Blue Flame acceleration figure

[blueflame]

Does anyone know a 0-60mph acceleration figure for the Blue Flame, 1970. I know that acceleration wasn't important, only top speed, but I'd like to know just how slow the acceleration was.

Thanks!

[PorkPie]

the 0-60 mph acceleration would be though.....due to this that the Blue Flame was pushed up to this speed by a station wagon.....don't know how fast this passenger car was...

[ol38y]

Pork Pie, what class was the station wagon running in?   

[Blue]

Does anyone know a 0-60mph acceleration figure for the Blue Flame, 1970. I know that acceleration wasn't important, only top speed, but I'd like to know just how slow the acceleration was.

Thanks!

Blue Flame had a 22,000 lb-ft thrust rocket that was used at a lower setting for the first and only record year.  The acceleration was about 2.6 G for a 0-60 time of about 1 second.  There was no push truck, any push vehicle would have a really bad day behind a rocket engine.  The car was pushed into position.

With the planned full thrust setting, Blue Flame was calculated to launch at ~3.7 G or ~80 mph per second.  That would have made it's 0 to 60 time about 0.75 seconds.

Any further discussion of this belongs on the Absolute Speed Board.  My apologies to anyone who fears we are disturbing the banned.

[PorkPie]

Blue Flame had a 22,000 lb-ft thrust rocket that was used at a lower setting for the first and only record year.  The acceleration was about 2.6 G for a 0-60 time of about 1 second.  There was no push truck, any push vehicle would have a really bad day behind a rocket engine.  The car was pushed into position.

[/quote]

Blue....you are totally wrong

[hotrod]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4OB7kDiHF8

Looks like a standing start to me.

Larry

[PorkPie]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4OB7kDiHF8

Looks like a standing start to me.

Larry

Who saw the record run video? I have the full tape!
I talked with Pete Farnsworth at the Shootout again about this two runs.....

[MAYOMAN]

There was no film footage of The Blue Flame's record runs. The film crew had departed weeks before.
There is footage of standing starts in the film "Break the Record". There also is footage of some early runs from a standing start at - speed - from cameras on the car and alongside the course.
The shot of the crew congratualing Gary Gabelich also was shot earlier.
For the record runs, The Blue Flame was pushed to a rolling start in order to save fuel for the top speed at the end of the run. It ran out of fuel mid-mile, as planned.
Dana Fuller, who had his Ford four-wheel-drive van (with hopped up V-8 power) on the salt, volunteered to push the car up to a high speed, and then pulled off the course before Gary started the rocket. Dana, by the way, owned Diesel streamliner records at the time.

[MAYOMAN]

I forgat to mention, regarding acceleration of The Blue Flame, the standing start 1/4-mile was timed at 6.724 seconds.
This was with a detuned, and damaged, motor at that point.

[jimmy six]

Tom Beatty's Ford sedan delivery would have been a good choice.....

[jdincau]

Tom Beatty's Ford sedan delivery would have been a good choice.....

That was a wild ride, ask my partner Ken Logan. No floorboards on the pasenger side at over 100 pushing the tank.

[Glen]

Jim, I think a book could be written on Beatty's truck. From hitting cows to using it's engine in the tank. Tom was really a hard core racer that didn't have a can't do in his life.
A great pioneer and a great part of LSR history.
  to him

[PorkPie]

There was no film footage of The Blue Flame's record runs. The film crew had departed weeks before.
There is footage of standing starts in the film "Break the Record". There also is footage of some early runs from a standing start at - speed - from cameras on the car and alongside the course.
The shot of the crew congratualing Gary Gabelich also was shot earlier.

I know the "Break the Record" film, there was a video tape for sale for a while in the Sinsheim Technik Museum, where the Blue Flame is...I got also this at home.
And it's correct - this one shows a standing start...and also the fake congratulation.....

My earlier comment to this threat, about a video from the record run, was on a other film - had to be done by an amateur with a
super 8 film camera - I got in my hand some years ago......on this one you can see the push...hard to see what car it was but one with lots of power. Someone was there on the salt on this day and done some private filming.
I have no information who done this filming - otherwise I would had tried to get more information.

Mayoman, thanks to confirm my earlier comment.

[Robin UK]

David Tremayne is in the process of writing a book about the whole Blue Flame adventure having gathered information about it from as many people who were there as possible. I'll let you know when it's due for publication. I'm lucky enough to have been given by Dick Keller a CD copy (plus another CD with a ton of photos on it) of the book he wrote for family and friends. What a great guy. Has been deeply involved in cycle racing (the sort with wheels  ) for many years.

Cheers

Robin

[Blue]

There was no film footage of The Blue Flame's record runs. The film crew had departed weeks before.
There is footage of standing starts in the film "Break the Record". There also is footage of some early runs from a standing start at - speed - from cameras on the car and alongside the course.
The shot of the crew congratualing Gary Gabelich also was shot earlier.
For the record runs, The Blue Flame was pushed to a rolling start in order to save fuel for the top speed at the end of the run. It ran out of fuel mid-mile, as planned.
Dana Fuller, who had his Ford four-wheel-drive van (with hopped up V-8 power) on the salt, volunteered to push the car up to a high speed, and then pulled off the course before Gary started the rocket. Dana, by the way, owned Diesel streamliner records at the time.

OK, so I was fooled by the official record of the runs just like everyone else.  I've looked, and I can't find any quotes by Gary talking about a push start.

As far as acceleration, if it went 6.7 in the 1/4 with the "record run condition" engine, that would have translated to less than 2G.  It is too bad that we never got to see the car with a fresh engine at full power hooked up as the designers intended.