The Bench Racers Journal

[Terry Bentley]

Chapter 104

It was later in the afternoon already. We missed lunch and stayed focused on getting this kart finished today. Chris was still more than motivated to see it thru to the end. Well to the end of the day today. By now Chris was doing all of the small things to finish it out. Most of the little stuff he was comfortable doing without so much oversight.

While he stayed busy on his kart, I was thinking about setting up the lathe to bore out a few more carburetors. It would be cool for Chris to take the time watching how to modify one of these. But if there is any chance of his kart getting finished today, time was running short.

So far since Chris has been working on his kart the last two weekends, he managed to rip his shirt, and tore a chunk out of his blue jeans. He found out really quick the dangers or wearing long sleeve shirts when using certain tools. On the first day when we were still tearing down the kart, Chris managed to poke a hole in his finger. Well really just a small scratch when attempting to remove one of the cotter pins. He slipped up when trying to bend it straight with the wire cutters. He slipped and caught the sharp end of that cotter pin with his pointer finger.



What really surprised me is that he didnt make a big deal out of dripping blood all over the floor. I was even more surprised when he grabbed a roll of masking tape from the workbench, wrapping a piece around his finger, then getting right back to work.

If Steve had done this, he would be milking it for all that it was worth. Especially if helping me work on something of mine. If it was his project, then maybe not so much. I remember one time I slammed down a sledge hammer then screaming at the top of my lungs. I flung some ketchup and it landed all over Steve. He was covered in blood, well what he assumed to be my blood.

I had never seen him get so ghost like pale and weak in the knees. I thought he was really going to pass out after thinking all of that blood was real and mine. I was holding my hand still screaming and dancing all around acting like it was seriously painful. While watching him almost faint from the sight of the fake blood. He had to sit down before he fell over.

Steve later told me it wasnt the sight of the blood that messed him up so much as thinking how bad I might have been hurt. Like lopping off my finger or cutting a major blood vessel. After one of those Red Cross First Aid courses, he was afraid of having to put on a tourniquet. Then having me pass out from blood loss. So was I supposed to feel guilty now?

I remember something last year when just hanging out with some friends a street over. We really didnt have much in common, just the local neighborhood gang. David Jez was only a year younger than me. We were playing heads or tales and I had dropped that quarter on the ground. 

We were both shuffling around trying to grab it. David slipped and his knee slid across the rough concrete on the sidewalk. I stood there checking out the minor damage looking down at a small scrape that just started to creep out a single drop of blood.

After seeing himself bleeding out, David had collapsed to both of his knees then layed over to one side and hit the ground hard. He was out flat not moving. Just like someone killed him. Except there was no gun shot.

I didnt realize at the time he fainted at the very sight of blood. Fortunately the next door neighbor knew him very well. She was a few years older than us and used to baby sit him and his younger brother Eric.

She immediately realized what happened. Then managed to carry him into his house and put him to bed. She came out and explained to me what the deal was.

He was coming around now, but not likely feeling up to resuming whatever we were doing any time soon. This was a first for me. I had no idea people could faint from just the sight of blood.

As many times me and Steve have scratched, gouged, ripped, and even had to be stitched back together over the last few years, that would be a lot of fainting sessions.

Last spring after the little fiasco at Fabens, I looked like a train wreck, according to Steve when we went to the Circle Grill. I had to go clean up at his insistence before we sat down to eat. He said my appearance completely killed his appetite.

There was dried blood all over my body. That cut on my forehead with butterfly bandage, and those scrapes looked more like some Halloween makeup job. My clothes were torn and dirty matching my body just the same.

Then a few weeks ago when we were at Fabens for the second practice. I got flipped over Franks kart when the engine dieseled and started up backwards causing me to get thrown over it. That really hurt. I was scarred up for nearly a week before everything started growing back. There was scrapes under my clothes I didnt even find out about until the next day.

It was last winter when Steve tried to drill a hole thru his finger and actually succeeded too. Fortunately he was using a very small drill bit. He jerked his hand back so hard from the pain the drill bit broke off. 

A couple days before this little stunt Steve had smashed his finger helping out his dad installing some cabinets at a job. He was complaining non-stop about the throbbing and pressure he felt on that one now very black fingernail. I told him drilling a hole thru it would relieve the pressure. But I didnt think he would clamp up his finger in a vice then use the drill press actually doing it that way.

The remains of that broken drill bit was sticking out both sides of his finger. I kept trying to calm him down so it could be pulled out. He was dancing and squirming all around not to mention yelling all kinds of obscenities.

I grabbed his hand and quickly removed the broken drill bit with pliers. This should have been thought thru a little bit better before proceeding, but the drill bit was removed. That fingernail well it was mostly removed too.

The only really stupid thing Chris has done so far, is wrapping up his tee shirt in the hand drill that had a small grinding wheel attached. As the tee shirt coiled up tight, his finger was also stuck keeping the drill running.

I was laughing so hard until realizing he wasnt seeing the fun in that. I unplugged the drill since his hand was wrapped up like a mummy. This gave him a scare more than anything. So it took a moment to get him to calm down so we could unwind everything.

Now Sunday evening has made its debut and time for Chris to call it quits. Fish came over and was amazed to see the kart finished and looked almost brand new. He was sold. The only thing left to do is work on the engine. I would keep it here, but the kart was now getting loaded up and leaving.

After Chris finished up with everything he thanked me about ten times, then thanked me a few more times. Terry, you dont know how much I appreciate all of your help. I know I was a big pain in the butt being here all weekend, but so happy how well my kart turned out.

Before they drove off, Chris went inside and thanked my mom for allowing him to come over and hang out with everyone for the whole weekend. He hung his head out the window of the truck and told me he left a box in the garage. I asked if he wanted me to go grab it real quick before they left.

Nope Terry, I left it there on purpose. What is inside wont come close to paying you for all of the help on my kart. But it is something I think you can use. Thanks again, and good night. They drove off down the street and out of sight.

Right then I realized there was nothing left to do. Steve had already gone home and I was out here all alone. There was now a feeling of emptiness when everything just stopped and got boring. All that time and work we did just finished up like flipping off a light switch.

I went back in the now very quiet garage. It is amazing how much activity there was just a few minutes before. We had been working all day making plenty of noise. Now everything is finished done and gone. Parking myself down at the desk I was almost feeling like an adrenaline rush was crashing.

This reminded me every time I went to the track. Didnt matter if I was watching, practicing or actually racing. Even tho the racing has only happened once. You get that excitement going and it stays there the whole time. Right up until the last kart engine is killed and then comes the silence. This is when everything in your mind crashes. Everything just stops. You are now done, the day is over.

Sitting on the desk was the August issue of Karting World. I had intended on reading this cover to cover, like all of the other issues sitting around here. Too much focus on the karts over the last couple of weeks has kept me distracted and from stretching out and enjoying what is in this issue.

There was a decent write up on modifying the Power Products AH-58. Another article covering a new to the karting scene engine, one Cary 94. This engine looks more like something off of an Italian motor scooter. It is supposed to put out 8 hp at 7000 rpm. Wow, that would be cool with so much power to put down on the track. It had some oddball Delorto carburetor that sure looks very complicated. Well compared to what is being used on most kart engines I have seen at the track.

What really caught my attention was on the next page after that engine analysis. The Fox Mak-Kart, KART TEST #26. This is nothing like the previous model Mak-Kart. The only similarity is in the name. This frame sort of follows the lines of the Go-kart 800, but with some very major and obvious differences.



One big noticeable difference is the seat. Instead of having a welded in sheet metal tub, there is a full form fitting fiberglass seat. Wow, another kart using a fiberglass seat like on the Cates kart. Maybe this is something that will become the standard. Who really knows?

Something else different from the Go-kart 800 is the steering hoop is very narrow. I like the looks and benefit of this on karts. I figure more of them will be coming this way. Sure makes sense to me.

The real big shocker is the front end is slightly extended putting the tie rods out of the way behind the front axle and below the steering shaft. The main rails are longer by a little bit with the dropped front axle angled a lot farther back than what is normally seen on most conventional kart frames. This is one way to extend the frame and keep the wheelbase short.

So now the kart has adequate leg room, plenty of clearance with the steering components, and the wheel base is not any longer for everything to fit nicely between. The wheelbase is only 42 1/2 inches. This is shorter than the Go-kart 800 and a lot shorter than Franks Dart proto special wannabe Super K sometimes kart.  

After a few minutes of fumbling thru the kart magazine, I was now feeling bummed out being all alone, but my curiosity got the best of me. I started thinking about that big box sitting over in the corner left here by Chris. I wonder what he meant about something I could use?