Last month my son and I made it to the Texas Mile in Beeville, Texas. For you folks that don't know (and that's ok) this is a one mile event held in Beeville at the old Naval Air Base there. It's similiar to Bonneville in that the objective is to go as fast as you can, only on a smaller scale and on concrete. The people in Beeville took what was certain economic doom, with the closing of the base, and turned it into something positive. This event started in the nearby town of Goliad and migrated to Beeville a couple years ago if my history is correct. Other businesses have sprung up there so the race course isn't the only thing happening at this site. That being said, we had a great time and the event rekindled a long time desire of mine and that is to build a high speed racer similiar to a Bonneville car. Since Bonneville is a lifetime away from South Texas it would be difficult to trailer a racer that far on my budget. So, the next best thing is to build a 200mph racer here in Corpus and go racing in Beeville. Now since I've never built one of these vehicles I must turn to the HAMB and ask the question "If you were to undertake such a project from scratch what and how would you go about doing it". I know that's a big question in a little sentence but it certainly provokes thought and discussion. Think a minute and lets hear what ya'll think about it. Who knows, maybe one of these days we'll make it to Bonneville, Lord knows it's on my "bucket list" and maybe, just maybe we'll see you there. What do ya say?
There are some Bonneville cars for sale pretty cheap right now. Some HAMB compliant. Some not. I know of a Altered Vega that has been over 200 in California for $5000. It will take a GMC, Chrysler Hemi, Pontiac, 460 Ford, or Packard V8. Which means it will take anything. Tires and wheels along with 15 pounds of Halon eats up a big chunk of $5000. PM if interested. Or subscribe to the Bonneville Racing News for the ads. Otherwise, build what you like. Make sure it's something you can get done in a year or so. While your still Gung Ho.
No concrete mile can compare to Bonneville. And honestly, how far away is Bonneville? Lars Neilsen drags his Indian 6000 miles to race at Bonneville. Not to mention the other European and Aussie racers. If your budget doesn't allow gas money from CC to Bonneville I seriously doubt it will allow you to build a 200 mph racer. But good luck anyway.
All good advice from above. I only dreamed of Bonneville for years. When I finally made it there several years ago, after getting over the mental impact, I thought, "Why the Hell did I wait so long?" After meeting fellow Rodders from England, New Zealand, Italy, Germany, and South America, I couldn't understand why ANY North American Hot Rodder wouldn't make the trek. Even if you don't build a racer, get your Butt up there next August. You'll be back several times. There's no cure for Salt Fever.
I know myself all to well ….. everything in my life would suffer. If I went I would drop everything and build a land speed car ….. I cant go there yet But there's a bellytank set aside
If you have not made the trip to Bonneville make sure you do that first. What a eye opening experience. I will take something to the salt someday, but for now I will do the Texas Mile again. We all had a blast out on the salt, but ther is no way I can swing that kind of cash these days.
Aman, Go to purplesagetradingpost.com and look at some of the stuff Sumner has posted about building land speed cars. I think you will find some surprising home built stuff there. Some was done with out a lot of money. I too felt that Bonneville was on the other side of the Earth but it can be done. It does take a strong commitment to do it but well worth it. Taking advantage of living so close to Beeville and doing the Texas MIle sounds like the right thing to do. We did the Texas Mile in May and Oct and had a ball. Later Hooley 974 53 Studebaker
[email protected] Had a 200+ mile car in Texas for sale very cheap. Turn key. You could check with him.
Go to the salt. Its only 1585 miles for you. Nothing you cant do in two to three days of driving. I live 1650 miles, and I do it every year. You wont be sorry. In August its hot and crowded. In September its much cooler, less expensive becasue the crowds are down, and many of the same cars run.
I don't know, I have lots of ideas, but none of them are good enough that I'm actually building anything yet. I'd like to get my 61 belair set up to run, but it'll take a pretty big commitment of cash to get the stuff as Rich mentioned, safety equipment, tires and wheels, rearends, etc are kind of expensive. And then I'd still be 50 mph too slow to set a record
Buy a body that you like. If it isn't streamlined very well you will need lots of HP. Choose an engine, one that you can afford to build lots of HP with. Now start laying out cash for saftey equipment and the like. gop racing, after you go the first time start planning ahwt mods you need to make to go faster the next time. Keep this in mind, speed costs money, how fast do you want to go. OH last time I did B-Ville I did it on 2 wheels. I didn't ride and it wasn't my ride but you can have as much fun pitting as you can owning at a fraction of the cost.
One of the easiest/safest ways I can see is to buy a used circle track stocker, like a NASCAR car or even a late model. I don't know what class they run but I do see several of them in B-Ville coverage every year.
I am doing it right now Aman. Just like eating an elephant I am taking it one bite at a time. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=545509&highlight=spirit Kinda like the story I read of the guy that found a cheap brass prop and built a yacht around it. I started with an epiphany and said the hell with it, lets roll. $10 of foam to get the ball rolling and a year later I have a pile of parts and a chassis going together. I pushed my A tudor aside except for breaks in the action because I am having too much fun building the racecar and learning something slightly outside of my comfort level. Took June,july off so I could do some research on the salt. All of my thoughts thankfully were solidified and confirmed. I met mctim and we became friends over an evening of cold beer. He adopted/drafted/coerced? me into helping him and shit..............................it all went downhill from there. Mark the days off and GET TO THE SALT Aman!!!!!!!!!!!! Life is too damn short for "bucket lists". I say you need a FUCKET list, as in FUCK IT I am am going no matter what!
T man that advice works for anything that we do. I once built an engine from a crank shaft and a set of rods. I the bike I lived on for 7 years from a set of cases. Find something that you like and let that be your starting place adjust the rest of the project to fit or your life if that is what it takes.
Bonneville on a bucket list is a total waste of time. If your car (or bike) is slower than the record, so what? You've got a target for next year. This year there was 368 cars and 198 bikes entered. Of the 368 cars 94 of them set or broke records. 254 cars went home without a record. Were they disappointed? Perhaps. Will they be back next year? You bet. You don't need to build a AA/F streamliner. I race a cheap build sidecar (my avatar. Around $2000) and my transport is a 32 year old RV. This year I sold off two old bikes that I was hoping to restore to get there. Not sure what I'll do for next year but I'll be there. You can shit in one hand and wish in the other but if you don't get off your butt you'll never get to Bonnevile.
I believe you would build a pretty competitive car if you wanted to. Have to stay away from '55 Chevys and get into a Vega or Monza if it's a door car you want. I have been trying to loan out mine for two years. Last ran in 2008. Has been over 2 on occasion. Runs like it's on rails. Got new drive tires and good steering tires. Fits any V8 or 6 cylinder I could ever throw at it. Got 15 pounds of on board halon. ( inch rear.
Building a 200MPH car on a budget that won't even allow you to GET to Bonneville is quite frankly stupid. As they say, Speed costs, how fast you want to go. Why not set your sights for something realistic? Run in a Production or Classic class with something like a Camaro or Mustang. You can pick up an old race car pretty cheap, throw some horsepower at it and go learn and gain experience. Then you can start picking classes where your allowance will let you try and be competitive and build from there. Believe it or not, running much over 130 the first time at Bonneville is a thrill, much more so than on a concrete runway. JMHO
i have a 57 fiat 500 Bonneville car thats been to the salt,plus many times to maxton. It always passed tech and i just may sell it. No engine. New quickchange,safe car. 352 538 3435
See, that's a problem right there. It's tough to find a car that I'd want to play with, that would also go fast. I had an 82 camaro that would probably have made a decent race car, but it just didn't do anything for me when I looked at it.
This is why I love the HAMB, I can get good honest answers from people who've been there and done all that. Kinda like walking into your favorite coffee shop or bar and asking this question to the regulars. I have my eye on a 88 Firebird GTA...hold up...I know it's not traditional but the aerodynamics can't be beat except maybe by a Corvette or similar type design. I've read about guys doing over 300mph with this body style. Humm, I wonder if they have a toilet retrofit kit for that baby. Changing my drawers after every run might get expensive not to mention the friends and crew heading for the hills everytime I pit. I think I'll start off at the 130mph mark (I think it's mandatory anyway) and work my way up from there. Makes good sense and should help build confidence as I climb the ladder to the 200mph benchmark. Well time to get started and get off the fence. Thanks everyone if you have anymore ideas feel free to throw them my way. Aman.
GTA huh, hmmm, well crap, Gas Coup doesn't list V4F as an option. Since I don't know if you have a rulebook yet, V4F is Vintage four cylinder flathead (only allowed in a "vintage" or "special construction" category unfortunately ). Just a thought as to what you could do to get a record at "shake down" speeds. Best of luck to you.
Which body to buy for land speed racing is the single most important decision. goof up here and EVERYTHING else is a waste. Think a lot about how fast you want to go, study the class structure and look at the record holder cars you want to beat. The third gen firebird is very slick, but has no soul. many have fun fooling with odd stuff, happy not setting records, but to get a record or the 2 club/3 chapter, takes a mountain of thought.versatility in different classes is important long term. me personally, I'm a 53 Stude guy. Good luck.
Great thread, everyone dreams of Bonneville, the lucky and determined guys do get there. Wonder how fast you could bet a Volvo P-1800 body to run?
Quote: "And then I'd still be 50 mph too slow to set a record" It doesn't always have to be about records to enjoy the experience.
heh...the other car I was thinking of making into a race car is a 544! it's small, and if it were lowered about 6 inches it might be able to go sorta fast. Might be a scary ride though.
Some guys want to do this better than the next guy. They thrive on the competition aspect. Others just want to exploit certain ideas or equipment. Some want recognition. If you look at current records, you will see which formulas are easier to do, and which are harder. If you want to be a hero with a naturally aspirated small block on gas, a LOT of others are already working very hard to do just that. That's why the weird combos keep showing up, e.g. v-8's running less than 8 pistons, for lesser cubic inch classes.
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