FLATCAD RACING Bonneville 2011 Build

Tim, By FlatCad, I was referring to the engine-I should have clarified that!

We'll drop a SBC in the car, and head to Bonneville. We'll be able to get the car teched,shake the car down, and make our licensing runs. If everything works out, we'll be back with the FlatCad (engine) for WOS

 

man It is so close so far away , sorry to hear it but totally understand, at this point i think we will be ok with the flyer...is the car in ohio? we could pull the sbc outa my funny car and use it only 10 runs on it decent little mtr.. kinda hard to get out but could be done...im just so tied up with the flyer i dont have time to get it out....

 

yep, i agree.

 

where is the thread on the top chop? a friend wants me to chop his 37 buick the same way. man, i dunno if i want to tackle that or not.you did a fantastic job!

 

hope ya like dark beer............

 

Haha! Beer's like women- it's all good if you ain't payin for it!

 

Yeah, Delayed buy Not Down and Out!

We've all done our damnedest to put 5 lbs to work into a 3 lb bag . . . and yah know what - with enough fabrication, metal work, hammering, stammering, raw relentlessness and thrashing . . . it ALMOST fits.

It is a bummer not having the FlatCad engine done for Speed Week - but we're not done . . . we've just switched gears for now to shake down the car and hopefully get it and US through tech and licensing - then run the engine at hopefully it's full potential at WOS.

When you really think about it - this is not a bad plan. Get one major thing done at a time . . . instead of ALL of it, all new, and untested at the same time. With a transplanted engine we can go to Jegs for any dang piece we need and have it within an hour -- makes that part nice doesn't it.

Took me awhile to get my head to this new place - but after lots of eMails, conversations, and most importantly SUPPORT from the FlatCad crew - that is where I'm at. Truth be told, it is a better plan than attempting to thrash through a very expensive, new and custom engine (the FlatCad) and screwing it and/or ourselves up - that just isn't smart. I was too bull-headed to see that until yesterday (with a bit of persuasion and a gut check). The 'reality gauge' was a bit hard to read - now it is clear.

With that said, we are not slowing down on any aspect of the build - as WOS is only a few weeks past Bonneville.

I'm picking up a SBC block and heads from Fowlers today to mock up the engine compartment (already did all the measurement stuff) - a SBC is about 1.5" smaller in width and length.

If we can get a SBC engine here, the car will be ready for a heart transplant at the last minute. In the meantime,we're working on the car, chassis, plumbing, electrical, safety stuff to tidy it all up and be ready.

Just want to say a big THANKS for all the support of the team and this site - this is a bit of a bump in the road, but we're not dwelling on it, we're dealing with it and moving forward. It is the right thing to do . . .


Now - back to the FlatCad/Chev . . . WhateverTF we want to call it for now

B&S

 

Well Buddy, I'm going to sound like you talking to me now -- there is no blame and no need for apologies . . . as we have not QUIT, we've just changed gears due to not being able to get every last thing done correctly in time.

I keep hearing guys like Pete1, Jeff Fowler and your Pops in my head --> "it is better to do it right the first time - then to screw it up".

We're doing the right thing to see if we can get 1/2 the challenges out of the way at SpeedWeek (the car and us 'rookies') and then focusing on the engine for WOS. This is a perfectly good plan - probably the BEST plan if we weren't so bull headed to start with!

We're keeping on it . . . this will be a busy weekend for sure!

B&D

 

Never met a woman that didn't cost!

 

Google USFRA. The dates are September 13 through 17. Bring a jacket, early mornings are much coooler. See you there.

 

I agree with the Flat Cad engine delay. I was concerned when you were going to the salt without any dyno runs. The extra month will allow for some time for tuning. If something breaks on the Dyno there may be some time to fix it.

Keep pushing for SBC powered version as tech inspection is less than 2 weeks away (I think).

Best wishes. N B R

 

You have all made an incredible effort, to get it ready with the flatcad.
Seem like a good plan B. to shoot for shakedown with a SBC.

I wish i had made a Plan B. So we are in the kind of same boat.
look like i will not run any races this year.

Keep up the good spirit!

Br
Kjell

................................
Taildragger&fenderless

 

Guys, Thanks for all the support!

We built the car for a blown class over 175 mph. We will now be running in C/GCC, I think.

The only thing I've found we are not in compliance with is the fire system. I've contacted DJ Safety, and we'll take care of that.

Does anyone know if I've missed something?

 

Beer

 

did you decide on an engine buddy? mine is still available if you want to use it. might make my funny car worth more after you go fast with ....sam

 

You have to much time and money in the Cad motor to hurry and throw it together. It's not like you can run out and buy another one. Good Luck!

 

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]Sam, thanks for the offer, but we might hurt ourselves with that!

Seriously, though, Pete1 has his engine out of his car, and it will be delivered to Dale this week.

Thanks a bunch for the offer, though!

 

We will need a SBC bell housing, SFI approved, and gear drive starter.

Anyone have a line on one? I'd hate to spend the money on a new one, just for one tIme!

 

I thought they were all the same? LAKEWOOD SAYS 262-454. Maybe you have something else going on. I know when I put a Chevy blowshield on my 392, the stock flywheel was too big. I had to turn it down and use a Chevy ring gear.

 

Rich, I thought so too,but that was the message I received earlier. We need one regardless, because that was a standard bellhousing, not a SFI blowshield.

 

hmmmm big and small are the same regardless??/ same bolt pattern etc... i have a spare steel lakewood style here with block plate of bruces? no sfi but as i read the bonne rules it has to be a 1/4 inch think shield or sfi or approved speal design. i asked steve davies bout ours and said it is a 1/4 incher and factory built it is good... ???

 

Sam, you're right!

Call you tomorrow?

 

Ill be here all day call me 405 250 5947

 

Can't you just run TO? Use the same equipment you are set up with.

You are already making a class change with C/GCC.

 

Still needs a blow shield. The external blow shield for the Cad should be OK with a SBC stock bellhousing.

 

Ouch August 1st,.........is here, gettin really close now.........

 

FlatCad Engine Update - Keeping Things Moving!

Even though we're doing a heart transplant for SpeedWeek - putting in a SBC motor so we can shakedown the car, the drivers, get some licenses, drink some beer and have some fun (in no particular order ), we're keeping the FlatCad work moving forward for WOS.

1) Adding Studs to the Deck: We wanted to add studs to provide additional clamping force for the heads. The FlatCad motor has come fairly large 'gaps' in the stud locations around the bore - so we're adding our own (obviously they're in the head designs). The best way to add the additional studs on the deck surface (we've added 7 per side), the block needs to be setup in a mill.

2) Valve Seat/Pocket Work: Also, while the block is in there, we need to do the valve seat cutter work. The valve angles on the FlatCad are about 6 degrees off of square (angled toward the bore), so it requires some special mounting blocks to set the valve angle. Fowler made the big aluminum blocks for the valve work - to get the block exactly right in the mill - you'll see them at the bottom of the picture.

3) Intake Girdle Plate Studs: You can't see it in this picture, but we're also adding five 3/8 studs (on each side) to hold the intake girdle and exhaust flange plate down. The plate is 3/4" steel and will hopefully provide some strength to the top of the block and it gives us a much cleaner way to setup the blower manifold, exhaust primary headers, etc.. I didn't like the stock method of holding all the manifolds down - looked like a big accident waiting to happen under boost!

 

FlatCad Timing Cover Update - Donovan Gear Drive Cover Plate:

I completed this design in SolidWorks and Kevin/Keeper is making it for us out of 1/2" 6061 Aluminum -- on his CNC machine. We have to complete all the parts we need for WOS whlie we're getting the car/SBC ready for SpeedWeek. All the balls are being kicked boys!

What the Hell is This?

The purpose of this plate is to "fool" the Donovan BBC gear drive into thinking it is on a BBC! Essentially this adapts the bolt hole pattern, offsets, etc - between the stock FlatCad block face and the BBC cover. Now we've done other things in the internals of the motor for all of this to work, some of which . . . I'm not gonna share

By the way, if any of you need a gear drive, I highly recommend Donovan - they are one great company to deal with. When I made the CAD drawing, I had some concerns about the bolt hole spacing, the detailed hole centerlines, etc.. I sent them an eMail (letting them know that we're in a hurry) and they got back to me (as usual) the very next day. In the meantime they'd checked/validated all the numbers on their parts, NC programs and drawings. Their level of customer service is fantastic for guys like me who are doing "funny stuff". Also, their products and machine work are among the best out there. Way to go Donovan!

Here is a picture of the CAD model:

 

Car Update . . . Hang Onto Your Toupee's . . . Coming this Evening!

We've been kicking ass and taking names - if the engine from Pete arrives as it should this Friday, we'll be on the salt!

 

Too bad the car will be so damn ugly, without the blower, bugcatcher, and zoomies on the car.

...maybe we could use that big hole in the hood for an ice chest, full of beer?