Folks Of Interest "Slagle & Heap - '43 International/Detroit Diesel Bonneville Race Truck" Tribute page

From the net - "Slagle & Heap - 1943
International/Detroit Diesel Bonneville
Race Truck " tribute page.

Mart3406

-------------------------
http://rvsafetysystems.com/The Phoenix LSR Truck.htm

My Tribute to
the Phoenix Land
Speed Record
Truck

By Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO August, 2010

​

<table width="70%" border="1"> <tbody><tr> <td>Update 10/28/10: since I published
this page, I have been able to
establish contact with several of
the family members associated with
this project. Several folks have asked
if I could include biographical data.
Rather than republish data from the
internet, I have asked the family to
provide information they wish to have
published.

Jan Heap said that she still has the
Phoenix in her possession. She is
trying to locate a museum that will
purchase the vehicle from her and
display it with a proper tribute to
the people involved.

At the bottom of this page, I have
listed two You Tube videos. I will
update this site as information is
obtained and time permits
---------------
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

This is the last picture I took of the
Phoenix at the 2003 Bonneville Speed
Week event. That year it set the
record record of 272.685!!



This is the first picture I took
in 1990

My reason for this tribute is to document
an amazing project. It last ran at Bonneville
Speed Week in 2003. After the owner
passed away in 2004, it was never run again.
My fear is that the history of this truck and
the folks involved will be lost as the years
pass.

I was very fortunate to be at Bonneville in
1990 which was the second year that the
Phoenix ran on the salt and the last time it
ran (2003). In 1998, I worked with the
team when they used a Gates PolyChain
belt for the final drive. I have never
been around such fun loving people who
just had a ball being on the Salt.

The truck was built out of a junk yard
truck - a 1943 IHC K-7 model. The
truck was co-owned by R.B. Slagle and
Carl Heap.



Salvage yard version

Some of the specifications are:
*1943 IHC K-7 truck.

*Detroit Diesel 16V92 engine.
(1472 cubic inches)

*Engine is mounted behind the cab

*Engine has 4 turbo chargers and
produces in excess of 4,000 HP.

*Engine is redlined at 3200 RPM as
opposed to the standard 2100 RPM

*Truck is over 18,000 pounds

*Truck used 737 and 747 airplane
tires (update: Carl's son informed
me that the front wheels are 707
nose wheel tires)

*The truck had "skis" mounted on
the front axle that allowed a safe
deceleration in the event of a front
tire failure.

*Transmission was an in-out box
coupled to a "Brownie" auxiliary
transmission. (used top three
speeds of a four speed box)

*Truck did not have a clutch
system - it was push started
and the in-out engaged at the
proper speed.

*The truck uses 7 gallons of fuel in
5 miles. Carl estimated that it used
4 gallons in the last mile of the run.
Those numbers were from 1999 and
the fuel consumption in the next few
years probably increased in later
years.
---------------

My first exposure to the truck was very
memorable. It was on a trailer in a hotel
parking lot. A friend and I were kind of
sneaking around looking at this marvel.

All of a sudden this meat hook of a hand
hit my shoulder from behind and a very
deep voice boomed "son, you can't see
anything down here - crawl up there and
look to your hearts content". It was R.B.
Slagle the co-owner. He was an absolute
character and a wonderful person to be
around. R.B. drove the truck, while
co-owner Carl Heap oversaw most of the
maintenance and contributed strongly to
the various versions of the truck. After
R.B's passing, Carl took over the driving
chores.

In 1990 the truck was very basic with
an almost stock cab and an engine with
no cover in the back. By 2003 the
streamlining had become very
sophisticated. Both versions are shown
in the pictures below.



1990 Version



2003 Version


Over the years, the aerodynamics and
engine modifications permitted setting
many records:

​

<table width="100%" align="left" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <colgroup> <col width="37*"><col width="37*"><col width="37*"><col width="37*"> <col width="37*"><col width="37*"><col width="37*"> </colgroup> <tbody><tr valign="TOP"> <td width="14%"> [FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] Venue[/FONT]
</td> <td width="14%"> [FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] Year[/FONT]
</td> <td width="14%"> [FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] Driver[/FONT]
</td> <td width="14%"> [FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] Sanctioning Body[/FONT]
</td> <td width="14%"> [FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] Class[/FONT]
</td> <td width="14%"> [FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] Speed (MPH[/FONT]
</td> <td width="14%"> [FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] Standing Record[/FONT]
</td> </tr> <tr valign="TOP"> <td width="14%"> Bonneville Speed Week
</td> <td width="14%"> 2003
</td> <td width="14%"> Carl Heap
</td> <td width="14%"> SCTA
</td> <td width="14%"> U/DT
</td> <td width="14%"> 272.685
</td> <td width="14%"> Yes
</td> </tr> <tr valign="TOP"> <td width="14%"> Bonneville Speed Week
</td> <td width="14%"> 2002
</td> <td width="14%"> Carl Heap
</td> <td width="14%"> SCTA
</td> <td width="14%"> U/DT
</td> <td width="14%"> 263.487
</td> <td width="14%"> No
</td> </tr> <tr valign="TOP"> <td width="14%"> Bonneville Speed Week
</td> <td width="14%"> 2002
</td> <td width="14%"> Carl Heap
</td> <td width="14%"> SCTA
</td> <td width="14%"> U/DT
</td> <td width="14%"> 254.450
</td> <td width="14%"> No
</td> </tr> <tr valign="TOP"> <td width="14%"> Bonneville Speed Week
</td> <td width="14%"> 2002
</td> <td width="14%"> Carl Heap
</td> <td width="14%"> SCTA
</td> <td width="14%"> U/DT
</td> <td width="14%"> 251.244
</td> <td width="14%"> No
</td> </tr> <tr valign="TOP"> <td width="14%"> Bonneville Speed Week
</td> <td width="14%"> 2002
</td> <td width="14%"> Carl Heap
</td> <td width="14%"> SCTA
</td> <td width="14%"> U/DT
</td> <td width="14%"> 231.356
</td> <td width="14%"> No
</td> </tr> <tr valign="TOP"> <td width="14%"> Bonneville Speed Week
</td> <td width="14%"> 2002
</td> <td width="14%"> Carl Heap
</td> <td width="14%"> SCTA
</td> <td width="14%"> U/DT
</td> <td width="14%"> 212.478
</td> <td width="14%"> No
</td> </tr> <tr valign="TOP"> <td width="14%"> Bonneville
</td> <td width="14%"> 1990
</td> <td width="14%"> R.B. Slagle
</td> <td width="14%"> USFRA
</td> <td width="14%"> M/DT
</td> <td width="14%"> 188.340
</td> <td width="14%"> NO
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

Data from:
www.ugofadini.com/phoenixstory.html

Both R.B. and and Carl became members
of the elite 200 MPH club. R.B became
a member in 1992 with a speed of 212.440
and Carl in 2000 with a speed of 231.356.

R.B was the first driver of a truck to be
inducted in the 200 MPH club. By the
time I got to the pits shortly after Carl
had received his 200 MPH shirt, he had
already gotten it dirty. Sadly, R.B died
in 1998 and Carl died in 2004 - both from
cancer. I talked to Carl after he set the
272 MPH record in 2003, and it was
obvious that his health was not good.
Never-the-less, he still had a wonderful
time!

The following are some photos and
information that I have collected
over the years.


Push truck and Phoenix, 2003

This is one of my favorite photos. The
Peterbilt push truck has a very hopped
up 8V92 two-stroke engine. That year,
they cracked a head on the push truck
and the owner repaired it in the pits.

He was an old time two-stroke mechanic
and took a lot of time showing me how to
"run the rack". That is a process of
setting the injectors so that they all
function in unison. It is very sensitive
process that involves very special
techniques.

Update: I have been contacted by
Hazel Nielsen wife of George Nielsen
who still owns the Peterbilt. She gave
me the following information:

"The Pete started drag racing (as Class
of '65") in 1987--held the track record
at Woodburn Dragstrip for several years
-- fastest time in the quarter mile 12.24
seconds//113 MPH.. It weighed in at
12650 lbs without the driver. 2008 was
our last year at the drags. The Pete was
also campaigned on the salt and held a
record of 156.510 MPH in the Highway
Hauler Class until 1999"


Tow truck and trailer

Again, this a favorite. The 3/4 ton 4X4
tow truck has a Detroit Diesel 6V92
two-stroke engine with twin turbo
chargers. My guess is that it produced
at least 400 HP. It was mated to a
truck 10 speed transmission and the
rear end is from a semi, machined down
so the 3/4 ton axles and wheels could
be used. A 6V92 weighs over 2,000
pounds, so the truck had to have special
springs. Getting the engine in the truck
must have involved a rather large
shoehorn! They said it really pulled the
trailer and Phoenix very well except for
cooling issues. Later they mounted a
large radiator in front of the grill.

Update: Carl's son Travis is trying to
located the current owner in an effort
to buy it back.


1990 version. No streamlining.



1991 Version. Start of streamlining.



2001 version. More streamlining



2003 final version front view



2003 final version rear view


The following is an email I received
from Carl. He was writing to a friend
of mine who was working at the National
Automotive and Truck Museum of the US
(www.natmus.org) in Auburn, IN at the
time. It is the home of Endeavor, a
competitor in diesel truck racing at
Bonneville.

"From: "Carl's 4x4" <carls4x@echoweb.net></carls4x@echoweb.net>
Subject: Re Land Speed Record Trucks
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 22:38:31 -0800

Howard,
I received your e-mail in regards
to land speed racing trucks. I have
also been in contact with Jim
Shepard who is helping me with my
belt drive system. Jim had everything
almost correct, with a few exceptions.
There are more than two diesel truck
classes. At this point there is a Highway
Hauler class and a diesel truck class for
trucks under 1 ton. In the 1 ton class,
there are breakdowns for cubic inches
including AA,A,B,C,D,E and F. Also
when Jim referred to the parachute
being deployed at about 100 mph,
that is when I begin to use the brakes.
The parachute is deployed as soon as I
cross the 5 mile marker at 239 mph.
Other than that I think Jim had it
very accurate.

In regards to the fuel consumption I
use about 7 gallons in a five mile run.
If you consider that I do not reach
maximum fuel consumption until mile
4, I would say that you are probably
correct in your guess at 4 gals per
mile at top speed.

I hope you can use some of this
information. If I can be of more help,
please let me know. I am not very
handy with this computer so please
bear with me.

Carl Heap"
----------------
Update 10/28/2010

Readers have referred me to two
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]You Tube Videos: Click here for video 1
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]This video is some raw footage from a
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]record run in 2003.[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]
Click here for video 2
This video is a bit [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]of a “production”
showing lots of scenes [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]from 2003.
It has some goodfootage of [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]Carl ]
and his wife as well as various folks
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]involved withthe Phoenix. It has good
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]footage of the Peterbilt Push truck.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]For the life of me, I don't recall
seeing [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]the plane flying that close
to the track.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]The video does show how much fun
the [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]members of the team had.[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]
It is troubling for me to watch
portions [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]of video 2, as you can see
the pain that[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] Carl is in. As noted
above, he passed [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]away the following
year from cancer. I [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]was in their pit
area at approximately [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]the time some
of the footage was taken.
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]
The joy was unbelievable. Perhaps
some [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]of the special celebration was
the fact [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]that the folks close to the
team knew it [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]was the last year they
would be on the [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]salt as a team.[/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]Note: the black smoke of both the
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]push truck and the Phoenix is normal.
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]They over fuel the engine to produce
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]the huge amounts of power. The first
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]time I saw the Phoenix run, I thought[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive] it had caught fire. [/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]
As a side note, you can actually see
the [/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]curvature of the earth at Bonneville.
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]The cars "disappear" over the horizon.
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]Some of the photographers at the
[/FONT][FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]starting line some stand on ladders when[/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]they are shooting long distance photos.[/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS, cursive]=======================================
[/FONT]​

 

I was pitted near them in impound waiting for certification and will agree they were a fun crew, they answered my naive questions about diesels and how to hop them up. I wish the video's had better pictures of the engine, it's awesome. Pat

 

I saw that thing run in 02, truly impressive!

 

We all miss RB and Carl of carls 4x4. both great guys. the green 3/4 ton chevy was a car/truck guy porn for sure. The big truck used to set close to our old house on fairview.

 

Very cool truck. I really hope Travis is succesful at buying the truck back!

 

Yup...i saw 'em run out there too. Wasn't ready for the black smoke trail. Truly amazing.

 

BIG BLACK smoke trail!

 

I also watched it run in 2002. With the black smoke trail it looked like a locomotive crossing the desert. Sadly, I never took the time to visit with the crew. Sam

 

Same here. I would love to see the thing back on the salt. Is the family not interested in selling it?

 

There's a few more pics of the 'Slagle
& Heap Phoenix' at Bonneville in 2002
here.
www.dochemp.com/11-phoen.html.

Also a copy of R.B. Slagle's obituary
from the Medford Oregon 'Mail-Tribune'
newspaper from January 1998.

http://archive.mailtribune.com/archive/98/jan98/12798n11.htm

and

Carl Heap's obituary from the same
newspaper in July 2004

http://archive.mailtribune.com/archive/2004/0711/obit/obit.htm
---------------
Mart3406
==========================

 

thanks for the tribute mart! any updates on the pickup? ... or the big rig for that matter? bonneville 2011 was fabulous as usual, but not too many oil burners.

 

Saw it run in '98 - awesome machine and crew.
Someone should bring it back to the salt and go 300 in it.

 

This is really neat. I love the old Detroit 2-strokes.

 

I was fortunate enough to have met Carl in 2003 at Bonneville. I was crewing for another Unlimited Diesel Truck. Some of the powers to be did not like our approach to the class, but Carl spoke up for us and supported our attempt at the same record he was after. In the end we were no competition after all. Watching those two final runs was an experience I will never forget. I felt honored to meet Carl an still do today, he was a real class act.

Here is the truck I crewed for:

 

I have been talking with Travis Heap about doing a documentary on The Phoenix. Any sources of photos or video would be especially welcome. I have also proposed to him finding a way to see it on the salt again even if only for one last attempt at 300 mph. His mother in law owns the truck and it seems she is only interested in seeing it go to a museum. At this point I don't yet know if she wants to sell it to a museum or donate it. Sure would love to see it run again and break that magic barrier. Carl was oh so close.

 

This truck was one of very few racers that absolutely stopped all other activity when it ran. Everyone just stood and watched with their mouths open. Unbelievable.

 

Well...here's hoping it can happen again.

 

I think they are from Grants Pass Oregon. My grandpa lives there and they use to store it down the road from his house. I haven't seen it for about 8 years.


Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad

 

Truck is still sitting in the shop last time we saw it as kids... Hope she lets travis bring it back out from the mothballs..

 

The bronco pulling truck sits near it also..

 

Saw that record run, most impressive thing I have ever witnessed !!! THANKS Carl !!! Chris

 

THE PHONEIX IS OUT!!!!!! As far as I know its been 9 years since the public has seen this truck and it will be on display at this years fair.....

http://ktvl.com/shared/news/top-sto...{"pi":"5207c7ef3c99bc7243000010","pt":"wall"}

 

Someone (Frenchblue72) really needs to go to the fair and get some pictures of the truck as it is today.

 

Lets hope the new owner runs it again!

 

I would love to see this thing run. I just wonder what it would take to make it legal to run, new roll cage? Would they let them run the airplane tires now? Fire equimpment and so no.

 

I'll never forget seeing that thing run. It was incredible.

 

I'm sorry guys I had to work all weekend but the truck was sold to a collector back east so I doubt it will be on the salt ever again.. The pics I did see of the truck on tv show it just as it was last raced..

 

Here is how it sits...

 

Got to watch the truck's last record run, what a piece of machinery. Way cool.

 

It was on display at the fairgrounds in Grants Pass during the county fair still looks ready...sorry no pictures my bad.....