Landspeed Racing Project, My 57

[slalombuggy]

Thanks John. Yes it appears the salt is drying out after the rains that cancelled Speed Week. Keep your fingers crossed for no more rain. One good thing is that Danny Thompson, son of Mickey had restored and updated his Dad's Challenger II car and is bringing it to WOS. Will be a very cool car to see. Now, if we can just finish my new trailer in the next couple of days, all will be good.....

How was the race in Vegas John?

brad

[yamaducci]

Very Cool. Hurry up and weld that new one up!
It went great actually. We took 1st in 2000 class even after breaking 1st gear in the last 70 miles and got stuck in silt twice. We had to be pulled up two silt hills in th middle of the night. There are tons of stories with this one. We even almost hit a Bull in the middle of the course at speed.
_________________
-John Cox
My 2498 Turbo Re-Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5578697#5578697

3rd Brake Light Safety Stars- I still have a couple with blue light left. Email me if interested.

[slalombuggy]

The trailer is done. Tomorrow we fit the front splitter and then I start loading up the car, all the pit stuff and spares. We leave Wednesday morning 5am to make southern Montana by dark.

Still working out the basic tune having some issues of lean running at high rpm.....

Almost ready.....

brad

[slalombuggy]

The car is sitting in the pits, run sticker in the window, passed both 130 and 150 tech with ease. Tomorrow I'm gonna beat on this thing like a rented mule.

brad

[56vwoval]

Good luck! Cheering you on to SPEED!
_________________
Remember guys and girls, you can be right or you can be happy with your significant other! You decide which is right at that time!

[yamaducci]

Well??? How did you do?
_________________
-John Cox
My 2498 Turbo Re-Build Thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5578697#5578697

3rd Brake Light Safety Stars- I still have a couple with blue light left. Email me if interested.

[slalombuggy]

Was a really frustrating year for racing. We sat in line for hours as they lapped comp cars by us time and time again. My first run had the car go sideways at just under 100mph and I coasted through the beams at 88mph.

After a melt down in the pits my good friend and belt bitch Rick found a loose pivot bolt on the right dogleg. We tightened that and did an rear alignment and sat in line for 4.5 hours before they told us they were closing the track for the day. I won't tell you how I felt, just guess......

The next morning we did the HVWs photo shoot and then went and sat in line for another 2.5 hours waiting to run. the car went straight and I ran a 118 (190kph) but the motor wasn't running great, a lot of reverberation through the intakes and it leaned out in the middle rpms. I tried everything I could and changed jets a couple of times and ran 117s 2 more times before I pulled the plug and loaded the car Monday at noon.

The car wasn't responding that much to changes and I didn't feel like sitting in line again for another 4 hours to make one run, so we went to the big track and watched Danny Thompson run 419 in his Dad's car that he had just finished upgrading. Mickey would be proud, it's an absolute work of art.

Totally disheartened with the USFRA and the way they treated us. Seriously considering going to Willmington next time. And won't ever go to World of Speed again if Speed Week rains out. I can sit in the sun at home and we can save $3500 in gas, food and lodging.

Quite happy with the car. I would have like to have gone faster but a 118 on a new car isn't bad. Would to have like to have run the long track but I knew that dream was crushed Saturday morning.

Crappy year for racing, but I got to make some new friends and hang out with some old ones and that's just as important to me as the racing.

THANKS RICK, YOU WERE A SAVIOR!!!!!!

brad

[Mr. Motorhead]

The car looked great Brad! I didn't pay attention to where you were in the HVWs photo shoot.......I was distracted by the girl in the orange cocktail dress and heels that showed up (nice race car accessory if you can get away with it). I'll agree that the wait at the start line was too long. Even a couple of the starters didn't like it. Monday I was third in line at 8am and still had to wait to make my run until almost 10am. I could have done one more run but the line didn't move at all, it looked like another two hour wait. We went to the pits and packed it in. No real speed this year for me either but I did get to run a new car on the salt so I'm good with that.
_________________
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36 horsepower parts for sale at http://www.aircooledresearch.com/
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Check out the Bonneville project:
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"All limitations are self imposed."
Some Chinese guy

[slalombuggy]

On Saturday, the starter came and told my wife to tell me to un-belt and that they were calling the race, she told him no, he would have to do it.

I didn't have much of a problem with them running the cars from impound in the mornings, they earned it with a possible record, but when USFRA officials on Facebook are telling bike riders they should have come to WOS because they were lapping bikes on the 130 course, that about tore it right there and shows me how much respect they had for our efforts and money we put into our racing.

It was great to see you and the Mrs. again Matt. I never did hear what you ran for mph this year.

brad

[60ragtop]

[Mr. Motorhead]

[slalombuggy]

[slalombuggy]

A short update.

I've decided to keep the car and further develop it instead of building a new racer. I sold my 48 IDAs and purchased a set of race prepped EPC 51s with 44mm vents and all the Jaycee parts I had on my IDAs. I also added a fuel pressure gauge to the fuel line so I can monitor my fuel pressure. After talking to some tech guys I am also going to try switching fuels to an aerated 100 octane VP non leaded race gas instead of the 112 I ran last year. Initial run seemed much better, pulled harder throughout the rpm range. Was fun to merge into freeway traffic in second gear LOL

brad

[slalombuggy]

I was at the big Easter weekend car show with some buddies displaying our cars. George Barris was this years special guest and was signing autographs.

Here he is signing my glove box block off plate adding his name to my friends Burly Burlile, Tom Bruch, and Dick Beith that I got last September. Pretty cool

brad

[splitjunkie]

[slalombuggy]

I doubt it. LOL This car is so below his standards. He probably could have done better in his sleep........but it's just the way I like it.

brad

[60ragtop]

so that means it will go in a straight line at speed?
Zip tie in hand
_________________
Rick
Certified Mechanic by the State of Michigan in 1977
ASA certified in 1987
Certified Hunter Wheel Alignment Master Technician 1986

[slalombuggy]

[catahoula lou]

Thanks for saving it from the scrapper, as it did not look totaled.

It just kills me when I see VWs in reasonable condition being parted out or scrapped, removing them from the roads forever.

Best,

Thom
_________________
1 great wife
2 Catahoula Leopard Dogs (Mahogany Star and Spartan) - RIP Lucy, Braveheart, & Dusty!
1 1959 mango green Ragtop Bug (the "Mango")
1 1958 pantina red Lowlight Ghia (the "Chili Pepper")

Still looking for:
(1) My Dad's 1955 356 (he raced it amateur-class at Riverside and other courses during 1950s),
(2) My parent's black 1955 hardtop bug (CA license plate FWC 201 or FWG 201), and
(3) My parent's agave green 1957 ragtop bug (CA license plate LFK 734).

[slalombuggy]

Thanks Thom, There wasn't much car left when I got it, but enough to do what I needed. I could have spent a few years collecting all the missing hard to find parts and $20K restoring it but that's not my style.

brad