[elky] Re: Bonneville Salt Flats Racing Report
- From: John Christensen <johncgg@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: elky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:58:06 -0500
Thanks Chris!
JC
On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 9:59 AM, Chris Lindh <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
> Part 1.
>
> I flew in, picked up the rental car and drove straight to the salt flats.
> I found Ray and followed him to the pits. Ray has to go and take photos
> (his job!) and he fills me in on the current situation:
>
> One of the the rocker arms has worked itself loose. After discussion and
> head scratching it is determined the valves need to be adjusted. Also, belt
> alignment is off to the point of making the belt roll over on its back. One
> member of the pit crew decides to cut the belt off, since this belt is now a
> "dead player". I wonder about destroying a belt without knowing another can
> be sourced, but I keep my trap shut... usually a good idea when meeting new
> people.
>
> I make a dash for the local parts store, which luckily has *one*
> replacement belt. When I return the valves are adjusted and the belt is
> installed. Ray and I proceed to tech inspection. Tech inspection points
> out a few minor items to correct and we are to return in the morning: metal
> valve cap right front, tape stick on wheel weights right front, find a pin
> for the fire extinguisher, secure the fuel line to a bracket on the frame
> and find a better battery hold down. Although the Monte has the little
> triangular battery hold down when the inspector yanks on the battery handle
> the battery it pops out. He says that is how they are required to test it.
> Ray and I agree it is not a bad idea, you don't want the battery moving for
> any reason.
>
> We take care of all the issues except the battery hold down. Unfortunately
> the parts store is out of hold downs, and the hardware store isn't open when
> we get there that evening, and it opens later the the drivers meeting the
> next morning.
>
> At some point I decide to stick with Eastern time... the salt flats are
> Mountain time, and although Wendover/West Wendover is Mountain time, my
> phone changes to Pacific time (Wendover/West Wendover is one city,
> straddling the Utah/Nevada state line). So I'm up at 4AM, which works out
> because I can answer business emails before the day gets started.
>
> When I get to the flats and find the drivers meeting I meet up with Jim and
> Ray and we drive the course. We find out unlike prior years there will be
> no free calibration run, each run counts. Ray tells me he spoke to the tech
> and it will be OK to secure the battery with a ratchet strap. Not the
> prettiest solution, but a solution nonetheless. We go back to tech, pass
> and proceed to registration. This is when we find out that unlike prior
> years each driver will have to use up all his runs (up to 5) before the next
> driver can run. Ray gets fuel, then we proceed to the 130MPH club course,
> inch our way to the front... then there is confusion with the timing
> officials: they can't confirm Ray's registration. While they figure it out
> the Monte's radiator boils over. Ray turns the Monte off, they eventually
> get it figured out, then Ray makes a run. He runs 120MPH: he said he saw
> 135 on the GPS (he got out of the throttle for fear of going over 139.9,
> which is prohibited). As a side note at some point I heard someone say it
> is good to have the engine hot to make a run, something about the air
> density...
>
> When we get back to the pits we have issues to deal with. Power steering
> fluid is low, the belt is on its back again and the radiator fan is not
> coming on, thus the boiling over. We decide to not run the fan (just push
> the car up to the line), I add power steering fluid, and the crank pulley is
> spaced out which appears to fix the belt issue.
>
> Ray makes the next run, the engine sounds good... 112MPH at the half mile
> point... 97 at the mile. 97? Then I hear over the official's CB: the last
> racer left parts on the track. Immediately some of our pit crew wonders if
> the spaced-out crank pulley is the culprit. We get to Ray and see the
> carnage: the yoke on the rearend has two of the four ears broken off, the
> floorboard near the rearend has significant evidence of thrashing from the
> driveshaft, and the driveshaft is a curlicue. Ray is more worried about how
> I will get to race than he is about his dead Monte. Getting the Monte back
> to the pits is no simple task, nor is getting it on the trailer, but we have
> seasoned pit crew members who figure it out.
>
> My theories on the cause of the carnage: 1. The driveshaft was not in
> balance, so at high speed the harmonics caused the driveshaft to break the
> yoke on the transmission. A variation on this theory is that the driveshaft
> went past its critical speed (defined here
> http://www.markwilliams.com/driveshafttech.aspx ) Theory 2. The bolts
> holding the driveshaft to the rearend worked loose causing the driveshaft to
> come loose from one side, then vibrate until the other side broke.
>
> Photos here:
> http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.264790873554333.71126.184098811623540
> (I have 79 total to add, then more from Miller Motorsports Park and Museum)
>
> Please click the "like" button at the top of the page, when I get 25 who
> "like" my business page I get benefits. If you're not on Facebook let me
> know and I can put the photos in another spot as well.
>
> Stay tuned for part 2...
>
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