Thanks for all the info guys, I have already decided that is more trouble for me than its worth to get into this sport. So I no longer need any more advice. I will still be posting some pics for fun though. Thanks Hi there. I am currently building a 1949 F-84e Thunderjet wing tank lakester and I would like to run it on the salt some day. But I have never been to boneville or any other land racing meet, and I have to say I am quite intimidated to get my foot in the door. My lakester is aluminum body with mild steel inner frame, full transverse leaf suspension, front and rear brakes, and it has really vintage look to it. The only thing thats not old school is the engine. It has a 2003 yamaha R1 1000cc fuel injected 4 cylinder with 6 speed transmission. I plan to make a complete post very soon of my progress so far and will include lots of pics. To start with I was wondering if anyone knows what cl*** this would be considered? Does anyone know if I HAVE to have a full roll cage around my seat? I plan on the car being street legal and plan on driving it on the street, and a full roll cage would make that impossible. I plan on making a single loop roll bar that fits under the body and head rest area behind the driver seat, but no more than that. I was told that I might just have to run the street legal cl***. But what fun would it be to stop at 135mph if I can go faster?? I'm not looking to have people bash on my design, just looking for any helpful info you guys might have. Thanks so much Joe
Ya, but I get the Idea that I may have already gone to far in the build to backtrack and fix things. Hopefully thats not the case. It would be quite an honor in my eyes to run on the salt. I am only 27, but I have so much respect for the pioneers of hotrodding. Thanks for the post, I will start looking for a book.
Gunna need a full cage. No such thing as a street legal cl***. You either build it to run as a race car or you don't run it at all.
I was told on the landspeed racing forum that as long as its registered and plated and is compliant with all street legal components(lights and mirrors, etc. ) that it could be run in the "street legal cl***" which is limited to 135mph. Well if thats not true, Is it acceptable to have a roll cage that is removable? What if it slipped onto the frame with sleeves and bolted in? I could deffinately fabricate a removable drivers cage.
Joe Go here: http://www.landracing.com/forum You should find all your answers there. I believe that there is a street cl*** where you can run, but not exceed 130 MPH. Good Luck Jim
you will get bored at 130, it's not worth the gas to the salt. You can build a removable cage that you install for racing only, but obviously it must be very well thought out and well built. There is more than one car out there now that has removable side bars(door slammers) and top cages as well. Our '27 roadster has a removable part that when taken out turns it back into a 2 seater. There are some good threads onthis onthe landracing site at http://www.landracing.com/forum/. My suggestion as others have done is to go ahead and become a member of BNI and SCTA , get the rulebook and read it over and over again. There are lots of little details into building a legal car that are easy to implement if you kow them first. Even on the street though(or maybe even more so) you want a very safe cage around your whole body and a safety belt that will keep you in the car. With that motor it's probaly much more dangerous on the street than the salt, especially with transverse springs and if you have 'old school' brakes...forget about it... If you are really serious about racing it, go out to the salt as a spectator next year first, you wil learn more in a few days there than 360 evenings on the internet. good luck, hans
Thanks for the info on the cage. I know I can make a nice removable cage if I put my mind to it. I already found another member who is going to give me a 2005 scta rulebook to get me started. He said the same thing, that I should go and spectate, thats its really amazing. Ya, I imagine it will be quite hairy on the street, I can already tell that its going to want to have alot of body roll because of the transverse springs(won't like cornering). But I am going to install 4 friction shocks. The brakes are disc up front and drum in back, both from a suzuki samurai. So the braking should not be a problem. I am going to post my pics so far on monday, so come back and check it out. Thanks again for the post and for the info.
The street legal cl*** that's being talked about has NOTHING to do with the SCTA. The World of Speed event is put on by the USFRA. They have their own cl***es that are a bit different than the SCTA. Your car is considered an "open car" and according to the USFRA web site will require a 4 point roll bar. IMO all open cars should have a full roll cage. but it's your head not mine.
Ya, I know its a bit daring to be out in the open, but I also ride a street bike and I figure it cant be any worse than that. Im already a donor in that sense. LOL. I agree its a good idea to have a cage at high speed. Correction. Great Idea. I just don't know if I want to compromise the look of the car. It really just started as a fun project to take to car shows. But I have found out that If I make it legal and run it, that it will be worth alot more. So I guess I just need to decide what it is I want out of it... Thanks for the info.
I ride a Buell XB9 on a 90 mile round trip to and from work on some vert busy So Cal freeways. If I ever dump the bike I'll slide and roll and get rashed up but I'll live. If you go over in a car and your head is the highest point you'll lose your ****ing head. It has nothing to do with what you think might be daring or what you're comfortable with. And cages aren't good or great ideas. They're mandatory. You want to run it then put a cage in it. Look at Bobby Green's belly tanker. It looks like it came right out of the 50's but it has a full cage that meets current SCTA rules. The cage is all hidden by a nice canopy. BTW don't even bother with a 2005 rule book. **** changes every year and you'll only screw yourself if you try to build a car to rules that are 4 years old. Get a 2009 rule book.
A 2005 rule book is of no use whatsoever. There has been some major changes in roll cage rules since then. A roll bar will NOT p*** SCTA or USFRA. And you won't convince them its your head. Its their rules and if you want to race you play by their rules. Somebody said that all the SCTA rules are written in somebody's blood. They try not to have to write rules. The bolt in cage is something you would more than likely have to submit in writing to the SCTA for approval. I would suggest you do that before building it and finding out its illegal. Roll bars were grandfathered in for some cars. But after a serious crash a few years ago that all went out the window. Its a cage now and its a cage to certain specs. So get a 2009 rulebook and read it carefully. You would probably run in I/Gas Lakester. Headlights, tailights and a license plate won't matter a damn. Show up with a bellytank and open wheels and you're lakster. The record is 194 mph which would mean a chute. There would also be in the basic requirements the need for fire extinguishers, rated fire suit, 5 point harness (to certain specs), speed rated tires etc. There is also talk of a HANS device being mandatory but I don't know for certain. I don't mean to pee on your BBQ but its a bit more than showing up and racing.
Ya, I get the idea I should just stick to building it just for fun. because the fact is that I know nothing about the rules, and honestly it makes me cringe just thinking about trying to please them. I never liked having to meet "criteria". So forget it, If I can be convinced within 12 hrs. of starting a thread that its just to much of a pain in the ***, Then I have already made my descision. I will still be posting pics for fun, Thanks to everyone for the info, you made the descision easy.
www.saltflats.com for 130/150 club rules. they also run scta rule records in sept. 130 is very difficult - I've seen plenty of cars that can't make it. Its not the 130, its the short distance/no traction. great fun and cheap.130 club for street legal and licensed vehicles. www.landracing.com for the best forum (only forum?) Have fun, be careful. Let me know if I can point you . . . .
What Fiddytree said. Don't give up just cause it's not easy. Read The USFRA requirments for the 130 club. Contact the USFRA for real info. This forum is great but not the finial answer. www.saltflats.com will give you the real dope. You have till Sept to build a cage. See you on the salt.
Hang in there! Like Rich says, Its worth it. We've been working on ours almost two years.... Bonneville is like no other.
Honestly, I would not want to go faster than 150 in this car. Like it has been said by looking at it, its just not safe. And while some people might push it faster than that, I won't. But I also beleive that should be the drivers decision. To me thats part of what makes racing so fun, is the danger and to see how big of balls people have, you know. I have mostly been into drag racing (nostalgia drags, altered's and g***er's) and the track is only 5 minutes from my house. I love to watch some of those old cars come out of the hole(deffinately not safe, but amazing, thats my point). Im sure I will have this lakester over 130 on the local freeways, so I'm not even going to worry about it. Thanks Joe
Lexman, at age 27, you are a pup. Go there and watch. You are so close, its only a days drive, but make plans soon for 2009. Decide which event you want to see. August SCTA is crowded, hot, busy, huge. September USFRA is cooler, smaller, shorter, easier to get a room. In a recent TV show, the fastest man on wheels on the planet said, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Go, look, see, visit, learn, have fun, see you in September on the 130 course.
Here are some old shots of the Bobby Green/ Old Crow tank to give you some ideas. I think that "street driven" bellytanks look "kookie"......and if you do wreck it you are f*&ked......hop up one of your bikes and race it and get the salt in your blood. Chris Nelson Kansas
The car may or may not be ready by sept. But I should probably just go regardless if they let me run or not. I'm sure it would be a good time and I have always wanted to watch. Where is the sept. event that you a speaking of? I would not even know where I am going. Thanks Joe
Ya, I have seen his car alot on youtube and other places, I really like it, it has a great look, But the cage around the drivers head would make it impossible to street drive. I know, you guys want me to give up on that idea, but its really what I want to do, and I am making every effort to keep it from looking "kookie" as you say. Thanks for the photos though. My inner frame is actually not much different than the old crow, other than the cage around the head. We will just have to finish it and see what they say. It's not the end of the world if they say no, I will still know its fast, and it will be my car that I custom built from scratch, that brings alot of pride and joy in itself. Thanks for the post.
I have started a new thread with all of my build pics. Feel free to browse. Thanks for all the support guys!
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