Jim
Glad to hear you are OK. Man, you can't drink too much water at Bonneville. To
bad about the tranny problems but I know you will over come that. The car sure
looks good going down the course. It was one heck of a week on the salt ant
other then a couple of minor injuries, burns and bad bruises o the bike rider it
was a great meet. See you at the lakes. By the way did you get the Summers
model? and if so how is it?
Glen
Jim Dincau wrote:
> Hi all,
> Well there is good news and there is bad news.
> The good news is we have cured the bearing problems we had last year. We
> changed two inserts after the first run and five runs later all eight still
> had the flash coating on them. We are so gun shy we pulled the pan and
> checked the rods after each run. After six runs the engine is clean dry and
> all in one piece.
> The bad news is we destroyed both transmissions, another first for us.
> The week went like this:
> Saturday
> First run, NASCAR tires 28" dia. (no I still haven't given up), 229 in mile
> 3, Russ said he had to feather it all three miles, no traction and really
> squirrelly.
> Sunday
> First run, 8.00-18 Indy tires 31" dia, turn out, no drive in high gear.
> Trans is fried. Crew thinks there may have been some brain fade re checking
> the fluid level (car on stands).
> Second run, same tires, 237 in mile three, Russ says his foot was flat on
> the floor all the way. Got some oil on driver so we pull the blower and
> manifold to check the valley gasket. Couldn't see where the oil was coming
> from so we re sealed everything. We found a leak between the adapter plate
> for the PSI and the manifold (that's why the manifold pressure is down). I
> engineer a fix by adding more bolts attaching the plate to the manifold.
> Before this it was just trapped between the blower and manifold with no
> dedicated attach bolts just the eight blower hold down bolts. It also gets
> new O rings. Plugs look fat but since we expect more manifold pressure we
> leave it alone.
> Monday
> Jim the desert rat passes out at breakfast. The clinic at Wendover can't
> find a cause so they transported me to Salt Lake. I Told the guys to stay in
> Wendover and run the car but they followed the ambulance to SLC. After a
> batch of tests rule out heart attack, blood clot and epilepsy the doctor
> says the only thing left is dehydration. I thought I was drinking plenty of
> water but I guess not. They want me to stay in SLC overnight in case I pass
> out again so Mary and I do. No mater what I say the crew says they won't run
> till I get back (a bunch of hard heads, but great people).
> Tuesday
> Mary and I get back to Wendover on the gamblers special bus (a hoot if there
> ever was one, bingo for entertainment and Oreo's and soda for a brunch) at
> 11 AM, we are back on the salt about noon,
> First run, WFO all three miles, 237 again, engine is dry and sill rich.
> Second run, 9.00-18 MT LSR tires 26" dia. 238 in mile three, had to feather
> it all three miles, no traction but not squirrelly. I am really tired and
> Mary wants me to get some rest so we leave early so as to be able to start
> early tomorrow.
> Wednesday
> First run, Added about 700 pounds of lead to the car, lets see it turn that
> tire now. Turn out at mile and half. Russ says it went like a striped ass
> bear, 7,500 in low not slipping the tires, shifted to high and the trans
> blew the filler tube out and covered him with oil. Trans has metal flakes in
> the pan so our week is over.
> Haven't heard the post mortem on the trans.'s yet but we probably will do
> away with the torque converter and put in a direct coupler and a push bar.
>
> Not a great week but we went faster than we have since coming out of
> retirement in 1998, had a great time (except for Monday) and for the first
> time the motor isn't junk. Russ's wife Sherrie came along for her first time
> at the salt. She had been apprehensive about Russ driving but once she saw a
> spin and the fact that there were no walls to hit a la NASCAR she had a
> great time.
>
> And again let's hear the chorus "wait till next year"
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