Syncrowave 200

Earlier this year I decided that it was time to break down and buy a welder. I was getting into way to many situations that required a welder, and I knew that if I wanted to weld CM and Aluminum it had to be a TIG welder. I am getting pretty good at welding MS & CM and notching tubes. I have used a lot of small diameter CM in making the brackets etc. for the SBC project and it has come in real handy, my skills have improved a great deal this year. I found this unit on craigslist located between Cincinnati and Dayton, it came with the cart, helmet and I the guy threw this check fixture plate in with the deal that is a qualified check fixture from some discontinued automotive part. It works great for clamping work to since it is perfectly flat and has many threaded holes in it. When I bought the welder, there was 2 minuets on the usage timer, and i bought it for just over half of the new price when it was about 1.5 years old. I thought it was a screamin' deal.

Racetech rear engine dragster

About a week after we sold the Austin Healey, Emily (pregnant with Alex), Austin, and I drove to North Carolina to pick up the 225" Racetech. This was not the plan as the person who was supposed to go with me had to cancel at the last min., so she packed up and within an hour we were on our way to 30 hrs of driving in about 36 hrs. When we were driving through the Virginia beach area on our way back, Emily (pregnant with Alex) pretty much lost it " I have never been to the East coast and now I cannot even stop to enjoy the beach!!" (Did i mention that it was that it was raining and thundering). We ran the car during the 2008 season, and Alex was born that summer as well. The car ran 8.80's at 150 mph in the 1/4 and 5.50's at 125 in 1/8th mile. That car was sold in October and made its way to Louisiana.

Here is a video I put together:
http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f148/SP3258/Misc/?action=view&current=McCombsRacing2008.flv

1949 Studebaker R5

This truck belonged to my Grandpa and after he passed away my Dad acquired this truck. Both drove this truck cross country with their wives, in the summer of 1997 my grandparents drove this from Spokane to Boston and back, and my parents made a round trip from Spokane to Cincinnati summer of 2008, both trips were to visit their kids and grandchildren. This truck has been modified and updated over the years and this is the current state of the truck:

1949 Studebaker R5
1972 Chev Nova front clip
1985 Camaro rear axle on modified stock springs with air bags
PB, PS, AC, cruise ctrl
1981 250 ci Chevrolet SDLD block with integral manifold head (replaced earlier 1972 Chev 250)
350 turbo transmission

Austin Healey 1962 MK III replica

This was a project that my Grandfather had in process that he was not able to finish before he passed away. About a year later, we ended up with the car and was able to take it to completion. This had an 2.8L V6 EFI engine (with an aftermarket SDS engine management, this was my first project with stand alone engine mgt) and we had a blast with this car while we had it, and won a couple of things at car shows. The decision was made to go drag racing, and this car was sold to finance the efforts, it was hard to see it go, but the time was right, and it found a good home in California where the 'no-top' could be utilized.

The Endeavor

I would probably say that this was the pinnacle of the McCombs racing efforts. I was able to travel to the salt flats in Utah just about every time my Dad and Grandfather went down there, even a couple times when we did not run the truck. This was a vision that my grandfather had to set a land speed record, and he and my dad did it many times, I believe improving the record every year. The engine came from the pull tractor, a Detroit Diesel 12V-71





Doug and Mike McCombs

Doug, Ruth & Mike McCombs

The Crew

In the 200 mph club!!

R.C. racing

This is where the first taste of any competitive racing started taking place. I had spent plenty of time with my Dad and Grandpa at various tractor pulls, drag races etc., but this was my first experience. When I was around 7-8 years old, I started working for the family business, McCombs Engine Sales. My job was an important one, i swept floors, sorted fasteners, and mowed down weeds in the back lot. This was my summer time job, I think I was about the only person in 3rd grade that had a summer job, and looking back now it was a way for my parents to keep me from fighting with my sisters all summer long. But i saved my money and with the help of my parents i bought my first car and a few other cars followed, after all, you can't just have one, right? This was a blast for me, it seems that i raced every week for several years, and most of the time dad took me down at least 1 other night for practice. I can remember the excitement I had racing, win or loose, when i got home I could not go to sleep, to much excitement, and i think it occupied my thoughts every waking hour during the week. Looking back the experience taught me several lessons. I remember that i was upset that my parents made me work all summer to earn money to buy the race car, although they said they would match me dollar for dollar to buy the car, I wanted it now! The lesson was learned through the hours of work, and that car was my prize possession, taking care to make sure everything was cleaned and maintained between races. Dad always taught me that proper maintenance and double checking everything was essential to success in racing, and he was always there to pick up the pieces of the car when I wrecked it and make repairs to try and get it back on the track. Dad also taught me about perseverance. I remember when he took me to Tri-cities WA. for a race. After weeks of anticipation, race day came, and through all the practice and qualifying laps we made, we just could not get the car to hook up on the track, it would always spin out in the corners. We started in the bottom qualified race, and whatever last second changes Dad made to the car, it worked, just when it mattered most, the car stuck to the track and we were able to win the race and bump to the next. All of the frustration just made the win that much better.

AMC Javelin

This is Dads AMC Javelin.

304 .060 over, Harland Sharp roller rockers, Hooker headers, Arias piston 10.75 comp, Milodon gear drive, Crower cam, MSD ignition, Mallory unilite distributor, 727 Torque Command w/10" convertor, 4.56 w/Detroit Locker

Tractor Pulls

Here are a couple pictures of the old pull tractors. Some of my earliest memories were tractor pulls, all i remember is noise, slinging dirt, late nights, and thinking how cool it would be to be the guy that rides the pull sled


Doug McCombs 'Vindicator'

Mike McCombs and 'Kermit'
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This engine ended up in the Endeavor land speed record truck

Tractors Loaded

'Kermit' warming up

'Kermit' Hooked and ready to pull

Mark McCombs Nova

These are pictures of Mark McCombs Nova and the 250 he and my dad (Mike) built for it. They used a 230 ci Pontiac four barrel intake manifold and dual exhaust manifold with a 3/4" thick 6061 aluminum adapter to match the ports that dad built with his Bridgeport and a die grinder. The thing really ran, Comp cam, 9.5 forged TRW pistons. It ran high 14's at Spokane Raceway Park.

McCombs Engine Sales Dragster

This is the McCombs Engine Sales dragster driven by Joe Blaylock, one high budget piece for the day. Stroked SBC (approx 390 ci) Brownfield aluminum heads with spread intake ports, Milodon aluminum block, roller cam with .700" lift on the intake, Crower injectors (methanol), Vertex magneto, Crower centrifugal clutch, 2 speed air shift Lenco. Ran 8.0's @ 180 MPH the way it sits in the pictures at the Spokane Auto Boat Speed Show in 1980

It ran 6.90's with a blower at around 370 ci