In need of a particular place (to go to)!

Car guys who's in need for speed need a particular place to go to.  To test the vehicle prior to race day. To understand if the contraption is race ready or not. For this type of mechanical debugging asphalt or any concrete surface is preferred since it's reliable. 

The Salt Slush Race team is no exception. Since we are in Sweden and our Amazon is in California, we tend to fly over to Los Angles during Easter to work with it to get it in shape for Bonneville Speed Week in August. 

And we want to test drive it. So we normally take the vehicle to El Mirage. Which is good. If the facility is open and available for a test drive that is. If it is not open, we fly home to Sweden again, only to find ourselves unprepared for Bonneville Speed Week 2023.

So we're now looking for an reliable alternative. A place where we can test drive our race car to understand that everything is ok. We don't have to drive fast. It would be good to test the vehicle only at +120mph (190km/h) to understand how our chassis improvement (Ohlin shocks and new rear end geometry) has influenced the vehicle behaviour. The chassis would be our primary focus since we're rather confident with the powertrain (engine, turbo (EFR) and transmission (Tremec))

El Mirage. A nice test place...if it's open and not flooded.

What we would prefer. A reliable test track. With a surface the dry up after rain. Like this old desert air field...

If you know a place like this in Southern California where we can run a few test laps in our race car, please contact us: hakan@saltslush.se

To own or not to own. That is the question!

I had once a friend that got stressed when there was one thing in his wardrobe that he didn’t use daily. When I left a rear door for an old Mercedes in his empty basement storage for some weeks he got totally stressed out. Would this guy be feng shui today? Or feel endless emptiness?

On the contrary, the vast majority of passionate car guys and girls that circulate around Salt Slush Racing workshop have the opposite problem. The have a lot of stuff and if it wasn't for space and money they would have had more stuff. Because they thrive when they're surrounded with things.

Each car, bike or part have a story to tell or it represent a dream or opportunity. Sometimes it soothes their soul to just look at a machine for a couple of minutes. It makes the heart slow down and while you find peace of mind.

But life ain't easy for car collectors, motorcycle maniacs and part hoarders. Nope. The have to battle the angry landlords, barn rats, rust and rain. 

They are however rather resilient and their passion for parts normally balance the barking people with blank look that surrounds them.

  

Tools, toys and lack of space in Salt Slush Shop.

Always.

 

When for once the weather is fine you can always take your ride and shine for a little while. If you're the owner...

It feels soooo good..

I've only done it twice before. We've talked about it a lot. I dream about it from time to time. But still, we rarely do it. There are reasons for not doing it. It's exhausting. It's dirty. It's expensive.
 
But when you've been waiting for a long time, it feels so good to get it done.
 
As you've understood by now, I'm talking about a paint job.

 

Our Olds, the 1949 Rocket 88 that we bought in Wendover 2019 as we were at Bonneville Speed Week was finally ready to get painted.

 

So we drove over to Universalteknik, a company that we've trusted before (they painted our 449 Amazon land speed race car) and spoke to Lars...

...and after some rearrangement, we finally parked "Olds Bertha". She's now in the preparation area. The massage and surface treatment can now begin.

 

Start it up!

You smell oil and gasoline. You're hands has been dirty. You've measured bearings. You've searched for new parts and you've been thinking until you've almost blown your mind. 

Parts has arrived and you have, with cleaned hands gently put everything back together. When checking the bank account you notices that your credit card has been used. By you. 

But that's not what worries you right now. Because you're just about to see if you've have done mistakes or not. You'll soon know if you need to start all over again, if you should look for a rope or a shotgun or if you should grab that cold celebration beer.

 I'm obviously talking about the no-load first fire engine startup. The shivering moment when you're focused and feel some kind of fear.

Ford 360 FE start-up today. It all went well.

Happiness.

 

Ardun V8 Start-up. So much at stake. 

After a few adjustments; 

Sealed and Smooth.

 

Rocket Engines needs attention too. 

The start of this 303 with Holley EFI went well too. 

 

Debugging leakage in a no-load test rig is really rewarding...

...if it works.

If you find a severe problem it's rewarding too, because you saved several hours of installation work.

Feeling Blue.

It's January. The gloom outside is extreme. The cold rain is in your face. Continuously, horizontally, painfully. The man in the mirror is a ghost. Streets are full of zombies. Gloomy zombies. They're at your workplace too.

You're thinking about sun, speed and heat. Palm trees, a blue sky and friends with a tan and determined mind. Will this happen this Easter?

Meanwhile, we're escaping to our workshop where the weekend is warm and Rockets soon will turn blue. Serge Blue.

Our old Olds. A survivor from Wendover is getting a second (or third) life.

The faded blue color from late sixties, applied to please a home coming son will be replaced. This old son is happy to see Olds Berta's new lease on life. 

Cina in Mordor, just before the gate to Salt Slush heaven.

Where wrenches are warm, 

troubles are few 

and no feeling is blue.

Stay Stoic and Enjoy the Experiance

Can a disappointment, turn in to something else after a while? I guess the answer is; Yes. When I started to look a pictures from my camera, it all came back to me. I started to reflect on expectation, rain and not the least the journey as such.

 

A journey without a purpose can of course be interesting and fun too...but a journey that's built on a dream, require hard practical work and makes your wallet thinner brings something else. 

 

Hardship, makes the beer taste better and the hunger come back if you ever lost it. After in total three post pandemic trips to the US of A to prepare us for Bonneville Speed Week 2022, it was of course one hell of a disappointment to sail out in the salt sea with our Suburban to pick up our race ready Amazon. 

 

But when I look back I realize that it was not failure. We did what we could and more than that to make it happen. We're about to go fast. But mother nature was of another opinion. 

 

After I accepted that the race was off, it all became social, a bit sad but as well poetic. How? Perhaps the random pictures below can tell. 

When we had successfully had picked up our race car from the lake that was once a race track and we were on safe, dry ground we met up with our friends to eat some Mexican food. Under a blue clear sky.

 

 

Wendover downtown is full of vehicle of various kind during Bonneville Speed Week. Those race cars, hot rods and contraptions are driven by people with passion. Love it.

While waiting for and SCTA statement we socialized with others that were waiting too. Yes, a parking lot can be a very nice place.

I had to take this picture for the record. I guess, this was when we realized that the race will be cancelled. Pictured: Carina and Magnus

 Nisse and Trazan from A-Bombers outside the historic military airport in Wendover. Two enthusiastic guys who does not get depressed over a little  setback.

 

 Record race cars like the Scandinavian Street Rod's EFR turbo equipped Ardun lakester were waiting too in the warm summer night. In vain.

  

Then there was this car show in Wendover. Come hell or high water...it's an amazing show.

On Friday, before the heavy rain fell, life was good. And as usually, a lot of cool hot rods on the salt.

 

Rolling Bones vehicle at the Car Show in Wendover....

 

...and at the gas station at Ely. Nice to be surrounded by hot rods on tour.

I'm not a morning man, neither is Magnus, but meet at Donut Derelicts at Huntington Beach is really nice and relaxed.

Coffee and Donuts were consumed, cars of all kinds came and went and the sun was rising

Coming back to time before we left L.A area for Bonneville...it's obvious that the hope, expectation and excitement is the fuel and energy for us all.

But it's all about people who have a goal, who work hard and relax. All at the same time. Almost.

And all the amazing people who help you along the way. Like the Ohlin Guy.

 

 When there's no race and you can do nothing about it, see it as an adventure and make it into an experience.

I mean when you do something, something will happen. 

Which is good. In most cases.

Modified vs. Stock. Who are we to judge?

This is can be a sensitive topic. So, let's take a step out on the thin ice and start walking without any fear. But let's start with definitions. With Stock I mean a vehicle that is not modified at all. It looks, feels and behaves like when it driving out from the factory where it was born, or like some insensitive people might say; were produced. 

When we're talking about Modified, everything is more open. For some people, a vehicle has been modified if it has been taken apart and restored, for some other people a new engine, a new engine management system, a supercharger or a turbo mean that the vehicle has been modified. Some other people, does not see a vehicle as modified until is has a role cage or/and chopped top.

There are good reasons to keep things stock but it make sense to make modifications too. If you find the missing fourth Bugatti Atlantic in a barn that you just bought, consider to keep it stock. But if you've been stealing something from nature, like the remains of an cool mass produced vehicle that's been sitting for decades in the forest, a humid barn or in a too dry desert, consider modification. Perhaps build a race car?

If your tachometer is pointing north while your emotions is heading south on that long cool car tour, reconsider the original equipment gear ratio and transmission.

If the car that you once knew as fast starts to feel slow. If it lost its growl, if it makes you embarrassed at the track and does not deliver when the lights turn green; Consider boost pressure.

We had to do it. We had to convert the remains of what was once a Volvo Amazon Wagon to a +900hp turbocharged, Tremec Magnum, roll cage, chopped top; land speed race car. 

Before mother nature would have killed it.

What was once fast, was in need of a couple of hundred extra horsepower to continue to provide a kick. 

I never ever get tired of that howl & growl that it delivers since many years by now. I must admit that I've been thinking about a smaller pulley. A smaller supercharger pulley.

Olds -38 Business Coupe. Harley Earl Art Deco Design. Not too slow either. But the engine rpm at 100km/h is far too high. Would I like turn it into a street rod. Nope. Would it be nice with a modern transmission? Yes.

Am I going to keep this (in total) 3 owner 1941 Buick stock? Yes! Well there's an exception...the second owner, 1975-2021, installed a Blaupunkt CD. I was just going to throw it out, but just before I did that I happened to throw in Frank Sinatra record. I kept the CD and haven't changed music since. Instead I've started to drink Martinis. Dry Martinis. Shaken, not Stirred.  

  Recommendations? If your ride is too slow, tune it. If it revs too much change gear ratio. If it's stock and has carry a piece of modern manufacturing history keep it stock. 

Most importantly; Drive it!