How cheaply(and safely) has anyone gone 200mph.?

If I was seriously planning to do 200mph in a car, how cheap I could do it wouldn't be my biggest priority unless I didn't care if it was my last. If you can't afford what it really takes to go 200mph, you need to check whether you can afford to lose your life before you proceed much further with that ambition.

 

it takes a lot of horsepower to go 200 and push that Cadillac thru the air. May I suggest a large motor and a smaller car? for the caddy, you'll need close to 800hp at El Mirage, less for Bonneville. you can do it for $20k, but you'll have to do all the work yourself. I've still have a few records and kept it close to $20k.

Required equipment isn't cheap, consider the cost of your life: tires $2k (MT 9x18" are $800 ea), fire system $1k, firesuit/helmet $1.5k, rollcage $600 (100' $6/ft 1.75x0.125 DOM mild steel), parachute $300, rear (I use 9" Currie) $1.5k. that leaves $14k for the car/engine/trans. go blown on the engine (cheapest horsepower available) and get a good trans (used late model Lenco) and you'll be at 200mph.

You won't be compe***ive, but you'll have a blast!

also go to www.landracing.com and visit the forum.

Good luck!

Dave

 

My take on it,
Find someones unfinished back yard "nascar" project for about $3500, and drop a buick 401/425 into it with dual turbo's.

The "nascar" preped body will be good to go out of the box. The buiuck mill is proven at high RPM's, and can crank out some serious numbers. It's also boost tollerant.

Back it up with a simple saginaw or T-10,,, or any ****** for that matter.

Install some 2.70 to 3.0 gears in the rear, and maybe a 110-150 nitrous shot just for that extra insurance.

I would think that combo should be good for over 200 mph.

 

As many have said, it is not just the cost of the car to build and the drivetrain, but all the safety equipment for the car and for the driver, it all adds up quickly. SCTA tech inspection is quite rigorous and detailed. Read and study the rule book until you really understand it.

I am in the very early stages of my goal to go 200 mph. I got a free (very rough, rusted, non-running, but free for the taking) 55 Stude coupe. I have heard with pretty good aerodynamics, it takes 650+ hp to go 200. Such as the 80's era Firebirds are some of the more sleek examples. By doing most of the work myself, and starting out at a lower power level and speeds, getting the car and my driving all sorted out and used to the low traction, then I hope to work up to be going 200 with a bigger power engine. Will I be able to do it for under $20K? Probably not, but my plan is to go fast first, then worry about looking good. Saves money for the go-fast parts. High power engines that hold up and are reliable do not come cheap.

BTW, your cl*** for the car determines what safety stuff you need, even if you can not even get close to the cl*** record. Your big Caddy engine puts you against some pretty high power engines.

Also the al***ude of Bonneville is about 4200 ft, plus many times the effective al***ude is even more. Really affects your engine output for normal aspirated.

 

Maybe we need a How cheaply (and safely) has anyone STOPPED from 200mph.? Thread




I've been holding onto this video for the ideal thread... this should at the least inspire a every mans speed p***ions rather than kill it.

 

" Last edited by jonny o : Today at 04:32 PM. Reason: Because Decker got his ****ing AP Style Guide out on my ***. "

Since it was too hard to understand before...

 

I'll gather a camera and some other Hambers and we'll make sure the video gets widely distributed on YouTube.....

 

Remember the dude that strapped that surplus J.A.T.O rocket to his Impala? ....

 

Just strap a acme rocket to your ***, Im sure wyley coyote wounldn't mind

 

Drag force varies with the square of velocity, which means that doubling the velocity requires FOUR times as much power, all else being equal. So imagine you have some 300hp car (think brick), that you can barely get up to 100mph (because of its shape). To go to 200mph on engine alone would (at least according to the drag equation) require 1200hp. That's why it's easier and cheaper to improve the aerodynamics, reduce frontal area, etc.

 

sorry...

 

I think Banks Turbo built a ***mins diesal that broke 200. Put the motor in a S-10 or dakota?? Only cost 180 thousand? I know, get on a bullet train in europe or japan..All you have to pay is the flight ticket & boarding p***!

 

Last time I saw satan, I beat his ***.

 

I've seen lotsa guys bring Hyabusha (sp?) bikes to the salt. Contrary to popular belief none of them walked away with a 200 mph timecard. A HIGHLY modified one can possibly crack 200.

 

Just for the sake of lunatic obsessive optimism...go watch "World's Fastest Indian".

 

Cost me $180K to go 202mph.

Done it once, and dont really care if I do it again.

It is not the speed that bothered me but the lorries on the Autobahn doing 65mph that cause the sphincter to twitch...

P.

 

either way will work, Photos attached. Blown motor or rocket.

 

I really liked that film... <thumbs up icon>

 

I use Southwest Airlines. Works for me

 

one of the best films ever!
dan

 

Well, beside in a 747, the fastest I ever went was 202 or 207, can't remember now, in the quarter mile in 63, I think. But, it wasn't cheap by any means.

 

I would say that the big motor in a small car is a good step toward going 200 cheap. My Vega was free. The frame and most of the roll cage was built at home. It was built using mostly Ford undercarrage. 9 inch narrowed at home, Chalanger tube axle with junkyard Econoline spindles and brakes in front. Wheels and tires must have been $1000 or $1500 or so. Fire system maybe $900. Alot of this stuff came from previous cars so I'm kind of guessing. '69 Linclon 460 was free. $1100 PAW master rebuilding kit. Top loader 3 speed free. 125 NOS spray from Summit, Holly dominator was around $400. Used Offy Port O Sonic manifold pretty cheap. Home ported heads all other machine work $400 (Long deal from a friend) New blow shield and flywheel must cost $1000 at least with clutch. That was a pretty cheap 200 mph car

 

Dude there are cars that go 75mph tops that are way more than $20,000 ! I think I'd rather have a 20 k fast car or 2 fun to drive cars that go 100 mph each! Lol!

 

fast / safe / cheap

You can pick any of the two above, but not all three.

 

Actually, you are correct when saying the drag increases as the square of the speed, but the power required increases as the cube. So going twice as fast takes eight times the horsepower. That's why a roadster that needs 75 hp to go 100, and 600 hp to go 200 mph will have a tough time getting into the 300 club; it takes over 2000 hp.

 

Cheap and Fast do not go together...unless safety is no big deal! In fact, they cannot even be found in the same book...probably not library either! Safety costs $$$, and fast costs as much or more. Do the math for quarter mile cars, figure the weight/horsepower/MPH/ET. I'll give you a clue: 2,850# with 800 HP = low 9's at 150. That's my car on Pump Gas...and to get to 200 MPH, which is screaming, the cost is phenominal...compared to my low-budget car. Good luck.

 

I bet my ole '94 Impala SS would get close to 200 mph on a very long down hill. Not sure that would be too safe.

 

We made a trip to Speedweek in 2002 with street rods just to go to Bonneville and see what it was all about. We know now that every hot rodder must go to Bonneville. When we got home Hooley decided he wanted to build a car to run at Bonneville and so we started. It took almost 2 years but really a lot of it was done the last six months before we left home for Speedweek 2004. A lot of the cars that run at Bonneville are a group effort as it is so expensive and just running the car there requires some help. Our pit crew is made up of people from coast to coast. Some of them only see each other at Bonneville each August. Words can not describe the experience we have there each year.

A home built car can run 200 MPH at Bonneville. Now setting a new record over 200 MPH is another story. There is a lot more going on than you think. Best thing to do is go there and see for yourself. Ask lots of questions. Stop by our pit and introduce yourself.

John

 

Thinking about it, If you are handy and don't mind working with fibergl***, a streamliner is proububly the cheapest way to go 2. These belong to Jack Costella and he turns out about one a year. This year he will have 5 'liners and a lakester at speedweek. The car in front has run as high as 350 with a turbo 'Busa motor and over two with a 1100cc Honda V4 with a to3 turbo. The 788 car went two with a Nissan V6 I bought for $160 on Ebay. Did a valve job, altered the hydralic valve lash to mechanical and used to TO3 2.2 Chrysler turbos ****ing through a 500cfm Holly 2 bbl. It has a C4 auto trans and a wierd rear end Jack made from a ready mix truck PTO and mixer drive. Aluminum front wheels, no tires, frontrunners on back. Not much money in this at all. It went 330 with a barowed 300 inch SBC.

 

I think Bruce has it nailed. Buy a used NASCAR and be legal with minimal, if any, mods or updates. A quick look through RacingJunk.com shows plenty of '05 thru '07 rollers for 10-15K....thats complete less engine, trans and sometimes shocks. Add your typical 700hp motor, a Jerico and some fresh rubber, certified belts and fire suppression and your good to go for probably 30K. Don't want to tinker and want to just show up and drive? The **** Trickle/Sterlin Marlin '91-'93 Thunderbird is race ready and de-bugged for a cool 38 grand. http://www.racingjunk.com/post/1181944/NASCAR-WINSTON-CUP-CAR-FOR-SALE.html Not a bad deal if you really think about it.

-Bigchief.