Hands pointing to engine components and transmission parts in a…

a3 Left, Holman-Moody-Stroppe make up this neat cooler which is filled with alky and ice. Right, the breather in the back of the block is closed off, with a steel plate, to prevent the oil from gushing out in the event of piston breakage. Replacing it are rocker cover caps. PLATT DOESNT DRIVE OUT OF THE HOLE, HE EXPLODES OUT OF IT with a Reverse/Lockout and topped by a Line/Lock. The reverse lockout eliminates any snag while going from First to Second and prevents the interlock plates from getting burned up" regardless of whether you pull sideways on the shift lever or not. The shift arm was coming too close to the seat for comfort, as far as Platt was concerned, so he bent it to suit his driving style. Now most people would be content with just installing a Hurst shifter but Platt helps matters still further by com- pletely reworking the Ford four- speed. First gear is the only one which has a blocker ring with a full compliment of teeth. On the upper three gears, the blocker rings are machined, removing all the teeth so that nothing interferes with the synchronizer' sleeve sliding over to engage a gear. Platt says that there is no need to slick shift a Ford trans- mission by grinding out alternate spline teeth because this only weak ens it. The T and C Ford box shifts fine just as it is. Platt does remove the interlocks between the rails. This way the transmission interlock can- not work at cross purposes with the interlocks Hurst builds into his com- petition plus shifters. On the other hand, the ball and spring detents that position the shift rails and lock them in place once a shift has be- come completed, are left in. Transmission changes arent all mechanical either. For a little chem- istry and a tip of the magic can Platt replaces transmission grease with a couple of quarts of automatic transmission fluid and a can of STP. This helps cut down the drag speeds upshifts and still gives the oil enough body to live with gear pres- sures. Platt runs very modest 4.71 rear end gears and explains that he didnt have to wind too tight on this trip to beat the Chevy (spoken like a true Ford man). He leaves the line at 6,000 shifts at 6,000 and goes through the traps at 6,000 which is a nice even way of driving. However as the season progresses and he has more time to work with the Cobra Jets 428 the rpm will go up and so will the rear axle ratio probably a 4.83 or better. To fit into Super-Stock/E the Cobra-Jets have to tip the scales at 3225 pounds. This year they made the weight so well that only five gal- lons of gas is needed in the gas tank. In fact very little actual lightening had to be done on the car and the big NASCAR style roll bar cage has given way to a much more modest roll hoop over the drivers seat. The car was delivered with a large size bat- tery set well back in the trunk, and moved' over far enough to the right to leave room for a spare for con- venient added balance. Commenting on the size of the battery Platt told us Ill never have any starting problems with this one. Getting the power to the ground is the real speed secret of any drag machine and Stroppes version of the CobraJet is no exception. Even a casual look at the traction bars shows a drastic departure from the usual Ford practice that has been with us for the last four years. The (Continued on Page 69) S/S&FX o 45