The Road Ahead for the Nish #998 Streamliner

[jimmy six]

Engine parts assembler (builder) has been a sore spot with many over the years. Personally purchasing all the right parts is only the begining. I too do it that way. I work with manufactures ie: CP, Arias, Cunningham, Carillo, Howard, Elgin, Isky, Marine Crankshaft, etc. to get cams, pistons, rings, bearings, springs, drives, etc. again and then start assembly. Fitting a crank in a block takes me a day before I put in the rear main seal. Ring fitting takes me a week of nights after work and checking piston/head clearance the same.

Can I pay some one to do this and trust their work. Yes, probably, no, ?, I don't know. I did for my cylinder head and I recieved a report including every spring setting, clearances etc. and I trust his work. Would I do it for a short block probably not. #1 it's really expensive to do it right because it's time consuming and it's truely my fun.

Someone once told me you get what you pay for.......Even if you pay a lot you still may not get it..

I always know who to blame and it seems I can always find the next weak link. Darn it....I wish everyone good luck......................JD     

[Bob Drury]

  Just to clarify, the low dollar Specte team had a paid profesonal chef at Speedweek, and came with five identical complete engines all of which they broke.
  That's not counting those that broke on the dyno.
  Anyone can build a time bomb, it's backing it up and reliability that makes the doer's from the wanna-be's.
  I don't know who the Nish's engine builder is or was, but unless the engine builder was the guy calling the tuning shots, shift points, and gear ratio's, let's not go with the assumption that it is or was his fault.
  Could it be the major sponsor's products?  Could it be that the owners turned the knob one click to far?
  Did the owner advise the engine builder to push the limits against his advice?
  Did the computer track engine rpm or tire spin?
  Could it be that just like in Nascar that the manufacturer made a bad batch of "what ever"?
  Lionel Pitts showed me a Carrillo rod that snapped in half out of one of their near 300 MPH motors which use 650 H.P. worth of Nitrous.
  I was told that the debris indicated that excessive cylinder pressure caused the rings to try and seize to the cylinder walls.
  My point is that we ain't running bracket cars here, so let's not badmouth or insinuate that anyone other than the guy pushing the loud petal or calling the shots are the culprit.
  I lot of engine builders do not dyno engines because the motor owners always want MORE.
  These are RACE ENGINES and when you push one to the limits, Sh#t Happens.      
                                                                                    Bob  

[dw230]

JD,

One of the things I tell competitors who don't run as fast as they thought they should with their pro built engine is that they paid for 8 cylinders and got 7 in return. Tell the guy he owes you for 8 MPH.

DW

[jimmy six]

Bob and all, I'm sure the Nish's use the best by the accomplishments over the years and I for one admire them as I do many who come and test the "Big White Dyno". Luck isn't the only thing that gets a hat of any color. 

With that said I admire everyone who comes to live his dream. Think of how many we see today who lived in the 50-60's reading HR magazine as kids and said someday I'm going there. Well many made a d##n good living and now have wanted to spend some of the fruits of their labor...................More power to them. I'm living that dream too; I was likey to start it at 31 years old on a limited scale and did well.

I hope this will be the Nish's year and they attaim their goal......................Good Luck to all...JD

[Stainless1]

Unfortunately we are humans, greed is in our nature and that destroys a lot of hardware on the salt.  If you are running a safe tune on your motor you are leaving MPH on the salt.  Finding that fine line between the motor stays together or blows up is the hardest thing in the world for WOT racing.  That "on the edge" drag race motor that needs new valve springs every 20 passes is the most reliable motor on the planet for a 1/4 mile... unfortunately on the salt those springs give up at the 4 .... or something else melts down, why  because WOT for more than 3.5 to 7 seconds starts to find the weak points... you don't do sweeps on the Big White Dyno, you do extended pulls. 
If someone knows an engine guy that guarantees his motors will stay together you better keep it a secret... or he will quickly be too busy to do your motor 

Back to topic... the Nish's have been LSR guys a long time, set and lost lots of records... that's racing.  They are chasing a big one their way, that is how it works in LSR. 
Good luck guys 

[Tman]

Well said Stainless!

[Bob Drury]

  I think that I speak for most of us "speed freaks" that it is a long winter and spring before we can make the first run of the year.
  I know that every year my first run is always filled with adrenalin, anxiety, and my mind is spinning with worry about if the car is ready even if I have gone over everything twice.
  Even though I usually just run the car to the two or three mile to check the tune up, My head wants to keep going to the five.
  People ask me what its like going over 200 mph and my usual answer is "busy".
  One of the neat things about incar camera's is that when I get back home I can watch the run without my head getting involved and be able to be more analitical of what all happened from listening to the engine, tire spin and my own driving reactions.
  I even learned a few years back how violently my chute was making the car react and was prompted to fix it before I ran again.
  The reality is that being a Land Speed Racer is a year round Love/Hate affair that picks up steam about this time of year and I would bet is just as strong with racers like the Nish's who are making big changes to their engine program as it is to the newbies who are worried about their first trip thru tech.
  We are all so very lucky to be a part of this sport and brotherhood.
  Let's have a great and safe 2012 in LSR.          Bob

[dieselgeek]

 Just to clarify, the low dollar Specte team had a paid profesonal chef at Speedweek, and came with five identical complete engines all of which they broke.

    You're leaving quite a bit of the story out, Bob.   Personal Chef?  just like all the other teams that bring a grill and cooler full of food?  How many of the five broken motors broke on the salt?   I wouldn't call Courtney's engines Time Bombs as a number of their records were all set on the same engine without going through teardown.  I think I understand your position though.


If anyone took my earlier posts as any kind of negative slant on the Nish program, I certainly did not mean it that way but some of y'all sure did seem to get edgy over it.  I am sorry, relax, now we can all go on with our lives, right?

[Bob Drury]

  Deisel, I wasn't trying to put you down, just make a very broad statement that we all (being speed freaks) tend to run our equipment on the edge no matter how much money or time we have spent on our race cars.
  As far as my reference to the Spectre car, I have nothing but admiration for what they have accomplished with a Cadillac engine.
  I was lucky enough to have the time to watch/listen to the feed from the Cook Shootout when they astonished every one of us by going over 400 mph with mismatched turbo's on a back up motor.
  I was more excited with every run they made.
  Perhaps I could of been more gracious with my statement, but they did if fact hurt five motors at Speedweek.
  What I wish I would have added is that I salute them for not giving up, trying to work through all the problems associated with running a combination that none of us thought was capable of those speeds.
  I speak from experience having run a Early Olds in my Studebaker for nine years and trying to learn more from every disaster.                                   One Run Bob..........

[dieselgeek]

Thanks Bob, and no worries. 

The best thing about bonneville (and the people that contribute to this forum) are the VARIETY of ways people figure out how to go fast.

See you guys in August.
-Scott

[jimmy six]

When I've been asked "Who should I get get to build my LSR engine?" I usually reply "if you can afford the guy who consistantly wins in offshore boat races go see him with your 401K".  He doesn't know anything about 7 port GMC's but he knows how to make them live at WOT....................Good Luck

[SPARKY]

JD  I am with YOU on that