Off Hours Pursuits

Following are a few of the projects we've pursued during off hours:

A PLC controlled Drag Boat. There are numerous mechanical systems in a drag boat that can be improved with control electronics to improve drive train reliability and consistency. The Drag Boat is powered by a 1050 HP 555 cubic inch blown alcohol (methanol) motor. Running a motor on methanol has a steep learning curve. Methanol is an ideal fuel for a high horsepower engine since it allows for minor variations in air/fuel mixture with lower possibilities of excess lean-out (lean-out is one of the primary reasons racing motors blow up). Since methanol's ideal a/f ratio is around 6:1 instead of gasoline's 12:1, the fuel system in a methanol application needs to allow for considerably more fuel volume per HP.
A classic 1956 Chevrolet Nomad that was 'restored' into a modern hot rod. This is an exercise in building, testing and understanding blown gas engines and involved thousands of hours of hand mechanical fabrication to build a reliable Tri-Five Chevy.

Bob Brazil, 8.0 Second, 160 MPH Drag Boat Pass at Haystack Reservoir

The above video is Bob Brazil driving a 160 MPH, 8.0 second 1/4 mile pass in a 1050 HP Blown Alcohol Drag Boat. Bob Brazil is an accomplished world champion drag boat driver. Bob also layed up the fiberglass and did the beautiful paint job on the hull. King Wick is the crew chief, tuner, designer and builder of the drive train and control system on this boat.

King Wick, 130 MPH Drag Boat License Pass at Dexter Reservoir

This video is King Wick on his license pass. Pay attention to the video near the end: the helmet lifts above his eyes and he is literally driving blind at around 130 MPH at the top end of the pass. After being a crew chief for so many years, King had the crazy idea he'd like to try driving!

Just in case you're wondering, the drivers are wearing a full firesuit, lifejacket, Snell-approved racing helmet and a parachute in these videos. The 8.0 second Pro Eliminator class is the fastest open cockpit class in the world: any faster and the driver is required to be in a fully enclosed capsule with its own air supply.

King's Blown 56 Nomad

King Wick Blown 1956 Nomad — King Wick's Supercharged 1956 Nomad with GMC 6-71 Blower

This Blown 1956 Nomad was King's first effort to build a hot rod with a supercharged engine. This Blown Tri-Five Chevy was originally built at the Oakland, California Chevrolet plant and has spent its entire life on the West Coast. King purchased the car when he was 18 and spent about 10 years on the restoration, turning every nut and bolt on the car. It was a 'frame-off' restoration with the entire body removed from the frame. Stainless fasteners are used throughout. It's a fairly conservative engine design to ensure it will run on today's pump gas: the static compression ratio is 7.5:1 and it uses a 1:1 drive ratio on the GMC 6-71 supercharger. This motor has been in use over ten years with only the usual maintenance such as oil and filter changes.

Specs:

Chevy 350, bored .030 over
Dart 2.02 heads
GMC 6-71 Blower
Blower Drive Service blower cam
TRW 7.5:1 Blower Pistons
4130 steel crank
Manley rods
Custom aluminum flywheel and kevlar clutch
'92 Corvette ZF-6 six speed manual transmission with 50% overdrive which allows the motor to run 1800 RPM at 55 MPH
Ford 9 inch rear end with 4.10 Posi, narrowed by Dutchman Machine
Rear springs have been moved into the frame. Wheel wells tubbed 2 1/2 inches per side so fat tires fit the rear
TCI 2" drop up front
605 Power Steering
4 wheel disc brakes (Chevelle brakes in front, Explorer brakes in rear)
Wheels are Billet Specialties 'Hustler' Wheels, 8x17 inch up front, 10x18 inch in the rear
200 watt hidden stereo with sub-woofer in spare tire carrier
Eckler '57 Corvette steering wheel cut down to 15 inch
Interior: Jim Sanders, Milwaukie. Modified 2001 Tahoe seats, red leather w/ '57 Chevy 'cloud' fabric inserts
Flames: Kevin Bischoff