Hot Rods XO/PP Bonneville project

Just wanted to say thank you to Shelby Good Year in Law Vegas Nevada for there support of the Virginia H.A.M.B. Special XO/PP 640
Bonneville project.

 

Just 53 more days to 2018 Bonneville Speed Week. I can't begine to thank Doug Dwyer and all the sponsor support that he has brought forth for the XO/PP 640 Bonneville Project.
I also want to thank all the Virginia H.A.M.B. social groupe Friends of the Virginia H.A.M.B. Special Bonneville Project for there support. I honestly could not have done this without all the people that have given so very much. Thank you one and all.
I especially want to Thank My HEAPS Old Dominion car club brothers who have helped produce the project. Every day it seams like more people have asked what can I do to help I could not have written a story that would match this journey.
I am humbled greatly by what has taken place and not to mention the new friends I have made from this. Project. Thank You everyone.
John

 

Thank You out to sponsors of the XO/PP 640 Bonneville Project
Optima Batterys
K&N Filtets
The Wheel Smith
Auto Meter
MSD/ Holley
Painless Performance
Meziere Enterprises
Master Craft / Impact
Techna-fit
Shelby Good Year Racing Tires
DENSO Spark plugs
The Rodders Journal Magazine
I appreciate all you guys have done for the Project.

 

Working on the ballast weights today. I have a friend who brought me two lead ingets 24"x4"x5" weighing over 150 lbs. Another friend loaned me 400 lbs. Of John Deer tractor weights he uses on his pulling tractor. Also my brother and I worked on installing traction bars to help stop rear spring wrap up.
Photos tomorrow..

 

John is the ballast just to see ride height and how suspension balances or is in to keep things grounded and not airborne at say 145 mph...?

 

Traction.

 

Wow that's going to eat up some horsepower but its all factored in to the equation I suppose.

 

I am using ballast as follows, first I will have the truck on scales, one under each wheel. Add driver, all fluids and gear. then I will look at weight ratio front to rear. A 50 50 weight ratio would be ideal. Once the front to rear is done then I will look at the corner weights and try to balance them out with ballast. I hope to get the same weight on each rear tire and each steering tire side to side.. My goal is to use Ballast to improve traction and balance. I'm open to comments on this.

 

John, in your class, what length course will you be running on? I would think that with a long course especially, weight isn't the factor that it is in drag or oval racing as faar as being a detriment.

 

I doubt that on the three mile course. With the horsepower and speed you will have, that weight is necessary. I took the weight out of my roadster when it went from E/BFR to G/GR. Your results may vary.

 

As a G/GR my roadster weighted 1650. There was 400 pounds of weight in it when Al ran it as a E/BFR. Al had a best exit speed of 219. I had a best of 142. How this applies to your pickup I'm not sure.

 

I got started on the weight bar today and started making some hood pin brackets 0

 

The short course is 3 miles long +shutdown .
I'm thinking that the biggest hurdle is overcoming the issue of pushing that big old brick through the wind. .it comes down to wind rezistance and the coefficient between the tire and the salt. The weight will improve the coefficient of the tire and have no effect on the frontal push through the wind.
The average speed is calculated only through the last measured mile. 2 miles to get it up to speed for the last mile.

 

You and I are thinking alike on this, but I sure as the devil don't claim to have any real knowledge along these lines, just things I've read.
Remember back when the late Mickey Thompson first brought the Challenger streamliner to B'vile HRM had a story about him and his efforts. And he suffered traction problems and looked in the area for lead for ballast, none to be found.
Best I remember he somehow came upon a large bar of brass when he couldn't find any lead, and the bar was too long to fit in one piece where he wanted it, and all he had to cut it was a hacksaw!
So to create a larger kerf, he put in 2 blades facing opposite directions so the saw would cut in both directions and sawed it in half, bolted it in somehow and went on to set records.
But of course that was with 4 big Pontiac V8s, IIRC.

 

Positive Thoughts Your Way All...

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Thanks Stogy, We sure are going to try

 

51 days to Bonneville, Really getting excited now.

 

Yep, let's hope the weather cooperates!
Looking forward to meeting you guys and seeing the truck in person.
Let me know if I can be of help in any way!

 

Setting the toe on the front end.

 

Progress Report , anti sway bar installed, weight bar and weights installed, traction bats installed, hood pins installed...

 

Door glass and hardware installed today along with some paint and sanding. going over bolt and nut check on the entire truck Photos tomorrow

 

Glass in, I started working on the cowel induction air supply box today

 

Thanks Tom T And Earl Carmine for there top notch work on the hauler cabinets and tire rack.
I have some very special friends to work in this oppressive heat and humidity getting things ready for the trip out west. Thanks guys you are appreciated so very much

 

Painted the white today, and will paint the red tomorrow.
I blacked out the headlights for safety so no glass shattered if broken.
I added safe straps and washers on the traction bars per rule book

 

bitchin

 

Today's progress

 

Looking better every day

 

Thanks, getting close now

 

Drivers side

 

Today's report, hand rubbed and buffed lacquer paint