Relaxing while Getting ready for Bonneville Speed Week!

Salt Slush Racing team is still relaxing since it's summer. We're trying
our best to not think about cars, engines and speed events.

Since we have vacation we're all relaxing in the sun...thinking about the right tan... practicing Yoga...and trying to find our Inner Self? Has the lunch salad so far been ok?

Actually, most of us has found another ways to relax, while not working on The Racer and not being at work.

Carina and I decided to put the old Chevy 1936 together and get it ready for inspection.

We had some problem with the fuel supply, but with a little help from a time typical device we've got the motor running...

...and were able to celebrate with dust-off event! Followed by a rewarding....

...Test Drive!

 Anders felt the urge to serve ice tea to celebrate the short but thrilling event!

Especially since he, himself needed some cold drink during a Spa with his recent Alfa Spider bargin.

 

 Carina and myself continued to work with the our old friend. Carina is finding errors.

When these were all corrected, we're ready for The Fomal inspection. And since we're passed...

...we could get our motor running and head out on the highway....looking for adventure....



Magnus is on his side right now busy buying an old honing machine (a beautiful piece of bargain! No picture available, top secret) and preparing his ride for Old Style Weekend hill race.

 The race/test vehicle

 

 ...always needs some final calibration...

...before it's ready to race.

Meanwhile Karl-Johan is working with his 302 Camaro engine (one valve was still mysteriously missing arrived by mail this morning) and thinking about new sensible projects…besides of enjoying his other cars and the boat. Rumor tells that he has been seen in the garden also…


Here's his story:

The 302 made some strange noises and showed other odd behaviors during the spring. So the motor was taken out from the Camaro, taken apart and handed over to a shop, since it was in  need of machine work including a balancing.


I assume the story is the same all over the world, good shops are busy and have a long long que of work in pipeline. Finally, I started to get machined parts back...including some new parts from Summit racing and I could start the assembly. Monday next week I will get the last parts including cylinder heads.

Besides the 302, I spent some time sorting out some electrical issues with the boat.  Low voltage(12V) combined with salt water is a bad solution. A set up for issues which takes time and needs patience . 

The 0,030 machined cylinderblock, cleaned and ready to be assembled.

New Piston and rods

Some source of wisdom...

Playtime in hot rod, waiting in que to get going again.

Playtime with the boat, picture from a magic evening in Grebbestad, 24 deg C in the water which is for Sweden, almost HOT.

So far the Summer has been magic and beyond all expectation, as made for Roadsters Bikes and Boats.

Other than that...


Lars-Martin is still happy about the new Summit Racing website and has moved forward with his private projects, combined with some garden work. His Roadster is doing progress.



Carina is working on her old rototiller and her old lawn mower.



Other than that, the flights are booked. The hotel is booked. The rental cars are booked. We're ready for Speed Week 2014 at the Bonneville Salt Flats!



Summary: We've tried our best not to think about work, cars, engines, high power and high speed.  We have been medium sucessful with staying in our sun chairs.
By now, should be able to, fair and square, just admit that we are to far down the Gasoline Alley...combined with a preference for fast boats... (and as always together with family and good friends) to get out of this motor addiction.

Understanding The Challenge

During warm and cloudless summer nights, close to the arctic circle, where air is easy to breath and star twinkles in the sky, there's all of a sudden time to think.

To think about The Task.

As car guys we're of course deep in to all technical details, but we need as well to grasp what land speed racing at Bonneville and El Mirage has been and is all about. What is really important?
We need to understand how others interpret the -not-always-cristal clear-SCTA rulebook (which we've studied thoroughly). 
We need to analyze the vehicles in our class to get a feeling for what really matters.

Currenlty I'm as well looking in the past in order to get a deeper understanding about the magic place called Bonneville Salt Flats.

To get a feeling for the history of land speed racing, I'm currently reading "The Birth of Land speed Racing- The Story of the Dry Lakes Era" by Robert Genat, which is really good and feels very authentic.

Reading this book boost the enthusiasm and it's easy to get even more eager to go Bonneville and experience the tough climate, the dusty white salt and to hear the roaring engines.

Which is luckily exactly what we're going to do! 

Part of the Salt Slush Racing team will go to Bonneville Speed Week this year, (within a copule of weeks) not yet to compete, rather to enjoy the atmosphere.

Hopefully we can update this blog with some findings and some nice pictures. while we're on-site. 

But right now we can only provide you all with some more pictures of our fast looking Amazon.

The roaring engine and the salt dust that will follow our Speedy Station Wagon needs currently to be in our imaginations...

Dropping a tank while playing the piano

Summer stillness is sweeping in to our garage which means that the angle grinder howling has been replaced by Anders tones, since he recently got his garage piano delivered.

 

The coffee paus entertainment is from now on secured.

 

Anders is here playing a farewell blues as a homage to... 

...our decoration, Magnus old bomb tank, which needs to be dropped from the roof since we need to lift the Amazon body from the frame in order to access the rear-end during our next hot and intensive welding session, during which spot welds will turn into weld seems.

 
After this hellish welding event there will be no regrets and no remorse. Only good looking welding and the nice feeling that emerge from true progress. Maybe Anders can play some jazz while the smoke disappears...

 Even the Carinas C20 would get a proper fuel range with this cool old fighting device...time to take-off.

 

Later, the arrival. 

 

The tank has now finally landed, home at the proud owner. What will be the next step? No one knows for sure...but Magnus has plans.

Rearend Concept Complete !



Sunday morning. Rain is falling. Gloomy ?  You bet!

 

But as well an opportunity to breakout from the grey rain and go in to the garage, meet some friends and get the Rearend Concept ready. 

After some initial coffee drinking and whining about the weather, we were ready to get the Panhard stay in position and the left Coilover in place.

With the usual Salt Slush Racing top precision, Anders and I measured until finally metal was fixed to metal.

 

Voila!

 As usually there were side activities...Carina's latest machine got a lot of attention. I'm talking about the Ariens Rocket Rototiller. With active support from neighbors, friend and myself...

 

... she'll soon be ready for some groundbreaking activity!

Surprice

As I tired and weary opened the door to the workshop one evening, after a week full of intensive work and business travel, I saw the sunlight hit the racer-to-be, while I smelled the subtle flavor of oily parts on the move to fulfilling a dream. It was all very beautiful.

Suddenly, a razor sharp fear struck me. Do we have the right speed to achieve our goal? Are we on track or are we just dreamers and pack rats? Are we building and buying cool stuff without the sense of urgency?

In this sensitive moment Anders all of a sudden materialized from nowhere and proudly presented the final development and manufacturing of the right part of the Rearend. Now in a shape that's ready to be mirrored to the left side of the Rearend. A trifle? I don’t think so...

My doubts were at this stage all gone and I realized that we're close to a breakthrough, which is to put the car on wheels and release it from its shackles and enjoy the high speed potential.

 

Right hand side rear end

The four link close to completion

Summer Darkness & Progress

It's summer as well as vacation time in Sweden and all the cottages are drowning in midnight sun...

Picture 1: Red Swedish house.

Almost all Swedes are now relaxed and eager to slow down or mow the lawn, except a small but determined group who this Sunday fled to the dark side in order to get solace for the soul and progress for the Salt Racer. The Amazon Salt Racer. 

 

The four link connection to the frame needed urgently reinforcment

 But let's start from the beginning. At lunch time today we were finally in shape to grab a cup of coffe /beer and able to study the task. Nothing happend. 

Then we used scissor and cardboard to mock up the future progress. 

 But eventually additional heat was needed to get some result. It was by Swedish standard a warm day today and adding the heat of merging metals made it even tropical. Which was good.

All of a sudden the metal was more rigid and while the steel was cooling down, we started to concentrate on the endless measuring again...this time to get a The Final Position of the Rear End. No fooling around. 

 Magnus here in the position of the middle man is trying to line up the 9' Currie to The Power Source...

... while Anders is supporting from the left...

...I'm trying to assist and report from the right...







Meanwhile Carina worked with her old new Suffolk engine...

...and Petter immortalized his glass blasted engine parts.

After this nice and fruitful day we could finally go out to the sunlight..

 ...drive home,...

 

...relax and enjoy a nice summer evening.