Joe , You are probably right ----- I had his ( Jim Oddy )
name in the
aging memory banks in regards to a Hemi - Opel that I have only read about
,
never actually seen . Would have to dig thru too many old drag mags to
verify
that , so didn' t mention him . Maybe he and Jim Zakia were both involved
with
Opel drag cars , or possibly the SAME Opel ? I don' t have the
facts on
this , but , as you know , Jim Oddy is a highly respected engine builder ,
especially here in the Northeast , although I believe he has relocated his
business to the Sarasota , Florida area . Speaking of Opels , for a
time I
used to ride to work with a young guy in his Opel Kadett , and he was
constantly
trying to impress me with his great ability at handling this nimble little
car in tight
traffic and around curves where he was way over his head ( ? ) and ability .
He
seemed to delight in cutting off trailer trucks , and any other truck or
large car ,
and derived great pleasure from " ultra tailgating " large trucks ,
especially if
they were doing 70 or better ----- I mean like 4 feet behind the
truck' s rear !
I can still picture those channel iron rear truck bumpers right at my
eye level,
and JUST ahead of the hood ------ my eyes must have looked like saucers !
The final straw came one morning when he was running later than usual ,
so picked the pace up a little , and plowed off the road on a curve ,
directly at
a huge rock ledge , which was the last thing I saw , and to this day I
have no
idea of how that Opel did NOT plaster itself ( AND US ) all over that
ledge !!!
After getting a " normal " ride home with another co - worker that
evening , I
informed my wife that she and Douglas would be " grounded " for the rest of
the week , during the day , as I needed her car for work until I
finished the
small block swap on my car . It all worked out OK , and about a year
later
another friend told me that my former " chauffer " had lost his license for
several
years for ------ what a SURPRISE ------ reckless driving !
He would have been something with a HEMI in it ----------
maybe a few more dollars in an undertaker' s pocket ?
Bruce F . in warming up Connecticut ---------
Thanks for the degrees , Skip , how much is the postage
?
|