Springfield Flyer.

[Stainless1]

Mikey, in the south part of our country Pierre would be welcomed to breakfast .... with waffles 

[tauruck]

That's nothing.

I don't know how he made it down the road to get here.

Maybe he was dodging a pot and got lucky.

Your South and mine are no different.

[tauruck]

I've got the Carbon tub just about ready.
I need to bond in the wiring glands and also the two side panels that will cover them.
After that it's a simple matter of making it look good, taking the gloss off the fresh Carbon.

I sat in it just to get a feel for it and it's small, real small. No wriggle room at all.
The thing that was immediately apparent was that there is no place for instruments at all.
They'll have to be mounted in the canopy ala Tom Burkland.
I made a f1 style steering wheel and I gues a few switches might fit there with all the idiot lights going onto the bulkhead.
I'm 5'7" and it's tight. How you non "Race Driver" size guys fit these cars amazes me.
Sid says I should lie down in the car. I listened. Hey KIWI, I can't see over the wheel, thanks a bunch!!!

Geez, I love this thing. There can't be a better deal than this. I thank the Lord every day for finding this forum for me. I was nowhere, bored, jaded with no motivation but now I have Insomnia, Panic Attacks, financial woes and all the other great ills associated with the fever.

[Captthundarr]

You've got it all Mike.

[lsrjunkie]

Sounds like the standard symptoms.

[Stan Back]

It amazes me every year to see cars with a plethora of instruments.  In maybe 50cc bikes you've got time to look at them all.  But not a lot when you're a rookie driver in a rookie car.  And for you guise in data-ackquisitionmobiles, you can ponder over them at dinner and beyond.  Your venture may not require as many as you think you can study.

[SPARKY]

tach for shifting -- oil and water for peace of mind only  2 or 3 glances on a normal run    all the rest DATA LOG 

[Peter Jack]

tach for shifting -- oil and water for peace of mind only  2 or 3 glances on a normal run    all the rest DATA LOG  

I'll second that Sparky and add, use analog instruments and rotate them so everything points up when everything is normal!  

Pete

[Buickguy3]

   Mike,
  I can tell you that on Salt Cat ll we have several gauges and Frank looks at them just before he closes the canopy. I have a tach and two big red lights. The tach for shift points [sort of] and one light for overheat that means if I'm at the three mile and it comes on I should probably lift. If I'm at the 4 1/2 mile I should stay in it a few seconds longer. The other is the oil pressure light. If it comes on it's already hurt and if it's a record run we've got all Winter to fix it so don't waste the run by lifting. Believe me when I say you don't have any time to look at gauges. When we built the Salt Cat1 Jag we put in a whole rack of gauges for me to look at. After a run Frank would ask what this and that was and I said how the hell should I know. Later we put in a camera to read them later. Now the datalog does that. Above 200 mph you have too much other stuff on your mind.
  Doug

[Stainless1]

I put in a shift light after Pork Pie made me aware that the tach needle was jumpy at 12K, and difficult to determine when he was really at the RPM I wanted him to shift.  We also have an oil light.  We had an A/F gauge when we started running the turbo, saved the motor several times, but it is very hard to look at anything but the track by the time you pass the three.

[wobblywalrus]

The Triumph has a few gauges on it during dyno work and development.  All are removed for the race except the tach and the antiknock light.  The tach is in the center of the dash, high, and as far away from me as I can get it.  This way, I need to shift focus and line of sight very little in order to read it.

The tach is used to make sure the engine is at 8,000 rpm for the shift into fifth and, usually halfway through the mile, to check the engine rpm.  I try to set the gearing so the engine runs as close as possible to 7,300 rpm.  A low or high tach reading says rear sprocket needs to be a tooth bigger or smaller.  The tach is also used to help me run at a slower speed as is done for qualifying.  Record return runs are done with no looking at any instruments. 

[tauruck]

I could put the gauges face up in the area on top of the tub where the MSD will be. We're going to want to check temps and pressures before closing the canopy. They will be easy for the crew to scan.

The tach will sit where I need it and I'll have the warning lights built into the steering wheel.

Do you think that's a plan?. There's a wasted area on top of the tub between the steering bulk head and the pedal box inspection port.

[SPARKY]

"but it is very hard to look at anything but the track by the time you pass the three."   

In my car by the 2 1/4 the driving is mostly over, the last shift is done and the car seldom has any more traction problems--"driver " is now just like that space monkey--just  sitting on top of the rocket---he is along for "the ride"-- as long as he can keep it between the flags and his foot down --

I have been told by several---that will most likely change with hair driers   

[Richard 2]

Mount the tach almost in your way. In your face so to speak. No time to look down.

[SPARKY]

And as far away a possible---so that the focal length of your scan doesn't have to change---I am exploring putting my A/F ratio gauge on top with tach.--- oil and water down lower---they will be glanced at around the 2  A/F will be my focus and the tach will satisfy my curiosity  ---how fast---  oh I have been known to talk to it on a run encouraging it on its upward journey---much like a lot of golfers talk to the ball during flight or roll out