Belly Tank Build Diary

[Mike Brown]

I disassembled the air intake plumbing so that all of the surfaces could be cleaned well.  Upon reassembly I realized that some of the gaps could be reduced with the addition of some sheet metal.  I added a section of sheet metal then used the 3M sealant.  The new sealant was much more compliant.  Photo attached.  It looks like a much safer solution. 

[Mike Brown]

We attended the recent ECTA event in Blytheville Arkansas.  Our previous best mile was 201.794mph.  Our second run we bumped that speed to 210.133mph.  The injector changes accounted for about a 30 horsepower increase but I don't think that such a meager increase would account for 8+mph.  The track was loose for me on the first run causing me to lift twice to reestablish traction resulting in a 203mph run.  The second run was much better possibly due to driving a better line down the track.  It was a good event for us. 

[jdincau]

If that is a sheet metal screw I see it is a no-no. Vibration eventually loosens them and they fall out. Hopefully not in front of one of your tires. If not ignore me.

[bubruins]

Congrats Mike! That's an impressive pass in the mile.

[Stainless1]

If that is a sheet metal screw I see it is a no-no. Vibration eventually loosens them and they fall out. Hopefully not in front of one of your tires. If not ignore me.

It's a lakester... probably have to travel to get his tire... 
Mike, next time you have the RTV out cover that screw so the RTV will help retain it... probably a lot easier than drilling it for safety wire 
 

[Mike Brown]

If that is a sheet metal screw I see it is a no-no. Vibration eventually loosens them and they fall out. Hopefully not in front of one of your tires. If not ignore me.

I am constantly amazed at things this group can find in a low resolution photo.  It took me a couple of looks to see the screw in question.  Thankfully that is not a sheet metal screw.  It is an 8-32 self-tapping machine screw with a keps nut (has a star washer permanently attached) on the backside.  I do see you point regarding sheet metal screws and there is none used in my build.  As always thank everyone for their comments they are greatly appreciated. 

[Mike Brown]

I take the lakester to a few car shows every year.  It isn't one of the shiny cars so kids (and sometimes adults) can sit inside the car.  Hopefully a seed will be planted for a future land speed racer, at least spectators get a chance to see that there are still some home grown race cars out there.  I was invited to the Dayton Ohio Concours De Elegance.  It was way out of my league, but it was a lot of fun.  The parking lot for trailered vehicles was about 1/2 mile from the show and I did get to drive the lakester on the road following a courtesy van.  I rarely get a trophy at car shows, most people can't even figure out what it is.  At the Bob Pulte Chevrolet show in Lebanon Ohio they came to the last trophy.  The announcer stated that this trophy was not for the best looking car but was in fact the "technician's choice".  My heart rate went up a little as I knew that I had a chance at this one.  I was right, I came home with the technician's choice award.  One of the technicians welded up what I thought was a fantastic trophy. 

[manta22]

I take the lakester to a few car shows every year.  It isn't one of the shiny cars so kids (and sometimes adults) can sit inside the car.  Hopefully a seed will be planted for a future land speed racer, at least spectators get a chance to see that there are still some home grown race cars out there.  I was invited to the Dayton Ohio Concours De Elegance.  It was way out of my league, but it was a lot of fun.  The parking lot for trailered vehicles was about 1/2 mile from the show and I did get to drive the lakester on the road following a courtesy van.  I rarely get a trophy at car shows, most people can't even figure out what it is.  At the Bob Pulte Chevrolet show in Lebanon Ohio they came to the last trophy.  The announcer stated that this trophy was not for the best looking car but was in fact the "technician's choice".  My heart rate went up a little as I knew that I had a chance at this one.  I was right, I came home with the technician's choice award.  One of the technicians welded up what I thought was a fantastic trophy.

I take my car out to car shows, too, and let little kids sit on the driver's side door sill to have their picture taken by their parents or friends. The kids love it and they don't hurt anything, so why not? LSR cars are something people don't see at every car show and it is a good opportunity to talk to interesting people.

[WOODY@DDLLC]

I take the lakester to a few car shows every year.  It isn't one of the shiny cars so kids (and sometimes adults) can sit inside the car.  Hopefully a seed will be planted for a future land speed racer, at least spectators get a chance to see that there are still some home grown race cars out there.  I was invited to the Dayton Ohio Concours De Elegance.  It was way out of my league, but it was a lot of fun.  The parking lot for trailered vehicles was about 1/2 mile from the show and I did get to drive the lakester on the road following a courtesy van.  I rarely get a trophy at car shows, most people can't even figure out what it is.  At the Bob Pulte Chevrolet show in Lebanon Ohio they came to the last trophy.  The announcer stated that this trophy was not for the best looking car but was in fact the "technician's choice".  My heart rate went up a little as I knew that I had a chance at this one.  I was right, I came home with the technician's choice award.  One of the technicians welded up what I thought was a fantastic trophy.

So you're DOHC Mike now! 

[Mike Brown]

I take the lakester to a few car shows every year.  It isn't one of the shiny cars so kids (and sometimes adults) can sit inside the car.  Hopefully a seed will be planted for a future land speed racer, at least spectators get a chance to see that there are still some home grown race cars out there.  I was invited to the Dayton Ohio Concours De Elegance.  It was way out of my league, but it was a lot of fun.  The parking lot for trailered vehicles was about 1/2 mile from the show and I did get to drive the lakester on the road following a courtesy van.  I rarely get a trophy at car shows, most people can't even figure out what it is.  At the Bob Pulte Chevrolet show in Lebanon Ohio they came to the last trophy.  The announcer stated that this trophy was not for the best looking car but was in fact the "technician's choice".  My heart rate went up a little as I knew that I had a chance at this one.  I was right, I came home with the technician's choice award.  One of the technicians welded up what I thought was a fantastic trophy.

So you're DOHC Mike now!  :cheers:Woody, you need to explain that one, the only one I associate with that is dual overhead cam. 

[Mike Brown]

Being a mile racer, my top priority is concentrating on the finish line.  To eliminate distractions, I don't have any gauges in the cockpit.  All the data goes to the logger for review after the run.  I am in the process of adding roll control to the front brakes when drag racing in the dirt.  This will allow me to hold my position in the lights while taking my foot off of the brake and back on the throttle for the launch.  I decided to utilize the same button on the steering wheel that is used to activate the nitrous (I won't use nitrous for a 4-1/2 second run in the dirt and no need to use roll control in the mile).  The button already had a two position Molex connector for attachment so it would just be adding another position to plug it into for the roll control.  I thought that it would be nice to have a visual indication that the roll control or nitrous was active.  I purchased 10 LED running lights from Amazon for less than $9.  They mount with a grommet in a 3/4" hole, draw .030A and are very bright.  I created a small dash to make plugging in the button cord easier and a place to mount the indicators. 

[Mike Brown]

A photo of the dash.  There are indicators and plugs for the roll control and nitrous.  A place to attach my shift light and fire alarm panel.  It helps with the goal of keeping the wiring neat and organized. 

[WOODY@DDLLC]

I take the lakester to a few car shows every year.  It isn't one of the shiny cars so kids (and sometimes adults) can sit inside the car.  Hopefully a seed will be planted for a future land speed racer, at least spectators get a chance to see that there are still some home grown race cars out there.  I was invited to the Dayton Ohio Concours De Elegance.  It was way out of my league, but it was a lot of fun.  The parking lot for trailered vehicles was about 1/2 mile from the show and I did get to drive the lakester on the road following a courtesy van.  I rarely get a trophy at car shows, most people can't even figure out what it is.  At the Bob Pulte Chevrolet show in Lebanon Ohio they came to the last trophy.  The announcer stated that this trophy was not for the best looking car but was in fact the "technician's choice".  My heart rate went up a little as I knew that I had a chance at this one.  I was right, I came home with the technician's choice award.  One of the technicians welded up what I thought was a fantastic trophy.

So you're DOHC Mike now!  :cheers:Woody, you need to explain that one, the only one I associate with that is dual overhead cam. 

Hold the trophy over your head Mike! 

[Mike Brown]

I reviewed my data files from the last event (210.131mph) and found out that I was pedaling the car the entire time in first and second gear.  I also noticed two spikes in RPM, the first coming back on the throttle in third gear and the second at about the 49 second mark while at full throttle.  I know the car would be faster if I could hook up more of the horsepower that I have.  My first thoughts are that my rear suspension is over dampened.  The rubber springs have a lot of inherent dampening along with the stock Monroe shocks.  I took this information to a fitment technician from QA1 at the PRI show in Indianapolis.  He felt that the rear suspension was most likely over sprung.  The next step for me was to get accurate weights of the car. 

[Mike Brown]

I borrowed a set of four wireless scales from the local Porsche club.  They are easy to use and had been recently calibrated (they were used by a group that built and flew a Wright Brothers replica flyer).  That gave me a total weight of 2,708 pounds (less fuel and water) which I expected.  Weight on the rear wheels was 1,495 pounds.