Projects Progress on the Treit and Davenport liner

News page update:

http://www.target550.com/news.html

There have been several questions about the oil filtration systems on the liner vs. the "Mule Motor" that was used for the dyno test. The mule used a wet sump; the race motors use a dry sump system.

Marlo Treit wrote up an explanation of the pumps, filters and the whole ball of wax. It explains a whole lot about the concept of the oiling system and how it's been designed to allow very quick checking for any junk that might end up in the motors during the FIA 1 hour turnaround time before making a backup run.

Pretty good stuff. Check it out on the News page.

Ohh...the attached image is a photo of 4 members of the T-550 team who were at "Salt Talks" (kind of a traditonal BBQ/etc run by the owner of www.landracing.com ) during Speed Week 2011: Freud, Yers Truly, Marlo and Dick Milne (left to right.)

 

It's Friday and Doc Freud has prepared a great update post for Target 550:
http://www.target550.com/gallery/140_couplers_windshield_jewelry/index.html

There are several different topics in this one: a seal to keep the Greek couplers from slinging lubricant all over the inside of the liner, a perimeter molding for the windshields and the most beautiful oil pan you'll ever see.

This photo's a small teaser of the whole thing:

 

Freud's in Las Vegas for a motorcycle Hall of Fame ceremony (Phil Schilling, one of the past editors of Cycle mag is being inducted) but he turned his spy camera upside down and shook it real hard. Some unseen photos of Jim Hume and fabrication of the liner's windshield frame/molding fell out. So he scrambled and got 'em together so I could put 'em on the web site.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/141_more_windshield_frame/index.html

This photo validates the theory that you can never have too many tools.



We'll be back with another update soon.

 

This week's update shows the assembly (and some fine tuning) of the liner's canopy and windshield and its support molding.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/142_canopy_molding_windshield/index.html

There's a a whole lotta detail showing just how much effort is put into each component of the liner. Here's a shot of Hume attaching the molding to the canopy with Clecos:



Outstanding workmanship, as usual.

Ohhh...and Happy Thanksgiving (a day late) to all.

 

Another week, another update:

www.target550.com/gallery/143_oil_pan_windshield/index.html

Some great stuff in here. More of the world's most gorgeous oil pans,



the final assembly (at least up to the Clecos) of the canopy windshield (and what a gem that is!) and finally some work on the front quick-change. Really great fotos by derFreud.

Enjoy.

(I knew I shoulda bought stock in Clecos.)

 

This week's post shows work on the clutch areas, a piece being formed for the inside of the roll cage and the quickchange differentials.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/144_clutch_%20roll_cage_buck/index.html

As usual, the craftsmanship and photos are outstanding.



Check it out,

 

A small post, but it covers a necessary modification to the scatter shields. Check out photo #7 for a spy photo shot of the hard-working photographer (Doc Freud) shooting with his spy camera...here's another shot of the polished scatter shield and his reflection:



Here's the link to the page:
http://www.target550.com/gallery/145_scatter_shields_modified/index.html

Enjoy,

 

Target 550's year in review:

Freud (the tireless and very skilled photographer who brings us all the wonderful images and narrative) has had a buncha stuff on his plate lately so what I'm gonna do is present a look back at what went on with the Target 550 team, its members and the progress made on the liner during the year.

First, I wanna include a photo of the man without whom none of this would be happening. Here's a photo of Marlo Treit:



I'm honored to be on his team and proud to call him a friend. Ohh...and without his help (and that of others on the Target 550 team) I would never have made it onto the course on the salt flats this year. I'm deeply grateful to him and the whole team.

There are far too many photos in what I hope will be an enjoyable and informative thumbnail sketch of Target 550 during 2011. So I'll be making multiple posts between now and the end of the year...so stay tuned and enjoy.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/146_year_in_review_01/index.html

 

Merry Christmas Ray! Thanks for all the updates!

 

Happy Holidays to You, Ray, and the whole team! Keep on keepin; on! Crow. LFFL

 

Thanks for the holiday wishes.

The Target 550 team would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Here's our Christmas card to y'all.
http://www.target550.com/gallery/147_xmas_2011/index.html

I look forward to seeing you at the Bonneville NW Reunion, on the salt flats and maybe at El Mirage (if all the stars and planets line up.) For the moment, though, have a great holiday season and keep your eyes open for the rest of "The Year in Review," which will start tomorrow, 12/26.

 

Merry Christmas Ray!

Jerry

 

Part 2 of "The Year in Review" is on the server. It covers posts 103 through 113. I hope you all enjoy it much as I did while putting it together.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/148_year_in_review_02/index.html

This shot of Jim Hume and the wooden buck for the rear wheel fairings is part of this post. I'll bet he'll be pretty darned happy when those fairings are completed.

 

Here's part 3 of the "Year in Review":
http://www.target550.com/gallery/149_year_in_review_03/index.html

This is one of the images in the group:



If that doesn't pique your curiosity (unless ya already saw it) I don't know what would.

Tune in again tomorrow for another exciting episode.

 

Today's part of the Year in Review covers posts 123-128. Doesn't seem like much, but a lotta stuff happened at that time...even though Speedweek took place during that period and Freud and I were both on the salt for the duration: Master cylinders, brakes, more wheel fairing work, oil tanks and lines, pressurizing the frame tubes...and more.

Here's a teaser shot that shows Dave Jeffers trying to make something smooth by rubbing it against something rough.



And here's the link:
http://www.target550.com/gallery/150_year_in_review_04/index.html

Enjoy,

 

On the 5th day of....awww...never mind. What's more important is that the 5th installation of the 2011 Year in Review is available on the Target 550 server:
http://www.target550.com/gallery/151_year_in_review_05/index.html

Way too much to list, but here are a few things: Work going on under the liner, filters, more plumbing, the Granite Falls High School Manufacturing class and preparing for a trip to the salt flats for World of Speed.

The items in this shot were sent off for anodizing and had an interesting trip. Maybe derFreud can fill in the blanks on it; I know if I try to tell the story, I'll get it wrong.



This post leaves us with 2 more before the review is completed. Interesting. We have 2 more days in the year and 2 more sections. Hmmm...almost like it was sposeta work out that way.

 

The penultimate (I learned that word from David Hobbs in F1 racing coverage) Year in Review post:
http://www.target550.com/gallery/152_year_in_review_06/index.html
This one has photos from posts 134 thru 139. Some of the areas covered: Drive belt tensioner, wheel fairings, Greek couplers, windshield frame and a bunch more. Oh, yeah....and the dyno test:



To reiterate something about the dyno test, I'll mention that no HP numbers were announced because that wasn't the reason for the test, which was to validate the idea of mounting the Whipple superchargers (huge frikkin blowers!) at a 90 degree angle from what might be considered "normal." The test was successful and the power output, while not being expressed in numbers might be considered as "adequate."

I'll have one more post in this series...I plan to do that tomorrow morning...unless something changes.

 

Been a busy year, thanks for all the updates! Also thanks to Marlo for taking the time to talk at Speedweek!

 

Here's the last Target 550 "Year in Review" post.
http://www.target550.com/gallery/153_year_in_review_07/index.html

It has photos from posts 140 through 145 which show lube seals for the Greek couplers, the new windshield and its frame (what a work of art!), another look at the polished oil pans (gorgeous!) and more.

Here's a photo that shows something really significant:


It shows a group of parts that have been removed and are being stored in the "back room." This is being done so that the frame can be painted and then the parts will go back in. After that it otta be time to...well, I'll let you draw your own conclusions and just say that things are moving along very nicely.

I've gone back to the beginning of the year and looked at the great photos and re-read the text Doc Freud provides and I find something I overlooked every time. If you're seriously into following this build, I suggest that you do the same thing between football games and (if you're like me) grabbing snacks.

In the mean time, enjoy these photos and I (and the entire Target 550 team) wish you all a VERY enjoyable and safe New Year's Eve.

 

I am in deep debt to Ray Therat for this year end summary.

He stepped up and did a marvelous job of reviewing the year at a time when I needed a

break. He's always available to help and these presentations would be sitting on my

hard drive if not for him.

FREUD

 

Very impressed with you and your teams skill, ambition and execution. Stunning machine you have there.

 

You forgot "Bank Account"

 

I have no idea how I missed this thread, sure is a great project, hope it runs as good as it looks. Bob

 

Happy New Year Ray! Keep the updates coming. One of my highlights of the year was sitting down and listening to Marlo at the Salt Talks.

 

Did I have to mention that?

 

Happy New Year from the Target 550 team. As the single-image post says, Marlo, the Machine and Momentum are heading into 2012 with a lot of enthusiasm. Hope you'll keep following us as the time for the first test runs gets closer and closer...even if we don't know exactly when it'll be.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/154_man_machine_momentum/index.html

Thanks and best New Year wishes to those who are following the fine artists who are building this unbelievably well-crafted streamliner.

 

The liner has been pretty much stripped down to nothing but the chassis. This was/is done to allow the construction of a huge rotisserie so that it can be rotated along its axis and some welds can be redone, then the whole thing prepped and painted. It's gettin closer!

The rearmost section of the body is still in place so that the rear wheel fairings can be completed.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/155_chassis_stripped/index.html

Here's a shot to give an idea of the rotisserie:


We're off and running in 2012.

 

Bonneville Northwest Reunion. A gathering of land speed racers and families that Glenn Freudenberger arranges every year. I put a website together and it's here:
http://www.bonnevillenwreunion.com/Welcome.html

This year one of the featured items on the menu is a visit to the restored WWII PT Boat anchored near Portland:
www.savetheptboatinc.com

I'm really lookin forward to this one.

If you can make it, get in touch with Glenn (Doc Freud) and/or the hotel to make arrangements.

r

 

Update 156. This post covers the rotisserie that's being built so that the liner's frame can be rotated as needed to finish the welds that were tacked in place and prepare the whole thing for painting.

I find myself amazed every time I see a new set of photos from the master photog, Doc Freud aka Glenn Freudenberger. There's just no end to the skill, ingenuity and engineering/fabrication know-how that the guys in the shop demonstrate. The rotisserie is another example of this. Check it out:



That's one of the rings that the rotisserie will rotate on. There will only be two of 'em, but as sturdily as they're built, that's all they'll need. Great stuff. Here's the url:

http://www.target550.com/gallery/156_rotisserie_clamps/index.html

 

Target 550 status update:

We didn't have a post last week because of the weather in the North West and Freud's trip with Marlo to check out possible testing sites for the liner. But this photo is a teaser for the upcoming post.



You can see that there's no bodywork on it and the chassis is clocked 90 degrees in the rotisserie. The work has begin on the final stages of the welds (those on the underside of the chassis/tubing) and then the paint prep will start. There'll be an announcement about the body/paint work soon.

Hang onto yer butts, cuz the work is zipping along...it seems to me that the progress is moving forward at lightspeed.