Reply With QuoteYa that was Wally's boat. I was down at the new owners shop the yesterday. coming along pretty good. He is redoing it for a 540 merlin motor.
Then I got this picture and reply from the Banderlog forums.
A fellow looking like a homeless person came in the MPD shop one evening and asked "if we installed engines in jet boats". I told him "yes" and he then asked "if we would install the engine in his jet boat". I said "sure", thinking to myself that it was all a joke. He then left.
Several weeks later the same fellow showed up driving a nice shiny pickup with an injected aluminum KB hemi sitting in the bed and a brand new red & white Rogers Drag Star hitched on behind. He said "this is the engine that I'd like you to install in that jet boat". I almost fell over!
We built the rails and engine mounts, and installed the engine. During that era we also built some of the cav plate hardware used on the Drag Stars, but that stuff was usually installed in Roger's shop. I don't remember for sure if we did any of the other rigging on that boat, but I'm thinking that we may have done the pedals/plate controls because I bothered to take a pic of those. After Wally's boat left MPD, I never saw it again, but heard thru the grapevine about him setting the CompJet record.
I am thrilled to see old race boats like this being preserved and, hopefully, kept in top condition.
Jack
