Hey Bib Overalls , I stand corrected my mistake ....I'm not sure why I had them as the same plane ...thanks for the update....we've got heaps of history about the actual 'plane our tank came from (WH700) which is a story I'll tell some time soon.... Old and Krusty....Here's Rod and Carol at the Mangalore meet.... Rod has been working on this.... Flatoz.........go to the lake, the lake is calling..... Hey Drewfus I'm gonna tell those Moe boys what you said ....a man can get mighty lonely in the Latrobe Valley..... anyway , for the uninitiated here's a shot of the Moe Boys Ford XA coupe thanks for the positive comments everyone...I've got heaps more build shots and stories to tell about the build , and we haven't even raced it in anger yet so the story has only just begun....... " They didn't have one like I wanted so I made me own"
Hey Dr Goggles something dont add up. Australia, check, sunshine, check, Mangalore............. HUH?? What sunshine?? I used to fly in and out of that place and I never saw the sun shine once!! On a different note, I believe we meet over at the scale auto site, you sent me a disc and a 1/8 vac formed tank. Well, I built a chassis for it, just need to motivate myself to make a motor. Welcom to the HAMB, we Aussies are taking over! Cheers, Doc.
Ah Doc......Yes , it was the Reverend you dealt with...As he may have told you we had a bunch of those shells made , we used one as a basis for mucking around with frame ideas in-scale...then we'd go back to CAD . ...here's one of the Rev's renders... He had the cowl mocked up in clay when we were offered two thirds of a small jet tank by Wayne Mumford from Yarragon here in Victoria who built the "Waza-Vudu" bellytanker with Russell Mack. When the Rev' measured the little tank up it was within 5%of what he'd modeled....unbelievable!Wayne and Russell used the tip of it cut axially to make the cowl of their tank pictured here....( thanks for the photo Drewfus!) here you can see the tank cut lengthwise and lain on top of the Canberra tank in the early stages of the tank build....... we have to get organized and finish our model off , one idea involves gutting a remote control buggy to make it RC powered...If you um , need any photo's to ah , help with the historical accuracy of your project we've um...got a few My Daddy said "son! you're gonna drive me to drinkin'!" I said " Dad , anything you say but you're gonna have to tell me where it is first"!
Hey, Doc G, I can't see the middle two pics (where's that pic of Ray Charles when I need it?). Hope they are good uns.
did so Steve....spent the afternoon in Craig's shed having a few fizzy drinks , and chewing the fat......Mick was there..., now there's a man who sees the Mig welder as unnecessarily new technology.......Craig has recently bought an Indian and at the moment I have a German photographer mate staying here who's got an old Scout I was linking the renders from elsewhere and they wouldn't stick.....I'll get the Reverend to register here and put a bunch of them up.....sorry to get your hopes up....but in the mean time.... http://www.allaboutjazz.com/albums/JimmyKatz/picture005detail.jpg
Thanks Dr. G, I appreciate it. I like the pic of Ray too, but the one I meant was All in fun you understand.
The Moe Boys owe me a cuddle... and animal is still.....animal Sorry Doc, reliving some memories... Cheers, Drewfus
Nice shots Drewfus ....love the one of Animal on the race-fuel...wasn't that in Street-Machine?.........here's one people might like of Lucky Kaiser's most recent build...and in the background Bob Ellis's Chev powered XP........................ for the record , Lucky's liner wasn't allowed to run because of scrutineering issues , it has a Triumph twin.... Oh , and to Mark in Japan , I'm not sure the shifting spanner can take all the credit , I think the trailer hitch at the front might be sharing some of the load......... ....Air-conditioning on my Hot-Rod?....I'd sooner have nuts on my woman!
yep, a LONG time ago. That looks sane, I remeber his prior liner with the transverse mounted ford V8......that guy is trippy....in a good way. Cheers, Drewfus Dr...here's a few 'shots' to prep you for March... ha....Cookie's a tight fit...
Great car. If you are going to come to El Mirage or Bonneville and need a place to get your car shipped to / shop home base , I would be happy to put her up for you in my shop / warehouse. You are welcome to use the shop if you need it. I be running my Lakester this upcoming year. Wil Sakowski www.sakowskimotors.com
Top looking tank you've got there Dr G. Look forward to seeing it on the salt next year - will be making my first trip next year. Can't wait!
Ha ha !! celibaterifle??......grouse name brother!!!!....I was just about to go to bed ...I thought " oh , I'll just check the HAMB ....now I've got a beer and I'm tappin' away...."...I don't mind the Rifles...Damo' is a nut. Are you building something ...or thinking of it?...Once you go to the lake you're a goner... .......now to our American friends who've heard but don't quite understand ...( coz Wendover is right next to Bonneville and they have everything you need there like steak and car parts) the trip to Lake Gairdner where the Dry Lake Racers of Australia hold their annual Speedweek is a long one from pretty much all of the habitable places in the country .This doesn't of course include Sydney , well Sydney is a long way from the lake but who'd wanna live there....Lake Gairdner is 135 miles from the nearest town and what Drewfus didn't point out is that the last 100 is dirt and the part of the road that is pictured below is one of the better bits....it sorts 'em out I tell ya and when you get there you meet the strangest people.... ....man I should'nt have had that last one , the twenty before it were fine .....but I think that last one might have been off......
that it will....(heres a 'bigger' picture since you mentioned my lack of detail....don't ask how long it took to climb that snake infested hill...) Note: that's the salt (the white bit) to the far left of centre.... still, a few 'schooners' short of a slab.... so close, but so far... Cheers, Drewfus
Ok, as per request here are some design renders for the tank, some are old, some are new, but you get the idea of different thoughts. 3D modelling has been handy, but nothing has been like just building the 1:1. I think the best thing about building the computer model was it made the end point seem real and get-able (and desirable!). We could show the render to those that do not understand and say that this was what we were building, even when what they were looking at in the garage were a pile of cardboard tubes and bits from a Ford Laser... It was good to check different ideas out like how to approach the canopy, where the wheels looked best, etc. Given it was a millimetre perfect drawing, we could measure up parts as we found them and check for fitment within the tank. As we couldn't weld aluminium when we started the project we were hesitant to cut up the tank at all and so having a virtual one to cut up helped us be free-er with our imagination and testing of ideas. We are now using it to design colour schemes. I'd like to have it a different colour each year so one look in a photograph and we know what year it was taken. Also too many options to have just one scheme. The blue version here has been rejected... too Ford! Reverend H+
G'day Rev, was waiting for you to chirp up.... the best element/feature 3d modelling offers is quick and effective illustration of a idea....now that I work on it all day, everyday, I'm convinced this is true. As far as the colour schemes, stick with your original (and best version) for the time being, it really 'suits' that car, and is of a timeless appeal.... Cheers, Drewfus
Hey Rev, Dr G & Drewfus Trying to get a grip on organizing this trip to the salt. Where's the best place to camp - back at the homestead or out at the campground beside the lake? As spectators can we drive a vehicle onto the salt? Have been getting conflicting stories on this. How bad is the road in? Will have at least one motorhome in the group. Will have 8-10 salt virgins making the journey next year - any advice you can give? Thanks celibate
Next march will be 10 years since I blew my trans at lake Gairdner( never should have used Frod parts...),I'd dearly love to get back again ,the roadsters(#152) been sitting since then.. . If any Qlders need a helper next March send me a PM. To those who think that running 150mph on the street is fast,try it on the salt when you have genuine FIA timing gear checking the lies from the truth.. ,it's a lot fuckin'harder than you think.
I camped at the edge of the Lake in a Toyo coaster where Rosco Mc Glashin had built a camp site.That didn't go down too well with the old dear at Mt Ive..who was charging for camp sites. How bad is the road.?..see above Pics. Tape everything up with duct tape to keep out the red dust and bring lots of water. You'd want to drive onto the salt because it's too damn far to walk and if you're from Orange,leave the woolies at home and bring long sleeved light clothes , hats and sunblock.I'ts glary like you would'nt believe and you don't want to get the dreaded carcinoma just because you wanted to experience the salt. Bring a good swag because it's fuckin' cold at night if you sleep alone.
.............hey Mercmad...there's a Queerslanders thread on the DLRA message board(www.dlra.org.au/forum)....those guys are having a Xmas do at Don Noble's joint.......might be worth a look in... Celibate , I'll give you my tips on going when I get home , this server I'm on ain't stable and it dumped me when I tried last time ( it was a novel!)...............
Already onto this one - warned others making the trip that if they want to wear shorts make sure they were jocks or rub some sunblock on the family jewels I presume the flys are bad. They were pretty bad a number of years ago when I went to lake eyre.
Mr Rifle, the first year we went we had food for every meal and then some...the next year we went we cut down a little bit..each time it became a bit simpler. This year I intend having all dinners at the canteen on the edge of the lake and won't be taking any perishable food at all.The wastage and expense plus hassle of managing food that has to be kept cold ain't worth it when there are so many other things you can spend time on while you're there. At the end of the day the best place to be is at the canteen, talking shit with people and having a cold beer rather than cooking for a crew you can't seem to get in one place at one time on a stove that is a pain with food that is going off. Camp next to the lake , there are cold showers there , if you get sunburnt ( and you will) a cold shower is heaven...the problem with staying at the members camp or at the station is that you have to drive to and from the lake that costs time fuel and the roads are hell.Camp where you can walk to and from the canteen, where you can hear the first cars start on the lake and where the ground is sandy , everywhere else it's gibber desert. Make sure when you're going as spectators that you have a chair each , a good set of boots for off the lake, a camera , lots of water that is drinkable ( there isn't any in Sth Aus) a sizable esky as there is ice for sale on the lake , cameras ,some binoculars , some half decent UHF radios , a registered pit bike if you can fit it somewhere , cash in small denominations , a first aid kit with plenty of wound treatments, painkillers , eye wash , sterile saline , burn creme ( like aloe) and maybe Lomatil or the like.....also it is a good idea to take Staminade or a powdered version of a similar electrolyte replenisher....people get heat stressed out there...they also get hung-over and f*** up by getting dehydrated .....one year I had the flu and then slipped and fell out of the back of the truck just to make me feel better, last year on the way back I got gastro ...42 degrees at Gawler changing the Harmonic balancer with the squits was murder. this all makes it sound pretty full on , it is , but that is part of what makes it such a stunning experience....time flies ...but the flies aren't that bad ...at least on the lake.... Because of this and due to the nature of the trip in don't let anyone think they can "go for just a day"...it isn't possible to drive in and out in a 24 hour period and see much....you will spend the drive home wishing you'd made the most of the fact that you'd got there in the first place .....arriving at the lake for the first time is an emphatic experience....like seeing the sea when you are a little kid , only bigger.....we came over the rise ...saw the salt and just went " FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARK"........and burst out laughing.....we had no idea it was such a bizarre and beautiful place.......and then there is the sound of open headers and a heap of freaks who won't just chew your ear off ...they'll fight to the death over it ........it's unreal .
Basically everything the Dr mentioned is spot on, and the above is particularly true, long story cut short, my first 'salt initiation' was with the famous 'Moe boys', these guys look like rough and crazy bunch of bikers, kinda intimidating, due to circumstance, the guys I was helping 'crew' with had not yet arrived, and they invited me in, made me a sandwich, and shouted me a cordial.....then yakked for hours whilst sipping tea and biscuits... Best advice, be prepared as the trip is long and rugged, but once your there, your perserverance and frustration will be rewarded. The other part, to really make the experience unreal.......get involved in some way shape or form, help out (as the DLRA are just regular guys volenteering), take a vehicle to race, this will give a depth to the experience that will live with you forever. Cheers, Drewfus
I'll do that,beats spending time with the nephews ,neices etc... heres a pic I took of Charlie and the Crew in '98 having a quiet breakfast...or three.
Cellbait, I drive the Chev motorhome each year to the salt and it is a haven on the salt (has its own wc and cooking facilities) and off (sleeping out of the wind and in a bed has obvious rewards). Although we have had a few mechanical problems over the years, the track in has not been a problem (although I pretty much got it airborne one year through a particularly nasty gully that appeared a bit too quickly...) All I can say is take it easy on the way in. You have made it that far and although you'll be champing at the throttle to get to the lake you'd be kicking yourself if you blew it on the way in. Some knob tailgating a competitor once rear ended him as he slowed for a cattle-grate so respect for competitors going in traveling a little slower to save their precious cargo would be much appreciated too.
The Jalopy Journal
