#in the last 2 years I went through all the stages of burnout dropped out of uni for a while and now I’m starting it again so yeah wild | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mbeebowriting · 4 years

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draco malfoy x reader

warnings: none other than a kinda ooc draco!

word count: 1.8k

notes: okay this is very specific and super self indulgent but also really sweet and cute so!!! enjoy!!! (also this is unedited bc im too antsy and excited to post it

the past 2 weeks had overwhelmed you. tests, papers, concerts, forced social gatherings- your energy had just run out. you still had another week to go before any kind of break though- so the timing of your burnout was less than ideal. at this point, you barely had enough energy to talk to your friends, so when draco malfoy tapped on your shoulder during class, you whirled around, ready to fight. what you weren’t expecting was his question.

“can you help me with this?” you blinked in surprise. she you had short conversations before class, but it still shocked you a little bit.

“yeah, sure. i’ll show you.” you walked him through the spell a few times, until he was able to execute it well enough to pass.

“great, thank you!” he said with a smile. his politeness threw you off, and all you could do was smile and turn back around. what you didn’t see was how his smile fell after that.

the next day, for whatever reason, he sat next to you, but you were still feeling equally as drained as the day before. at the end of class he stopped you from leaving with yet again, a small conversation.

“do you think we could meet out of class to work on these charms? you seem to really understand it and i could use some help.”

“im sorry draco- my schedule is completely packed until our break.” you replied with a sad smile. “i’ve actually got another performance tonight for the staff dinner.”

“hm. what about after that? we could grab some dinner and study.” you were taken aback again. why was he being so nice to you? you couldn’t turn him down after he’s showing you kindness you’ve never seen before. plus, he was really cute, you’ve always kind of had a thing for him.

“alright, how about 8 o’clock in the great hall?”

“great, it’s a date.” he said with a wink before leaving the class- leaving you flustered and unsure of what just happened.

after you had finished your performance, you made your way to the great hall, spotting draco on the way. you chatted idly while grabbing some food and a table. draco sat to your right and your textbooks piled up to your left. once you began studying, you felt the weight of the day hit you, and you ended up zoning out and staring at your textbook. you laid your head in your hand and decided to close your eyes for just one minute. unsurprisingly, you fell asleep. when you woke up, you and draco were the only ones in the room.

“good morning.” draco said. it was at this point that you realized the position you were in, in your sleep, you had shifted so that your head was resting on his shoulder. you immediately lifted your head up and avoided eye contact with him.

“what time is it?”

“11:30-ish.”

“you let me sleep that long?’ you exclaimed.

“you just seemed so tired and like you needed a break. and plus…” he trailed off. “nevermind.”

“no no, wait. plus what?” he became visibly flustered.

“nothing, there is no plus!”

“tell me what the plus is or i’ll ditch you and hang out with potter instead.” his eyes widened- did that actually make him mad?

“fine. i was just going to say you looked cute on my shoulder like that.” now it was your turn to be flustered. suddenly your textbook was incredibly interesting. you could feel him smirking beside you, but couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. he leaned into to your ear and sent chills down your spine as he spoke. “but to be fair, you look cute all the time.” you covered your face with your hands to hide your blush. he went to pull your hands away, and chuckled as you swatted them away. “hey, you asked for this! why are you so embarrassed anyway, i’m just stating facts.” you sighed in response, but couldn’t hold back a smile.

“i need to go draco, i have another concert tomorrow and i need to be at my best.” your smile fell.

“alright. i hope it goes well.” you gave him a sad smile and couldn’t stop the tears from pricking at your eyes. “hey woah, what’s going on? are you okay?”

“yeah.” you said shakily and unconvincingly, to which he gave you a look. “i’m just exhausted and… i really wish my family could be here for this concert.” you were so focused on talking without crying your barely noticed draco’s hand holding your own. “everyone else’s families come for this concert, it’s our last one, but my parents decided… they would rather visit my sisters than me. i just wish someone would come support me at this last concert.” one tear was set free as you blinked. it rolled down your cheek and dropped onto draco’s hand. he was clearly caught off guard by your sudden change in emotion, but his voice was steady when he spoke.

“what time is it?”

“no, draco-”

“and where?”

“draco you don’t have to come out of pity, it’s okay. this is how it’s always been, i’m used to it. i stopped looking for familiar faces in the audience years ago.”

“what? that’s not okay! when and where is it. i’ll be there.” you studied his eyes before answering.

“it’s here, after they serve dinner.”

“i’ll be there.”

“...why?” “because you deserve to have someone in the audience-”

“no, why are you being so nice to me? this feels so… out of character for you.” his eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere but your own.

“i- you just haven’t done anything wrong for me to… uhh…” he struggled to find the word. “tease you for.” you couldn’t help but feel disappointed at his response.

“well, thank you for that i guess. but we should really get going. it’s late.” he agreed with you, so you packed up all your things and went your separate ways.

“(y/n)!” your roommate shouted as you walked in. “where on GOD have you been? don’t you have a concert tomorrow and classes all morning?” you flopped down on your bed.

“yeah, since when do you track my schedule?”

“you were complaining about it in charms.”

“fair enough, that does sound like me. but why are you so worried about this suddenly?”

“hmm, not worried, just curious.” she said, sitting next to you on your bed. “i happened to walk by the great hall just an hour ago,” your eyes went wide. “and saw you with none other than the prince of slytherin himself: draco malfoy.”

“don’t jump to conclusions, we were just studying.”

“for god’s sake (y/n), you were asleep on his shoulder! did he ever say it was a date? i bet he did.”

“well yeah, but i thought he was just teasing. he does that.” she gave you the same look that draco had given you earlier. “okay and he also called me cute and is coming to my concert tomorrow but don’t read into that, he probably wasn’t serious!”

“guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“what?”

“well if he has a thing for you too, he’ll be at the concert.”

“too? excuse you?”

“i love you to death (y/n) but you’re a terrible liar, and you’re not very subtle.”

the day’s classes had flown by- it was concert time. you arrived early, helping set up the chairs and music, and once you had settled into your spot and people had filled in, you couldn’t believe what you saw. what seemed like the entirety of the slytherin house was packed into the front section, with one familiar asshole front and center. he caught your eye and sent you a smile. you couldn’t even think of what to do back, you were too shook.

the concert itself went by quickly. you played beautifully, and all of your emotions poured through your instrument. by the end, you were shaky, emotional, and nervous to see draco after. you didn’t have much time to compose yourself however, as he was the first person you saw as you walked off stage. before you could say anything, he wrapped you in a hug (but quickly pulled away once he realized people were staring).

“you did incredible!”

“thank you- how did you… why are there… what?” you could barely get a sentence out.

“i just asked some people to come and support you, you deserve a big cheering section.”

“draco, i…” suddenly you were aware of everyone standing around you two. “can we maybe go somewhere a little quieter?” he nodded and pulled you through the crowd, out the door, and down the hallway into the courtyard. he sat down on a bench and motioned for you to sit next to him, which you gladly did. you took a deep breath before speaking, trying to kill your nerves that arose with the thought of sharing your feelings with him. you were so in your head, you barely processed what he said when he spoke.

“you really did well up there today. and you look stunning too, by the way.” again, no thoughts heady empty, you could not think of a response for the life of you. he chuckled. “i’m sure you’ve figured it out by now, i’m not just nice to you because you ‘done nothing wrong’ or whatever i said yesterday.” he stared at you, waiting for a response, but all you could do was smile and let your palms sweat. “are you really gonna make me say it? it’s because i like you (y/n).” the final twist of the knife. there were simultaneously one million and absolutely no thoughts swimming around your head, but when you didn’t respond he started to lean away and looked hurt.

“wait no- i’m sorry! this is just a lot all at once! i like you too draco.” you rushed out. he returned to your side, eyebrows raised.

“yeah?”

“yeah. you must have charmed me or something, because i really do. somehow.”

“hey! first of all, rude. second of all, i’m terrible at charms. you know that.” you two joked back and forth until the moon shone brightly up above. after you both agreed it was time to head back to your respective dorms, a nervous silence fell.

“sooo…” you drawled on. “good night i guess?”

“good night to you too.” silence again. “do you have time for another study date tomorrow? i spent most of our last one being nervous and trying not to wake you up.”

“yeah! i’m free tomorrow night if you want?”

“alright, it’s a date.” he said for leaning down to kiss you, and walking away. leaving you flustered and unsure of what just happened for the second time that week.

#harry potter #draco malfoy #draco malfoy imagine #draco x reader #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy fluff #draco fanfiction #draco imagine #harry potter imagine #hp imagine #am i missing tags? idk im terrible at tags lol

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kylewritesaboutthings · 4 years

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Riot Fest 2016 - Day 3

Let me take a moment to tell you about the Law of Standard Deviation. In short, it states that 99.7% of all occurrences of an event or action will take place within 3 deviations of the mean (or 0 deviations). This is the principal behind that bell curve that your teachers always talked about. Everyone pretty much does the same except for the burnout who tanked the exam because they spent 7 hours geeked up on adderall looking up conspiracy theories over the “real Paul McCartney” and the kid who had the Casio watch with all the buttons on it that you could totally use to cheat but you know he never did. The extreme highs and lows are rare, but a possibility.

Why did I just give you a math lesson on basic averages? Because sometimes you wake up from a three day bender of punk rock, malort, pizza, Old Style, more malort, various other illegal substances, and more malort and feel absolutely incredible. Sometimes you wake up on the .3% of mornings where no matter what you did to yourself the night before, your body has rallied like an Olympic athlete and repaired itself in the four hours you’ve slept since your last drink. Aided by a stomach full of tacos from the night before, I woke up on Sunday morning feeling like a golden fucking god.

I could not say the same for my Riot Fest companions Rachel and Steph. As both were hurting, I took the Uber ride of triumph, the opposite of the walk of shame, to move my car from its post of abandonment outside of Quenchers Saloon from the previous night (where I guess I loaded out hot sauce gear while blacked out, came to trying to sing Fall Out Boy karaoke, and flashed back into consciousness as I woke up at the bar counter of an all-night taco spot). My driver was as surprised as I was about how chipper I was at such an ungodly early time of morning, asking me if I’ve been to “The Riot Fests” over the weekend. An interesting and often unnoticed trend about the baby boomer generation; they will add ‘The’ and ‘s’ to anything of youth culture. I first noticed this when, despite how much I talked about it, my dad always referred to Tony Hawk Pro Skater as “The Tony Hawks”. As in “you’re always on The Tony Hawks, have you even studying?” The answer to that was no, because I never studied due to the fact that I am a smartass-know-it-all. But I digress…

My partners in crime aka two legs of the traveling tripod were hurting and this needed to be rectified. They’ve put in so much work helping Soothsayer Hot Sauce get where it is today and the best thank you I can think of is delivery coffee and breakfast sandwiches when hungover. A quick stop through to Dunkin Donuts later and we were in business. The brace-faced teenager burned our everything bagels, but that’s alright. The previous evening we had smoked cigarettes like we were sponsored by Philip Morris so it’s not like our taste buds were working at 100% anyway. What really matters is eggs and friendship…eggs being the most versatile and delicious food stuff to ever happen. When people say “oh, I could totally go vegan if it wasn’t for (insert non-meat animal product here)” it is usually cheese. But I’ve tried some amazing vegan cheeses thanks to my pals in Typesetter and I could live with that reality. But I could never live without eggs.

After dropping off food to Steph, I made my way home to my very hungover girlfriend for budget breakfast in bed. It is at this point I wish I could tell you that we all instantly rallied and started the final trek to Douglas Park, but that would be a lie. The reality is that we basked in the air conditioning and watched Netflix until the very last possible second needed to leave in time to catch Thursday shake off the cobwebs and remind everyone how fucking depressing it is to grow up in New Jersey. Yeah, I know. We missed The Bronx, The Falcon, and Andrew WK. Sometimes you just want to start the day lying in bed with the only person you really want to be around while you laugh at cheesy cop shows, ya know? But I had a literary responsibility and some back assed semblance of journalistic integrity that would make Joseph Pulitzer vomit in his mouth just a little bit, so we dragged ourselves off of the memory foam mattress and got our shit in gear.

Making it just in time to see Thursday take the stage, I thanked our dark lord and master for my uncanny sense of timing that allows me to be late, but not too late, to everything I do. That and the fact that once again the security guard didn’t find the chillum in my shoe. Before I got too much time to reminisce on that (or pack a bowl), they kicked right into “For the Workforce, Drowning”, the lead track on 2003’s “War All the Time”. I know that many argue that “Full Collapse” is Thursday’s crowning achievement, but I would argue that they are fucking wrong. Of the emotionally driven music to come out of the early aughts, War All the Time is one of the most powerful. They portray the pain, confusion, and anxiety of that place and time in such a way to make it beautiful. Their four year hiatus hasn’t hindered them one bit, Thursday is still an impressively powerful live band. Driven by the gap-toothed smile of Geoff Rickly, they tore through a hits-only 40 minute setlist that made all of our former scene kid hearts smile. Wishing that I still had at least one of my white, Hot Topic pyramid belts, they barreled through “Jet Black New Year” while trailing into the chorus of Prince’s “1999”. To close their set Rickly bid the crowd adieu, saying “you might recognize this next song from your local bar’s emo night” as the opening notes to “Understanding in a Car Crash”. The irony being that Mr. Rickly would be hosting the emo night at local standby Beauty Bar later that evening.

One of the best things about festivals like Riot Fest, is the opportunity for back to back sets from some genre heavyweights that otherwise wouldn’t be sharing the stage together (or the opposite, where you get “WHAT IN THE ACTUALLY FUCK” moments like Me First and the Gimme Gimmies playing a set on the Rise Stage just before Death Grips). If you would have told me two years ago that I would be hanging around waiting for Underoath to play after seeing a set from Thursday I would have said you were crazy. Both bands, defunct for the last number of years, have recently gotten back together for some high profile reunion events. Thursday giving it another go at this year’s Wrecking Ball fest in Atlanta, while Underoath spent the winter/spring touring a dual album anniversary set for 2004’s “They’re Only Chasing Safety” and 2006’s “Define the Great Line”.

As a former Myspace era scene kid (see: black swoop, white pyramid belt, Norma Jean shirt) this was a dream come true. I had already driven up to Grand Rapids earlier in the year to see the reunion/album tour and was excited to see what they had to offer for a non-linear set. Kicking off with “Breathing in a New Mentality”, the opening track from 2008’s “Lost in the Sound of Separation”, Underoath showed both the fans and the curious alike that they still have it. One of the central aspects of their reunion was the return of drummer/singer Aaron Gillespie, who hadn’t played with the band since 2010. If you are unfamiliar with Underoath, you’d recognize them as the band that really started the ‘clean/whiney singer trading vocals with a second, screaming vocalist’. Love it or hate it, they made it popular and arguably did it the best (and god damn if keyboardist Chris Dudley doesn’t look fucking adorable while he’s trying to look like he’s really contributing to the song).

My lovely girlfriend, who indulged me through two albums worth of scream goodness earlier in the year, wanted to check out English songwriter/pipsqueak Jake Bugg…so I hung up my low v-neck and retired my neon Supra’s a little early and left Underoath to wrap up as we went to find a nice, shady hill spot at the Rock Stage. Only having heard Bugg a few days prior, I was intrigued to see what this 22 year old had to offer. Playing a garage rocky, folky, blues forward style this kid has somehow amassed almost 100 million listens on his top 5 Spotify songs…most of which came on an album he released when he was 22. As the theme today was ‘general chill’, it seemed like a good way to close out the last of the daylight, and that it certainly was. Surrounded by a backing band, Bugg played a solid 45 minute set while mixing his faster/slower songs. I was impressed, at 22 I would be lucky if I could be on a stage that size for 5 minutes without throwing up…let alone entertain a couple thousand people for the better part of an hour.

At this point in the evening, the things I had to give a shit about were pretty much over. Ever curious about large scale spectacles/general bullshit, we wandered over to see the first part of Death Grips set. Admittedly, I haven’t spent much time on what is one of the more polarizing bands around. I know they leaked their own album ahead of the release date to piss of their label, I know they have an album cover that is just a big ole boner with the title written on it, and I know they notoriously just don’t show up for performances. But those I know who love them, LOVE THEM…so I wanted to see what it was all about. We made it all of about 2 minutes before trading looks of “what the fuck is this shit?” and fleeing as far away as possible. Death Grips have been added to the list of things that I just don’t get. They were by far the loudest set all weekend, abrasively so. And with the stage lights set so dim that you couldn’t really see anyone on stage, so the only thing one had to focus on was the pooling of blood in your ear canal.

As I could give a fuck about Rob Zombie playing just about anything that isn’t “Dragula” repeated for 60 straight minutes, this seems like as good of time as any to circle back and talk about what Riot Fest did right and wrong this year. The biggest check in the plus column for the crew responsible for punk rocks biggest carnival would be their adjustments to the layout at this year’s installment. While last year’s location details were filled with stress and uncertainty, having to move from Humboldt to Douglas Park and then facing last second threats from St. Anthony Hospital, they were able to work on solid ground this year and damn if they didn’t do it right.

Issues with sound bleeding from stage to stage were all of non-existent from what I could tell and in terms of maneuverability; it was incredibly easy to get from one act to the next. Having one main gate made finding your way in very easy, with all will call/VIP/press check in’s occurring right in one spot. You would think that shuffling thousands of people through one gate would cause a huge backup and bottleneck? Not the case, entry was quick and easy on all three days. Compared to what I experienced at Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Riot Fest has set a standard for urban music festivals. They did a fantastic job providing a wide variety of vendors, both food and otherwise, while placing them in three central locations (food stand, food truck, retail vendors) for easy access. Unlike the rambling views of near blackout drunk Kyle, I would say that there were plenty of available port-a-potties and I never had to wait very long to relieve myself in the stuffy blue box we all know and love.

I’m really happy to see this year go so well for the Riot crew, as they’ve worked really hard to make this festival what it is. As someone who has seen all the phases of the fest, from the mutli-venue city hopping weekend, to the Congress Theater takeover, to the Humboldt Park introduction…they have come a long way. The rains held out, for the first time in three years, and they didn’t have to stare down a $100,000 repair bill. They booked the biggest/most surprising reunion in punk history (more on that shortly) while filling out the rest of a very solid lineup with new and old favorites. In the era of major festivals, I’m glad they’ve done what they can to give punk rock their say. My only complaint: more water stations. While September in Chicago is not known to be a sweltering month, having one water station (and a small one at that) for thousands of attendees is a poor showing, if not a dangerous one given the amount of alcohol consumed onsite…both legally purchased and snuck in like some kind of boozy joey for alcoholic kangaroos.

Now that that’s out of the way, a brief review of the reunited Misfits: they played well. Seriously, that’s about all I have to say. They had a rad set for a band who hasn’t been a band for the entire time I’ve been on this planet. Danzig only freaked out once, calling out his stage tech for microphone placement, and sounded out of breath in between every song…the kind of out of breath that you get from eating too many McDouble’s, not the kind you get from running a marathon. But they did well, everyone had a great time, and I got to hear “Where Eagles Dare” from the comfort of the back of the crowd before we made our traffic beating, early exit home.

All in all: 10/10, would do again, thx fr th mmrs, tip your bartender, ect.

The end.

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itsworn · 5 years

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Price-Buster Duster: Keeping It Simple With Leftover Parts

How do you build a cheap Mopar? Keep it simple and use leftover parts.

Is there such a thing as a cheap Mopar nowadays? With rust claiming more victims every day, it’s increasingly harder to find a vintage Pentastar muscle car the average person can afford. Nevertheless, 57-year-old veteran Scott Davis of Concord, North Carolina, got lucky—twice. With a desire to race vintage American muscle on the autocross, he looked past the fields of Camaros and Mustangs and onto a Mopar, building this 1972 Plymouth Duster on the cheap.

“Every time I need to buy something Mopar-specific, it’s three times the cost if it were a Chevy or Ford,” said Scott. Notwithstanding, his pragmatic approach has evolved over the course of the build, using as many universal performance items as possible and picking up scrap parts. Like a dump truck’s leaf spring spacer that he found in a gas station parking lot. Scott cut it in half and used it as the Duster’s leaf spring spacers. The lower front spoiler, believed to be from an S10, was found in a neighbor’s front yard on trash day. His Duster is the homebuilt hero of the autocross, beating out expensive Corvettes. “We’re redneck-engineering our way through the process,” said Scott. “But, we’re getting pretty good at it.”

During the early ’90s, Scott was stationed on Coast Guard Island in Oakland, California, auto crossing his ’88 Trans Am on the weekends. He road raced around local Northern California tracks like Sears Point too, and was coming close to obtaining a road racing license when he transferred to Charleston, South Carolina. Not finding any autocross events, he eventually sold the Pontiac and stopped racing. He retired from the Coast Guard a Chief Gunner’s Mate E7 after 20 years of active duty and settled in North Carolina.

Four years ago, Scott’s son Shelby found a Facebook post about an SCCA autocross event at zMax Dragway, only a few miles from their house. They attended, and Scott returned to the next event with his wife Laura’s ’08 Challenger. “He convinced me it wasn’t abusive on my car,” laughed Laura. Around that time, SCCA introduced the Classic America Muscle class, which caught Scott’s attention. “I saw a ton of Camaros and Corvettes racing,” said Scott. “I can’t do what everybody else does.”

Scott searched Craigslist for another option, discovering a ’73 Dodge Dart Sport 340—not the car you see here. It was full of issues, and Laura hated it. “But it was affordable. For a couple of thousand bucks I had a car,” said Scott. It was a tumultuous undertaking as the car was full of rotten interior, mud, and rust, and it caught fire in the driveway at one point—but it had a well-built 440 and 727 Torque-Flight transmission. They got the car racing, and Scott worked his way to third in local SCCA points. Laura started to like the car too. He slowly grew into the fold of SCCA Central Carolina Region and last year operated as a Novice Chief and Carolina Veteran Motorsports rep.

Scott’s neighbors play tag with burnouts. They’ll perform a burnout in front of each other’s houses, shops, or work, claiming the recipient as “it.” After neighbor and current crew chief, Randy Buell made Scott “it,” Scott attempted to return the favor, but his throttle stuck sending the car into a neighbor’s truck. The Dart was destroyed.

Scott wasn’t deterred and went back onto Craigslist to find a ’72 Duster project a mile from his house for $500. Like a Phoenix from the ashes, they rebuilt the new Duster with the leftover Dart parts. They did this in seven weeks, and Scott finished eighth place in points, having missed only two races. Laura began to join Scott in the garage too.

The Duster now competes regularly in SCCA with Randy, who has a long history circle track racing, handling chief crew duties, and fine-tuning. “He’s out there with us checking tires, pressures, temps, carrying a clipboard,” said Scott who believes they’re creeping onto the limits of the current set up. “Now, I’d love to convert the car to the complete QA1 coilover system, but that’s $10,000, and I may only pick up a second.” The car will likely remain as-is, at least until they finish Shelby’s latest project, a 1966 Barracuda they’re building for his high-school graduation.

Who: Scott Davis What: 1972 Plymouth Duster Where: Concord, NC

Exterior: Scott says Laura is the artist and he’s the “welder-slash-grinder.” Between the original Dart and the new Duster, the pair has developed a talent for metalworking. Using 16-gauge steel from Tractor Supply, they beat and banged replacement sheet metal into the troubled rust spots. Namely, the lower quarter panels and trunk lid. The car must have sat with the rear hanging out from under an awning.

A trunk-mounted fuel cell meant no need for a gas door, so they patched up a new panel. “The Duster doesn’t have many body lines, but the lines it does have are very intentional. The hardest part was getting that curve just right,” said Laura.

The stripes imitate that of a ’Cuda, and were never on a new Duster, “yeah, that pisses off the purists,” laughs Scott. He picked up stripes specially designed for a Duster on eBay Motors. A local body shop gave them tips and the confidence to paint the car themselves. Waiting for a sunny day, they used a two-stage gloss black paint and shot it in the gravel driveway beside the house. They finished it by wet-sanding and buffing it with 3M Finesse-it polish.

Engine: The 440ci features a 0.030-overbore with a forged crank, stock rods, and Speed Pro forged pistons with 10:5:1 final compression (the same as some 440 Six Pack engines). That drivetrain was passed to the Duster, built initially by HP Engineers of Norwood, NC.

A Comp Cams hydraulic flat-tappet cam features a .509-inch lift, 292-/299-degree advertised duration, and 108 degrees lobe separation. Edelbrock E-Street 75cc heads top the short-block along with an Edelbrock Air Gap intake with a two-barrel carb adapter plate.

The secret sauce to the build is the Holley 500cfm Ultra XP two-barrel carburetor. The Ultra is an updated version of the 4412 two-barrel designed for circle track racing, often found on cars in NASCAR Late Model Divisions.

The electronics in the Duster are minimal, with a Holley electric fuel pump, MSD 6AL ignition box, and MSD Blaster II coil. Schumacher Tri-Y headers with 3-inch collectors dump into dual 3-inch exhaust and Summit Racing mufflers which exit before the rear axle.

At first, the Duster would lift an outside tire during aggressive corners. Now, it has two additional leaf springs on the passenger side and one on the left, which evens the front-end lift.

Drivetrain: The Mopar 727 Torque Flight transmission has served Scott and team well, topped with a Hurst Slap Shifter. The original 8 ¾ rear with 3:90 gears still resides under the Duster. It assembles like a Ford 9-inch with a replaceable center section and Scott is currently working on building another rear axle assembly to swap out at the track.

Wheels & Tires: It’s essential to have a big tire footprint in autocross. The Duster sits on American Muscle Bullitt Anthracite wheels measuring 18 x 10 all around with a 25mm backspacing. They’re wrapped in BF Goodrich Rival S 315/30R18. That’s big rubber. For reference Dodge Challenger Widebodies come with 305mm wide tires. Scott had to trim the inside lip of the fenders to get them to clear, and there’s minimal rubbing.

Suspension: The Duster is dropped 2 inches all around with QA1 double-adjustable shocks. Up front, QA1 tubular upper control arms are accompanied by stock lower control arms, which Scott boxed in for added strength. The budget build retains the original leaf-spring rear set up with additional springs to stiffen it up. It also has one of the largest torsion bars on the market from Performance Suspension Technology.

The custom front sway bar measures 22 mm and is designed for the rear of a racecar. The team added it to the front with some modification. Scott said this was necessary as the heavy big-block was hard to find a big enough sway bar.

The latest upgrade was the new Borgeson quick-ratio box, which required some trimming on the steering column but helped cut down on the rotation of the steering wheel and increased accuracy.

Brakes: Scott installed Wilwood’s forged Dynalite brake kit with a Classic Performance master cylinder. A brake booster wouldn’t clear the big-block, so the brakes are manual. The brakes and suspension use the original spindles.

The difficulty with building any Mopar on a budget is avoiding the hard-to-find parts specific to a Mopar. According to Scott, the 440 headers from Schumacher are the most expensive part on the car. To Scott’s knowledge, there is only one other 440ci-powered Mopar competing in autocross. A 6-inch K&N filter sits on top, sucking air through a functional hood scoop.

The all-aluminum Hard-Core Gray 500cfm Ultra XP carburetor is Scott’s secret for autocross racing. The short straightaways only allow a quick moment for secondaries to kick in before immediately getting on the brakes, which unsettles the car. It still has 500 cfm and features 20 percent more fuel capacity than the previous generation, meaning there’s plenty of fuel feeding the big-block.

The GT steering wheel and gauges are over-the-counter items from the local auto parts store. Scott installed a hook on the gas pedal so he will hopefully never have another throttle stick open.

The interior is basic, with Jegs-brand racing seats and no radio—simple and perfect for autocrossing as some rulebooks require a street interior. The roll cage was installed in Scott’s garage.

The post Price-Buster Duster: Keeping It Simple With Leftover Parts appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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trendingnewsb · 6 years

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19 People Reveal the Moment Someone Completely Changed Their Lives

Sometimes all we need to make a big change is a little bit of inspiration. These 19 stories of people totally transforming their lives with one tiny change might provide that bit of inspiration you need to do the same! If you’re happy just the way you are, these nice stories are guaranteed to brighten your day.

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A guy I know constantly looked so tired and napped all the time during the day. He would nap so hard that you would have to shake him to wake him up, and he could fall asleep anywhere super fast. I asked him about it and he told me he felt tired all the time because he couldn’t sleep at night, he figured he just had insomnia or something but refused to go to a doctor about it. One day he had a legit mental breakdown after a few drinks, we basically had to babysit him all night and I’m convinced it was because of his constantly exhausted state.

Not long after that incident, he went to the doctor about his sleep and it turns out he had been living with severe sleep apnea for years. The doctor told him he was basically on the verge of a heart attack or stroke because of it. Now he sleeps with a special mask at night and he has completely changed for the better. He visibly has way more energy and his performance in school went through the roof. –Frostedchunks

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Worked with a guy at AutoZone that had two set of kids and two sets of child support payments. He worked 40 hours with us and then 30-40 at a grocery store just killing himself to survive. Turns out that he was like 9 hours away from a degree he had begun a decade earlier and he just randomly mentioned it to a coworker while they were stocking things. The managers at both stores knew his situation and worked his schedule together to get him the hours he needed. They started a tuition fund that anyone could donate to and both sat him down to say he needed to finish his school. The school put together a pre-req class for him, which he made an A in, and off he went one class at a time. One year later he walked the stage with a marketing degree and turned his whole life around at 41 or 42. –SaddestClown

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I had a friend that had an addictive personality. He was incredibly smart but liked to party too much. During junior year of high school, he got in a car accident, broke some bones, and got addicted to the pills he was prescribed. He spiraled downwards after that and barely made it out of high school. Most people lost contact with him and thought he would just be another lowlife.

A few years after high school one of our mutual friends committed suicide and he took it very harshly, but it was enough to change his attitude. He took up an interest in investments and decided to move away from his burnout friends to attend a college. He graduated in less than 4 years and ended up working for a reputable bank earning six figures, and now he’s always posting his luxurious vacations on Facebook, it was a crazy turn around for him. –Willbo

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My lifelong friend went down the heroin/jail path in his early 20s. His personality was always to “Go with the flow”, for better or worse. He became part of a terrible group of people that routinely did awful shit in order to score. Imagine robbing your own grandmother, that caliber of desperation. After a stint being locked up and getting clean, he stopped talking to anyone from that group. No communication whatsoever, cold turkey. Lived with his mom, found a job he could walk to since his driver’s license was long gone and started getting in shape physically. He did counseling, broke his heroin habit, got into martial arts as a positive outlet for his energy. Talking to him now, he says breaking contact with all those people was the only way he made it out. –TurboAbe

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About 5 years ago I started doing this little mental trick… if there was some small thing I needed to do I just counted to 3 in my head and did it. Stuff like “1,2,3: put on my workout clothes”, “1,2,3: empty the dishwasher”, “1,2,3: answer that email”, “1,2,3: turn the TV off”.

I promised myself that every “1,2,3” would be something I could achieve in less than 10 minutes and that I would never fail to do something once I finished the countdown. I was amazed at how many of life’s problems were solved by overcoming those little moments of inertia during the day.

My level of motivation before and after that shift was night and day. It made a huge difference in my health, career, financial state, etc. I know it probably sounds silly, but my life made a massive and quick change for the better once I adopted this strategy. –Trent_A

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I quit my minimum wage job and stopped talking to my abusive dad. Some 9 months later I got hired into my current job, got my driver’s license, bought a brand new car, and have started losing weight gradually. It’s been 2 years and my car is a little over half paid for and my dad has no idea how awesome my life is. I plan to keep it that way. –HolyOrdersOtaku

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One week in high school I decided that I would go for a bike ride every day after school. Massive improvement in attitude and motivation. I began to like school more, got my homework done earlier, and I also got into shape which was an added bonus –atooch

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Getting into a routine. Growing up with school and odd work hours, things just seem hectic. Working a set schedule has really helped me in life. Jacon2012

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A homeschooler had drifter parents and unemployed friends. He decided on his own to start school in grade 11, graduated, got a trade that he hated so started going to university and working on the side. He graduated with high honours and just started his dream job. –cisco54

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Moving to a new state and starting over. It’s short-term and if you don’t keep doing the work necessary to improve you will slide into old behaviors. But just riding the novelty of it all in the beginning can set you up nicely. A fresh start can’t happen when you’re doing the same old things. –283diamonds

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My coworker dropped out of high school and basically just became a druggie until he was about 21, working odd jobs and occasionally being homeless. After that, he decided to take a brief web development course(I think it was an intense 9-month course or something, basically a full-time job) and now he works in web development with me.

He’ll sometimes mention how he thinks my 4-year degree is impressive, how he regrets wasting all his time, etc. But I think it’s pretty impressive to go from where he was to being in the same career as me. –sasquartch

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A friend met the right girl. He had been mostly insufferable for years- overly needy and demanding of his friends while simultaneously annoying and picky and abrasive at the same time. He met his now-wife and he mellowed out 100% and is now cool to be around again. Barkingpanther

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In middle school there was a guy who was always goofing around in class, would get in trouble a lot, and didn’t seem to care about school at all. Once high school came around he was suddenly taking advanced calculus classes and ended up getting into a really good school after graduating. I always wondered what caused the change, until one year there was a little snippet in the yearbook about him where he said that his cousin basically just told him to stop messing around and start caring about school or else he wouldn’t end up in a good place in life, so that’s what he did. –0321654

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What got me off WoW was having a kid, the look my wife gave me the first (and only) time she asked me to help with the baby and I said: “but I’m in a raid” was bone chilling. I logged out then and there, canceled my subscription and haven’t played in 9 years. –whiskymakesmecrazy

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Not someone else but myself.

Spent 5 years in prison for armed robbery. Been on parole for 8 months now. Started as an intern at a big marketing company. Signed my contract as a sales manager today. Loving GF is pregnant. Got a nice apartment and feel happy as s**t. –DerDieDas

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Last year in school I was making really, really s**t grades. Wouldn’t have passed if not for the mercy of my teachers. I posted on Reddit about my aversion to work and the intense sense of dread I get just knowing I have to do something for school. Some Redditors suggested I might have ADHD.

I got prescribed Vyvanse almost immediately after going to the doctors and I am now in my junior year of high school doing great. Last year’s GPA was a 2.6. This year’s is a 4.2. –pbwarren2001

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Kid I knew in high school purchased Bitcoin back around 2011. Just sold for over $20 million. –DaLagavulin

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Managed an apartment community where one insanely obese man splintered the bottom of his shower from simply standing on it. We replaced it at no charge, but the embarrassment got to him. Within a week he found a dietician and started walking around the community. Within a few months, he bought a bike and started riding around the neighborhood. Within a year he dropped what seemed to be at least 100 lbs. Within 2 years he weighed less than I do now.

Casey, if you happen to see this (and I know you’re a Redditor), you’re a freaking inspiration! Keep at it! –RVBY1977

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Not someone else, but a personal habit I picked up. I’m not sure how much this helps other people, but I just started making my bed every morning. I was pleasantly surprised at how much more productive in the mornings I became. Now making my bed is almost like hitting the “I’m not tired anymore” switch in my brain. I know it’s all mental conditioning, but I think it really works. Takes like 30 seconds once you get the hang of it. –roketmanp

If you liked this story, share it with the person who most recently improved your life!

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watchingthesuperbowl · 7 years

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Grading Super Bowl XXXIV

What was the final score?

St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16

How much of the game was close? What was the “edge of your seat factor” like? (20 points)

This game was a lot like Super Bowl XVI in many different ways. In that game, played indoors, the 49ers took a 20-0 lead but needed a legendary goal line stand to hang on for a 26-21 win over Cincinnati. The Niners’ young quarterback, in his first Super Bowl, played a terrific game and was named the MVP.

In this game, played indoors, the Rams took a 16-0 lead but needed an amazing goal line tackle to hang on for a 23-16 win over Tennessee. The Rams’ quarterback, a first-year regular, threw for 414 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and took home the MVP award.

So it would seem to make sense that this game would rate similarly to the first Niners-Bengals Super Bowl in this category.

Except it doesn’t rate similarly, in my estimation. This game felt much closer than Super Bowl XVI. The Rams led 9-0 at halftime (San Francisco was up 20-0 at the break eighteen years earlier). It seemed as if the Titans had faced a dominant St. Louis offense playing its best football and had come away largely unscathed. Tennessee was behind by nine points and receiving the opening kickoff in the third quarter, giving them every chance to drive down the field and cut the St. Louis lead to two points.

That’s not how it happened, but coming out of the locker room, Steve McNair led the Titans offense on an impressive eight-play drive inside the Rams’ 30, only to come away empty after a blocked field goal. Tennessee scored on each of its next three possessions and drove 87 yards on its final possession of the game. The trouble was, they needed 88 yards. (Score: 14 out of 20)

Was there any kind of comeback? Was there ever any indication that the team which was trailing had a chance to come from behind and win? (15 points)

Oh, man, was there ever. Tennessee’s offense was humming as the game moved into its final stages, having scored on all but one of its drives in the second half. The one scoreless drive was a blocked field goal, so we very easily could have been looking at a Titans offense that scored every single time it touched the ball after halftime.

That kind of offensive performance cut a 16-point deficit to seven and gave Tennessee a shot to tie or win the game until the end of the final play of the game. They didn’t succeed, but they missed it by inches. Literally. (Score: 14 out of 15)

Did the great players come through with great performances? (15 points)

Kurt Warner was magnificent. The Rams’ quarterback, the NFL MVP in the regular season, was also named the Super Bowl MVP after throwing for a single-game Super Bowl record 414 yards to go along with two touchdown passes and no interceptions. St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk, an eventual Hall of Famer, only had 17 yards rushing, but racked up 90 receiving yards as a dangerous weapon out of the backfield.

The second-tier stars, the guys who weren’t Hall of Famers but were regular invitees to the Pro Bowl, also tended to have big days. Tennessee running back Eddie George ran for 95 yards and two scores. His teammate Steve McNair completed 22 of 36 passes for 214 yards, didn’t turn the ball over, and ran for a Super Bowl record (for a quarterback) 64 yards. St. Louis’s star receivers, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, both had huge games. Bruce caught six passes for 162 yards and a touchdown, and Holt caught seven passes for 109 yards and a score. (Score: 12 out of 15)

Were the teams historically great? (10 points)

The Rams sure were. They outscored their opponents 526-242 in the regular season, the largest point differential of any Super Bowl champion. St. Louis had the best offense in the league by a huge margin, and a very good defense. Their dominance didn’t last very long - only three years, maybe five if you’re feeling lenient - but it was something to behold while it lasted. The Greatest Show on Turf, indeed.

The Titans of this era aren’t quite historically great. They’re historically really good. Tennessee went 13-3 in 1999 but didn’t win the division, finishing a game behind the 14-2 Jacksonville Jaguars. They probably should have been eliminated from the playoffs against Buffalo in the AFC Wild Card Game, but got a fluke win when the officials decided to allow a forward pass during a kickoff return*. After the ‘99 season, the Titans went 43-21 over the next four years. That’s good, certainly, but it’s not great in the sense that the ‘70s Steelers were great, or in the sense that the Montana-Rice-Walsh 49ers were great.

* - Humor me on this. I’m a Bills fan. The loss to the ‘99 Titans still stings, in part because it’s the last time I saw my team play a postseason game. Frickin’ Wycheck.

Were there memorable moments that will be talked about for decades? (10 points)

The final play of the game, on which Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson at the one yard line, is one of the most memorable moments in the history of professional football. That single play was the difference between a Rams win and (almost certainly) the first Super Bowl overtime ever played.

The game-winning touchdown, a 73-yard strike from Warner to Bruce, would likely be remembered as a great Super Bowl moment if it hadn’t been overshadowed by The Tackle. (Score: 10 out of 10)

How was the quality of play? Were there a lot of penalties, punts, and turnovers? (15 points)

The Rams’ offense was awesome. The Titans’ offense was very good. Both teams played tough defense. There were no turnovers by either team and there were only two sacks all day. If we don’t consider special teams, it would be reasonable to think of this as the best-played Super Bowl of all time.

But the special teams were disastrous.

You could pick a few dozen NFL games at random - regular season, postseason, any team - and never see a game that featured worse kicking than Super Bowl XXXIV. The Titans missed a field goal and had a field goal blocked. The Rams had their holder drop the ball on what was supposed to be a field goal attempt, and they missed another field goal. In the first quarter, these two teams lined up four times to attempt field goals. Those four plays produced a total of three points.

In a close game, a game that went down to the final snap, both teams botched kicks that could have gone a long way towards deciding which team would hoist the Lombardi Trophy. (Score: 12 out of 15)

Are there any other factors that add to the greatness the game? This covers things like weather, story line, rivalry matchup, legacy franchises, unexpected results, etc. (15 points)

So many stories. Heading into the 1999 season, the Rams were widely expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL - and that was before starting quarterback Trent Green suffered a season-ending injury. Afterwards? Pro Football Weekly’s preview of the ‘99 Rams says the team believed Kurt Warner had the skills to be a decent backup, but didn’t know about anything more than that. ESPN’s Sean Salisbury wrote that it was unreasonable to expect much from Warner, and that rookie fourth-round draft pick Joe Germaine might wind up as the starting quarterback.

And then Warner threw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns in the regular season. And then Warner was named the NFL MVP.

So Kurt Warner was kind of a big deal. He was just a few years removed from a stint as a former football player-turned-grocery bagger in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and here he was on the sport’s biggest stage as an out of nowhere sensation.

Even without the Warner story, there was plenty of intrigue. Rams coach Dick Vermeil had spent 1983-1996 completely out of professional football, citing burnout after leading the Eagles to Super Bowl XV. Heading into the ‘99 season, it looked like Vermeil’s return was a colossal failure, with the team having gone 9-23 since he took the job. And here they were in the Super Bowl.

But wait, there’s more!

The Tennessee Titans had just finished their first season in their new permanent home stadium in Nashville, after a move from Houston, a catastrophic year playing in a near-empty stadium in Memphis, and a year sharing Vanderbilt Stadium with the local college football program. In a sense, it was their first ‘real’ post-relocation season, having played 1996 in the Astrodome, 1997 in the Liberty Bowl, and 1998 at Vanderbilt as the Houston/Tennessee Oilers.

Titans quarterback Steve McNair was a fascinating story at the time. After an incredible college career at Alcorn State, but having faced relatively little high-end competition, nobody was really sure what to expect when the Oilers took him third overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. After spending ‘95 and ‘96 as a backup, McNair was given the keys to the Oiler offense in 1997. He went 16-16 as a starter in 1997 and 1998, showing enough promise to keep his job but not enough promise that anyone would have expected him to lead the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV. And yet he was starting in the Super Bowl as something of the polar opposite to Warner. One was an unheralded, undrafted college player who spent time in NFL Europe, the Arena Football League, and the Cedar Falls Hy-Vee before being named the NFL MVP. The other was the third overall pick in the draft and a star when he was still in college, who at this point had been no better than “pretty good” as an NFL quarterback. (Score: 13 out of 15)

How does the game grade overall? (sum of all previous categories, 100 points)

84 out of 100. That puts it in a tie for third place, but closer to #1 than it is to #5. That seems right to me. This was a great football game, mostly played very well, between two extremely interesting teams. It’s a few bad special teams plays away from being The Greatest Super Bowl Ever Played, at least in my estimation.

If you wanted to make a case that this is the best of the first XXXIV Super Bowls, I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with that.

Ratings and rankings of Super Bowls I-XXXIV:

1. Super Bowl XIII - Pittsburgh 35, Dallas 31 - 87 points 2. Super Bowl XXIII - San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16 - 85 points T3. Super Bowl XXV - New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19 - 84 points T3. Super Bowl XXXIV - St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16 - 84 points 5. Super Bowl X - Pittsburgh 21, Dallas 17 - 80 points 6. Super Bowl XXXII - Denver 31, Green Bay 24 - 77 points 7. Super Bowl VII - Miami 14, Washington 7 - 74 points 8. Super Bowl XXX - Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17 - 69 points T9. Super Bowl IX - Pittsburgh 16, Minnesota 6 - 68 points T9. Super Bowl XXXI - Green Bay 35, New England 21 - 68 points T11. Super Bowl XVII - Washington 27, Miami 17 - 67 points T11. Super Bowl XXVIII - Dallas 30, Buffalo 13 - 67 points 13. Super Bowl XIV - Pittsburgh 31, Los Angeles 19 - 65 points 14. Super Bowl XVI - San Francisco 26, Cincinnati 21 - 62 points 15. Super Bowl XIX - San Francisco 38, Miami 16 - 61 points T16. Super Bowl III - New York Jets 16, Baltimore 7 - 58 points T16. Super Bowl XXII - Washington 42, Denver 10 - 58 points 18. Super Bowl XXI - New York Giants 39, Denver 20 - 57 points 19. Super Bowl XXVII - Dallas 52, Buffalo 17 - 55 points 20. Super Bowl XXXIII - Denver 34, Atlanta 19 - 53 points 21. Super Bowl VI - Dallas 24, Miami 3 - 52 points 22. Super Bowl XX - Chicago 46, New England 10 - 51 points 23. Super Bowl I - Green Bay 35, Kansas City 10 - 50 points T24. Super Bowl XVIII - Los Angeles Raiders 38, Washington 9 - 49 points T24. Super Bowl XXIV - San Francisco 55, Denver 10 - 49 points 26. Super Bowl XXVI - Washington 37, Buffalo 24 - 48 points 27. Super Bowl VIII - Miami 24, Minnesota 7 - 47 points 28. Super Bowl XV - Oakland 27, Philadelphia 10 - 44 points 29. Super Bowl IV - Kansas City 23, Minnesota 7 - 43 points T30. Super Bowl II - Green Bay 33, Oakland 14 - 40 points T30. Super Bowl V - Baltimore 16, Dallas 13 - 40 points 32. Super Bowl XXIX - San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 - 39 points 33. Super Bowl XII - Dallas 27, Denver 10 - 38 points 34. Super Bowl XI - Oakland 32, Minnesota 14 - 35 points

#super bowl #super bowl xxxiv #nfl #football #st. louis rams #st louis rams #st. louis #st louis #rams #tennessee titans #tennessee #titans

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trendingnewsb · 6 years

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19 People Reveal the Moment Someone Completely Changed Their Lives

via: Shutterstock

Getting into a routine. Growing up with school and odd work hours, things just seem hectic. Working a set schedule has really helped me in life. Jacon2012

via: Shutterstock

Not someone else but myself.

via: Shutterstock

I got prescribed Vyvanse almost immediately after going to the doctors and I am now in my junior year of high school doing great. Last year’s GPA was a 2.6. This year’s is a 4.2. –pbwarren2001

via: Shutterstock

Kid I knew in high school purchased Bitcoin back around 2011. Just sold for over $20 million. –DaLagavulin

via: Shutterstock

Casey, if you happen to see this (and I know you’re a Redditor), you’re a freaking inspiration! Keep at it! –RVBY1977

via: Shutterstock

If you liked this story, share it with the person who most recently improved your life!

Read more: http://twentytwowords.com/19-people-reveal-the-moment-someone-completely-changed-their-lives-ia/

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itsworn · 7 years

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Win Two Challengers! One To Show & One To Go!

What do you lust after? If Dodge Challengers top the list, I urge you to read on. Dream Giveaway Garage recently announced its Challenger Dream Giveaway (brought to you by Reliable Carriers), where one lucky winner takes home two Hemi Challengers—a restored 1970 R/T that’s paired with “HellScat,” a 2017 Hellcat enhanced to produce over 1,000 horsepower. To sweeten the pot, DGG will stroke a check for $45,000 to pay the taxes. Sounds amazing, right? But it gets better.

Mopar Muscle headed to Florida for a first-hand look at the dynamic Challenger duo, and more importantly, to test HellScat on the drag strip. We arranged a day at Bradenton Motorsports Park where we met up with the DGG staff and our surprise test driver, 17-time drag racing champion “Big Daddy” Don Garlits.

“Following on the incredible success of the 800hp Hellcat X, Dream Giveaway Garage set out to create a Hemi-powered Dodge Challenger that moved the needle past the 1,000 horsepower mark,” said Chris Phillip, director of communications of Dream Giveaway Garage. “After discussing the idea with Mopar legend ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits, the team landed on the name ‘HellScat’—a fitting tribute to the original Scat Pack marketing campaign and drag racing team, which debuted 50 years ago.”

Summer in Florida might not be optimum for drag testing, but we didn’t care. There was no rain in the forecast and Bradenton’s staff provided a sticky race track. As for the weather conditions, air temperature climbed into the 90s, there was choking humidity, and we encountered a cross/headwind. Not optimum, but at least we had Garlits.

As the cars rolled off the truck, our jaws hung in amazement. The classic Hemi was perfect, it purred with a raspy idle, and we couldn’t wait to crack the dual quads open. The new beast was noticeably larger, also red, and its blown 6.2L mill sounded evil. My thought was owning either would be cool, having the keys to both would complete the mind-blowing Hemi dream. Amazingly, this dream will become reality when the winner is selected. And on that note, the Challenger Dream Giveaway starts August 11, 2017, and runs through June 26, 2018.

Garlits arrived shortly thereafter. He greeted us and walked immediately to “HellScat,” the TorRed 2017 Challenger. He took the role of test driver very seriously, as if it was the Top Fuel final at the U.S. Nationals. He asked questions about the engine and that big blower, and with his “Big Daddy” emblazoned helmet in hand, he slipped quietly into the Dodge’s cockpit.

For us magazine types, drag testing is always a treat. We love wringing out cars on track and telling the story about how it goes down. But this was different, it was something special. Sure we were itching to unleash that 1,080hp Mopar, but at the same time salivating at the chance to watch Big Daddy work his magic.

And who wouldn’t? HellScat is no basic street car, it’s a fire-breathing, TorRed 2017 Hellcat, enhanced with a 4.5L Whipple intercooled supercharger that spit out 1,080 horsepower after having been tuned by AJ at Hemi Tuner Performance in New York. That equates to 949 proud ponies at the wheels with 831 lb-ft of torque being applied to the Nitto tires. For maximum traction, we swapped the 305/35R20 Nitto 555R tires that the car will be delivered with for a set of Nitto 20-inch drag radials.

“Big Daddy” wasted little time making his first-ever shakedown pass of the HellScat. He heated the Nittos with a rolling burnout, staged, and dropped the hammer. Decades of experience told him not to give it everything out of the hole; instead he rolled smoothly into the throttle and the red rocket pealed from the line with only a chirp of rubber. Garlits was the first drag racer in history to officially surpass the 170, 180, 200, 240, 250, and 270 miles per hour marks in the quarter mile, so we were confident he could handle the big red Dodge. Garlits let the 8-speed automatic do the work; it upshifted its way towards the 1,320-foot mark and he crossed in 10.65 seconds at 131.94 mph.

Garlits got out of the Challenger with a smile as big as planet Earth. The 17-time racing champion was excited after mashing the gas on the Dream Garage Giveaway’s HellScat. But assessing the run, he commented that the 2-3 shift came a bit early. “I loved it, it was fast and easy to drive,” Garlits said. “Whoever gets these cars is really going to have a windfall. I liked everything about it, I loved the Challengers, I have two of them, I loved the first prototype and I never thought they’d be able to do these powerful engines. It’s so much fun to be part of it.”

After a short cooldown, Garlits climbed in for more fun. This time he perfected the launch, controlling the spin by applying the power more smoothly and ripping off a 1.62 60-foot time and the quickest pass of the day, a 10.33 at 132 mph.

“Nobody knows Mopar and horsepower like ‘Big Daddy.’ Dream Giveaway is honored to have Mr. Garlits as our official drag-strip driver of the only HellScat in the world,” added Phillip. “The trick is to just give it enough throttle to be right on the edge of breaking the tires loose, and I feel that in the seat of my pants,” says Garlits. “And once you get going it never stops shifting. Think about it, I built Swamp Rat I in 1956 and I ran it until 1961. It went through major configuration changes, and ran in the low 9s and high 8s. And these new Challengers are close to that. I love ’em. It’s great that the factory is doing stuff like this. There’re faster than my cars of the old days, especially the Super Stocks. I did test driving for the 2011 Drag Pak and I’ve driven some of the factory-supercharged Challengers. And well, HellScat felt better than those, and better than the one I drove in the half-mile drags. I drove one 154 mph in the half-mile,” he added. “But it is surprising that all this is happening in our time because everything today is about safety and mileage. It’s refreshing to see the factories doing this.”

The HellScat also features a strengthened driveshaft, custom badges, and Nitto tires to go along with the factory components, including an SRT-tuned Bilstein three-mode competition suspension, and Brembo six-piston high-performance brakes with HellScat-specific script. Garlits even added his own touch by signing the dash of both giveaway Challengers.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T It’s no secret: the iconic Dodge Challenger has captivated enthusiasts for decades. Dodge’s entry to the pony car war may have come late, but it lacked nothing in terms of style, performance, and desirability. The 1970-’74 Challengers feature super smooth lines, an athletic stance, and there was an endless list of features and options.

Owners could have selected from virtually any engine offered by Chrysler, from the 225-cube Slant-Six to the 426-cube Hemi. And let’s not forget the 318, the venerable 340, two versions of the 383, and a pair of 440s, the 375 hp four-barrel, and the six-pack-equipped 390 hp mill.

In this case, the sweepstakes winner will also crack the key on a 1970 Challenger R/T, and the “Big Daddy” of powerplants: the mighty 426 Hemi. This R/T rolled down the Hamtramck, Michigan assembly line in October of 1969 and along the way was sprayed in FE5 Bright Red. Today it still has full documentation including a production broadcast sheet that matches the configuration of the vehicle, and according to Dream Giveaway Garage, it’s a rare one—with just 287 produced.

The Hemi engine is backed by a bulletproof 727 Torqueflite with a Slap-Stick shifter, and inside you’ll find a black interior with buckets. It’s comfortable, and drives really sweet. Just ask Big Daddy Don Garlits, who’ll tell you it runs like a top and shows even better.

Additional features adding to the rarity and collectability include detailed owner history, true VIN-matching body, and the low production number of overall Hemi-powered E Bodies. The engine came from the Marysville engine plant that produced Chrysler’s 426 Hemi block, and the Kokomo transmission plant provided the Torqueflite transmission. Even the color is a hot one, FE5 code Bright Red to be exact. You’ll also note the exceptional fit of the body panels, with proper gaps at the doors, fenders, hood, and decklid. And the glass is very nice, too.

“I loved those cars,” Garlits said of the early Challengers. “I bought one brand new, it was a 383. I always liked my Hemi in the race cars,” he added jokingly. “I have to take my hat off to Chrysler, because these cars are beautiful. I remember when they were introduced, and these cars pair really nicely together.”

2017 HellScat Challenger Color: TorRed Engine: 6.2L supercharged/intercooled Hemi OHV pushrod V8 Exhaust: factory dual exhaust with catalytic converters Supercharger: 4.5L Whipple with intercooler Horsepower: 1,080 (945 RWHP) Torque: 831 RWHP Transmission: 8-speed TorqueFlite automatic with AutoStick manual shift mode Rear axle: IRS with 2.62:1 ratio Front suspension: upper and lower control arm with coil-over shocks and anti-roll bar Rear suspension: five-link multilink independent Wheels & Tires: factory 5-spoke aluminum styled wheels with 305/35R20 Nitto 555R tires Quarter-mile e.t./mph: 10.33/132.31

1970 Challenger R/T Color: FE5 Bright Red Engine: dual 4-bbl 426-cubic inch Hemi Exhaust: factory dual with chrome tips Horsepower: 425 at 5,000 rpm Torque: 490 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm Transmission: 727 Torqueflite 3-speed automatic Rear axle: 8 ¾ with Sure-Grip differential Front suspension: torsion bar Rear suspension: leaf spring with live axle Wheels & Tires: 15-inch steel wheels with F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT tires Wheelbase: 110 inches Interior: black with console and buckets Quarter-mile e.t./mph: 13.10/107* *as tested by Car Craft magazine

Based on the original, Dodge captured the essence of the 1970 Challenger when it re-introduced the model in 2008. Over the last decade, Dodge has improved the breed, culminating in a 707-horsepower Hellcat. Dream Giveaway Garage took it to another level with the HellScat, which is a play on the Hellcat and the Dodge Scat Pack.

When 707 horsepower is not enough, add a bigger blower—in this case a 4.5L Whipple. Even Big Daddy was impressed by the power and the looks of the big supercharger. He also loved the Hemi Orange valve covers. Hey Garlits, how about putting one of these in a dragster and trying it on nitro?

Not only did Garlits leave his mark on the scoreboard, he autographed the dash, which is the ultimate keepsake.

Here’s a view that’s familiar to the competition, although it will take a good amount of power to even get a glimpse of the bumble bee stripe.

Aptly named, the Challenger entered the pony car market in 1970 and battled cars like the Camaro, Cougar, Mustang, and Plymouth ’Cuda. The E-Body Dodge had many attractive features; this one sports the R/T package with the mighty 426 Hemi that’s backed by a 727 and a 8 ¾-inch rear axle.

The dual-quad 426 street Hemi makes this a seriously desirable Challenger. This ’70 R/T was restored a few years back and carries a load of factory paperwork.

With painted 15-inch steel wheels, dog-dish caps, and F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas GT tires, this Challenger is ready for business.

“Big Daddy” Don Garlits still has what it takes to put down the low e.t.. The Dream Garage Giveaway Hellscat ran a best of 10.33 at 132 mph with street-legal drag radials. We think with more tuning and better weather conditions, HellScat is sure to pull down some 9-second e.t. slips.

The post Win Two Challengers! One To Show & One To Go! appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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