Detroit Street Racing

An article from the Detroit Free Press:

Detroiter makes documentary on street racing
BY MIKE BRUDENELL • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • January 8, 2009

Paul Humphries Sr. wants Detroit's street racers off public roads.

Humphries, 46, also known as "The Chevy Doctor," competed for money and pink slips on the service drives of the Motor City from the late 1970s through the mid-'80s before quitting.

Now, the father of four sons and a daughter is hoping to convince the city's street racers to take their cars to places like Milan Dragway to get their kicks.

Humphries, a refrigeration operator and mechanic at Detroit Receiving Hospital, has funded his own film, "Motor City Street Racers" in an effort to educate the younger generation about the dangers to themselves and others of street racing, where speeds can reach 130-140 m.p.h.

The 63-minute documentary, which cost Humphries countless hours to shoot and edit and about $11,000 of his cash, was shot entirely in the Detroit area and traces the story of street racing here in the '70s and '80s and compares the sport to street racing today. Humphries will screen the film Friday at Artist Village Detroit and has invited members of the Detroit City Council to attend.

"We need to get the kids off the street," said Humphries, who was introduced to street racing as a 10-year-old who would sneak out of his house to check out cars at the legendary White Castle street racing hangout on the corner of Livernois and Warren on Detroit's west side. "We need to convince them how dangerous it has become today and see if we can't encourage the city to build a drag strip in the Detroit area where drivers can race safely."

Humphries started street racing a '67 Chevy along the service drive to I-75.

"We tried to make it as safe as possible," said Humphries. "We blocked off the streets, we had a set of rules and kept spectators under control. Around 1985, things got out of hand -- crowds were getting in the way, speeds were getting faster and street racing seemed to become less organized. It was time to back off. I wasn't willing to lose my car, my life or someone else's."

Humphries estimates that on any single weekend in Detroit, weather permitting, street racing may be conducted at up to 10 locations around the city.

The activity is illegal in Michigan, as it is across the country, and those caught racing face getting ticketed, losing their licenses, having their cars impounded and possible jail time. Spectators at races also can be ticketed, said Humphries.

In November, 55-year-old Detroit Public Schools education technician Delthea Bryson was involved in an accident along Dequindre Road in Detroit when the car in which she was traveling was struck by a 2005 Mustang GT, which police believe was street racing. Bryson was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where she died less than an hour later.

"We got to get people off the streets. I got off," said Humphries, who is a regular competitor these days at Milan.

Melvin Coney, 50, of Romulus, now runs at Milan, too. A friend of Humphries, Coney was a regular street racer in and around Detroit into the '90s. He stopped participating after being nabbed by the police racing in Hamtramck.

"The cops caught us, and I went to jail for 4-5 days," Coney said. "Today's street racers are going way too fast. I used to have 10 races a night in the '70s along the service drive on I-75, from 7 Mile to the Boulevard. Now I do my racing at Milan, and I don't have to worry about the police."

Coney called Bryson's death a "fatal mistake."

"It was very tragic," he said.

Humphries hopes streets racers will emerge from their underground world and compete instead at sanctioned drag strips.

"We want to get kids under our wing," Humphries said. "We want to see them come out to Milan and have fun with their cars at the track. Street racers are welcome to come see the film."

Contact MIKE BRUDENELL at 313-222-2115 or mbrudenell@freepress.com

Rods on the way!

Each year, for the past 3 years or so, I try to make at least one significant purchase towards getting my 69 Camaro back on the road. A few years ago it was a custom ground Comp Cams solid roller cam with a nearly insane for the street 677/687 lift. Last year, I picked up the solid roller lifters, also by Comp. This year, I ordered up the connecting rods.

After some research, I settled on a set by Scat. These babies in standard form are good for 800+ hp. At the advise of my friend Wes, I went with the rod bolt upgrade, which makes these H-beam rods good for 1,400+ hp! These rods are not only more than sufficient for this build, but if I were ever to go above and beyond this 900-1,000 hp planned engine, new rods won't be on the upgrade list.

2009 is going to be a busy year. I'm firmly planted in my new career in law enforcement, my fiancee will finish her masters in education and likely start her new career in the fall. Last but certainly not least, we will be getting married this fall. In the midst of all that, I'm hoping to find a means to be able to pick up a set of pistons and get my engine to a machine shop, likely Tico Performance over near Brooklyn, MI. If I can get the short block tightened up by year end, seeing the road in 2010 becomes a very likely possibility.

It's been a long time, way too long. I used to read features in magazines about 10 year works in progress and scratch my head. Yet here I am, house, fiancee, dogs, a cat, and a reality check has me understanding why these builds take as long as they do. It's not like the days of living at home with a disposable income any longer. Looking ahead, hopefully I can stretch my 89 Formula out for 1 more winter, then get a worthy replacement in 2010, hopefully a 2010 Camaro SS if life works out for the best. Then, my Formula will be my next project in the works, undergoing a complete ground up restoration, hopefully one that isn't parked for the next 10 years awaiting completion!

Desert Valley Auto Parts

I'd love to visit this place some day! Looking through their cars for sale, reminds me that some day I'd love to restore a car that has been wrote off as dead, left and abandoned in a salvage yard. Check out their site, as they have lots to offer for auto restorationists.

Desert Valley Auto Parts

Ignition Troubleshooting: Part II

My car is back on the road, running fine, and most importantly, no longer stalling out at freeway speeds. The problem? Ended up being the MSD ignition coil. I had the ignition control module checked at Autozone, it passed 10 consecutive tests, though I was still skeptical. Fortunately, the problem was frequent enough that I could begin to troubleshoot while the problem was occuring. I hooked up my fuel pressure gauge and the pressure never dropped below the 45-50 psi range, so I knew it wasn't a fuel problem. I swapped out the ignition module with the factory one I had lying around, that I had replaced at some point. Engine wouldn't even fire, so that told me at least at some point when I replaced the module, it was the problem then...though didn't fully answer whether or not the replacement module was having intermittant problems.

I removed the coil wire from the coil and grounded it out on the intake, and my early presumption was correct, I wasn't getting spark when the problem showed it's ugly head. I proceeded ahead and replaced the MSD coil with the stock one, which I also had lying around in a cabinet. As you can see, holding on to those stock components proves beneficial! Low and behold, it was the problem. With the stock coil in place, everything is back to normal and running fine. When I find some time, I plan on shipping the coil out to MSD. Who knows, maybe I'll get a free coil out of the deal, but what I really would like to know is why the coil failed in the first place. MSD components are made in the USA. I've ran them on my Camaro for years and never had a problem. I prefer to buy American products whenever possible, and will continue to do so. When a problem like this accurs with a product, I don't wish to write it off as junk, but instead contact the maker and perhaps help them find out why it failed, and correct the problem. Below are some pictures of the repair process.

Cage fighters. LOL Little one holds her own and stands her ground. For anybody wondering where the term Bitch - female dog came from, well, here is your answer.

The ignition module from the distributor.

Where the module resides.

Stock parts...worth holding onto!

The threads on one of the attaching bolts to the battery were also in poor shape. I thought that perhaps that was the root of the problem, as most ignition systems need a constant 12 volts to operate, though it wasn't the source of my headaches.


Stripped bolt on the positive side.


Replacement bolt.

Plug wires all back in place. 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2, how could any gearhead not know?

Fuel nipple on the fuel rail to attach a pressure tester to. One of these days I'm going to install a fixed gauge, so it'll take the guess work out.

Fuel pressure gauge.

Back together and running.

My new gauge lens also came, so I installed that as well.

Pre-lens install.

Lens and surrounding cluster back in place.

Ignition Troubleshooting

Once again, my ride is giving me headaches. This time, it appears to be an ignition problem, as the engine has cut out at speed on the freeway a few times over the past few weeks. The cut out has been perhaps a 1/2 second, almost unnoticable, then the engine performs as normal. Today however, it cut out twice, and both times it looked like I was gonna be stranded. Thankfully, it was less than a mile from home both times, so all I would have needed to do was find a way to get pulled home. As luck would have it, it did start, and I was able to get the car back to my garage.

Having replaced the fuel pump twice over the last few years, the last time being with genuine GM parts after the crap from Murray's the first time around failed me about a year/10,000 miles later. Sure, it had a lifetime warranty, but damned if I'm gonna drop the rear end outta my car every 10,000 miles to swap it out. I highly doubt that the fuel supply is the problem, though will likely check the pressure just the same. Plus, while turning the engine over, it seemed as though I wasn't getting spark, so begins the adventure.

Jay Leno's Garage

You could spend hours, or even days on this site. Jay Leno has one of the best automotive collections in the world! I added a link on the side bar as well.

Jay Leno's Garage

Pop-ups are back!

Finally! My pop-up headlights are back in working order, though not without creating more work. I received another headlight control module a few days ago, as well as a used headlight switch (as new switches are no longer made). I installed the module, tried the lights, and both popped up! I still had issues with the switch however, as you still had to push it to the side in order for it to function properly. I suspect that whatever malfunction was happening inside the switch is what probably led to the short in my headlight control module.

Next, I began removing the trim around the gauge cluster to replace the switch. While doing so, I heard a "CRACK!" as I was removing the trim. Just my luck, the plastic lens covering the gauges cracked. I gave Hawk's another call and $40 later I had one of the way.

I can't say enough about Hawk's Third Gen Parts! Not only were they extremely helpful, but they also always have the part I'm looking for. In addition to stocking 3rd gen Firebird/Camaro new parts, they have a salvage yard full of these F-bodies in which they can pull parts no longer available. I guess I am still somewhat shocked when I call the dealership and learn that a part is no longer in stock, yet when I stop and think about it, I can understand why. My Formula was built in 1989, 20 years after my 1969 Camaro. Here we are nearly 20 years later from the date my Formula was built, so understandably some things aren't available. Perhaps what surprised me most was when I inquired with the dealership "So, what do you guys do with the parts you no longer stock? Do you sell them to another company?" He informed me that while some get bought my outside suppliers, most are simply tossed out! Damn, all those thousands upon thousands of parts simply tossed in the trash! You'd think restoration companies for popular cars such as the Camaro, Firebird, and Mustang would buy up any and all parts available in order to keep a healthy stock for the future. Though maybe that would make auto restoration too easy, and lack the hunt that perhaps some enthusiasts desire.

Trouble Lights

As previously stated, I tackled my headlight issues last week, though the problem is far from fixed. In the end, I have two headlights that now I can at least put up and down manually, something I couldn't do before as the gear mesh wasn't tight enough. One new/used headlight motor, two motor rebuild kits, and a new/used headlight control module and the problem still exists. Next step is to return the control module, as it seems there may have been a mid-year change, as the sticker on the new module was blue, instead of white like the module my car came equipped with. Also, I'm having them send me a new headlight switch, as I believe it too is part of the problem, as it has "acted up" ever since I've owned the car. I fuckin' hate electrical nightmares, and I'm beginning to severely dislike pop-up headlights!

I also replaced my battery a few weeks ago. Can't believe I stretched this one out as long as I did, as it seemed on it's last leg about two winters ago. This year, I wasn't gonna press my luck. I went with a Sears Diehard with around 720 CCA. I've always had great luck with Diehards.

The handicapped lights.

While the instructions stated to removing the headlight housing, I concluded that removing the hoodlatch tray made the process much easier.

Headlight motor.

Guts of the motor.

The motors not having fixed the problem, I moved on to the headlight control module located on the firewall between the brake booster and wiper motor.

Along with the part number, the sticker label also read "REPLACE, DO NOT REPAIR," yeah, for $282 for a new one I think I'll take my chances on attempting to repair it.

I can't help but wonder why GM went from what was previously a system controlled by three simple relays to a circuit board control module. Even then, my module was apparently only used from 1987-1989, when upon they switched to what must have been an updated module from 1990-1992.

Close inspection showed obvious signs of problems. The relay in the center seems to have tried to cook itself at some point. You can see by the smoked plastic cover, problem lie beneath. I popped the cover and discovered a burned wire and a few melted solder points. While the module may not be all of my problems, it was certainly part of the problem.

Current and new/used module, though the problem still isn't solved.

Back together, with two manually "functioning" headlights.

I have always like the 1969 Camaro RS with it's hideaway headlights. Yet after the problems I've had, I'm not so anxious to fit my 69 Camaro with them. In fact, along the way I've even pondered seeing what my options are as far as a fixed headlight system on my 89 Formula. I've heard some have used both BMW and new Corvette lights and adapted them to 3rd gens. It may be something I pursue later on down the road. Would definately give the car a more updated look, if not just functioning headlights! For the time being, I can at least manually raise the lights. I called Hawk's today, told them the issue, and they have said they'll ship me another module upon the return of this one, eat the cost of shipping, and toss in a light switch for $35. They've gone above and beyond to help me out, and I've told them I appreciate their help and in now way blame them for a faulty part that may not even be the only issue at hand. When using used parts, there is obviously always the chance the part won't work. But it's a chance I'll often take when the alternatives are a $240 headlight motor and $282 headlight control module. Stay tuned!

Headlight Nightmare!

Today I ventured out to the garge to fix my long standing headlight problem on my car. I've always like the clean look of a flip-up headlight car...when the lights are done. Yet when the functionality of the lights heads south, they are a real eye sore. I had one lamp quit on me a few year ago, and since then I've manually put the lamp up and down. Sometimes, more frequent recently, I'd just leave the damn thing up so I wouldn't have to get out, pop the hood, and manually put the thing up as it got dark. Working afternoons, it was a royal pain in my ass. A few months ago, the lone functioning headlight began acting up. This one however didn't appear to be the motor that went out, as this would acted like the gears were going bad, as it would try to go up, then casually fall back into place.

Anticipating my current vacation, I ordered up a used headlight motor (a new one would have set me back $240!), a rebuild kit for the other lamp, and was ready to tackle the project today. After figuring out I needed to remove the front nose tray, for lack of a better term, the project seemed pretty straight forward. With the new motor in place, I hit the light switch. Still nothing...what the fuck? Now it was time to track down this headlight control module I had heard about. Locating in on the firewall, I pulled it off, took it apart, and found at some point along the way it partially cooked itself! A toasted wire, darkened relay cover, and melted solder pointed to new found issues.

I contacted a local dealer, and was told the new controller was still available, for a hefty price of $282! Hell naw, I called my boy down at Hawk's and he asked I send him pictures and info on my car, he headed out to their F-body salvage yard and picked one off an exact year car. For $75, and an additional $20 for 2nd day air, my new controller was on it's way. In the mean time, I figured I'd install the rebuild kit for both motors, as it essentially tightens up the gear mesh. Seemed easy enough, until I saw that the instructions noted that it is not unusual for the bolt heads to snap off during disassembly. Sure as shit, I think I snapped the heads off 5 outta the 10 bolts between the two.

I made my trip to Sears, to purchase more extractor tools. I know I had previously purchased such tools, but also recall breaking a few, misplacing a few, and not being able to find them last time I tried to hunt them down. So I now have all the tools I need (except maybe a tap/die set, couldn't bring myself to fork out the money), and will try and finish the rebuild tomorrow. With the controller on the way, I will try and finish it up in a few days. With a lot of luck, I'll have two functional flip up headlights. I was hoping to Por-15 the underbody while on vacation as well, but I'm not seeing myself having the time. Some how, I gotta get it done before winter, as the salt will eat it alive if it isn't protected.

Big 3 on life support

Until recently, the condition of the Big 3 really hadn't caught my eye. Ever since graduating college and starting a career as an automotive designer the news had been the same. Once a year or so, one of the Big 3 would announce some doomsday forecast, have a wave of layoffs, and then claim everything was better and they would return to making money in the next year or two. This game of musical chairs had Ford, GM, and Chrysler all as participants. As I worked in the industry, I saw how low moral was, how one never knew if they'd be taken out in the next round of cost cutting to please stock investors. In recent years, all but a handful of contract employees were cut, and now the sweeps have headed for the direct employees, and layoffs have occurred by the thousands in terms of the white collar workforce. It hit me in the fall of 2006, and it was perhaps the best thing to happen to me in my life. 6 1/2 years in the industry, I had learned it wasn't for me, I no longer had a passion for the job, perhaps I never did. So here I am with over a year working in law enforcement, feeling like I've got more stability now than ever. Now back to the Big 3...

The Chrysler/Daimler merger came as a shock to me, though at the time, no one really realized that this merger was actually a takeover. In my opinion, Daimler truly was a savior for Chrysler in terms of styling and design. During the Daimler years Chrysler brought some of the best looking products to market in decades. The sign of concern that told me that things were truly getting bad was when the talks of Ford merging with Nissan/Renault started sounding pretty serious. Though that merger never happened, it wasn't long that Chrysler was on the trading block again, and sold to a private investment company. Initially, this sounded promising, as Chrysler was once again American owned, and free from stock holder concerns. The marriage seems to be short lived, as once again Chrysler seems headed elsewhere.

Into the mix this round is GM, the company that seems to be struggling on life support more than the other two, for this round. Talks of GM buying out/merging with Chrysler seem to have died down the past couple weeks, though government aid seems necessary to keep GM, as well as Ford and Chrysler, afloat. I guess I ask "why not?" If the government is going to bail out the financial industry/banks/mortgage companies for their unquestionable stupidity by offering unrealistic loans to people, then why not toss the manufacturing industry a life line?

Undoubtedly, things need to change. Not just for the auto industry, but manufacturing in this country. Consumers need to step up to the plate as well. The number of "Buy American" people in this country has shrunk with each coming decade. Demand for cheaper product by the buying public is partially responsible for our country's current situation. Though corporate greed plays it's part as well.

A federal loan needs to have stipulations, perhaps one being that a GM/Chrysler merger not happen. GM would salvation few things from Chrysler, likely portions of the Jeep brand, the minivan, and maybe even the Challenger for a short time, as it would offer an option to the upcoming Camaro, much like the Firebird did for many decades. After that though, all you have is several tens of thousands of white collar/blue collar workers getting laid off. In my eyes, such a move by GM only buys them time, and in my opinion, not enough time to warrant costing all those people their jobs. It's time the government steps in, offers their help, though takes steps to secure future manufacturing in this country. Too many jobs have been outsourced to other countries in the auto industry, somebody needs to take charge and rein these jobs back in for Americans.

The outlook looks dismal, and though I haven't made much mention, Ford seems headed down the same road these days. While future product from all 3 companies look promising, it's coming down the pipeline about 5 years too late. They needed their future products to fall back on today and it's another example of poor timing and our big 3's inability to see the writing on the wall like their foreign competition did.

While the future looks uncertain, the Camaro is still on track to make it's 2009 debut, thus completing the trifecta of horsepower...consisting of Mustang, Challenger, and Camaro. Whatever happens after that, at least one can say that the Big 3 when out with a bang.