Building a Belly Tank Car

I am nearing the end of my 23 T roadster. I know I should focus on finishing my '57 Chevy SW. However I am toying with the idea of building a belly tank car. Has anyone here ever done this? I want to go 200 mph on a shoestring. What class should I be in? How do ya build a belly tank car? Where can I get a copy of the rules? Can you lay up a fiberglass body or must it be an actual drop tank?

Thanks!

Mike

 

Go to landracing.com. Get rule book from SCTA or ECTA. Get biggist motor your wallet will alow. Tech rules and safty requirements about the same for any size engine as most of the rocorda are above 200MPH. You have to have safety equipment based on class
record. Several people make fiberglass tanks.

 

And if you check around there are a few running tanks for sale right now

 

As said above. Go to scta-bni.org for a rule book. Without that you're wasting your time. Then throw the word "shoestring" out of your vocabulary. There are safety requirements that cost money and there are no ways around them. Nearly all the gas and fuel lakester records are over 200 so you have to build to the class record.

Over on landracing there are a number of belly tank builds posted in the build diaries. Have a look and you will get a good idea as to what is involved. Its far from impossible but there are rules. Good luck.

 

Thanks guys! I ordered the rule book. I am leaning toward a big caddy motor at the moment or a Ford 300 six. My buddy wants me to run a GMC 302. I think if I have 500 HP I should be able to get 200 MPH easily. Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

Just meeting the safety requirements is an expensive journey.
It'll probably cost somewhere around 20 grand to build a good /legal saltworthy car. For some strange reason I know this to be true.

 

Here is your further help. Don't think that any of it will be EASY.

I love the look of belly tank cars but the fastest lakesters are the ones that look like a dragster.

 

Most everyone that has been to Bonneville as a spectator gets the bug to be a particpant. Yes, it looks easy and those red caps look really cool. Take the word of experience. It is anything but easy. If you can build it and it can pass tech, if you have the right safety equipment, if you brought enough tools and parts, then you can make a pass. If you can build it, it can break. Glad you have the fever and it is an experience of a lifetime. Nothing about it is easy or cheap. Car # 4727.

 

It goes without saying that 200 mph with 500 inches is much eaiser than 200mph with 300 inches. The unblown fuel GMC lakester record is 202.274. With a 12 port head its 218.349. This is a very well financed and built car. Run by a very experianced and hard working crew. With a 500+ inch motor your looking at 311.421 on fuel and a little faster on gas. Again a very well financed car with a very qualified and decicated crew. To get the red hat and join the 200mph club you would have to break these records. If you simply want to go 200 the GMC is going to cost the most and be the hardest to do.

 

All good advise. Thanks alot. I am not suprised to hear a 20K price tag to hit the salt. Hell I got about 18K in my 57 and I have done it all myself and it is only a streat car.

When I sad I wanted to do this on a shoe string I should have actually said less than 100K and preferably less than 50K.

Regardless I will have a much better understanding of what I must do after reading the rule book.

Mike

 

One thing I can say for sure about runing a GMC is it is an old motor. That would really drive up the price quickly and then planing for a spare! I dont even want to think about it. a 500 inch caddy motor might be a good plan. Some of those could squeze 500 HP without any aftermarket parts.

I am still unfamiliar with the terms fuel, and gas in relation to what sort of fuel they refer to. I dont realy want to race on nitro methane! That stuff scares the shit out of me.

Mike

 

That is a phobia which can be overcome with a very small dose of "nitro" therapy....... The reverse is not possible
"Nitro Fever" , no known cure.

Fitting either a Jimmy or a big Caddi into a belly tank might be the "squeeze" you refer to!!

 

A jimmy 6 with Wayne twelve port head ran 300.943 in 2007 in a long aluminum tube, the same family runs the car, father and sons. Don Ferguson in XO and XXO unblown fuel Streamliner-/FS. They try every year to up the record but something always happens as it usually does at Bonneville. So you want to stay out of that class. They ran 300.943 in class XXO unblown streamliner on 8/07, they hold the record in both XO and XXO. XO is 284.876. The slowest lakester classes are XXO blown fuel lakester at 185.717, then blown gas lakester XXO at 167.563, also unblown XXO gas lakester at 167.563. These are the only classes that you can run a straight six in to up the record to 200 mph so get the rule book and see what you will have to do with in inline six. You could come closer to breaking a record under 200 mph in either a roadster or a coupe with a straight six. Unblown street roadster-/srt in class XO at 153.688 is the slowest of all most all of the inline six classes. The slowest class is Blown modified pick up in class XO BMP at 122.167 mph. So get a rule book and pick your class and build to it. I have a friend that runs a jimmy six with modified factory head in class XO unblown gas roadster where the record is 166.001. He held the record once at 156 and has never gotten it back in all of his years running Bonneville so be prepared for the long run, most make it a yearly ritual.

 

In fuel classes you can run pop if you want to but it's not required. Alcohol, N2O, or any gas besides event gas will put you in Fuel. Event gas is ERC who brings several mixtures of racing gas to the salt and sells it to the racers. Starting at 110 and going up from there. In 1980 I set the XOB/GAlt record at 168 mph but had qualified at 177. That was in the old three run days. That record was broken in '09 at 173.583 by a blowm Buick straight eight. Both of which prove that turbochargers on those old inline motors will make them run. In '80 we didn't have any trick stuff to buy so it really was a pretty cheap motor. Lots more, better turbos in junk yards now than when I was scouting up Covair turbos. The XOB/FR record at 121.038 looks ripe for picking and there is plenty or room in the rear engine modified roadster classes. But in the Vintage body classes (Roadsters) you can not use a turbocharger. You would need a crank driven blower of some sort.

 

Rich
Did I read the rules wrong but aren't turbos prohibited in any vintage engine class regardless of body style.

 

If you think that you need to keep going... I'll build you a aluminium body for about $2500.

I built one not long ago.. Still have to put the comp cage in..

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=431553

 

Yes you misread the rules. Page 17 new rule book. "For reasons of economy and historical authenticity, vintage engine modifications are restricted to older te hnology levels, so far as is practical. Accordingly, in classes XO, XF, XXF, XXO, and V4 & V4F, using VINTAGE bidies: 1. Turbochargers are not permitted."...... And other stuff about computers and EFI. My Vega set the record with a turbo GMC and it was broken in '09 with a turbo Buick 8. Stewart & Creel (Beef Stew) have a turbo Ford banger in thier V4FB/GL. No roadsters running vintage engines or Vintage altereds or Gas coups can have turbos. As far as I know my '32 Ford with the twin turbo 270 GMC was the last turbo charged Vintage car and body. I guess it did good as it was quickly out lawed.

 

There are so many classes to consider. I realy think that the best bang for the buck would come from a tanker or a late model stock body.

Mike

 

If you just want to go 200 and get your feet wet check this guy out.http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,7985.0.html Should do it.

 

That would likely do it. However I dont have 21,500 just haning around

I had thought about some other body styles that I like more than the fire bird, and are typicaly available fairly cheap like a chevy s-10 truck or blazer. Possibly a late 80s camaro. A 32 or 33 ford would also be cool but that would cost some $$$ even in fiberglass. I even thought about a stationwagon. Problem is it takes some serious motor to push any of those that fast.

Mike

 

My experaince in going faster than 200 mph was in a Vega. Small. Cheap. At the time they were giving them away. Good parts availibity. Now maybe a Monza would be better. Any good running 450+ cubic inch motor will go 200 in a Vega. I know a 460 Ford or 455 Pontiac will. Plenty of SBCs have done it. Had to spen a little more money on parts

 

Correct me if I am wrong, as I have never been to bonneville.

I dream of someday building a Streamliner on a small budget, less then $75k, to get into the 200MPH club. Do I have to build a car that Has a chance of going 400+ MPH? From what a few people are talking about on this thread it seams that they assume Mike is going to try to break the record. And I thought he just wanted to break 200MPH.

 

to get in the 2 club you must break a record over 200mph. If you want just to go 200, you must build your car to the specs of the record in the class (safety equipment, tires etc).

 

Ok, so you only get a 200mph hat if you break a record that is over 200mph. Didn't know that.

What do you mean by "specs" to the record of the class? I can understand building to a Safety specification for the roll cage, wheels/tires, chutes, etc.

 

if you want to only go 200mph in a class, but the class record is 300, then you must build your 200mph car with 300 mph tires, parachutes etc.

best to get 2 rulebooks, leave one near the toilet for casual reading, and read the other cover to cover about 3 times before you start building.

It's a fun sport, and the last "real" racing left.

 

Where do you get your wheels and tires from? What sizes do you guys run? What rear end ratios are you guys using? And does that require an assisted start of not?

There is an awful lot to this sport. I am not sure if I will ever get around to building a car to compete in any class. I do have the rule book now. I supose I will put it on the reading list. Darn! ADD makes everything a challenge.

Thanks to everyone who has ben contributing. I really appreciate it!

 

the bonneville class structure makes my head hurt..

I agree that the best bang for the buck would certainly be with a late model winson cup / busch series super speedway car..

and if your interested.. I know a fellow with one for sale...

 

Most guys that I have talked to haven't built a competitive car the first time out. The trend is to build a car and "try something out and see how fast it'll run". After several years/events they start to get to good.

Read all that you can on it. LLot's of info, just have to look for it.

 

There's this one on *bay.com
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1952...k-/350384184351?pt=Race_Cars_Not_Street_Legal_

 

GET A RULE BOOK. Going 200mph on a shoestring is not easy as the cost of safety equipment is not cheep. Fire system,drivers suit,chute,HANS device and tires. I would suggest BBC as power. Most bang for the buck. Choose body carefully a lot of horse power can be required to over come poor aerodynamics. Check out landracing.com a wealth of information there from people who have been there and done that.