Stay on the line!

When you've built an engine, you can measure the power and torque, you get a result, and you'll either celebrate or get somewhat depressed. Simple as that. Well, almost as simple as that....if the engine blow up there will be a deeper sadness in the air.

 

Actually, the same goes for the whole powertrain. If it works, it works, at least for a while. But how about the chassi?  How can we know that the chassi will work properly and give us confidence at +200mph (320km/h) on salt and dirt?

 

The awful truth is that we will not know for sure until we've tested the car on the track. But we need to understand the basics, so we called in Tobias Erson, a chassi expert.

A lecture is good, but the ignorant Salt Slush team needed something else....

...and that is facts and figures. With Tobias help we were able to understand and tune our front end with simple car guys type of method.  The result: Some adjustable Uni-balls from ebay and we're one step further. 

Anders in contemplation mode. Positive is negative, therefore we'll go for neutral. After all, we're Swedish...

 

In addition we've learned that we should make the rear end stiffer and lift the chassi 10-20mm.

 

So, are we sure about the stability and controllability at high speeds? Nope, we're more confident than when we started and that's not always the case. A good evening.

Hiding from the Nordic light!

When birds sings as the sun raises and the light hurt your head as you wake up Sunday morning, you know that the spring has reached your area. At this stage there's only two alternatives. Buy some cheap sunglasses or head directly to a garage of your convenience. We choose our own workshop since we have a task and that is to reach Elmia (A Show) and El Mirage (A Dessert) this year.

Sealed deal. All windows in place and minmal drag. Well, almost all windows...

...while I finished some windows Anders and Kalle was working with The Window.

Obviously we were wrong. The Speed God hear our prayers. Tobbe, a friend and chassi expert came by. We try understand what he's saying. No, he's not telling fishing stories, he's more in to stuff like camber and caster.

Meanwhile in another part of the workshop we found others that were hiding from the sun. One of them was Ragnar. He was making an advanced brake cylinder adapter while avoiding a sun tan.  

Here's Cina while making a paper mock-up for a trunk carpet saver.

And here's the result in rubber. Fits like a glove. Yes, she was proud over the result and yes, she's now ready to transport garden stuff and old car parts.

Inside Alien. Report from a monster.

We had to do it. It was in the air. What? The unexpressed call for a test drive of the green monster followed by refreshing burnout in the spring sun.

Ringön Cruising

Before doing deeds, a tribute to the waffle day felt appropriate. We're outside Tore's garage feeling just fine in the sun. 

Here we go, the dream team pictured.  

If you read this blog and follow us on Instagram you'll understand that a Makers Mark is needed from time to time to calm down.

 

Have a nice evening!

You've all heard the phrase over and over again, but how to have a nice evening? An evening that revitalize you soul and make you sleep well at night. Look at TV? Facebook? Go to the Gym? To us that sound like having an evening, but not necessarily a nice one.

 

Well, at least we've found our way to relax. Go to the garage of your choice and create, innovate and socialize.

Socialize, there's always some nice people coming by.

Do as Magnus, buy an really old machine and create new spare parts in other old machines. Refreshing and rewarding. When it works. Eventually.

Or do as Anders, check how well the Moon hubcaps keeps the Amazon Landspeed racer together.

If nothing else, wake up an old (German) Triumph motorbike from its sleeping beauty slumber. Exiting and as well a good exercise too.

Sunday morning progress.

Friday, with its need for stress relief is long gone. The socially busy Saturday has served its purpose. Today its Sunday and there's no stress no more, the alcohol has evaporate and the mind is focused again. We're sipping coffee dreaming about speed and as usually, tooling our way forward towards our goal and this makes us all feel fine.

Here's the evil poisonous Amazon nose as of today.

Yes, we'll make a holes for the air. Don't worry.

Anders production approach to manufacturing of windows pays off. We're productive. 

Here's the close-up.

But what the fuck is this? No worries, it's only Tapio who's using Anders new lathe to produce a gigantic wood hammer. Wood in a metal lathe? Unorthodox? Yes! But it works perfectly and nobody died, which was a good thing.

Windows of opportunity.

When something is accomplished there's a moment for celebration. It's always short and limited and it should stay that way. Because most of us want to move on to new challenges that makes our soul and mind stronger, while it satisfies our needs. Besides, here the situation. Our painter, Frank, has gone fishing in Florida. Meanwhile, we're working with creating the transparant surface that will protect us from wind and salt, through which we'll see heaven, salt and sun. We call it windows.

Two out of of seven ain't bad.

The backdoor window soon to appear on a high speed tailgate

After a social visit to Annika Wangnick's garage, we're back in the Salt Slush Speed Shop and we're working as if there was no tomorrow. Kalle as he's removing the material that prevents a sheet of transparant plastic to become a window for the Salt Speed Amazon.

When I was ready with the basic form I tuned this 2D shape in to a window.

Meanwhile, Magnus silently was doing good deed ordering stuff like fire extinguisher, parachutes and similar stuff that could make us stay alive.

But what's this? No worries, it's only Carina just after she got a delivery confirmation from an old lawnmower shop in UK. Message: Parts for the old Suffolk lawn mower engine is on its way from England.

While we're all waiting....here's what we refere to.

We celebrate PAINT!

So I called Frank.

Because Frank is that man to call when you feel that you need your race car back from the paint shop. 

With my most gentle voice I asked Frank, if the car was already painted.

He said no.

I stayed calm, because at this point I realized that my call was one day too early.

I asked;

- Any idea when the body will be painted?

Frank replayed;

- Within a couple of hours, you can pick it up tonight.

 

And pick it up we did!

Our Amazon with paint. No, it's not ready yet, but we've reached a milestone! From one angle with one camera....

...and from another angle with the telephone as a camera.. 

7 pm tonight at Frank's paint shop

9 pm in the Salt Slush Racing Speed Shop. Yes, we're a bit proud.

  Our racer from above...

and the nice tail gate

Contradiction in terms? Green, cool and smart.

It can all be combined. This is how. As we're tooling our way forward we've come to notice that the golden green doors makes us feel cool which means that we're on the right track. Because feeling are important too...

Green surface and low Cd door opener. Smart.

Petter and Cina making lunch for all. Petter's Pad Thai makes us all feel fine.

Expert to expert exchange. It's all about safety. And safety can be good for us.

It's true. We're green. Sparkling green. Poison green. Mean green. Well, you know what I mean.

But how green is green? We need a reference point. 

Cina, here in her garden clothes serve as a reference.

Next stop, paint shop!

A little bit of welding here and some filler there. And some over there as well...

Evenings become nights and the workshop gets more and more dusty. Until finally, we're worn out and too exhausted to continue. It now over to Frank, to make it reasonably straight and somewhat shiny. 

The Amazon, Carina and Anders.

 

Ready for the long haul. What could possibly go wrong?

 

 



Mean Green Machine!

It's not yet assembled. So we don't know for sure, but right now it looks like the Amazon will be lean, mean, clean and green.

The passenger door after Frank's at Universal Teknik treatment. Waiting for the exhaust pipes...

The metallic machine green feels good! 

Working Man Blues!

The Salt Slush Racing team members are always busy with something and we like it that way. It's the pace of life and it keeps you happy and in shape. Well, at least to some extent. Right now we have several deadlines coming up which means that we've adjusted to work around the clock while celebrating each victory modestly.  

The race is against time is on...

 Working Man Blues to capture the feeling.

 

The Amazon was hanging high as we're healing all traces from many years in the Swedish winter salt slush. Kalle and I kept on welding.

 

Anders has been working night and day with the holes in the hood. Now it looks good. Surprisingly good.

Carina, the Salt Slush CFO, was meanwhile practicing her type of Yoga. Suffolk Lawn mower engine overhaul.

Kalle is making the window frame ready for paint.

   

No more wipers. We're going to desserts and the blistering sun (unheard of in Gothenburg)

Our Amazon is jacked up and still in need of support...

What's this? Honey on rye bread? Nope. It's a part of Anders roof reinforcement strategy.

And yes, it all works perfectly. The roof is getting more and more ridgid.

And we keep on working....because now we're ready to get ready.