garrell.770 Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 A little over a year ago I was still in a wheelchair after having a serious heart attack followed within a month by three strokes. I could not sit up care for myself in anyway. I didn't know my Wife, two Daughters, five Grandchildren or anyone. I hardly ever spoke or showed any interest in anything. My Doctors told my Wife I would never get any better but when I started coming out of the stroke fog I was rolled out to a building up to the left of our home and in it was the most beautiful cars and trucks I had ever seen! There was a huge stack of magazines that had stacked up over the two years I didn't look at them, one was an issue of HotRod Magazine that had an article about the East Coast Timing Assoc. and landspeed racing on the Maxton Mile in NC. I didn't tell anyway that on that Feb. day I vowed I would make a run down that mile in the OCT. meet that year. Long story short I started taking driving lessons in the high school parking lot. I parked the wheelchair and was doing two hours of crazy twisting,turning, bending and leg lift exercizes that I made up myself. By July I parked the walker and started using my hotrod walking stick which I will have for life because of my Parkinson's Desease and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had decided to run my SS Silverado truck instead of my Corvette or one of the other cars because of the safety requirements that would have to be performed. I had a couple of performance modifications done to my truck that I read about in a magazine and in research on the internet. I decided to go to the Sept. meet instead of the Oct, one in case the Oct. meet was to be weathered out. My Sisters husband who is also a gearhead went with me to help me do things I had a problems with and do most of the travel driving. My Wife is okay with me driving over 120 mph but doesn't like me drivimg on interstates. I went yo Maxton to just make a few wide open throttle passes but I was assigned to the C/PP, production pickup class. on my first three passes on Sat. I was hooked and I ran around 123.5 to 125.6 mph. At the registration trailer I was told that I was off the one mile landspeed record by less than one mph. but I couldn't do anything about it. Three weeks later my 15 yr. old Grandson said at the Sunday lunch table in front of my Wife "Paw Paw why don't you go back to that old Maxton Mile next week and set that record, football season will be over and I can go with you" After the families left my Wife asked if there was not something else I could do to my truck where i could break the record. The wheels in my head started turning. A week later my Grandson, Brother in law and myself were at the last ever Maxton Mile landspeed event. There was a fifteen mph headwind all day Sat. and I was slower than I was the month before. I knew that early Sun. morning the wind would probably die down and it was going to be in the low twenties temp wise. We were at the track at 6:30 am and I was waved off a litle after 8:00. I knew by my tach when I went through the traps that I was faster than in Sept. when I picked up my speed slip I was very satisfied to see a speed of 126.999 mph. I stopped at the registration trailer and turned my ticket in and was verified that I had indeed set a new LSR. Last month at the first ever Ohio Mile I was the first participate down the track and with a 25 mph sustained wiind hiting me in the drivers side front fender and door I ran 132.267 to set the C/PP record and later in the day I ran, still with the wind, 133.869 to set the B/PP record. Not bad for a 5800 lb. truck with me in it with the stock heads, intake, cam, exhaust manifolds etc. Needless to say I feel very blessed to have accomplished my goals and now I find myself thinking of what modifications I can perform to run over 135mph next April. Garrell Patterson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC03SS Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thats a great story. You will always have those memories with your family. Glad to see you got up and didnt let these problems hold you back. Congrats i hope and wish you the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skolman91 Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 I would be worried about the driveshaft coming apart going that fast, i would look into it at least if you plan to continue on the landspeed thing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrell.770 Posted June 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 Is that a chronic problem I have never been told that because I plan on an intake change and electric fans and better wind with hopes of 137 mph and probably three or four runs over a weekend to run my class and then move up in class with the possibility of two more landspeed records? Garrell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_aSSet Posted June 12, 2012 Report Share Posted June 12, 2012 I would put a driveshaft loop just incase at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrell.770 Posted June 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 The loop is a requirement at 135 mph up so I was about to install one, I thought you ment that some of the SSS driveshafts had come apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_aSSet Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 None that I've seen. Think you should be good with the stock one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrell.770 Posted June 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Whew! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2001silverado364 Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Pretty cool story, guy. Pardon me if it was said earlier, but are the tracks dirt(salt) or are you running on pavement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrell.770 Posted June 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2012 Two mile airport runways, HotRod Magazine covered the April meet in Ohio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1ss Posted June 15, 2012 Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 Im very happy to hear you are doing what you love to do, again. I dont know this info so please excuse my stupidity, C/PP is Production Pickup Class like you stated, what does B/PP class stand for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrell.770 Posted June 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2012 A, B, C, D etc. are engine cu. in. designation and they are the same for every class and there is dozen of classes. You have to start off in your designated classes but then you can take your chances and move up in class but not down. Garrell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1ss Posted June 22, 2012 Report Share Posted June 22, 2012 Thank you for the clarification Garrel! -Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted July 4, 2012 Report Share Posted July 4, 2012 The stock driveshaft is pretty good and doesn't have too much of a failure rate. I would highly recomend getting it balanced though as the stock balance job is pretty crappy. I'm curious what mods have you done so far to achieve those speeds. One nice thing about the Silverado/Sierra trucks is the almost limitless number of mods you can do to them. Congrats on getting back out there even after going through hell so many times in your life. If you're not enjoying life you're not living it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrell.770 Posted July 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2012 Volant dual horn cold air induction,ported throttle body, 1:8to1 ratio fullrollertip Crane rocker arms, beehive valve springs, .100 wall thickness 3/8"pushrods for reliability, Dougs Headers remote controll electric cutouts, HP custom tuneup. I find the closest convenience store and before going into the track I put 48 lbs. of air in each tire and I work it out where I only have between 1/2 and 1/4 tank of gas and then I add two cans of octane booster. The shift points are set at 6,200 rpms and the rev limiter at 6,500 rpms. When I ran 133.869 I went through the time traps at 5700/5800 rpms so I had 400 rpms from taching out. Even if the 4l60e trans would shift into od at wide open throttle I would lose so many rpms that I would never regain them. Check out the top left corner page 104 and the last two columns on the opposite page 105 of this months new and improved HotRod Magazine and see if there is a name you recognize! Garrell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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