Aussi Speed Week & Road Trip in 32 Coupe

Forget Road To Bonneville This is Road To Lake Gairdner
I'm sure most Hambers know of or have heard of Lake Gairdner located in the remote outback of South Australia where each year the DLRA ( Dry Lakes Racers Australia ) run the annual speed week our version of your Bonneville speed week. Myself and the misses drove to speed week this year, just held in February in our 32 coupe with trailer in tow from Mandurah Western Australia total driving distance return 5,636 km ( 3,502 mile) . Have lots of pictures ( thanks to the misses) of the road trip and of speed week I will post pics and comments as I go on this thread starting with the road trip in to Lake Gairdner, speed week and the road trip home. I had a lot of aspiration about driving the coupe that distance, towing a trailer in the middle of a heat wave during the Australian summer, had a few people tell me I was mad and frankly looking back I think I was a little. Unlike Bonneville where you can check into a motel lake Gairdner is very remote and you need to be self-sufficient, accommodation is what you take and you need to carry all your supplies water, fuel, food etc ,etc the last 160 km (100 mile ) to the lake is via a very rough dirt road. Anyway I will add pics and comments over the next couple of days and you will see it was far from an uneventful road trip with many challenges.
This first pic of the car and trailer loaded up ready to go the day before, I did a lot of work on the coupe the week before in preparation of the long haul ahead, the engine was gone over removed both heads to repair a couple of leaking head studs, carbs and intake were removed valve lash checked, jetted all carbs down to .040 jets to try and get better MPG also changed rear end ratio from 3.55 to 2.94 gears to get better highway speed at a lower RPM, all oils and filters changed and checked all nuts and bolts etc.

 

Day 1 left home 4.30 am Thursday 14th Feb valentines day, happy valentines day baby what more could a girl what for valentines day than a road trip, set up camp for the night just past Norsman Western Australia total drive distance 820 km ( 510 miles)

 

Awesome!!!! Nullabor in a flathead 32, What a trip, can't wait to see your photos.Did you see Norm go 200?

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

Yes saw Norm do 200 will be more about Norm in up coming pic and info

 

Wow- just glanced.. & know this is hardcore.. I'm gonna have another look.

 

Day 2 on the road and the first of my troubles begin, while driving into the first night camping spot I had to go up a steep incline and my clutch shutted and banged but got us up there ok, did not thing anymore of it. Next morning after packing up started the coupe up I started to drive back out to the bitumen first and second gear were making clunking noises top gear was ok. Got down the road a bit and pulled into parking area, and had a good think about the gearbox noises, I know I must have lost a tooth of the cluster input drive gear, said to the misses we have 2 options turn back or keep going and hope the gearbox holds out. Being the great girl that she is, said you know this car better than anyone what ever you decide is fine by me and I won't complain if things go wrong, so I decided to press on salt or bust.



The heat was unbearable 46 c ( 114 F) had the windscreen open to get some wind though the car but had to apply the sunscreen regularly to stop wind burn.



Man it was hot

 

great start! I like the trailer.Any bad points about it?

BanjeauX Bob

 

Trailer was good held up no problems, needed it to carry all the gear as the boot on the 32 is too small for everything we had to take.

 

Small coke cooler occy straped to rear window garnish was a life saver drank gallons of water did not have to stop for a piss once all swetted out.

 

Still day 2 just crossing the border in to South Australia.

 

Subscribed for sure , a road trip to gairdner with camper in tow behind a 32. Dang we need a tow bar on our 32 , it does get y'all thinking.

 

Sorry got ahead of myself on the last pic this one is still on the West Aussi side.

 

End of day 2 about 40 km into South Australia having a cold beer before setting up camp on the start of the Great Australian Bight. Total drive distance today 970 km ( 602 miles)





All set up fire going with jaffle iron in umm yummy bake bean jaffles for dinner tonight, had to put on a jacket, which is stark contrast to the heat of the day allways get a cool breeze coming of the southern ocean on the bight.

 

Day 3 about 100 km from Nullarbor roadhouse engine starts to miss, pull in to park bay, pull all plugs both fwd cylinders # 1 & 4 plugs had lost the firing tip of the plug, lucky I had spares, packed lots of engine spares, water pumps, head gaskets, complete spare ingintion etc etc plus tools cant just pull into a roadhouse out here and expect to get flathead parts.

 

Still day 3 get to Ceduna where more gearbox problems occur taking off from intersection 1st gear completly lets go with a bang, second gear just usable clunking badly top gear still ok, we press on making it to Iron Knob that day and set up camp total distance travelled today 868 km ( 540 miles )

 

Cully - you and your misses are great adventurists,a trip like this ,is not for the faint hearted. subscribed and thanks for sharing !

 

Day 4 Sunday 17th Feb only 160 km (100 miles ) of dirt road between us and the salt now. Driving was tuff going on the dirt with all the cattle grids, bends, rocks etc with only a good top gear, having changed the rear end ratio before I left and with a big cam in the engine she did not like being below 85 kmh ( 52 mph )

 

First glimes of the salt almost there.

 

Made it where the red dirt meets the salt and the entry point on to the salt to the pit area.

 

Camp set up at the salt bush camp site pull up a piece of red dirt. Noticed glycol from the radiator water all around the left water pump, magneto and left head when I pulled up, mm must have a water pump leak I thought not to worry packed spare water pumps will check it out tomorrow.

 

Wow,great trip by the sounds of it. Those little problems make a road trip memorable. Sounds like your well prepared, l guess you need to be heading out that far bush. Great thread

 

Time for a shower, before dinner and bed big day tomorrow first day of racing, no water wasted here all the melted ice from the cooler goes into the shower bag, washing dishes, cloths etc. I think the misses was being a bit cheeky taking this pic of me in the shower while I was not looking, or maybe I'm being a bit cheeky.

 

Monday first day of racing great can't wait to go to the pits and check out all the cars and bikes. Better check out that water leak first, dame hole in the radiator core about midway up, looks like the dirt road and the speed I was having to do took its toll, electric fan retainer bolt rubbed though the core, arrr I don't need this extra grief so far from home, well better find some help.

 

Head down to the pits on foot of cause, first port of call is to vist Norm at big knob racing, to see if he can help with my radiator issues, Norm is a hot rodder and owns Aussi Desert Cooler Radiators, my radiator is one of his. Like a true hot rodder Norm is only to willing to help and tells me to bring the car down to his pit area.

 

So while I head back to the salt camp to get the 32, Norm invites the misses to go for a ride with the crew of big knob racing for track orientation, she is as happy as a pig in shit.

 

Get the 32 down on the salt next to Norms pit area and start pulling the radiator out not exactly what I had planed on doing on the first day of racing.





I pulled the radiator out, Norm and Tony found a fellow racer who had an oxy set and the boys blanked off one core, here I have it full of water testing for any more leaks before I put it back in. Good time to go and have some lunch and get out of the heat for a while.

 

It's great to have friends in a time of need ! What an adventure, still watching and enjoying your trip of a lifetime !

 

Radiator all fixed and back togeather heading off the salt just brushing the salt off the tyres, which is a requirement.



Off the salt tomorrow will be much better day just take in all the cars, bikes and watch some racing.

 

Tuesday day 2 of racing at last I can relax a little and check out all the cars and bikes, I still have that gearbox of the 32 in the back of my mind though and the long trip home.
This 28 A model did a best time of 166.374 mph.

 

This is Lucky with his streamliner, unfortunatly it was not his lucky year due to mechanical problems he did not get to race his previous personal best speed is 136.467 mph.