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Back in the day I really liked to race. I had a '69 442 Olds with a 454 Chevy engine that my dad built for me. He didn't build it for me to race, it was an exchange for me to not get a motorcycle. He didn't want me street racing but he knew that I knew he street raced and that the apple probably wouldn't fall too far from the tree. I always wanted a 4-speed because at the time, automatics didn't have high stall converters on the street (so I thought) and I could board-shift with a 300 RPM overide which felt close enough to an automatic shift to satisfy the kid.   While out for a stroll in my Olds one day, I ran up on a '70 Super Bee just cruising along but when I pulled out to pass him, he dropped the hammer and I dropped mine with him and we had ourselves a moment that ended with me finally passing him at about 130 miles an hour.   Upon hauling it down to more reasonable speed, he flashed his head lights a couple of times so I pulled over thinking that some roadside car talk was coming. Well, he informed me that his 4.11 gears ran him out of motor and he wanted a rematch in proper fasion: Standing start, 1/4 mile! Now my Big Block was backed up with a set of 3.64's so I knew that I could take him on the top side but a B-body with a 440 and 4.11's in the ass could be a bonafide quarter horse that could stop me cold even with the automatic. All that aside, it was still a drag race and a chance to take this MOPAR driver for a Jackson (twenty dollars) and some bragging rights.   Ok, I line up with the Bee and I'm not taking him for granted. I slip the clutch clean at 2800 RPM for sweet leave and watched that 3800 pound Super Bee jump out by two car lengths in my face. I thought "What the @#&%!!!?" as I pulled my first shift at 6200RPM. I had a MOPAR to catch and six and a half telephone poles to do it.   Now, my car was gaining ground by the second and I felt confident that I could run him down but that leave had me baffled, I couldn't get it out my head, I was just shocked. I go into 4th gear and the Olds flashes the skins and puts a charge that pulls me past the Super Bee between the seventh and eighth poles. I could read his lips when I looked over at him and I don't think he was talking about his mother! He really thought he had it in the bag.   After the race,it was "pay up and chat it up" time. I just came out and said,"What the hell was that leave all about?". He told me that his tranny was done by a place called Trans Tech and filled me in on the high stall torque converter and other goodies on his car and I was quite impressed. When we got to my car and I informed him of the Big Block Chevy, he just said "Oh, you @$$hole, I didn't see that one comin'.". We talked a little longer and then went on way. I never saw that guy or that car again but some races just stay with you forever and every time I see a '70 Super Bee, my mind goes back to the eight telephone battle that taught me a thing or two about automatics. -Dan Davis