Flyinbowtie
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Okay, RD, per your request for stuff...
In 1998, after building 4 other sand rails over a 10 year period, my friend Jim and I started on the one that ultimately netted me my screen name.
This is it.
Jim owns a Transmission Shop here locally and we have been best of friends for over 30 years. We started building buggies to run in a local gravel river bed and run hill climbs at the site of an old hydraulic mine, "diggins" in the area. We built most of our own frames, including this one.
Then, around 1981, we found Sand Mountain, and never looked back
We started with VW powered cars, then I tried a 2300cc Pinto engine, then Jim did a real hot 2000 Pinto, then I did a Buick V-6.
Then the VW trannys started going. No matter what we did they wouldn't hold the torque we were starting to make against the tires we were begining to run.
One day, we were coming home form a trip to Glamis with two scattered VW bus boxes and we stopped at Johnny's Speed and Chrome. There was a frame hanging from the rafters, and Jim was staring at it. He looked at me and said,"Why couldn't we adapt a small-block to one of those Cadillac FWD trannies, and stuff it in the back of that chassis?"
"I dunno, why not?"
Six months later, we had a chassis and the prototype was born. We ran those cars for a couple of years, and I sold mine to pay for the engine in this car.
Then, I bought two seats from Beard, a set of A-arms from Prowlers, and off we went with the tubing bender again. About a year later, this car made its debut at Sand Mountain. I was happy with it from the start.
These pics were taken in late 2003, when my back was so trashed that the car had to go. This was right before I loaded it the trailer and hauled it to it's new home. A very sad day, indeed.
The Engine:
Built by RPM Racing Engines of Grass Valley, Ca.
Chevrolet 4-bolt 350 Block, .030 over Crower 5/8 stroker Crank, Crower 6-inch Rods, Diamond Racing Pistons, 12.88 to 1 compresssion ratio. Dart 220 spread-port Aluminum heads, 2.08/1.64 SS Valves, Crower Springs, Stud girdle, Rev-kit, Roller rockers, Diamond Racing Pushrods etc, etc. Crower Sprint car style roller cam. Crower Double roller chain, etc. Brodix HVH Intake, Braswell 926 CFM custom built carb. Vertex/Hunt Magneto.
It made right a 626 HP @ 7440, and around 545 lb.ft.of TQ at 5900-6000.
I never had the sack to hit the Nitrous either on the pump or in the car.
We hand-built the water log you see at the front of the engine, taking advantage of the water outlets on the intake and the large air gap under the carb to bring the hot water forward from all four corners of the heads. We machined a pad on one end of the log for a thermostat housing, and on the other end we tapped 1/8 pipe for a direct-reading temp gauge.
This is the view that always brought the questions. You could only get this close to the car when it was parked, it threw a huge roost when on the throttle, and the 16.50's were not forgiving to those that got too close.
The trans was a Turbohydramatic 325, available only for 3 years from GM in 1979-1981 Cad Eldos, Buick Rivieras, and Olds Toronados. The stoutest ones from the factory were in the Olds that had that diesel in it.
I polished every bit of aluminum on this machine myself, including that damn trans case. Looking back, I musta been nuts.
Jim modded the hell out of them, and we had good luck making them live in the 600 HP range. We made our own adapter plates, and modded the engine oil pans so the drive axle could pass undder them. 930 CVs held up well with a loose converter, all the shock load was negated.
These trans have long since dried up, and this would no longer be a viable option. I let all my spare stuff go with the car when it went away.
The car was a helluva hillshooter, considering it weighed about 1520 lbs. with those power numbers it was like getting fired out of a cannon if you launched it hard. This machine would dune well too, all things considered it went wherever you pointed it. The bowtie tail light at night looked to be flyin', and there ya go, "Flyinbowtie"
All the newfangled long travel stuff out there is obviously far and away better at big dune running and flying. Point this thing at a long steep hill, tho, and it was an absolute e-ticket ride.
I have more pics I can scan if there is an interest in seeing them.
The '56 Ford you see in the shop is my new focus, that and the '40 you can't see. I've had the '56 since I was 17, and it has been waiting for me to get over the buggy illness for a long time. Since I can't play in the sand anymore, me and my old truck are gonna get reaquanited.
In 1998, after building 4 other sand rails over a 10 year period, my friend Jim and I started on the one that ultimately netted me my screen name.
This is it.
Jim owns a Transmission Shop here locally and we have been best of friends for over 30 years. We started building buggies to run in a local gravel river bed and run hill climbs at the site of an old hydraulic mine, "diggins" in the area. We built most of our own frames, including this one.
Then, around 1981, we found Sand Mountain, and never looked back
We started with VW powered cars, then I tried a 2300cc Pinto engine, then Jim did a real hot 2000 Pinto, then I did a Buick V-6.
Then the VW trannys started going. No matter what we did they wouldn't hold the torque we were starting to make against the tires we were begining to run.
One day, we were coming home form a trip to Glamis with two scattered VW bus boxes and we stopped at Johnny's Speed and Chrome. There was a frame hanging from the rafters, and Jim was staring at it. He looked at me and said,"Why couldn't we adapt a small-block to one of those Cadillac FWD trannies, and stuff it in the back of that chassis?"
"I dunno, why not?"
Six months later, we had a chassis and the prototype was born. We ran those cars for a couple of years, and I sold mine to pay for the engine in this car.
Then, I bought two seats from Beard, a set of A-arms from Prowlers, and off we went with the tubing bender again. About a year later, this car made its debut at Sand Mountain. I was happy with it from the start.
These pics were taken in late 2003, when my back was so trashed that the car had to go. This was right before I loaded it the trailer and hauled it to it's new home. A very sad day, indeed.
The Engine:
Built by RPM Racing Engines of Grass Valley, Ca.
Chevrolet 4-bolt 350 Block, .030 over Crower 5/8 stroker Crank, Crower 6-inch Rods, Diamond Racing Pistons, 12.88 to 1 compresssion ratio. Dart 220 spread-port Aluminum heads, 2.08/1.64 SS Valves, Crower Springs, Stud girdle, Rev-kit, Roller rockers, Diamond Racing Pushrods etc, etc. Crower Sprint car style roller cam. Crower Double roller chain, etc. Brodix HVH Intake, Braswell 926 CFM custom built carb. Vertex/Hunt Magneto.
It made right a 626 HP @ 7440, and around 545 lb.ft.of TQ at 5900-6000.
I never had the sack to hit the Nitrous either on the pump or in the car.
We hand-built the water log you see at the front of the engine, taking advantage of the water outlets on the intake and the large air gap under the carb to bring the hot water forward from all four corners of the heads. We machined a pad on one end of the log for a thermostat housing, and on the other end we tapped 1/8 pipe for a direct-reading temp gauge.
This is the view that always brought the questions. You could only get this close to the car when it was parked, it threw a huge roost when on the throttle, and the 16.50's were not forgiving to those that got too close.
The trans was a Turbohydramatic 325, available only for 3 years from GM in 1979-1981 Cad Eldos, Buick Rivieras, and Olds Toronados. The stoutest ones from the factory were in the Olds that had that diesel in it.
I polished every bit of aluminum on this machine myself, including that damn trans case. Looking back, I musta been nuts.
Jim modded the hell out of them, and we had good luck making them live in the 600 HP range. We made our own adapter plates, and modded the engine oil pans so the drive axle could pass undder them. 930 CVs held up well with a loose converter, all the shock load was negated.
These trans have long since dried up, and this would no longer be a viable option. I let all my spare stuff go with the car when it went away.
The car was a helluva hillshooter, considering it weighed about 1520 lbs. with those power numbers it was like getting fired out of a cannon if you launched it hard. This machine would dune well too, all things considered it went wherever you pointed it. The bowtie tail light at night looked to be flyin', and there ya go, "Flyinbowtie"
All the newfangled long travel stuff out there is obviously far and away better at big dune running and flying. Point this thing at a long steep hill, tho, and it was an absolute e-ticket ride.
I have more pics I can scan if there is an interest in seeing them.
The '56 Ford you see in the shop is my new focus, that and the '40 you can't see. I've had the '56 since I was 17, and it has been waiting for me to get over the buggy illness for a long time. Since I can't play in the sand anymore, me and my old truck are gonna get reaquanited.