ODD cars and engines that run at BONNEVILLE

Every year there are great photo collections from Bonneville posted on the HAMB. What are some of the reasons and stories behind the Odd and Unusual vehicles that run there. Getting a Record is one thing, but do people put stuff together just because they can? Bob

 

Some of the combos are there to fit into a certain cl***, maybe one with a soft record or open record.

Like a Hayabusa powered GMC Sonoma pickup. Small displacement mid/mini pickup

 

I was wondering the same thing after looking at some pictures this morning. Unless it is for the specific cl*** and rules, I don't understand investing all the time and money and starting with something that has the aerodynamics of a brick.

 

We ran a '38 Chevy, with a 1940 blown Caddy flathead.

Vintage cl*** requires an engine swap, so the engine couldn't be ran in a Caddy or Lasalle.

 

Thats a mini pickup cl***, do you know of any without the aerodynamics of a brick ? Sort of like street roadsters, the rules limit what you can do with the body. Engine wise guys run oddball engines because anyone can write a check and get the best small/big block Chevy made. Try that with a straight 8 Buick, Hudson , flathead Caddy or GMC 6. You have to actually build motors like that. The odd ball stuff is what makes Bonneville so cool to me, but to each his own.

 

That sounds like a "Bombshell Betty" observation, and I think that '52 Buick is a Cl***ic case, I'd like to know the story behing that car. Bob

 

Remember, when dry lake racing started, commercially built cars were not all that aero. Now, there are many cl***es-you can go modern, with lots of aero from the factory, or vintage, and try and make a 'brick' go fast.

I like the brick option.....

 

OK http://brockartstudio.com/buick/story.php

 

Its funny, a couple days ago, I was on the way to work after reading Mazoomas Bonneville thread and a guy pulling a race car trailer I recognized drove by the other way. It made me think of this very subject, as its a Jag XJ12 that road races in GT-1. A real oddball. Man, you should hear that thing it really yowls.

 

And theres always the mighty Salt Cat...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQrduPZ1xfI

 

A lot of people run certain cars just because they want to, knowing they have no chance of setting a record. There is nothing cheap or easy about building and running any compe***ive cl*** car or truck at Bonneville. There are no easy records, they just seem easy until you try them. People run Crosleys, 600 Hondas, 750 2 stroke Saabs & even straight 8 Buick powered Jaguar sedans. Try making one of them run 190 mph

 

Thanks b-body-bob! Now I know a lot more about Bombshell Betty. Bob

 

why do people climb mountains? its the challenge

 

I think of the XF/GL cl***. Those guys have no prayer of ever breaking the recordof 196. There were around 5 flathead bellytankers and the fastest was around 165. That car (Andy Welkers "Blonde *****" was the best that it could be.
It seems to me that they would split that cl*** so that the traditional belly tanker bodied cars could have a shot.
But, then what do I know. My flathead will only do around 70.....

 

I liked this one






Info I got was a "C" block with a custom cast head. Sounded real good in the pits.


jerry

 

Well, Brad54 just picked up a belly tank... guess one of my '28 Chevy blocks is going to get some salt on it

 

WOW! 4 valve head, dual overhead cams, carburation and exhaust on BOTH sides of a four cylinder. I am kind of surprised it only has a single plug per cylinder, but maybe they just ran out of room above the combustion chamber

 

Does he plan to adapt a Ford flathead to it? Bob

 

It's probably off topic but it's oddball, the one and only time I ever ran there was in 93, I got together and split the cost and work with 9 other guys, built a 280 Z and ran the 300 Zx twin turbo engine in it, completely built the motor, car was stripped and turned into a land speed car from the ground up, tall gears etc, went 196.3 something before the car started to lift and had to get off of it, so close, didn't break any records, It's been so long I can't even remember what cl*** it ran in, Ex wife said no more racing, life happened, got married again, wife now says no racing, car got sold minus the motor a year later, I've been told it's still out there and has been run from time to time, off topic but plenty of oddball, like me. it sure was fun though, I think I still have my helmet somewhere in storage

 

I've always wanted to take a mid-Sixties Dodge A100 van and put a blown Hemi in the middle of it, and run the salt. Talk about making a brick go fast!

 

No, he wants to build a tank that can incorporate different drivetrains, so running a '28 Chev engine would put us in V4. Don't know if we could improve on the Spurgin/Giovanine times, but it sounds like fun

 

it's probably off topic so if you feel it needs to be deleted delete away, but don't forget Evil Tweety, was a bit of a legend and a cult favorite there, factory two cylinder motorcycle engine, bored out to 700 CC and I believe it still holds the record for this cl***, not the fastest but can you imagine going 101 down the salt in something this small?

I think he now retired it

 

Small? Cripes, I had to scroll for 5 minutes to see the entire picture.

 

Ahhh the "traditional" belly tanker quest.

Whose definition of a belly tanker are you going to use, every year someone improved on the very first one.

The SCTA/BNI has a bazillion cl***es, well may 1000, pick one and go racing. Most folks will never get a record but it seems to be the darn salt in your blood kind of thing.

Similar post over on landracing.com. Someone suggested that those guys that run "traditional" tanks have their own trophy, kind of like the Ya-hoo Cup over here.

You don't HAVE to have a shot at a record other than your own.

 

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We are building a modern lakester with a Stovebolt. The XO lakester cl***es more commonly use Jimmys. But, we are doing it our own way.

 

It's a pretty big investment in time and money just to get a car to p*** inspection...a motor changeout maybe not so much, especially to some of these creative engine builders / machinists.

 

did anybody get pics of the 1963 saab with a 3 cylinder flathead?

 

If we all raced Bonneville 'the norm' it would be like NASCAR. But some of the reason for 'odd' motors and bodies is that many records are 'owned' by racers that have been at it for years and they are dialed in. So you open the rule book and look around for a combo that you can try. For Chick and I, we got started with a 53 Ford (loaned Brew 102) running a 223 6 that we got off Craigs list. The cl*** record for XO-PRO is held by a Jimmy that was dialed, but we went out and had fun and learned the ropes. Now we have a new race motor and are going after a different cl*** where we will have a chance of a record.