Projects Spirit of South Dakota LSR lakester/rear enigine roadster

Thats the HAMBs own Elmo Rodge aka Wayno doing the rotisserie. If anyone would like to build a bellytank Wayne has Jack Kellys old molds and sells new glass tanks. VERY nice construction and if you ask him nice he may even deliver to bonneville!

And I was only 2 pints in Tim

 

At least I didn't call you Tboy like I used to! Hahahaha!!

I have a question... if your car ends up up-side-down... how do you get out?

The other thing... on those two bars on the back of the bird cage, where they are coped into the shoulder bar. Is there a reason for that? Seems not as strong... as you are essentially putting a notch into that tube and capping it... which cuts the amount of welded area to the shoulder bar in half.

I know you can ad more and more tube... to stiffen things up, but if you ran them right into the shoulder bar, it then opens the door to many different ways for running the bars from the shoulder bar down to the frame... which in-turn, opens up a little dead space behind the seat.

Like run those two into the shoulder bar... then run two out to the frame at almost the seat angle (less) and then run two from the corners back, at an angle, down to the frame rails.

When you're all done... try the plywood test. Basically put a piece of plywood up to the thing to simulate the ground to make sure it cannot come on contact with the seat or the seat belts.

Things can be decieving... on our car, there is a seat belt bolt head that looks like it could grind against the salt. But when we did the plywood test, we proved (to ourselves) that the placement was fine, as there is no way it would ever be able to touch the salt.

When doing the plywood test... imagine that the body got blown off... the engine fell out and it's just the cage tumbling along.

You might think about two stringers that go under the seat and foot pan... I dunno, just an idea...

I'll keep checking back... now that I know where this thread is!

Keep up the good work, tman.



Sam

 

All great points and questions Sam. Thanks for the input as always! As for the rear helmet tubes. I borrowed a design being done by some pretty high end racecar guys building a salt car, one that has been tweaked in cad. I wanted to tie the helmet hoop area to the lower frame for more strength. Also, there is A LOT of tubes missing as well as the thick plating behind our heads tieing it all together. As you know, there are compromises and/or things based on some design criteria.

I like the plywood idea, been thinking about those issues and that is a great way to test it.

And yes, it will get seat stringers and lots of tubing under our asses. Gotta buy a couple more sticks this week, I laugh at how fast 20 feet disappears even without mistakes!

 

On our back engine dragster style lakester we put a tubing X under the seat and then a 1/8" steel floor over that. Hope it will keep the big chunks from coming up through.
We'll find out if we ever get it out of the basement.

 

You guys are doing nice work. This is a fun thread to keep checking back on.!

 

Me, myself, and I (the guys, be nice to have some help at times!) thank you! Your tank was certainly inspiration these last few years.

 

Each tube represents at least an evening with our casual schedule, some nights you walk away. I have used bandsaw, cutof wheels and holesaws, my best CONSISTANT miters are from freehand cuts with a cutoff wheel.

 

I really should hang the rest of that sheetrock!@

 

Looks great T!

 

Yeah! and what's up with the wires coming out of your panel.

Car's looking great, one tube a night ain't bad when life's going on.

 

I'll go straighten those wires for you Tim.

 

Lookin good Trent and yep the more time spent on fit up the better off you will be when weld up comes................

 

Looking good, Trent!



Malcolm

 

You're moving right along.... Amazing how small these bellytank things get isn't it....?

 

Yes and I have intentionally made some aspects of it bigger for safety. Don't know what was going through Jack Costellas mind the first time he built one of his new modern mini-liners. And I mean that in a GOOD way!

 

Jack doesnt think outside the box, Jack doesnt know the box exists.
Also meant in a good way.

 

Yes, I enjoy talking to Jack. I find him rather Yoda-esque, the answer is not in what he says, but what he does not say!

 

Bonneville Speedweek this year?
I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Dave

 

Dave I love your Vette! Checked it out briefly last year. I will be on the salt this year, would like to at least have the car a solid roller for Nate and the guys to pre-inspect the car. We are building this thing on spare change and I refuse to go into debt racing. Will prob make the first runs the following year. I do have an offer to take my rookie runs in another car so we will see how that goes. You can find me crewing and pitted with McTim in his 62 Ford Unibody.

 

I was drooling over the unibody Ford pickup last year. It is one of my all time favorite body designs. I will see you then.
Dave

 

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Tomorrow I will be tearing into this.



to put this and some other stuff into it for Bonny and yes after I have a few tries at it I think I will let the Tman give it a go.

 

You are far too generous Tim!

Scored a new unused fuel cell for less than my dealer cost! I was gaetting ready to order one and mentioned it to a pal, turns out he had a guy in his shop 5 minutes earlier trying to offload it. I jumped on the smokin deal!





It will be mounted up above the tranny at the rear of the car, chute tube will be behind this. We are building a water tank that will wrap in front of and under the fuel cell. Cooling will be a radiator in a water/ice tank. Rad will be pressurized, tank will not.

 

Yeah, and don't forget it. lol

 

I got some better/more ideas for shade at our pit this year. Be nice for the group of us not to have to migrate with the 5x5 foot spot the EZ shades in late afternoon as the Sun moves! Looks funny watching 4 adults try to follow the shade while holding drinks and keeping our butts planted in the chairs.

 

Got the ugly nose mold out and mocked up. I bought all of my glass supplies but am waiting for a day when I can open the shop and get rid of the fumes! I needed to take some measurements. Nose to tail is somewhere between 17 and 19 feet but I have yet to layout the rear bodywork and chute tubes so it may grow.

 

The nose stand looks like a well engineered well documented concept.....

 

Until I need to look up some brake part numbers!

 

Visualizing bodywork again with lath. Great, I still have room for the firebottles above my legs!

 

Looking good. You guys still trying to make August?
Hans

 

lol Just read back a few posts.