Piledriver wrote:That's interesting, my dad was the pad foreman for John Glenns launch back then (Gemini), they almost certainly knew each other. (sadly can no longer ask)
Small world.
NRDS... Orion??? (The original "bang-bang" powered with small nukes and really, really good shock absorbers... not the current project of the same name)
I thought sanity prevailed in the 60s...
Pile my dad was on the launch crew for Glenns flight so he probably worked for your dad. The first were Mercury capsules on Atlas rockets. We lived on Merritt island back then and I went to first grade in Titusville in 62-63 it was after the school year ended that we moved to Las Vegas where I did second grade of school so maybe you and I crossed paths. There in Titusville in school we had air raid drills like fire drill because Cuba was acting up then. BTW my dad passed over 25 year ago now
NRDS was a different project than Orion and not well known but they were passing liquid hydrogen thru a reactor to superheat it to make thrust without oxygen involved. As I recall they built 3 rocket motors there and ran one for days until it melted. They had lead bricks around the reactor and when I turned 16 we were living in Beatty and I got a 65 Corvair with 4 carbs that ran great and I could get the front tires off the ground on one bump in town so dad brought 2 of the lead bricks home and put them in my trunk to keep the front end of the car on the ground, well I still have one of those lead bricks in my shop LOL.
There were many times when I was growing up that dad was not allowed to mention in any way what he was working on. Some of it he could only tell us decades later after the stuff was de-classified.
Kinda like my old neighbor (now passed on) who was in the OSS (later known as CIA) during WWII. He and I were watching the history channel one day and he was seeing things that he had done. He said that he supposed that meant he could now talk about it, even though they had never told him he could.
Richard
Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
Speed Kills! but then...So does OLD AGE!!
Tech Inspection: SCCA / SCORE / HDRA / ARVRA / A.R.T.S. OffRoad Race Tech - MDR, MORE, Glen Helen BajaCup
Retired Fabricator
'58 Baja with 955K Miles and counting
I am not sure how classified the stuff my dad did was but he was pretty closed mouth about some. My dad was a cryogenics mechanic so in a lot of ways he was a glorified plumber just with VERY cold liquid in the pipes. When we moved to Beatty in 68 there were only around 150 people living in the town and a third of the dads worked on the test sight one way or another so a lot of my classmates dads worked out there too and no body thought much of any of it.
I hope you 2 are together for the rest of your lives.
Richard
Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
Speed Kills! but then...So does OLD AGE!!
Tech Inspection: SCCA / SCORE / HDRA / ARVRA / A.R.T.S. OffRoad Race Tech - MDR, MORE, Glen Helen BajaCup
Retired Fabricator
'58 Baja with 955K Miles and counting
Thanks Dusty, I think we will be I do not part with much in my life (still have my second motorcycle a 250 Maico) but I like this car so much and have not driven my buggy since getting it going that I sold my yellow buggy to a friend. I now have some money for car parts I am thinking it may get a reversed Subaru 5 speed one day
As I've said before elsewhere, I don't get rid of things either. For instance, I met my 1958 Baja Bug the day it was bought new by my dad's friend in November 1957. Still have a clear memory of that event. It was my 1st car to drive in 1971. Once I own something, it's mine. Others call that hoarding, I refer to their behavior as waste. Many times others have told me that anything that hasn't been used in 6 months should always get thrown away. My answer to that is to ask how long it's been since their last child was born.
But you sold the Yellow Peril?...Hope it gets good use. I thought it was a cool buggy.
Richard
Lake LA, Mojave Desert, SoCal
Speed Kills! but then...So does OLD AGE!!
Tech Inspection: SCCA / SCORE / HDRA / ARVRA / A.R.T.S. OffRoad Race Tech - MDR, MORE, Glen Helen BajaCup
Retired Fabricator
'58 Baja with 955K Miles and counting
I did sell it and it is getting more use than if I had kept it but yes it is a cool buggy. My friend was looking at a side by side and he then said what are you going to do with your buggy and then it just sort of happened. I did like it too but if I build another tube buggy it will be more to my wants, when we built it and my friend Kens we ordered 2 kits and I built mine kind of like it was meant to be but Kens we took the front frame clip out of a Chevy Lumina, V6, auto trans and steering and put all that in the back of his frame kit. His has working rear steer and is kind of neat but I do like mine better.
Also I have WAY to much stuff and no place to keep it all, I have cars and trucks at 4 different places around town and over 12 motorcycles too and I am getting old enough to realize I need to thin the pile. I am a hoarder and need to understand that LOL. I have 3 67 Rancheros, 5 Subarus, a Motor Home, 2 Dodge pickups (one and 1937), a Karmann Ghia, a 56 beetle with semaphores and sun roof, a Monte Carlo, gmc 4wd pickup and my bug. I know I need help LMAO. BTW my Ranchero is the first car I ever drove when I was a kid.
And here is the rear steer, we mounted a reversing electric motor to work the stock Chevy steering.
We built both at the same time but at that time my yellow buggy had a bug trans and a old 1400 Subaru motor with a home made adapter. I had never done anything with tube before these cars but later Ken said to me, you want to go in halfs on a bender and we did. We got a JD32 with Hyd ram that we hook to the Hyd pump on his 4 post hoist and I have kind of taken it over LOL. The rear steer motor has a toggle switch on the dash to work it and Herbie you will note the tilt steering column in Kens buggy
When I went to Vernal Ut for the BOR race I stopped in SLC on the way home and picked up a set of Pontiac Sunbird seats that I just put in. I got them at the SLC pick-n-pull for $30 apiece and feel they are great seats for the money and they even come with the sliders. I had Caviler seats in it and these are the same but in better shape and from a 2 door so they fold forward to get into the back so I can now get to my camping gear.
I have a few small things to do but I am almost ready for the EBA.
LOL Thanks Tim but it is not very fancy. The rear covering is a gray indoor outdoor carpet from HomeDopt that you put in front of your MH door when you camp. I figure I need it pretty nice to make Richard feel at home LOL on the ride
