Projects Progress on the Treit and Davenport liner

Thanks, Jerry. I appreciate the kind words.

Today (Friday again) means another Target 550 update.

Here's what Doc Freud posted on Landracing.com:

"Each time I go to the shop I get surprised. As the build progresses different areas need attention.

There are many small projects underway all the time.

This post includes the air activated systems, the layout for the rear wheel fairings and the air shifter mounting.

Enjoy. This link will open it for you.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/57_mag_kill_switches_rear_wheel_fairings_air_control_systems/index.html

Next week....the injectors."

 

Duplicate

 

Update. Sep 24.

Following up on his promises, Doc Freud has presented us with a series of photos of the fraternal twins, the injectors and scoops for front and rear engines. I wish they'd been given names like Orville and Wilbur, the cutoff switches. Maybe Romulus and Remus would work. Or Louis and Gaston (Chevrolet brothers) and I even considered the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, but that went over like a led balloon...sorta like a Led Zeppelin.

Anyway, Freud made some really nicely crafted shots of the very nicely crafted injectors. So without further ado, here they are:

http://www.target550.com/gallery/59_fraternal_injectors/index.html

Enjoy.

Ohh..I'm still on the salt...more or less...how about a motel in West Wendover, Nv? I've been covering the Cook Motorsports Top Speed Shootout. There have been a buncha records broken, but a WHOLE lot more parts broken. The Poteet & Main Speed Demon went thru 3 or 4 turbos, 3 rear ends, a clutch, 2 motors and a partridge in a pear tree. As George Poteet's sister, Betty Howard said to me, "We had to invent things to break."

Not to be outdone, I went thru 4 interface cables, one air (head) card (it kinda got run over by my Burb...photos of the car-nage are on the thread) a printer and 2 sets of lithium-ion batteries for the camera. My idiotic smart phone (Motorola Cliq) almost got run over, but cooler heads prevailed and I''ll just ask for a new one under warranty cuz the USB (Universal SumBitch) to cell cable connection only works when it wants to. I need some carrier pigeons...or a FireWire controller.

The Nish liner got a 5 liter (I think) record at around 250 mph, which could have been much higher, but for a slow return run. They had numerous passes over 400. Good for them. It was the best series of runs I've ever seen 'em make. Way to go, guys!

Matter of fact all 4 liners ran over 400. Amazing. 4 for 4. An historical event. And it was incredibly safe. I think I incurred the most serious injury when I stubbed my toe on my tripod.

Things got a little slow this afternoon, so runs were made thru the measured mile and kilo by Seldom Seen Slim (Jon Wennerburg) on a pit scooter, Mike Akatiff's son Greg on a Segway scooter and for real, a lawnmower that's trying to re-take the "World's Fastest Lawnmower" title from a British team. Slim ran about 29 mph, The Segway went about 12 mph (the timer had to turn the hourglass over twice before he got to the end of the timed section) and the mower ran 86 or so on one pass.

Charles Nearburg blasted the Summers Brothers' 45 year-old record to smithereens and went home early. Amir Rosenbaum in the Speed by Spectre liner ate the big Caddy motor (572") and went to the little motor (457" or thereabouts) and still ran over 400...but I don't think they got a record. Maybe tomorrow.

Mike Akatiff's Ack Attack bike liner had problems with tires that had built-in stagger...not exactly what pilot Rocky Robinson wanted...seein how he had to keep the liner laid over on one side to get it to go straight. Then they went for the known good set of tires, so they also decided to swap motors (twin Hayabusas) and brought back one that was wrong. So they've swapped one motor out, got real round tires and will give it another shot in the ayem.

The real hard luck dude was Jet Bike Mike Charlton...a real kool dude. He set a record for lightin the J79 in the Motel 6 parking lot after 10 peeyem. Way to go, Mike. But the jet ingested the compressor and they went home without makin a single pass. Bummer. I like that dude.

There were more, and the whole thing can be seen here:
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,8645.0.html

It's currently 56 pages long, but it's pretty interesting...to me anyway. I need to get this event, one car show, one race weekend at Miller's and then World Finals. I'm gonna sleep for a day, then start work on the Monte Carlo (85 SS) with the fat 406 in it to have it ready for the 130 club and possibly the 150 club then see where to go from there.

Hope ya enjoy,

Ray S. Therat (the name Bret Kepner hung on me)
www.chevyasylum.com and
www.raytherat.com and
www.target550.com.
http://www.chevyasylum.com/85monte/Welcome.html

The Monte Carlo is my work in progress.

 

every time i look this thread over i drool, learn something and want to step up my fab skills...I also cannot imagine building a car of this caliber....

 

Sneak attack! Instead of the usual Friday update to Target 550, we have a Monday update. Whaddya know?

This one shows modifications to the blower belt shield, the air control lines for the Liberty transmission and the conduit in which they're run.

Just more kool stuff going on at Jim Hume's skunk works.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/60_blower_belt_shields_and_lines/index.html

 

We have another Target 550 update. It's Friday and that's been the regular update day.
http://www.target550.com/gallery/61_blower_belt_shields_more_panels_storehouse/index.html

This week's update shows more work on the blower belt shields for both motors, some outstanding aluminum body work by Jason Hosking and shots of parts that have been stockpiled and are ready for installation when the time comes.

Check out the photo on this page:
http://www.target550.com/gallery/61_blower_belt_shields_more_panels_storehouse/61_007_jpg.html

The smooth, graceful shape of the tail section is a knockout.

 

Another sneaky post at the beginning of the week. This one covers some work on the liner's skin, a fire suppression spray nozzle for the engine compartment and some work on the starter button and electrical stuff. Again, more masterpieces from the guys at the skunk works.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/62_skin_spray_and_start/index.html

 

Another Target 550 update before I head out to the salt. This week's post includes a bit of a recap on the car carrier, the pins used to lift the car onto the carrier, the plugs that will replace the pins when the car runs and and some photos of the fire suppression system.

As usual the guys at the skunk works are doing a beautiful job and moving closer and closer to project completion. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel...and it's not an oncoming freight train.

http://target550.com/gallery/63_carrier_lift%20pins_fire%20suppression/index.html

 

Friday came early for the Target 500 site. Maybe it has something to do with insomnia.  Who knows?  Anyway, this update covers a buncha ground.  The blower ducting and burst deflectors were refinished, some new blower belt idlers made and the big part of the update shows the wiring for the starters with the "remove before flight" blocks, starter switches (one for each motor) and wiring for external battery connection.

There are rumors about motors going to the dyno soon. This could get real interesting.  Video, maybe.  Stay tuned.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/64_blower_ducting_burst_deflectors_belt_idlers_starter_wiring&reverence/index.html

 

Thank You ChevyAsylum. for the regular updates. I'm very interested in this project, having met Les Davenport in the past, as our TA/FC team were a customer of his incredible fuel system services. The construction is also very interesting too, from my perspective as a qualified aircraft assembler. Good Luck on the 550.

 

I've met Marlo Treat a few times at the Portland Swapmeet. To say he is a character is an understatement. I find him hilarious in a warped kinda way. Where is his tophat in these photos? I will be at Bonneville when this monster rolls. When is the expected debut?

 

I was at this shop a year ago,fabulous craftsmanship. Hope for success.

 

The Friday Target 550 update is here. This week's stuff (shot by Freud with his brand-new Nikon D700) shows air lines routed through the liner for various purposes. I love the red, white and blue color-coding for 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear in the air-shifted transmission. Nice touch. There are also a coupla kool shots o...f the liner from the front and rear. While the skins are off, it still gives a very good idea of the immensity of the thing and some indication of just what a massive project this is.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/65_air_control_systems_and_portrait/index.html

 

Target 550 mid-week surprise: Look what we found! Doc Freud opened up a drawer and found a buncha unused images. No captions, use your own imagination and prior knowledge of the project. Kinda like a pop quiz...but with no right or wrong answers.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/66_look_what_we_found/index.html

 

Neat stuff, lot of brain food to keep me going 'till the next batch.

Thanks for posting.

Ed

 

Well, here's the next batch. This is what I put on FaceBook:
It's Friday...albeit a rather early one. Since I prepared the Target 550 release last night, its ready to go. Matter of fact, it's on the server now. This is the description used on the index page:
"Hume altered the pneumatic mag switches, Jason is bending stainless steel lines and Dave wired the starter switches." My favorite part of it is the stainless lines and seeing the way Jason Hosking works with the metal to turn out some absolutely beautiful pieces. Seeing the air supply tubes being fabricated and fit is like watching jewelry being created. Ya gotta check it out.
http://www.target550.com/gallery/67_pneumatic%20mag%20switches_bending%20stainless%20steel%20lines_starter%20switches/index.html

Glad yer enjoyin, RidgeRunner

 

For those following Target 550, many of ya missed the early weekly update. I posted it yesterday morning but didn't announce it here. So shoot me. Anyway, there are some continuing stories (in picture form) of the air lines to control the transmission's shift mechanisms and other stuff, a bit of the fuel injector butterfly mechanism...but the real kool part is what Dave Jeffers has done to help keep salt from escaping the front wheel enclosures.

The whole reason for the enclosures is to prevent salt from being kicked up by the tires and getting into the car. But there has to be some way for the steering mechanism to pass through them to control the direction of the wheels. Dave came up with a very clever gasket arrangement that seals things off to prevent any contamination getting thru the holes for the tie rods and pitman arm. This is starting to verge on rocket science and air locks and stuff. Check it out. It's pretty kool.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/68_more_air_lines_throttle_bell_crank_and_wheel_well_seal/index.html

@Curbspeed: There's no definite debut date yet. But there'll be plenty of notice when one is set. Right now it's getting to be one of those "the closer ya get, the more little details ya find that need to be taken care of" things...like the gaskets for the wheel enclosures. But if ya check the t-shirts everybody (including me) wears, it's a light at the end of the tunnel. And it ain't a freight train.

 

Thanks so much for the peek into what you're up to. The info and photos are great.

 

You're very welcome, Brent. And just for the heck of it, here's more:

Target 550 midweek "extra" post.
http://www.target550.com/gallery/69_several_areas_related_to_the_front_end/index.html

Some front end stuff: one of the things that's been focused on recently is keeping salt out of places it doesn't belong. Those who've been there know that it can wreak havoc with just about everything it contacts. So the guys at the skunk works have come up with more clever ways to seal the hard-workin mechanical stuff from the corrosive white stuff.

Then there's been some work on the steering arms to eliminate any play out of their attaching points on the spindle/axle housings.

Finally, there's a shot of a high-level summit meeting between Hume and Marlo...probably discussing what to have for lunch. Or maybe the fact that the front end of the liner is coming very close to completion.

 

This is a part of Doc Freud's description of the latest Target 550 post:

"Sometimes in life we run across someone or some project that has a profound impression on us. In this case the Granite Falls, Washington HS manufacturing class has done that .

The instructor, Michael Werner, has a way with his students that is exceptional. He has taken a group of boys and girls and has given them the skills and incentive to go way beyond our High School Shop class as we knew it.

Can you imagine a group of girls, in your class, that built a car, entered an event on a national level and accomplished 470 MPG with a single cylinder diesel engine? His ShopGirls have done it. "

There's no way I could have put it any better. Check this one out. It's a very special post.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/70_granite_falls_hs_lsr_bbq/index.html

 

This is what Doc Freud had to say about the latest Target 550 post:
"Late night duty on the http://www.target550.com foto post. This post is related to the front drive hubs.

For a piece that was designed and produced by a big name company, there have been many necessary improvements. Well, whatever is needed will be done."

Check out the safety wiring and the wheel bearing tension adjustment...it's unreel.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/71_front_hub_assembly/

 

No Black Friday shopping for this old geezer. I'll leave that you those more capable (and foolhardy.) No, I was doing what every old coot otta be doing on the day after Thanksgiving. Munching on leftover turkey and falling asleep for a brief winter's nap. When I awoke, I said, "Holy sh*t! It's Friday! Get the Target 550 post on the website!" So I did.

Now. You'd think the liner was low and sleek enough, right? Nope. Fairings are being made for the wheel openings to help with aerodynamics and keep salt outta the wound...I mean wheel enclosures. What the skunk works guys have done is built aluminum patterns that will be reproduced in carbon fiber or fiberglass so that they can be replaced if they happen (heaven forbid) to be damaged during a run. This makes for an even sleeker, slipperier, cleaner underside.

Freud did a great job getting the photos for this post. I wonder if he got a nap while lying on his back shooting the underside. Smiley There's something that isn't mentioned in the writeup, so I'll blab it here (...and there...) One of the things that struck me was the aluminum piece that's intended to scrape any wayward salt from the surface of the tire. Sorta like an Alcoa mudflap...sorta.

Anyway, I think it'll kill the Jones for a bit and help the turkey digest:
http://www.target550.com/gallery/72_front_wheel_fairings/index.html

 

In spite of snow and ice and single-digit temps here and in the Great Northwest, your Target 550 reporting team came up with a mid-week surprise.

The update consists of several shots (photos by Freud) of the 1/10th scale streamliner that was used in wind tunnel testing at Western Washington University. The final version of the model is beautifully painted and lettered, including a 1/10th scale "Hume" logo, complete with grapes. It's "Viking 31," which is the liner's name...but most people don't know why it has that name. The Viking is the mascot of Western Washington, and the 31 represents the number of times it was tested in the wind tunnel. I think the phrase "extensive testing" could be applied here.

The model is beautiful, but when we see the full-sized car...well, just stay tuned.


http://www.target550.com/gallery/73_streamliner_model/index.html

 

Oops. I overused my "literary license" when writing the intro. The number 31 isn't the number of times it went thru the wind tunnel. It's actually the project number. The number of tests is closer to 10, but I don't know the exact number. Sorry for the misinformation.

 

Wow, that thing is purdy!

 

Thanks, Tman!

While Freud and I were keeping our pipes from freezing, the guys at the Skunk Works were doing plumbing of their own...well...on the liner. Air lines, oil lines, fire suppression system lines...all sortsa stuff...even a coupla oil filters that I hear tell weren't exactly inexpensive...but they sure look kool. Nothin like yer basic Fram spin-on filter, that's for sure.

All of this is in an update called, "It's all plumbing." Check it out.
http://www.target550.com/gallery/74_its_all_plumbing/index.html

 

The jolly olde elves of the Target 550 reporting team have another mid-week post. This one goes back to 2006 when the liner was being transported from the Skunk Works to its home in Oregon to have its carrier fitted.

You can see what things looked like 4 years ago. The bogey wheels on it look really goofy, but they ...worked to get it into the trailer...one real big trailer.

Doc Freud busted his butt to get these done last nite. He's on his way to get fresh photos for this week's post today. He's one hard worker!

http://www.target550.com/gallery/75_young_liner_goes_to_its_home/index.html

 

Here's the regularly scheduled update post for Target 550. (It's still Friday on the left coast.) It shows the air and fire suppression lines that have now been created, routed and installed.

Again: these are works of art...as is Freud's photography. Check out photos 3 & 5 just for the artistic composition of line, curve, shape and color. Just a little more abstract and Picasso could have created it.

Enjoy, it's bed time for me.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/76_air_and_fire_suppression_plumbing/index.html

 

Since we're doing a "jolly olde elf" thing this month with 2 updates per week, the mid-week one is now available.

It covers oil lines, some previously overlooked items and a new tilt on Dave Jeffers (with a visitor in the background.)

A couple of photos jumped out at me in this one. First, there's a shot of one of the oil lines that will run from the oil tank to the pumps. It's a real nice piece of metal, but the way it's mounted is outta site. Not yer basic line clamp, that's for sure.

Then there's a system for draining the oil tank without removing body panels for speed in turning the liner around for an FIA record return. Real trick.

Check it out.

http://www.target550.com/gallery/77_oil_system_plumbing_overlooked_items_and_visitor/index.html

 

That car is like building a small city!