Hot Rods P-38 Belly Tank & Alvord Dry Lake Adventure. BY Marty Strode

So cool.

 

Wonderful photos by Scott Mead, really captures the surroundings!

 

I have been thinking how special it would be, if Pat Ganahl could bring the Spalding Bros copy that I built him, next year. Might have to work on that.

 

Hi Stogy,
This outing was pretty tame in regards to my speeds, since the car was untested, so I did not go over 100 mph. One issue was that at this altitude (4000 ') the carbs seemed to be running rich, so I need to work with Mike Moore to get them dialed in for more serious speeds next year. It is a brand new engine and I first tried to run an air filter system (made by my friend Harold Peters the day before the run) owing the substantial sand in the air, but Marty pointed out that this made the engine even run more rich and could wash down the liners causing more damage than sand. So we removed the filters and just drove fast enough to stay ahead of the dust which was fun.

All in all I was very happy with the car, since it drove remarkably easy and felt very stable. The few times I got into high gear it really pulled well and was eager to go. I suppose that we really should also install the shoulder belts before driving in anger.

So hopefully the next time out I can report some more interesting speeds...
Ed

 

In a go-kart like that, I'll bet ANY speed is interesting!

 

I hear you on the filters, myself having 94s being so sensitive to any type of restriction...I just run bug dome screens after having mixed performance with the minimal offerings of filters available...

Not trying to be offensive in any way but do you enter this racer with the top half off and have the top half installed...heck that may have been typical for many back in the day for all I know...

I remember seeing pics of racers wiggling and contorting themselves into these restricted spaces...

Is this your first experience with something this confined...I mean that alone is something that would take a little getting used to...

I'm very happy the overall experience for all of you went incredibly well it seems and as alluded the ambience in the imagery is breathtaking to those off us the revere this vintage type of experience...literally surreal and moving and spiritual moment for all of you there I'm sure...

 

That experience would have given me an erection that lasted for more than 4 hours!!!

 

That might confuse shifting just a little bit...

I can imagine hearing 'Yeehaaw' echoing in the dusty vapour trails from many a racer hitting their intended marks over the years...and the rest well it's covered anyways...

 

https://home.collectorpartexchange.com/articles/a-belly-tank-racer-is-reborn-in-the-alvord-desert

...Now if only you could get one of these to do a Flyby at the next event...priceless

So beautiful yet so sinister at the same time...looking at the big picture...

I worked on a Lancaster Restoration not to mention also working in a vintage Wartime Aircraft Factory as well that built 433 of the near 5000 made and I many times, especially when within thought of those that went through the hell in them...I often wonder if you fellas working on and piloting them feel similar thoughts...

You just can't deny the incredibly close connections to The War and Hotrods

Lest We Forget

Credit to Photographer, Owner
​

 

Ed, Stogy refers to confined spaces, you need to post some pics of the Amilcar !

 

Honestly I'm pretty good with tight spaces but I can get that not so good feeling, I've had a few times...

The open or canopyless Tanks might be better for not getting it...I figure many who piloted these things after WW11 may have had already been acclimatized to it flying Aircraft, being in Turrets, being in Subs and Tanks and such...

 

I'm with @Stogy on that one... I need a horizon reference or I get a bit green around the gills! To many years in various armored things that I couldn't see out of

 

Hi Stogy,

Your question "Not trying to be offensive in any way but do you enter this racer with the top half off and have the top half installed...heck that may have been typical for many back in the day for all I know..." is entirely reasonable, since I wondered the same thing myself at first. Marty predicted that I would not be able to fit and that only he would be able to drive it... wishful thinking. So, when I first got the car home from Marty's last week, I was determined to figure out a way to get in it and found that using a step stool that I could indeed get in the car with the top on.

A major concern was how to keep the top on - do we go around and use a bunch of nuts and bolts? That worried me for two reasons: 1) The nuts would probably shake loose and if the top got free it would slide backwards and cut my head in half - ouch! My wife would be pretty pissed about that too. 2) It would take a lot of time to get the top off in the event of an emergency.

Fortunately, by chance the day before we ran it in the desert I was in Burns, Oregon at Parr Lumber and saw some nice 1/4" diameter adjustable clevis pins, and it occurred to me that they might just fit in four 1/4" holes that were on the seam of the tank near where the axles emerge from the body (the normal holes are about 1/8" or 3/16" diameter). Sure enough they slid right in, so I squeezed the top and bottom half of the tank together and put a washer between the locking pin and the belly tank rim to protect the paint and presto the top half was securely in place in about 2 minutes vs. the typical 10-15 minute ordeal that we had in the shop with nuts and bolts (that were anxious to fall off as soon as possible!). It was also a much more robust method in terms of staying "locked" during operation, and you can quickly full all four pins in less than a minute and have the top off. I am guessing that given that the four 1/4" holes were already in place with worn paint around them that Everett and Tom Fornaciari most likely came up with this solution since it so straightforward. A bit of automotive archeology I guess.

Getting back to your original question of how do you get in the car, after a couple of runs I soon discovered that I did not need the stool at all and could simply high-step over the side and drop a leg into the cockpit and stand on the B-17 bomber seat. I then grabbed my other foot and yarded it over the opening and placed it on the seat so that I was now standing on both feet. You then shimmy and slide down the seat back with your arms raised and drop into the tank. Once you are in there its actually quite roomy, although when the water tank gets hot (its only 2" behind you!) it helps to stand up on the seat to cool off when you are waiting to start a run. We really do need to install shoulder belts, since the edge of the tank is only about 8" in front of your face and that would obviously not feel good if you hit it.

Thanks again for your interest and I hope this helps,

Ed

PS You are dead on with your comment it was "literally surreal and moving and spiritual moment for all of you there I'm sure..." The only other similar experience that I have had in a car is driving my 1925 Amilcar CGS in the Mille Miglia in 2004 over the mountain passes. The engine is only 1100cc so I kept it wound up to over 4000 rpm most of the time and drifted through corners to keep our speed up. It was a true "man and machine" moment.

 

Per Marty's request here is a photo of the 1925 Amilcar CGS in the Mille Miglia. It too had pretty cramped quarters.

 

What a great achievement to bring this Tank back to its former glory. Marty and Ed, thanks for taking us on this over cool journey...its so captivating and this is the reason that myself and some others are building our own Belly Tanks now but alas with no history. Do you have any photos of the inside as i love seeing how they were built back then. Thanks, JW

 

I am happy to help you. Here is a period photo that Everett Adams gave me in 2016. You can see the Halibrand, quick change, roll bar, bomber seat, DC3 steering wheel, etc. It has Model T frame rails. Most belly tanks have have their rails higher up about even with the edge, but Everett and Tom ran them low as shown. It may have given a stiffer chasses, since the tubular cross members have less span?
Ed


Marty and I had to figure out a lot of missing details, so let me know if you need more info and I can email you.
Ed

 

More shots.

 

If i could build mine like that i would be driving it by now!! JW

 

Well well well. This must be the Belly Tanker that you were supposed to invite me to check out before it left your shop. I will get even Mr Strode…

 

Larry
When did they let you out!

 

After they had gone!! JW

 

Larry, I wanted you to see it finished, before leaving my shop. That was a window of about 30 minutes, while it was being loaded. Getting it finished and out the door, was the best Birthday present I have gotten for some time ! It's now only 1/2 hour away on Chehalem Mountain. I will take you there !

 

@Larry Anderson
Good results on your guilt-job, Larry!

 

Happy Birthday Ed !

 

Thanks Marty - completing this project and driving it only two days later is the best birthday present ever!

 

We had a planning meeting a couple of months ago, when it looked like we could hold a larger gathering at Alvord. After taking a picture at my shop, my nephew Ken, did a little photoshop, placing us on the lakebed. It would have made a great poster.

 

Well, my friends, here is the movie trailer of the event. Enjoy !

 

...to heck with popcorn I'm getting a beer...

Very impressive...my first thoughts...it looks to have been a helluva good time...

 

Well done!! How very well done.

 

The video is perfect, short but to the point, it gets the message across perfectly! It’s almost like being there, but really not just there but back in the 1940’s too.