We're facing the Wind.

We're now in unknown terratory. Left with our own ideas, the SCTA rulebook and good hope. Because we're now facing The Wind. The Aerodynamics.

 

We've done the engine and the rest of the powertrain and all was verified in a chassi dyno. A powerful feeling.

 

We've build the chassi and tested it on asphalt, on a track and we came home safe and sound. Inspired. 

 

But now we're forming the Aero details of the Amazon body and we won't know if we got things right until we're sniffing low over the dust and the salt in desserts far from home. Exiting.

The Amazon face. Now with spoiler, front Belly pan and soon coolant flow guidance.

What comes in must get out. Magnus is working on the air ducting

Magnus is in precision mode.

The aluminum floor is now really flat.

 

The only interruption in the endless flor flatness is the rear end cover bulb and the five degree diffusor. If you don't know what I'm talking there's no need to be worried. You're not alone.

Rules. There's rules as well. SCTA has rules regarding roof rails and we're following them. We're at 16mm roof rail height which is typically Swedish since it's in the middle of min and max (12,7mm-19mm). We're always lagom. Or not...

Coming back to the diffusor. Anders and the metal saw in silently communication regarding diffusor outlet form. Something good is going on. We'll soon find out what.

Go flat, Go low because that the way to go...Bro....

If you wanna go fast you gotta go low. That's what we all know. On top of it all we're in a tight spot, because we're sending our superduper Amazon on a slow boat to the US of A soon

No rhymes. Just an Amazon gone low.

When going low, you gotta know how. This is our aluminum attempt.

The front Belly Pan from a different angle and different view. Felt good. Felt new.

There's always another side of a story. Allow me to introduce the front Belly pan held up by Anders, displayed on a surface of grey Gothenburg skies.

The road to success is paved with casualties. 

The other angle. Here's Kalle adjusting the Anders made diffuser with the magic plasma torch.

The 2D Egg.

Kalle presenting The All Aluminum Egg.

Or at least part of it. What it is?

-The rear end cover, stupid!

We're going low, we're flat. We're good to go. 

Like Sam. Or not...

First High, then Low. That the way it goes!

Eventually the sun went down. The amazing Ringö Swap Meet and the wind down Salt Slush garage party was over. The garage was cleaned up and the rain was pouring down outside. We turned on the heating fan and looked at each other silently. It's summer in Gothenburg.

 

On the positive side, we all gained energy. We got back to the workshop and started to finalize the Belly Pan.

 

Not only the Salt Slush team were back on track, we've seen sign of serious Turbo and Supercharger activities as well. The turbo community is pumping up the pressure.

 

No, we're not building a Baja Amazon, yet...our Green machine is just jacked up while Anders and Magnus is creating the frame for the front part of the Belly Pan and tuning the diffusor.

Is it a framework, when you're working with a frame? Nevertheless, here's the first step in the making of the front belly pan.

The diffusor is almost ready, it just needs some final adjustment. You know the final, small details that just takes a zillion hours.

Wind down, Get out of focus and enjoy a simple life. And a beer or two...

 

It's important to celebrate success. Even if you've not found the holy gral or standing under the banner. Because you need to know that there's happiness on the painful road to a poisons target.
 
So the Salt Slush team were all in calm down mode today, ready to take deep breath and just enjoy life. What we did? Well, we talked to our likes as they too came to Ringön with one purpose only. To relax and enjoy a moment in the sun.

There's always something to aim for at end of the hood. We call it horizon.

 

Big block Chevelle on a surface of graffiti, garbage and a blue sky.

Smooth humming Roadrunner. Ready to get out of the coma and create some serious tire smoke when needed. 

High revs and side valve from a 4 banger from the past? Contradiction in terms? Nope. Rather a merge in heaven made by Magnus. 

 Home at bay..waiting for miracle to happen. The sunburn stretches the skin on happy car guys and girls as the go to sleep with their mind full of new project dreams.

Speed Love and Understanding

On Tuesday evening it was about time. The extended team had got everything just right!

It was about time to manifest our view on lust for life...Speed Love and Understanding.

The SSR Amazon was all fueled up, bolts were tightened, oil and water checked and we were on a mission to state what Salt Slush Racing is all about.

The event took place on a secret test track with a long but still too short straight south of Jokkmokk.

 OK. It was a shake down.We needed to understand if it was possible to drive the SSR Amazon with some speed....not only idling around Ringön in Gothenburg

The discussion regarding chassi attribute was to be solved or at least moved forward. Magnus and Anders spend some serious time in advance to set up the geometry. The team had at the time as well made a best guess engine calibration. Which turned out to work just fine.  

Discussions and debates before the first run, verbally checking what needs to be checked....and as it turned out we were good to go...Yeah you got it right, ready to speed down the line. Felt good.

Håkan concentrated and focused before the first shake down.

Life can be Wonderful and so gooooooood. What a joy..........

Speeeeeeeeed. Not + 200 mph or even + 200 kph more like + 165 kph but still, we understood that we had margin. A lot of margin.

Looks good. Not on the surface, but the racing soul is there.

The parachute is ready to dampen the anxiety if the normal brakes feels to weak (which they do) and as the end approach you way too fast. It's the very same feeling that you get when your Love embraces you and tell you that everything will just be fine....You can do it....You can handle it, I Love You. 

Classic style ready to deliver Speed Love and Understanding

Our Boost providers ! Borg Warner EFR (9180).

Our noice department

The stance attitude was more than approved

Success can be combined with lovely weather.

I was last out do drive. Håkan, Magnus and Anders had all bitten the apple and soon we'll be lost in the gospel of spreading the word of Speed Love and Understanding.

Anders is here embraced and loved by the parachute ! 

All anxiety gone just love and happiness !

Speed has many faces but the best is the green SSR Amazon face....

Epilogue firs test drive.

First of all, we agreed that we have a starting point when it comes to chassi attributes.

The pictures above is provided by Marcus Percival (macco_pe at Instagram) one of the extended team member and just like Per Andersson (P.A) who's our senior technical advisor (when it come to some stuff and being sane)

Lesson learned: We're better race car builder than transporters. The Amazon, wild as it is, broke loose on the trailer and got a huge love bite on the front.

We were all happy and proud since we by now understand that the journey that started with a question in a text message a Saturday evening a couple of years ago, which one week later ended up with us owning a totally empty Amazon wagon body, bought on a cloudy and rainy November Sunday in Munkedal, is soon to become epic.

You ain't seen nothing Yet !

Milestones and Rewards & Guts and Glory

Milestones. When reached a milestone you've been traveling for a while. You've been fighting and struggling. You've traveled through rain and darkness, through mud and high water. But then one day your 're standing there, in the sunshine, with the struggle behind you.

Feels good, feels great. You feel relieved.

 

That's the point we reached today. Not only did the sun shine upon us, the part load calibration started to work as well. For a short period of time we were in heaven.

 

What follows below are happiness with a grain of fear when pictured.

Speed is what we're looking for but today we realized how fast and strong the Amazon is. It's brutal. Which is nice. Smoking tyres on any gear ain't exactly a problem. Rather the opposite actually.

Waiting for the hood and the aluminum spoiler.

Front face ready for The Track Test. Everything assembled and tight.

Did we really build this rocket? I guess so. A moment of contemplation. Let's start to get mentally prepared for the Speed. 

At some point it's time to slow down. But how? Perhaps by using a parachute? A suitable device for speed reduction, but you've got to prime it correctly first. Magnus and P.A were silently looking at instruction video's on Youtube to learn how.

At some point in time they were ready. It was time. Time to fold the sail and dream about the feeling when the parachute opens up at 378km/h (235mph) when flying over a surface of salt.

 

That's what we think of as relive and glory combined.

 

Nice evening at PRD Motorsport talking about Magnuson Superchargers!

No, we have not forgotten our Land Speed racer. We're still working hard to get our stuff together and move in to a world of Speed, Desserts and Sun.

But the Salt Slush Team like other things too and those should not be neglected. Like Magnuson Superchargers. We've also learned that there are more Gearheads that really appreciate Power. Like the Corvette Club Sweden West.

 

So we went to PRD Motorsport, our Performance partner in Gothenburg, who opened up the doors to their workshop and chassi dyno. After the coffee was served more than 20 enthusiasts talked small block, LS engines and Boost! Good subjects.

A nice table object. This is the Magnuson Supercharger layout for LS1 and LS2  (and LS3) engines. For those who wants a more compact supercharger the Magnuson Heartbeat is there for you. Heartbeat is available for LS3 engine.

Before we start up the engine, let's talk about various boosting devices and how they work. Just to get going.

To gather around a vehicle in a test cell get's all of us existed. Mattias from PRD is talking about chassi dynos, how they work and what to expect.

The we turned up the heat and the volume and let the Magnuson Supercharger Heartbeat and the LS3 engine produce a nice power and torque curve.

C3, C5, C6 and C7 showed up in the rain.

 

 PRD Motorsport took the opportunity to show their more advanced stuff.

Like this exhaust manifold collector CAD designed by PRD and then produced as a rapid prototype in Inconel steel! How about that?  

 

 

Gloomy weather, happy cars. Better than this opposite!

 

550hp always gets attention. It's always a bit magic to hear a howling supercharged V8 at peak power!

Look like this one needs a Supercharger too.

 

In summary we spent a very nice evening with all Corvette entusiasts at PRD Motorsport. Exactly the kind of atmosphere that Salt Slush like!