125 miles). That is the most excitement that you can pack into a little over 30 minutes, well, almost...
Feb. 5, 2010 - Reggie got his headers back and they are assembled. They should be in place by the time you read this.
I had planned to go to the track on Sat. but I changed my mind. No good reason, just don't feel like going. I will help Reggie start up his engine.
I finished the modification of the transmission cross-member, with a little help from my friends. Alvin's son, Devin, a welder by trade, helped me straighten out my design. He made the last four cuts and welded everything perfectly. I came home, and with Reggie's help, we installed the part. Now both headers exhaust to the rear with no restriction. Alvin thinks that may have been coasting me a few horsepower. Remember, I only need 0.014 sec. to make it into the 8's)!
Monday, I was elected to the Trustee Board of my church (Shiloh Missionary B. C. of Port Allen, LA). The vote was 29 to 28, in my favor!
Feb. 3, 2010 - I went over to Reggie Jackson's home last night and helped him set the valves on his Mopar dragster engine. The dragster is coming right along. He only has a short list of to-do items, and they should not take very long. The only part that he is waiting for are the headers. They have to come from Streamline. They should be here in a day or so. After start-up, he plans to go to the track within this month of February. I can't wait!
Feb. 1, 2010 - Photos from SCR's Test & Tune Sunday.
Jan. 31, 2010 - I went to State Capitol Raceway Sunday to their T & T.
The track will open on Friday, Feb. 5th for Trophy Bracket and testing. The first Summit Bracket Race will be on Sat. Feb. 7, 2010.
In addition to the T & T today, they ran a "Top 8 Shootout" in Q-16, S/P, Non-E and Motorcycle. They took the top 8 cars from qualifying in each bracket and let them run a bracket race. I think it will be very popular in the coming weeks.
There were a few very nice looking cars that were new to the facility.
The Top 8 Shootout was fun to watch. I did not ask what the entry fee to run in the bracket, or if there is an extra charge. I also don't know what the winners get. When I take my car out there, I will get the details because I will be more than a spectator.
I purchased 10 gals. of C-14 today.
Jan. 30, 2010 - I decided not to take the car to the track. It was too cold for me. I may go the the T & T on Sunday, but no car.
I need to purchase some gas and while I'm there, I'll shoot a few photos.
Jan 28, 2010 - My wife purchased a Saints ball cap and three Saints shirts. I purchased two more T-shirts to go with my old, faded, Saints pull-over warm-up and my New Orleans ball cap (I threw away (donated to Goodwill) my old #2 "Brooks" jersey a few years ago!) I may purchase a new #12 "Colston" jersey.
I removed the battery from the right side of the car and prepared the spot for welding the battery bracket back on.
Safety note: When you have two batteries in parallel, you must be very careful when you disconnect them. Don't let that positive cable touch ground. The positive (+) cable is hot until you disconnect both positives from both batteries. To be very safe, disconnect the ground cables on both batteries.
Another little safety note from an old submarine sailor: If you have short wrenches that will reach from the positive terminal over the the negative terminal of your battery, use them to do your work on batteries AND tape off the end that you are not using. You don't want to let that wrench get shorted between the positive (+) post or cable and the negative (-) post or any ground (hold down bolts, battery bracket, fender well, trunk or tail light housing).
I finished welding the bracket and everything is back to normal.
Jan. 27, 2010 - I just took another look at SCR schedule. They will be running this Friday night with a Coca-Cola money and trophy ET program.
SCR will have their first regular Summit Bracket Race with Q-16 and a Quick 8 Shootout, along with a Pro T & T on Sat., January 30, 2010 (when the weather looks real good). I am going to try to make the Saturday event!
SCR will also have a T & T on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010.
Saints 31
(NFC Champs) Geaux Saints!
Vikings - 28
Superbowl prediction: Saints 35 - Colts 28
As the announcer on TV said when the ball split the uprights: "The Pigs Are Flying"!
Tracy Porter (#22) of Port Allen, LA! Local hometown hero makes good!
Congratulations to Tracy Porter, "Blue" Gay, also a local West Side product and former LSU player, and all the Saints.
Jan. 26, 2010 - It's two days later and I still can't believe the Saints are going to the Super Bowl! I thought I would never live to see the day!
At halftime, I said this is going to come down to Peterson and Favre making turnovers. The old gunslinger made the pass that QB's are told in high school to never try. Across your body, back to the center of the field (he has done it many times, sometimes good, sometimes bad). I feel sorry for Peterson, all that talent and can't hold onto the ball. Coach Childress says, the risks are worth the rewards with Peterson. He may have to re-evaluate that.
Today I started the car with the overhauled BG 1090 Carb on the engine. It also has the double spacers under it (one open and one 4-hole). Everything looked and sounded good. The engine was very crisp and responsive. I had excellent oil pressure and it heated up to a good temp. and held it steady. After the run, I removed some plugs on each side and they look OK. All of them were consistent. Dark, but not sooty black.
Looking at the weekend weather, I don't think I will be going to the track, at least not with the car, until it warms up a little. Prediction for Sunday is in the 40's for the high. The car would not like that, and I know I would not.
I found a broken battery mount on the right side in the trunk. That is the one that I cut off and rewelded myself. I will try it again.
Jan. 22, 2010 - Barbara and me went to Mike Anderson's Seafood today. I had the "South Louisiana Seafood Combo": Fried shrimp, crawfish, stuffed crab, oysters, hush puppies, baked potato, cold slaw and catfish fillet. I could not eat it all and had to bring out a "doggie bag". I will be the dog tonight!
Did you see the special TV show last night on Haiti? It was great! Some of the best music I have heard. The performers put their all into each song. It is for a good cause. The show's music is available at iTunes. It will be worth every dollar given to help the people of Haiti.
Jan. 21, 2010 - I had a visit from Mr. Johnny Tate today. Just a friendly visit to talk about his car. I expect Johnny to crack the 9 second barrier this coming season.
I have been working on my car over the past few days. I removed the muffler inserts, reset the shock valuing in the front shocks to allow the front end to come up a little more. While the car was up on the jack stands, I noticed the wheelie bar wheels were still about 2" off the ground, with the front end jacked up about 12". This is more than I wanted the front to come up. I will lower the wheelie bars from the current 7.5" to around 5". I think that will be good.
I changed the oil. Since I don't have a dip stick, I measured all the oil that drained out of the pan. I had put in 7 qts. plus the filter was full. The oil had 22 passes (wrong, 10 passes). I recovered 7 qts. of oil. The engine only has 12 passes.
After I finished Reggie's carb., it looked so good, I decided to overhaul my BG carb. It has been over three years since I went through it.
I talked to Bryon Durham about my distribution problem (that I determined was OK the way it is). He recommended I try a second 1" open spacer under the 4 hole spacer. To make that work, I had to cut 4 more, all-thread, posts to allow all of that to fit under the carb.. Another trip to Lowe's netted a 3 ft. length of the correct size all-thread. I have them cut and in place, just waiting on me to finish the carb rebuild.
Jan. 17, 2010 - Please send whatever you can afford to the people in Haiti. My church is sending a special offering to the Red Cross to help out.
Discover Card is making it very easy to give a portion of your earned "Cash Back Bonus" to the cause. I donated all of mine (Discover Cash Back) to the Red Cross. Just log on to the Discover Card web site to donate.
Jan. 17, 2010 - Go Saints!
Now that we know the Saints will play the Vikings for the NFC Championship, we are getting ready to watch the Saints in Miami at the Super Bowl!
Super Bowl prediction: Saints 45 - Jets 13 (This was just not to be 1/24/10).
Jan. 14, 2009 - I have been working on Reggie Jackson's BG 1090 DR Carb that will go on his dragster. The dragster is almost finished and should be on the track for testing in the next few months. I received the kit for the carb yesterday. The carb parts are soaking and will be cleaned today. I should be done by tomorrow with the cleaning, assembly and settings.
After I finish with that, I will go back to work on "Mr. Skip", since the weather is turning a little warmer. I have to change my oil and do a little welding job on my transmission support that goes under the trans. tail shaft. I am going to change the settings on the two front shocks to allow the front end to come up a little more. I am trying to improve my 60 ft. a little without letting the car get too violent. Right now it comes straight out, only lifting the front wheels about 2-3 inches off the ground. I would like to have it come up about 6-10 inches. The best 60 ft. time has been, 1.278 sec..
Jan. 12, 2010 - Top Doorslammer Information - 2010
Rules
8.99 or Faster
No Throttle Stops
Top Sportsman Qualifying & Ladder Format
Entry Fee & Payout's
Entry Fees-- $100.00
Payouts---- 100% of entry fees
Winner Trophy For Each Race Supplied by O'Reilly Auto Parts
Points System
Entry – 10 (purchase tech card)
First round loser – 10 (must stage)
Second round loser – 10
Third round loser – 10
Fourth round loser – 10
Winner – 10
Bonus Points will be the same system
Racers can claim a maximum of 6 races for their points total. Racers can run all 8 events and drop their 2 lowest points races.
Race Dates
1. Saturday Feb. 20th
2. Saturday April 3rd
3. Saturday April 17th
4. Saturday May 1st
5. Saturday June 5th
6. Saturday September 4th
7. Saturday October 2nd
8. Saturday October 30th - Finals @ The Battle On The Bayou
Racers can claim a maximum of 6 races for their points total. Racers can run all 8 events and drop their 2 lowest points races.
Year Ends Points Bonus
Mike McGee with DA'SHOP FAB Is Putting Up
$300 1st
$200 2nd
$100 3rd
Mr Boo Boo with American Towing Is Putting Up
$100 1st
$100 2nd
$100 3rd
$100.00 Gift Certificate From Doucet Speed & Custom For Class Winner
Racepics.net and O'Reilly Auto Parts will have A Championship Trophy Made
Jan. 11, 2010 - I have been having fun with the new camera, if you call fun shooting hundreds of poor quality photos and trying to determine what's needed to get it right. With my little low price Kodak P712 Super Zoom camera, I would take 100 photos and have 90 good ones. With this new camera, I shoot 100 photos and only have 8-10, really sharp, excellent, photos. I will keep on trying. I can feel the potential of this Nikon D90 camera, I just have to become proficient in its use.
I have been challenged by the new JVC Hard Disk Drive Camcorder. It is not as simple as I had anticipated. Mastering the software to get the completed video from the camcorder into the computer and edited is not easy. As I get use to the procedures and the new software, I hope to speed up my video editing. I like the camcorder. You can go straight from the camcorder to You Tube, if you want too. The camcorder has excellent picture quality (HD) and it is a very good size and very easy to use. I like it!
Nothing doing on the car. I am almost finished with the waxing of the whole car. I fixed the window net so it is easier to put up.
It has been so cold in South Louisiana and the whole eastern part of the nation, I have not wanted to go out and do anything. It was 19 degrees in Baton Rouge this morning!
The two drag strips in our area were suppose to open this past week. I don't know if anyone was brave enough to go out there. The weather does not look too good for this coming weekend. It may rain.
Jan. 7, 2010 - Roll Tide!
Photography equipment: My church, Shiloh Missionary B. C. of Port Allen, LA, purchased new camera and camcorder equipment this past December. I now have state of the art camera equipment (prosumer).
I was given a budget and authorized to purchase whatever I thought I needed for the churches web site and to take photos in the church. I now have a new Nikon D90 camera and JVC 60 gb HDD camcorder. I also have many nice accessories and a nice zoom lens to go along with the camera.
You know this equipment will find its way to the drag strip. I can justify that because I am learning how to use the new equipment!
Speaking of learning, I learned a very valuable lesson when I purchased the zoom lens for the camera. I should have ordered the lens from the same vendor as the camera. I also should have spoken to someone before I finalized my purchase. I now own a "Gray Market" zoom lens. I got a real good price, but I don't have a USA warranty and I am not eligible for a rebate ($70). I found that out when I tried to register the lens and was told that my lens was not "in there system". This is one of the hazards of using the price grabber sites on the internet.
Jan. 5, 2010 - I am still watching football! I was happy for Boise State knocking off TCU. Now all I want to see is Alabama beat Texas. Since I am in Baton Rouge, and next door to Texas, that is not a very popular position. Mrs. Barbara even wants to see "Little Nicky" lose! You know all (or almost all) LSU fans want to see Alabama lose. There are some LSU fans, like me, that want the SEC teams to win no matter what.
I am trying to motivate myself to finish waxing the car. I also want to modify the window net to make it easier to put up when I am in the car, with no help. I am going to remove the muffler inserts from the collectors. I think they may be costing me some horsepower.
The last thing I am going to do is try some VP Racing Fuel. All I need for my engine is C-14 since I only have 13.5:1 compression ratio. In the past, I have seen a decrease in ET when I switched back to VP. With a best ever ET of 9.12 sec., I only need a little help, 0.13 sec., to get into the eights (then I can go back to the less expensive fuel).
I have been playing with some computer simulation software during the holidays. One is a dyno simulation and the other is a drag simulation. The two programs will allow you to put your simulated engine, which is custom built to match the specs. of my 555 BBC engine, into a simulated body and chassis that has all the dimensions of my Camaro. I can even put the specs. of my exact cam, straight from Comp Cams cam files, into the engine simulator. Head flow data can be entered if you have it or you can just tell it the type heads that you have. Different types of headers and intakes can be selected. You must be honest and not lie to the program for best results on your base engine.
I get instant recalculation when I change components or specifications. There are time slips for 1/4 mile and 1/8 mile drags. You also get horsepower and torque curves compared to your baseline engine. You can also figure out the best shift points. There are more tables and engine information than I know what to do with. You get all the dyno sheet information for each combination. The instruction book for each program is over 100 pages each.
These programs are addictive! I have spent a lot of time during the past two weeks working on different engine combinations and "what-ifs".
According to the Drag Sim, I should be running 8.78 sec. in my current configuration. Somewhere I am losing 0.34 sec.! My current horsepower is just under 800.
The program says, if I go back to my old cam (removed in Oct. 2009) I would gain 49 more horsepower. The program assumes everything is working at 100%, which is most likely not the case for my car and engine.
January 1, 2010 - Happy New Year!