Released: 2015 Salt Slush Racing Apparel !

I never had the intention to be a model.

But when the first T-shirt with the Salt Slush Racing logo is released, I felt that a man’s gotta to do what a man’s gotta to do.  Even if it’s in front of a silver Mercedes ML in a cold garage close to the north pole...

Yeah, I know what you're thinking... You're of course eager to know how get hold such-a ground breaking t-shirt. Don’t you?  

Our advice:  Just stay calm, Salt Slush Racing Speedshop will open very soon.

Information: Potential profit from the Salt Slush Racing Speed Shop will be directly transferred to The Goddess of Speed.

Cage not fight

  

We are doing good progress maybe not rocket speed progess, but still progress.

You should all know, that our daytime work is mail and Power Point's, and only when it gets really rough we start to use Excel and set up meetings. This means that we have to overcome our daytime handicap with pure magic and solid stubbornness. Based on this handicap we are doing huge progress.

 A new bending machine is being tested.

The Bend

Lars-Martin is working on the mock-up coil overs.

Small steps are better than no steps and we are for sure getting there and to be honest, Anders is doing something almost every evening. During the weekend the work is on, both Saturday and Sunday. It's for sure good to be more than one! This will enable us to have multiple work streams which will increase speed even more.

Our skills in notching and getting all bits and pieces together in the cage are improving fast.

The Sajo Milling Machine is the key to success !

Anders has become our guiding and leading star.
We have developed a very successful tactic. When we have an extremely tricky notch, then we tell Anders that: This is not possible! Not even you can do this one ! for sure ! and then he fix it flawless! voila! spot on! skitbra!

Håkan had a fight with his pipe, we in the team who try to work with some kind of elegance has started to suspect that Håkan got his machine and fabrication training in former East Germany as a traine in a Tractor plant. Of course during a period when people had names like Erich, Josef etc.



Håkan will later on explain where he learned how to fabricate and handle the most advanced machinery and state of the art theory.

Magnus is describing something rather big… and he is for sure not in to fishing..

...after which he started to produce a new wastegate bracket. Concentration needed. Or else... Less fingers…..

Anders and I look upwards to see if reinforcement cross seems ok.

 

 Charging system layout is being discussed. Carina is impressed.



Salt Slush Global Presence!

These days there's an obvious need to be global. Therefore, the Salt Slush Racing team is of course happy see strong people, at important landmarks in Salt Slush Racing Apparel. Below you can see two good examples. 

Young Nelly sent us a picture from the very south of Australia (St Mary Peak) (which is really south if you ask me...) when she's climbing a kind of mountain.

While Erland, slightly older, bravely claimed a landmark, in the snowy landscape of north Sweden, with the rare mid winter sun rays (longitude: 20) of Lappland shining over him.  



Nelly Nilsson, Austalia (wearing 2013 edition of the Salt Slush T-shirt) 

Erland Fällén, Kiruna, Sweden  (wearing 2014 edition of the Salt Slush T-Shirt)

Dark outside = Progress in the garage.

The leaves has left the trees, the darkness is compact, all summer cars, bikes and boats are now resting... but SSR is  Back in the shop!  Since we’re trying to conduct simultaneous engineering, we’re now working in several areas at the same time.  This is definitely needed, since we still have a lot of debates, laughs, sweat and weld smoke in front of us before we’re able to make a first thrilling test run.

  KL Racing has now corrected and delivered the Volvo-GM adapter (between the bellhousing  and the engine), which made it possible for us to put the Tremec Transmission in correct position and fabricate the rear mounts ( and yes, we’re going to change the material from wood to something more suitable as the next step)

   We’re as well making progress with the roll cage.  How? Well, by milling, and measuring, after which we’re milling and measuring….

...then we finally weld…and experiance a short moment of happiness.

 

  As we work with the roll cage connection to the frame, we’re moving in to the turbo area. Or rather, the turbo packaging area. As usually we approach complicated tasks without 3D Catia, but with SSR braveness.  A lot of things need to be considered, like an absolute minimum pressure drop before compressors and after turbines, as well as a nice flow separation after the compressors (to avoid typical bi-turbo surge).  We even think about serviceability since there is a small risk that we need to make minor maintenance work between the races.  Anders and Magnus are both very concentrated.

 We brought in all kinds of top level boosting competence and therefore a lot of coffee was consumed…in short, a social event.

  But eventually we found a place for the stay (roll cage-to frame) and the turbo compressor outlet was given a symmetric and potent direction (and yes, we need to adjust the wastegate bracket)

Then as finally, Anders took the driver’s seat and the usual determination look came to him.

A Stone Tablet & V12 Symphony

Yes, we confess. We went to Stockholm instead of notching roll cage steel pipes.

We had to pilgrim to the last session of The Combustion Engine Wizard. It felt like a mission from the God of Speed.  As usually, when sent out on these journeys we start to look for signs. And we found one. An old Stone Tablet with a modernistic poem that begins with: -Jag är hastigheten…(i.e. -I am Speed…) and that felt like a good start for a Salt Slush Racing pilgrimage.

A peaceful moment. Carina and Anders are reading the poem (which can be seen in the former Ostermans Marmorhallar in Stockholm, once an palace where Cadillac’s, LaSalle, Oldsmobile, Buick, Chevrolet and even Opel were on display)

 

Then we continued to Berwaldhallen, a place that normally host Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Choir. A serious place for serious music. A place suitable for 1300 spectators. Could this place be sold out for a combustion engine show? A combustion engine show?

That's right, a celebration of the amazing machine! A couple of minutes before the The Last Show. The hall is slowly filling up. And yes, it was sold out. Expectations were growing.

  Then he arrives, Per Gillbrand, the combustion engine rock star! As usually, he mixed a witty monolog about combustion engines with thoughts about the past and the future. When suitable he start up one of his amazing miniature engines, which has been built by Mr. Gillbrand himself. In the picture above he starts up an exact copy of Karl Benz first Automobile engine.  Difficult to accomplish? You bet.

 

These engines are so beautiful….

But how about this? An exact copy of the Bugatti W16 in miniature! If it runs? Of course!

  We're all amazed and amused.

But at the end of the day we all have our favorites. Per has a preference for Rolls Royse Merlin V12. Therfore he brought a his well working Mini-Merlin. 

He also displayed his full scale Merlin as a comparison. But why does Per's friend wear hearing protection?

Yepp, it’s running!  And yes, we're still in the Concert Hall. Check out the blue flames on the right side. A memorable moment!


But eventually, The Last Show came to an end. Per leaves the stage after a really good show, which few of us will ever forget.
Thank's Per!

Blowi'n in the wind…...

How many Turbos must a man repair before he get the motor going ?
The answer my friend will be known this spring.

How many notches must a man notch before you can call him a race car builder ?
The answer my friend will be known at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

I hope all Dylan fanatist's will excuse for above extremely poor travesty.

Meanwhile Håkan, Carina and Anders went to Stockholm for a weekend trip, to enjoy Per Gillbrants  Berwaldhall event ( I assume Håkan will write a post around this), Magnus and I stayed in the SSR Garage.

The Main focus was to continue on the roll cage. We got two more pipes notched and spot welded to the frame and since Magnus is young (both in body and heart), fit and agile he was climbing in and out of the car measuring measuring measuring testing cutting testing etc.

Magnus before the in and out of the car making himself ready

We are getting there ! two more pipes spot welded ! On top of this we discussed how to continue.
Since Anders has the design lead in this area we were slightly nervous especially since we made a minor change compared with his stipulated guidelines. We hope that we get OK from Anders when he evaluates it.  We have a prepared list of facts to support and a very well planned argumentation.

Spot welded pipes going to the rear from main roll bar.

On top of this Mario helped me to get my Turbo in to condition almost as good as new.

Exhaust house of the turbo.

The issue, something hard has bothered the turbine wheel, new one is needed. Should allthough say that the damage was so small so it can not really be the reason for the Engine not giving power.

Work with troubleshooting will continue due to this.

Wheel off

The damages something hard had made its way through the turbo

Cleaning

Voila new turbine wheel in place

Assembled

Mario demonstrating.

Myself celebrating 

Hope to get it back in the boat in a week or two and continue to look at the fuel system etc.

Will order gaskets nuts etc by Volvo Penta this week.

November rain, reduced team and Progress!

Kalle has got a severe cold (with fever) that keeps him in bed.
Magnus is currently working in US and posing as Christ at Bonneville Salt Flats. This might influence the Gods of Speed in our favor eventually.

But the above means a reduced SSR workforce.  So what did we do? Give up? Wait for better times to come?

No way!   That wouldn’t be the Salt Slush Racing way!

Instead Lars-Martin, Anders and I continued to discuss, design, cut, mill and weld. The roll cage now start to get its shape. The support to the rear frame is still missing and the support over the prop shaft towards the main frame is also missing, but we’re rather confident about the concept.

But again, more elbow grease is needed.

Checking the cage while getting used to the position and looking upwards

The current frame structure

On Sunday Mario, Gitte, Carina and I went to The Barn. All of the sudden there was Fika, Sunshine and a barn full of old cars. A peaceful moment.

Again, it's autum and while nature is planning for a long sleep, car guys start to get active. This winter active cool grey creature might be on its way to a paintshop, but nobody knows for sure...

The appearance was nevertheless great and for a moment there was breakout from the normal dull line of VW, Prius etc on the motorway.