SPEEDWAGEN

BYE-BYE Funny Tub

2009-08-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

The Funny Car Tub was converted from Garage Art to cash!
A little internet horse tradin paid of for everybody. Mike and Doug came down from the Windy City to pick it up.

Its going to be turned into a Motorcyle eng powered Lil Funny Car.

I'll put up some pics after Mike sends them my way.

Now to sell some more stuff to fatten up the account for getting the Speedwagen shop back in oeder.

2009-08-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest addition to the SPEEDWAGEN collection of homeless race car parts.

I picked this up for the "monkey cage" for the the Bonneville car, but I Have determined the tubing is to thin for the SCTA rules for 4130 tubing.

So, Garage Art it is!---anybody want a funny car starter kit.

the next chapter in the Funny Bug saga

2009-08-04T16:52:00.001-07:00

The SPEEDWAGEN funny has a new Daddy, "King of the Hill" Bob Diebler has taken it home to prep it as a VW drag car. Keep your eye on this one!

Plan B

2009-06-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

The efforts for putting a saddle on a Bonneville effort have been put on hold, till the money tree comes into blossom.

So in the mean time, its back to Hot Rods and local events.

There are so many partially finished projects decorating the grounds, that I don't know what to fiddle with next.

So for your consideration, here is the menu!

This is a T Roadster that was built in the 60's, with a Watson style Indy Roadster front nose. This might be a good use for the 27 T body that is perched on the trailer out back. I can't decide what kind of drive train to put in it.

Here is a quick photoshop rendering of the idea

This is a similar car from Cincinnati

Then there are a couple of old chevy trucks that are keeping each other company.

The Red Truck is a stock 53 1/2 ton, and the Brown Truck is a 48 Panel
The Panel has been in our stable of sleds for over 30 years.

And Bugzilla has had it's eyes on the Bonneville Subaru Motor...

And right in the middle of my procrastination, I have been thinking about Electric Cars..I need help, somebody come check me in.

OOPS, I almost forgot about the VW Funny car body thats eatin up space.

Now that could be interesting!

Now what do I offer for desert ?

Bugzilla is out of Moth Balls

2009-06-24T18:31:00.001-07:00

My Grandaughter Elise thought we should take Bugzilla to the Annual Fathers Day car show in the local park. She is a big fan of Bugzilla, just like her Mommy Jaime.

We busted Bugzilla, the SPEEDWAEN Flagship out of Moth Balls for the event.

It's been a couple of years since the ole sled has seen daylight, but it fired right up!

Every Boy wants a Speedwagen Toy

2008-10-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

How's this for inter species dating,Our Bug Funny has grown fond of lil' Red the shop truck. I think I need to step in and break the two up before they start producing air cooled mini trucks.

SOOOOOOOO---here is your chance to buy a VW funny car body for your own!

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=610447

The "HILL" at Newport Indiana

2008-10-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

Everybody thinks that the West Coast is where the Hot Rod Culture began---Not So, It was the "No Coasters" in Indiana who were the original HOT RODDERS !

There is more than Corn in Indiana---------

Since 1909 motor heads have been coming to Newport Indiana to take a shot at the "HILL" that is in the heart of the rural Indiana town. The increasingly steep hill was the test of machine and driver in the early days of automobiles in Indiana. Even The Chevrolet Brothers came here to take on the challenge.

An annual event is held in October for a hillclimb competion of antique cars, trucks and motorcycles.

The town fills up for a weekend of hillclimbs, flea markets, a parade, a car show around in the side streets---and all the good food and drink that you can stand.

The SPEEDWAGEN crew motored over this weekend to Newport to hang around with some of our old friends at the Hillclimb.

My Grandpaw ran his Whippet Automobile on the "HILL" in the 1930's, and it is strange to look up the same hill that he did----except a life time latter.

Bad Boy Bugs

2008-10-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

No Girlie boy cars here!---smoke em!
When the GOODGUYS turned their nose up at VW's, This is our alternative Window Sticker Graphic for their happy little yellow sticker

Bugzilla and Cam's Sprinter hangin' out at the ole shop

Low-Gun Miller's street sweeper at the front door

These Funny car pics are food for thought. There is an old Funny car body hangin' around at the shop. It just may turn into a "Street Fighter" someday.

Bugzilla has just had a Warp drive installed, now it can jump into

Hyperspace. It's only been tested at warp 9

Another Bug with behavior problems from the Indiana flat lands.

Jungle Park 2008 Racers Reunion

2008-09-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Jungle Park was an old race track in Western Indiana. It is the site each fall for a reunion of old racers and fans. There is always a varied batch of antique and vintage race cars on display.
My friend Verne Trester sold programs there when he was a little kid, and this restored race car the "Black Deuce" was the car that his hero Bobby Grim took many a checkered flag in.

I grew up hearing my Grandad telling about the races at Jungle Park, and every time I go there I enjoy thinking about the fact that we were at the same place--just 60 plus years apart.

This is a Video of some of the old rides taking a lap on the old race course

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc4KzEaQWyY

Name that MILL!

2008-09-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.americantorque.com/game/engine-id/

Take the motor quiz, and see if you are a real motor mouth or just a poser

Different Lookin'----and fast !

2008-09-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

These are a couple rear engine roadsters from the Flats.

The red one is current design, and the blue car is a vintage job.

These cars have the driver in front of the roadster body, because the engine and gear box/differential fill up the car body.

The Speedwagen Roadster has such a short mill/transaxle set up that I hope to keep the driver in the Roadster body. The Chassis willl need to be lengthened to 140" wheel base, and the driver needs to loose about a 100 pounds to fit in the car. Baron Von Chop has been feed to many Pop Tarts.

Speedwagen lost it roof--oh my

2008-09-09T13:49:00.001-07:00

The Speedwagen hauler with its flat bed conversion adaptor, made the run to Kokomo to rescue this 27 T roadster body. This will be the new Tail End for the Speedwagen rear engine modified roadster.

J.W. left an old rear engine race car body in my drive way years ago. I never knew what to do with it, but the front end may be nose of the Speedwagen Roadster

Stay tuned to see where we go from here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEW record set at Bonneville Speedweek

2008-09-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

The HONDATA Bonneville team blew up a bunch of records at speed week this year.
They hung the G/GCC record on the MOON

http://www.hondata.com/rsx-landspeed.html

4240 car number
Hondata CRX (yep it's a little ricer with a belly pan and some nose work--with one BAD motor)
G
GCC
187.077-new record!
Miriam Macmillan-Congratulations to all.

To keep from burning cash to chase this amasing record with a new car, we are going to roll the SPEEDWAGEN out as a Rear Engine Modified Roadster. G/GRMR.

So, for the time being the speedwagen will put its VW Comp Coupe skin in the rafters, and debut as a 27 T roadster.

I'm rollin up to Kokomo tomorrow to check out a roadster body. Some times you hold em, some times you fold em---we ain't FOLDIN'

The Speedwagen crew wants a world record in their resumes

Lil' Wrenchette

2008-08-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

Our youngest Wrenchette, Elise has her own tuning tips.
You stick your pacifier down the zoomie, then you taste it to see how the
engines burning. Ain't she sweet!

Keep an eye on Bonneville

2008-08-04T20:15:00.001-07:00

http://www.scta-bni.org/SCTA-NewWeb/Bonneville_Main_Page.html

http://www.bonnevilleracing.com/car-classifications.asp

http://www.scta-bni.org/

http://www.saltflats.com/

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/bvillecar/bvillecarindexpage.html

---If your interested in whats up for Speed Week, the links above are a good place to start.----

abandoned formula ford needs a new home

2008-08-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

Here is your chance to rescue an abandoned Formula Ford fiberglass body.
For a small donation to the "Speedwagen Parts Foundation" this varmit can be yours.

B-25 Belly Tank is looking for a new HOME

2008-07-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Tank only--500 USD
You know you want it !

"H" class engine option

2008-07-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

GM has a new blown 1.4 engine.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/14/cobalt-replacing-chevy-cruze-to-get-turbod-1-4-liter-and-40-mpg/

This might be a good platform for an "H" class power plant.

"H" class is from 1.01 to 1.5 litre engines.

Gizzmo-A-Rama

2008-07-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

To avoid confusion---The pic above is not a Gizmo, It's a Thing-a-ma-jig

http://www.mekanizmalar.com/index.shtml

Gizmo-Aholics BEWARE!

Wageneer Dan-O sent this link to me and hooked me into watching Gizzmo's for longer than I planned.

Warp Drive

2008-07-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Still workin' the "bugs" from the warp drive of Bugzilla

EVEN THE BIG DOGS ARE HAVING SOME PROBLEMS TOO---

http://www.nasa.gov/lb/centers/glenn/research/warp/warp.html

How LOW can you Go

2008-07-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

The Subaru Boxer mill looks like it's hooked to a skate board, compared to Wrenchette Patty's Pick-um-up Truck. We have been piddlin' with this ole truck for awhile now. The stack of restro parts is reaching critical mass. It won't be long before we are going to get serious on the ole "stove bolt".

If you need some ole truck stuff, here are some good kats

http://www.oldchevytrucks.biz/47_55/t1.asp

Land Speed Racing Tires

2008-07-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

As much as the Tires cost to run at Bonneville, the chances of having a spare on the car are pretty slim---as is the mythical Great Grand Daddy Von Chop who is nestled into an early ride.

Mickey Thompson has some new tires for the big boys

http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/newspage.php?id=45

Good Year is what we have for the Speedwagen. They are made in the same mold that Front Runner drag tires are made in, but have different construction.

Speedwagen Header design tip

2008-07-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

The diagram above represents the arangement of the exhaust ports in a Subaru head. As you can see the runner length of one cylinder,compaired to the adajacent cylinder is "longer". If you are designining a set of equal length tuned header, you nee to keep this difference in mind. What you want to be the same length is the distance from the exhaust valve seat to the end of the tube---not the tubes being the same length. This is a little tid-bit gleaned from Cobb tuning

http://www.cobbtuning.com/info/?id=3046

This link above is a good elementry article on Header Design--check it out

(regarding the X-File document--Von Chop has contacts, and the Speedwgaen has been reclocated to area 51-A for some off world assistance---sssshhhh! don't tell)

Maxton Mile

2008-07-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Wrenchette Patty was checking out the "Peanut" at Maxton.

This Ghia body has a better CD than the standard Bug. We are trying to slick up the nose of the Speedwagen to overcome the difference in CD. We switched to a curved front window Super Beetle to get the aerodynamic advantage over the older style flat glass.

Here are some aero info links for you to check out.
http://aerodyn.org/Annexes/Racing/racing.html
http://gtechprosupport.com/support/AeroDragCalc.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_equation

How to fix your beater

2008-07-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.aa1car.com/

The link above is a list of trouble shooting tips to help with your ailing beater problems.

Hope you find this helpful.

As you can see there is no telling what will line up at my garage door for some wrenchin'.

I've had two beaters lay down on me last week, one has limped back into service, but the ole Turbo Coupe is still resting comfortably in the driveway. Life would be better if everything had a magneto and a hand crank along with a manual pump for fuel pressure.

(speakin' of cranky--sounds like I need to stop and smell the go-jo)

How to "CLOCK" a VW CV joint

2008-07-09T10:44:00.001-07:00

Go fast thing-a-ma-jig

2008-07-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

See what happens if you let your kid read Hot Rod magazines!
http://www.motorsportsinnovations.com/bonneville.htm

Bug Doodle

2008-07-08T09:59:00.001-07:00

For all you doodlers out there--here is a cheat sheet for drawing Bug's

--ENJOY

Motor Head Jeopardy

2008-07-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.americantorque.com/game/engine-id/

Alex, I'll take V8 motor Identification for $100.00

SPEEDWAGEN-part 2

2008-07-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the continuing saga of the Speedwagen.

If you would like to see where we started, check out

http://carmelsaltcar.blogspot.com/

If you want to see where we are going, come on along!