I am in the slow long process of learning how to really get my '30 to where I want it, and stumbled across this podcast about the Vesco turbine-powered "hot rod" out in Bonneville... Wow. I have new goals. Not realistic goals, but goals nonetheless. I need to find a spare jet helicopter engine now. I ***ume my '30 will need at least $500 in frame mods to fit this? https://www.facebook.com/BonnevillePodcast Looks like this is either the first or second podcast from this guy but this was really good.
That would be totally off topic for this group. The realistic of racing at Bonneville: You go to Bonneville as a spectator for at least one trip. You buy a rule book at the SCTA booth along with what ever else you buy. you see what other guys are racing and what cl***es they are in and what speeds they are running. You figure out that if you put this engine in that style of body and run in _____ cl*** you can either have a lot of fun trying to improve your speed every run or if you get the recipe right you might be able to run on the record for that cl***. You stand back just a bit at the safety inspection station and observe that the inspectors go over the cars with a very fine tooth comb. Then you go home and rule book in hand start building a car to SCTA regs with all the required safety equipment and probably call the right SCTA people a time or two to clarify certain items. Best and probably the most economical way to go racing is to buy someone, been there done that Bonneville car that has raced in the last couple of years and still p***es the safety inspections. I came close to buying an OT Camaro a few years back that a guy had built, done the bucket list thing and went over a certain speed, marked that off his list and had car, trailer and some other stuff up for sale for less than you could build the car for.
Yep - about 25% of my through that right now. As far as topic - Just had to share the link where their tuner was talking about that engine on that streamliner. I love the fact that you see streamliners, belly tankers, and '34s out there. The spectacle off the salt is just as good every night at the Nugget ... which is a whole different topic indeed!
48chev speaks from wisdom. Most rookies go out there thinking it's easy. lots of drag racers find out they don't know much about engine building. Their proven "good" Hot Dog motor pukes a bunch of oil all over the place and now all the internal pieces fit loosely into a 5 gallon bucket for the s**** guy. But it is addictive!
Well, since there are a bazillion number of engine combos you can build at Bonneville where do you want to start?
If the OP truly thinks he can just toss a random turbine in a car and run it on the Salt he is more clueless that most aspiring wannabes. Bonneville is a fickle *****.
There's always the dreaded T.O. cl*** for helicopter engines and old NASCARs. Still gotta buy and build all the safety stuff and never get a trophy, let alone a record.
Plus, "non Otto Cycle Engines" only fit in Special Construction cl***es (ie; Streamliners). I don't have my rulebook at work but here is a basic breakdown. Salt 101 - Bonneville Racing Guide (motortrend.com)
Apparently I need to scrounge up another $76 !! My post was more about the guy in the podcast talking about the complexities and details of what I thought was simpler than a piston engine on the salt. Pretty interesting conversation - makes me wonder about "outside the box" solutions on what we are all pretty much used to. Great conversation here ... love it.
Dreaded T.O Cl***? Some of the best builds I have seen start out there! Gotta just go do it right? Joking aside, I've had some great conversations in line with people running Time Only. In fact - great conversation with most people running in every cl***. It's a great place.
I read your ***le and didn’t foresee where you were headed at all. The “ultimate hot rod engine” has got to be the flat head Ford/Mercury and any of it’s derivatives (Ardun) followed by the first Chrysler hemi heads. Everything else is a Johnny come lately. It sure wouldn’t be a spinning shaft running on kerosene unless you installed one in a Piper Cub..now that would be a hot rod….
The Darwin cl*** is were I was put with some of the early stuff (****) I put together. Somehow I never got an award.
Well that's a shame - because I have had hours of time wasting conversations with great folks like George and others who would spend all the time they had to help and guide others who are wanting to learn. I will gladly steer clear of those who think ANYBODY out there on the salt trying to figure things out are a waste of time, and a sideshow.
The Jalopy Journal
