OT: Working on my shop car, The wagon Porsche never built. . . Options

[Java2570]

Nate - very exciting to see the car out at Bonneville ready to compete! I look forward to seeing the pics and videos from the runs.....good luck!! Jon

[KELTY360]

During the marathon wait in the staging lanes. . .



I'll post more tomorrow evening. I'm spent for today.

Looking at that pic on the salt makes me think that some people go to Burning Man while others go to Burning Gas.

Nice work Nate!

[Krieger]

Congratulations Nate!

[mgp4591]

During the marathon wait in the staging lanes. . .



I'll post more tomorrow evening. I'm spent for today.

Don't forget about pictures of the big salty lake you drove thru getting to your pit area! What a frickn mess! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)

[aircooledtechguy]

Don't forget about pictures of the big salty lake you drove thru getting to your pit area! What a frickn mess! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)

Yeah, I'll have to get one tomorrow.

Were you able to get all that salt off your Harley?? That was a frickin' mess for sure!!

I sure enjoyed meeting you. Thanks for braving the salt lake. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[aircooledtechguy]

Having a great time down here at World Of Speed. Bonneville (and land speed racing in general) is I think the only place where a privateer on a shoestring budget using junkyard parts and his own ingenuity, can truly compete aainst the big boys and win. It's like you're teleported back to the 1950s & 1960s when hotrodders had to make everything themselves because the aftermarket didn't exist. Every car is experimental in it's own way and out-of-the-box thinking is the norm. Very refreshing if you ask me.

Here's our pits.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410146702.1.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410146704.2.jpg)

Out on the salt this morning just before the HotVWs group photo.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410146705.3.jpg)

After the first run was in the books, I could officially label the Squarsche as:

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410146705.4.jpg)

In the staging lanes for run 2 this morning.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410146706.5.jpg)

If you've never been and it's on the bucket list, make plans for the World Finals this fall, or one of the events next summer.

When I get home, I'll post some run videos to share.

[championgt1]

Very cool Nate!! Did you make it to 130? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

[aircooledtechguy]

Very cool Nate!! Did you make it to 130? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif)

Sadly, not even close. The plan-B motor 2056 just does not have the HP or the RPM range needed to pull in 5th gear here. Shifting at the 5600rpm redline, it pulls through 4th gear but 5th gear is pretty useless without more hp. We are running very rich at the moment due to the elevation (4200ft) and its making this motor feel lazy and lack-luster. I'm hoping to pull some fuel out today now that I've downloaded the right firmware and the correct version of Tuner Studio for the MS3 (my laptop only had a version compatible with my old MS2 ECU.

What we have lacked in speed, we've made up for in reliability and consistency. I've only loaned tools to other racers never needing to tin a wrench on the car and my speeds have been within 2/10th of a MPH at the speed traps. With a leaner tune, I think we'll do much better today.

Fingers crossed. . .

[DRPHIL914]

I have enjoyed this thread and watching the progress!- seeing so much happen in a short time here at the end, sorry to hear of the motor issues!
My dad had a squareback, i dont remember what year it was, but had to be @ 65-68, because i remember riding in that thing, and going with when he traded it in for a brand new super beatle in '71 - i have not seen one in person in years!
Good luck running today!!!

[maf914]

Great thread! Thanks for sharing your build and Salt Flats experience.

How does the aero stability feel? Are you permitted to add air deflectors or spoilers? I suppose you can if the front spoiler is okay. Pushing that boxy shape through the air at speed is going to take some horsepower.

[Cap'n Krusty]

Back in Santa Maria. I AM WIPED! Road trips at 70 aren't like they were at 20! Great to meet Nate and Josh, see some other friends, walk the pits (did over 8 miles on foot. Didn't even take the bicycles off the roof of the Krustymobile. Damn things cut my fuel mileage by 30%. Had a GREAT time! Definitely a bucket list thing. You get to see an AMAZING assortment of approaches to the issues of going fast, and meet a lot of great, friendly, innovative, and otherwise VERY cool people. Met a guy who once spun out at 200MPH and recovered, clearing the traps at 202, only to be told the run didn't count because of the spin ............. My wife wants to do this one in another year or two. Gotta go pull the fender liners off the TDI and get the rest of the salt out .....................

The Cap'n

[mgp4591]

Don't forget about pictures of the big salty lake you drove thru getting to your pit area! What a frickn mess! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/barf.gif)

Yeah, I'll have to get one tomorrow.

Were you able to get all that salt off your Harley?? That was a frickin' mess for sure!!

I sure enjoyed meeting you. Thanks for braving the salt lake. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

I was pretty nasty but I got most of it off in Wendover before riding back to SLC. Still finding chunks hiding in strange places but should be cleared out for Thursday heading to Grand Junction. Have you thought about my little suggestion? Lots of fans would love to see you in Moab in a couple of days... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[aircooledtechguy]

We're about half way home and have stopped for the night in Oregon.

Going to Bonneville to race was a whole group of adjectives. Eye-opening, fun, bonding, challenging, aggravating, exhilarating, retro, fun (did I say fun already??), etc, etc

Eye-opening: Anyone at or near seal level who has a hot car will be disappointed in it's performance at 4200'. At home (sea-level) my car pulls hard in every gear. I shift into 5th at around 90mph and it keeps pulling pretty nicely even when I let-off around 105-110mph. At Bonneville, in the thin air my car felt like it was breathing through a straw. In fact it was. at home, WOT is 100kpa. At Bonneville, WOT was 85kpa (with the engine off and the MAP sniffing ambient air). This cannot be overstated. It results in a very lazy feeling car. Having experienced this first hand now, I have even more respect for the guys who go fast especially on a N/A motor.

With the back-up motor, I knew 130 club was not possible. But I assumed I would be in the 110-115mph range at the end of the 1 mile course. . . Boy was I wrong!! Our car was very consistent but consistently slower than I would have guessed. We ran 94.3-94.5mph on day 2 shifting @ red line (5600) on every shift. I would shift into 5th at around the 3/4 mile mark but it just wouldn't pull in high gear. It couldn't breathe. It was very interesting and aggravating. This morning we did our final 2 runs and made a change to the fuel maps to lean it out a bit since it was pig-rich. Progress was made and we ran a 96.0 on the first run. So before the second and final run of the meet, I removed the air dam since it was only needed around 105 in the past. We really hoped to break 100mph after removing all that frontal area. . . Well, it only improved us to 96.9mph.

The take away for me was that I really needed a better cam (this motor has a stock bottom-end) and the ability to get 6500 or more out of every gear. Going into this meet over 80hp down and 1500 less rpm range blocked us.

Traction was also a big issue. My tires were not ideal for Bonneville, but I knew that. Driving on the salt is like driving on astro turf. It's hard but soft at the same time.

We were super reliable all through the event. I only loaned my tools to other racers. My car needed nothing between runs.

Parting shots from the salt. . .

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410327846.1.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410327846.2.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410327846.3.jpg)
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/images.thesamba.com-9730-1410327846.4.jpg)

As for cleaning the salt off the cars, virtually everyone I talked to said the exact same thing: Put it on jack stands with no wheels and put 4 oscillating Rain Bird sprinklers under it for 2-3 days to douche it all out.

BTW, speaking as a spectator as I walked through the staging lanes, I came to the conclusion that land speed racing very well be the last of the motorsports that are still like it was back in the '50s-'60s. These cars are all hand-made with out-of-the-box approached to problems is the norm just like back in the old days when there was no automotive aftermarket.

[messix]

I wonder how much mph was lost to tire spin/slip?

maybe add more weight for traction next time?

[maf914]

I like that last photo of your tow rig! How about a description of the Ford? Thanks again for this thread.

[aircooledtechguy]

I like that last photo of your tow rig! How about a description of the Ford? Thanks again for this thread.

Our tow vehicle is our '62 Ranchero (AKA: the "Mighty Ranchero"). It's powered by a pretty new 200-6 and a C4 automatic. She's not a power house but she tows at 60-65mph and is dead reliable. On this trip I think we've passed only 6-7 vehicles; all semis and 1 motorhome. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/lol-2.gif)

[rhodyguy]

next year for the 130 club. what an experience for you and your son!! far more valuable and they will last for the rest of your lives.

[76-914]

Great looking car. You should have been down about 13-14% on your HP @ 4200' ASL. Is that close to your calc's?

[KELTY360]

Great adventure for you and Josh, and an awesome build thread. Now you know you can make parts pickup runs @ 96mph! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/busted_cop.gif)

[aircooledtechguy]

Great looking car. You should have been down about 13-14% on your HP @ 4200' ASL. Is that close to your calc's?

When we got back to the shop last night, we dropped off the two cars and hopped in the 914 w/ a 1.8L with over 350Kmiles on it. The 914 is a dog compared to the Squarsche and it felt as quick as the Squarsche felt @ Bonneville!! I'd say at least 15% down on power.

I spent the entire day today with the pressure washer wand in hand spraying the salt off the Squarsche, the Ranchero and the tow dolly. Holy ton of salt Batman!! I would guess that I sprayed off 100# of salt off of EACH car!! I pulled all the fenders off the Squarsche to make things easier than the Ranchero. The front fenders weighed about 40# each!! The rears had almost nothing on them.

After 2 cars the the tow dolly were done, the parking lot was solid white from all the salt. Freakin' increadible. . . I am so glad I had Josh douche both cars with two coats of SaltX solution prior to leaving.