FlatCad Racing's Quest for 200 MPH-a Cadillac Flathead Story!

Sweet! SCTA actually has several shots of you guys on the live stream

Go FlatCAD GO!

 

Yea Trent I was aware of that and to get a hat is a very hard thing to do espically in a flathead...............
those guys deserve them!!!

 

Did they back up the record this morning?

 

What most folks don't consider is the true cost to earn the hat. Many of the big names ran on the salt for 10-20 years before getting a hat. Now, take the cost of the car out of the equation and just add travel expenses and Wendover hotels for 5,10,20 years. I talked to a team, I forget which pals they were and they spent a grand in gas to get there! I bet most of those hats cost 25K even if you drove someone elses car!

 

Many also don't consider what it takes to go from 186 to 200.

 

or even 186 to 187 sometimes

Yea Trent even the cost of tents can mount up..........

 

That was a low blow! That thing was $70 20 years ago and we took our honeymoon in it!

 

gave me a laugh.......

ya had to be there!.....

 

Met the Flat Cad owner in impound, & wished him the best even if I was with the Salt Cat guys who set the XO/BGL record at 241. The old straight 8 Buick still has some snot in her and the Jag will be back next year loaded for bear. Flat cad guys are a class act for sure

 

And that is the spirit of LSR!

 

I got a message from Randy that the block is cracked and they are done. I am sure there will be more details later. Good effort guys. I think we are starting to see the real potential of this car. The great white dyno is a cruel mistress.

In other news the 974 just ran around 213 on Sumner's A license pass. I suppose if everything is okay they will make a run for the record tomorrow.

John

 

Sweetness!

 

Bummer :-(
Looks like you guys backed up your last record run
Congrats!


9785XXO BFCC Flatcad Racing184.190171.758186.081186.081



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Hi Guys
Thanks for all the support,, the 186 run was something to see and it was on a Fat tune and we have allot more in her for sure !! She handled like a dream! Well we do have an issue with the motor it is in the exhaust runner so we pulled the heads and were unable see anything on the salt so we called it another successful year for the Flatcad team.. we will keep you posted as we start the engine work

 

Sorry to see it end that quick, Come back next year loaded for bear,, Congrates on the 186 mph run,,,, Tim Jones

 

Yes, sorry to hear that you had some problems. Really hope that you will be able to fix her up again. You all deserve a big hurray for your achievements

K

...............................
Taildragger&fenderless

 

Well done Buddy and the crew, you sure dont have anything to be ashamed of!
Damn shame all the same...
There is always next time.

 

Fantastic job Buddy, Dale & crew. Two records is nothing to feel down about. You guys don't want to get all the glory in one shot. This could be like good sex. The longer it lasts the better it is.

 

OUTSTANDING guys.Sorry to hear about the engine,
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Well, the season is over for us, and it was bittersweet. The salt is definitely a fickle mistress!

We only made 5 runs on the salt, but feel we accomplished a lot. Out of those 5 runs, we qualified for impound 3 times, licensed a rookie, got that rookie a RECORD, qualified for the long course, and had a top exit speed of 189 mph. The salt didn't treat us as well as we had hoped, but we'll take what successes we can, or what successes we can dream up! Lol!
Here is a quick rundown of our week:

Saturday morning, after the Driver's Meeting, we were the first car down course 3. Dale qualified for XXO/BFALT, with a 167.5 run on a 131.028 record.

Sunday morning we were on the starting line, and fired the engine to warm it up. Wow, we had did a little tuning in impound, and it sounded good! We got to the starting line and fired the engine. WTF? The engine went to popping and back firing, and we had to head to the pits. The coil wire had worked loose on the coil, and arced on the rotor in the dizzy, melting the rotor like I've never seen.We changed dizzies, and were ready to go again.

No worries, Randy Jackson jumped in the car, and we qualified out of the rookie line with a 133.892. Randy and Dale both felt the car was a little loose, we we dropped the rear tire pressure a little.

Monday morning, Randy backed the record with a 156.544 run, for a new record of 145.218. CONGRATS Randy!

We headed back to the pits, and got the car ready for comp coupe, made a trip to tech, then out to the course for a tuning run. The car was FAT, and I ran a 166 in the quarter, and popped the chute. That was a LONG way from where I wanted to be, so I couldn't see any reason to push it.

We went back to the pits, did a gear change, leaned the engine a little, then headed to town for the day.

Tuesday morning, we headed to the starting line. Danny and I were riding the dirt bikes, and a car decided we weren't worth yielding too. Danny bounced off of the rear fender, and I laid my bike down. Road rash is one thing-road rash packed with salt is another! I managed to gash my ankle on the foot peg or kickstand, so out came the medical kit, and we wrapped up the cut
.
I have to admit, I made the poorest drive from a driver's standpoint you can imagine! I hard a hard time getting it in gear-think I shifted that 4 speed 6 times! Don will post the video later. Still, the car was running MUCH better, and I qualified on Salt Cat's XXO/BFCC record of 185.111 with a 186.081 run, with a 189 exit speed.

Now, we're getting excited! The plan was to try and back the record, then head to the long course for a 200 mph attempt. After talking with John Beck, and Rich at ERC, we leaned the pill 5, added 2 deg timing, and went to the next hotter spark plug.

Wednesday morning, everyone was excited. We drain the engine water every night, because I'm not comfortable leaving the block full with the copper head gaskets.

Daaaamn guys, we have an air leak in the system-I can't get it burped! Double daaaamn, looks like a head gasket! We pulled the car out of impound, back to the pits, and swapped the passenger head gasket. Oooops-now it's poring water! Long story short, we had cracked the #6 exhaust port, so we loaded up and came home.

I tore into the engine on Friday, and found the problem. Good thing is, that it's not too tough of a fix. I also noticed the #5 intake looks too clean, so we're going to have to investigate that for a possible leak.

I want to thank everyone for all the support here on the board! You guys are great!
A very special thanks goes out to John Beck, for continuously helping us on our tuning, and to Stainless.

Bob, you and Linda's hospitality was first class, and letting us use your dyno was priceless. Thank you so much! I was so happy, and relieved, to see you show up in the pits, albeit battered and bruised. Obviously, the precautions for safety you had taken, worked!

John Kimbrough, you are a fiberglass king! Your work made the car SLICK, and we will continue Quest 200 next year! Thanks again!

 

This is correct-in this class, and record over 200 would be a red hat!

TR, you bring up a good point. It takes a LOT! We had a few things going for us, that makes me think we can do it. First, we did not have a power tune on the car. We were making 21 psi boost, but timing was retarted, we had very cold plugs, we were fatter than hell, and I cost us a few mph with a very poor driving attempt. In addition, this attempt was on the short course-next year we will run the long course.

It won't be easy, but we will go 200!

It was great meeting and chatting with you!

I'm glad Doug and Frank are bringing the Jag back next year-it will push us harder, and hopefully, we can push them a little!

Plus, they are a class act, and I really like chatting with them!

 

Buddy, did you ever find a good "spare" block? I still have that 346 motor, still in the '40 Cadillac. I don't know it's condition, but I fully intend to get it pulled out this fall, so if you are still looking I could strip it here and haul it somewhere to get the block magnafluxed and see if it's a good one.

 

I have a spare block, and the plan is to start getting it ready, so I definately need another one!

 

Well Buddy you and the whole Flatcad Crew are due props for what you have achieved in such a shoprt period of time. I am looking forward to possibly seeing you guys hit 200+ next year, if anyone can do it you guys can!!! Great job so far and nothing but the best for the future. .......Carl

 

Thanks Carl! It won't be easy, but we're going to go after it hard!

I hope to see you and your grandson there!

 

just for my own knowledge, what would cause the port to split like that
thanks, and loved this project from the beginning
tk

 

At this point I can only theorize. It's possible it was ported too thin, or that it had a weak spot in the casting. I wouldn't think we are stressing it there, but don't know at this point.

Don, Dale, and I are getting together the weekend of September 21, to tear the bottom end down, and check everything out. We'll know more then, and will post our findings.

 

You have one thing going for you now.... with the flow figures you had gotten and knowing where to grind and not to grind, you may end up with more strength in the runners than you had before.

Win win !!

 

sorry about your misfortune. Hope you're back stronger and better next year!

 

Enjoyed following this project all the way. Thanks for all your postings. Now, for what it is worth. Going back 50 years and running a lot of Ford flatheads we found that running the things with no or real short exhaust tips was the trick setup. That being said they were bad about port cracking and exhust seat cracks. I always put the blame on the cold air when you lifted in the turns. Headers and much longer pipes and collectors cured the problem. I would think after 3 miles at full tromp running nitro the exhaut temps must be off the chart....!! Looking forward to next year. Keep us posted. Hope to see you in person next year...Bucket List !!