Hey Keith!
No doubt Doug has figgered out something old Henry and Zora would have liked to
know back when I was in grade school.
I ever get that Vette motor sorted out you're gonna eat those words!!! Like I
said, nothing in that girly SBC that isn't in the Summit catalog ("massaging"
extra") and besides 215 is pretty close to to 218 and I don't have one of those
red "grenade" buttons on my steering wheel............(stop by here on your way
to WOS, I'll LEND you my leakdown & compression tester - they both work)
Ed
P.S. Why didn't we go over and borrow a borescope from Les at the fuel trailer?
100 Deg. brainfade?........................
Keith Turk wrote:
> Hey ED.... you Notice HOW fast he was compared to a Certain Corvette we both
> know and LOVE....
>
> Keith ( hey Ed I mention my out the back speed?.... oh I know... tell me
> about that Impound thing again.... I still don't know where it is....)( Yes
> Ed is a Friend for those who don't know... I just love harassing him )
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ed Van Scoy" <edvs@uswest.net>
> To: <ARDUNDOUG@aol.com>
> Cc: <land-speed@autox.team.net>; <Warren.Atwood@dana.com>;
> <Seymoum@northvanrec.com>; <KOBDCB@worldnet.att.net>; <jbott@ix.netcom.com>;
> <A41GTO@aol.com>; <GacmanJr@aol.com>; <DJElder@goldrush.com>;
> <Brickroc@worldnet.att.net>; <Furtados1@aol.com>; <KGeorge@theworks.com>;
> <Barrie@ttns.com>; <gillette@aiinc.com>; <Wstdwillie@aol.com>;
> <gorvad@mad.llnl.gov>; <HallBro@calweb.com>; <Slickj10@yahoo.com>;
> <wisdomaker@earthlink.net>; <spanglishkings@yahoo.com>;
> <BKirk23623@aol.com>; <sierraJ@neworld.net>; <RhysLloyd@aol.com>;
> <CPD68@aol.com>; <dan_mceachern@bio-rad.com>; <EagleEye@uswest.net>;
> <shiprock@pacbell.net>; <ClemTebow@aol.com>; <NONrev7R@aol.com>;
> <AVarni@aol.com>; <ESWeldon@earthlink.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 10:42 AM
> Subject: Re: Bonneville Speed Week 2000 Diary
>
> > Congratulations Doug! I was talking to J.D. last nite and we were
> marvelling at
> > your success - that's flying with a 50 year-old motor!
> > Ed
> >
> >
> > ARDUNDOUG@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > > Group,
> > > A couple of the other participants gave us a blow-by-blow of their
> salty
> > > experience so here goes with mine.
> > > I had the 1313 XXF/FMR ready for the June El Mirage, running a
> listless
> > > 174 on a 184 record. During the post-race checkout I found a couple of
> > > exhaust seats on the Ardun heads that had moved around, ruining the
> leakdown,
> > > as well as my Vertex mag coil needing replacing.
> > > I removed the offending head and ground the seats in preparation for
> a
> > > chassis dyno run which yielded 327HP on gas and 425HP on 55% nitro.
> After the
> > > dyno session and the Muroc Reunion I experienced the same valve problem
> on
> > > the opposite head, corrected the leaks, and discovered that in the
> assembly
> > > process I'd only given the exhaust valves 95# on the seat. Off came the
> heads
> > > again to shim the springs to 140# on the seat. I was hoping that the
> valves
> > > had hammered the seats rather than the scenario of inadequate
> heat-treating
> > > done after the heads were extensively reworked.
> > > The car was in the trailer 2 weeks before Bonneville. Talk about a
> spooky
> > > feeling, wondering what I'd forgotten and when the second shoe would
> drop.
> > > Thursday noon the 10th, Son Brian and I left Castro Valley (Bay
> Area)
> > > Calif. with a 2 car caravan and his Bassett(sp?) hound Othella. Friday
> at
> > > 3:30AM found us at the "bend-of-the-road", very sleepy.
> > > We pulled on to the salt at 7:00AM, found pit space that Roy Creel
> had
> > > saved for us, unloaded the modified roadster, and were in the tech line
> at
> > > 9:00 waiting for the inspections to begin at 10:00 as advertised.
> Fortunately
> > > the inspection started early and we were back in our pit with the
> "Inspected"
> > > sticker before 10:00AM.
> > > The rest of the day we "kicked-back" as much as can be done in 100
> deg.
> > > weather, renewed old acquaintances, and made some new ones.
> > > Saturday morning brought the drivers meeting at about noon and the
> start
> > > of the long lines to run. After all the trouble I'd had with this motor
> I was
> > > preparing myself for the thrash of changing to our spare "bullet" after
> the
> > > first run. This particular Ardun had given me "fits" from the git-go,
> mostly
> > > due to my own mistakes and carelessness. The spare bullet was the one we
> ran
> > > 198 with at the World Finals before the cylinder we wounded earlier
> failed.
> > > About 2:30 Saturday we were at the front of the Long-Course line,
> > > strapped into the car and ready to go.
> > > The "moment-of-truth" with the Ardun always seems to be at the 2-3
> shift.
> > > It will pull pretty good in low and second, but if the tune-up is off or
> the
> > > engine drops a cylinder it won't pull past 5500RPM.
> > > In low gear it doesn't do much but spin the wheels. The 2.46:1 C-4
> low
> > > gear really needs to be replaced with something around 2.1:1.
> > > On this run I made the mistake of shifting 1-2 with full throttle
> and the
> > > thing about swapped ends on me. After gathering my wits I got down to
> > > concentrating on keeping the car between the cones and the black lines,
> made
> > > the 2-3 shift at 6500, and was delighted to watch the tach start its
> climb
> > > back from the bottom of the cam range. When it passed 5500 well before
> the 2
> > > mile marker I knew it was doing OK. The car handled very well but took
> > > constant attention due to a small amount of wheel spin and the drivers
> > > tendency to over-control.
> > > Leaving the 3rd mile the tach was slowly creeping past 6300 and I
> knew
> > > that we had qualified on Bill Taylor's 1969 record of 201.
> > > As I passed the 4 mile marker I knew the car was several MPH over
> the
> > > record and started slowing, turning out before the 5 mile marker and
> coasting
> > > to a stop behind Jack Costella's crew on the return road. They hadn't
> heard
> > > my speed but gave me a welcome drink of ice water. The sight of my crew
> > > coming toward me with the horn blaring told me what I wanted to hear. We
> had
> > > a 1/4 mile trap speed of a little over the record, a mile speed of about
> 205,
> > > and a 4th mile speed of 208.
> > > We then took the car to impound, checked in with Dan Warner,
> replaced the
> > > nitro with gas in preparation for the return-run warmup, read the plugs,
> > > calculated the density altitude for our run (7800') and waited for the
> > > morning return pass.
> > > The evenings get pretty short when you have a car in Impound. By the
> time
> > > you get to the KOA, take a shower, and eat dinner it's often 11:00PM
> Mountain
> > > time. In order to be at the "end-of-the-road", fed, shaved, and ready to
> > > start preparing the car by 5:45AM we had to get up at about 4:30AM (3:30
> on
> > > my Pacific Time watch).
> > > Sunday morning brought a density altitude of about 4800' so we
> changed
> > > Saturdays .115 pill for a .110, warmed the oil with our Moroso pan
> heater,
> > > warmed the engine on gas, replaced the gas with 55%, and were ready to
> follow
> > > Dan Warner out to the starting line at 7:00AM.
> > > On the second leg the car behaved well, turning 202 in the 1/4 trap,
> 208
> > > or so in the mile, and 211 in the middle mile. Not wanting to flog my 50
> > > year-old block I lifted after the 4 mile marker and was on the return
> road
> > > before passing abeam of the 5 mile markers.
> > > Back to the Inspection lines again for the event I'd been after
> since
> > > first attending Speed Week as a spectator in 1968 and driving at
> Bonneville
> > > in 1987, the induction into the "Two-Club". What I'd wanted for Sooo
> long but
> > > dared not anticipate had finally happened.
> > > J.D.Tone, one of our LSR group, did the engine measurement with a
> folding
> > > device I furnished (Elmo Gillette invented it) that fits down the spark
> plug
> > > hole and confirms the bore. J.D. is a long-time XO GMC racer/record
> holder
> > > and has been a great supporter of my LSR efforts.
> > > If I'd been any help to my crew before getting my "hat" I was
> completely
> > > worthless afterward. I was on a different planet.
> > > Back to reality, it was Sunday morning and we had achieved our main
> goals
> > > on the second day of the meet. Dave "Hayseed" Thomsson had upped his own
> > > XXF/BSR blown Ardun record and was ready to go after my 1988 XXF/STR
> record
> > > of 143. Not wanting to go out leaving anything on the table we changed
> > > classes and started after Hayseed's XXF/GMR record with Brian driving.
> > > Back in the pits we discovered a long split in one of the welds in
> our
> > > coolant tank. Brian, Ed Weldon, and Kent Walton scrounged some J-B Weld,
> > > silicone from town, and aluminum angle trim from my trailer, and
> fashioned a
> > > temporary "fix" that stopped the leak.
> > > I knew from my experience at Muroc that the Ardun on gas needed a
> shorter
> > > gear than it did on nitro. Brian, however, insisted on trying the 2.48:1
> cog
> > > on gas. We changed nozzles, spark plugs, fuel, pill, reset the barrel
> valve,
> > > and were at the front of the line at 2:30 Sunday.
> > > When Brian made the 2-3 shift the engine had a helluva time pulling
> it,
> > > finally getting back to 5600RPM at the end of the first timed mile for a
> > > speed of 179. Still, we had qualified and headed for impound.
> > > In impound we discovered another split in the coolant tank and the
> guys
> > > went to work with more J-B Weld, silicone caulking, aluminum trailer
> trim,
> > > and sheet metal screws, this time fighting the 4-hour window allowed for
> > > preparing the car for the return run.
> > > Monday morning found Brian with the gears changed to the recommended
> > > 2.7:1, the engine warmed, and ready for the second leg of his record
> run. He
> > > turned a 186 in the 1/4 trap but the car got a little loose and he
> lifted in
> > > the mile, slowing to 184. The average was still 181 for the record,
> Brian's
> > > first Bonneville record. He's been driving our Ardun powered Dragmaster
> at
> > > the nostalgia drags since 1992 but this years Muroc Reunion was his
> first LSR
> > > record.
> > > Meantime, it was Monday afternoon and we still hadn't had the rocker
> > > covers off, the oil was still looking OK, and the oil filter looked
> clean, so
> > > we decided to do Rookie runs on gas for crewmembers Ed Weldon and Mike
> > > Gorvad. You should have seen the smiles on their faces. Now they're
> REALLY
> > > hooked.
> > > Tuesday the car just stayed parked in the pits. Brian took the chase
> > > pickup and headed for home with grand-dog Othella. He is starting a new
> high
> > > school teaching job in Napa, CA, moving into a new house, and has a lot
> of
> > > preparation to do.
> > > By afternoon the weather looked pretty threatening so I trailered
> the
> > > car, cleaned up the pit, and moved the rig to the "bend-of-the-road" to
> avoid
> > > a soggy mess if we got hit by a thunderstorm.
> > > Wednesday night was the Two-Club banquet. Lots of vintage engine
> people
> > > there including McCain & Houtz (220MPH XF/BFL) and the Hudson Guys
> (220+MPH
> > > XO/BFS)(I believe).
> > > Thursday AM I headed west, arriving home in 11 1/2 hours. Now the
> cleanup
> > > starts.
> > > It's now Tuesday night and everything's cleaned up and de-salted,
> the
> > > Ardun's vital signs look OK for the November El Mirage 2-day meet, and I
> can
> > > spend some time getting ready to test-n-tune the dragster with the 4:71
> blown
> > > 258ci Ardun. Hopefully we'll be introducing this engine to the modified
> > > roadster soon.
> > > My street roadster, the Wife's car, and my 1958 Morris Minor LCV Van
> are
> > > all sporting "Bonneville 200MPH Club" license plate frames.
> > > For those of you that have read this missle thus far, thanks for
> > > listening.
> > > Ardun Doug King
> > >
> >
> >
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