Jack's fiberglass bodies are some of the best I have seen. I wish I
could do glass as easily as he makes it
look. Jack goes very fast with them.
Two of the best are Al Teague's and Vesco-Nish's. Both being the result of
many years of evolution and experience. Both other than vertical stabilizers
don't have any ground effect devices.Both cars
go fast without the most powerful engines in their respective classes.
A streamliner must be built to:
Survive a crash at speed: You don't need to expend energy like an Indy Car
during a crash, there is nothing to
hit. You do need to keep the chassis intact during the crash to have any
hope of survival. Then you must
survive the G-Force of the rolls.
Fire control: The fire truck and Ed/Chris Shearer can only help when you
come to a stop. Use 304 stainless tubing for fire extinguisher lines.
They won't melt like aluminum or clog with rust like carbon steel. Put the
fuel and oil tanks behind you. Run the vent lines out the back of the car.
Plug the automatic transmission dip stick tube off. Nish had quite a ride
when the trans puked oil out the dipstick tube and caught fire. Look for
other fire sources like this and reduce your exposure to them.
Comfort: Build the car big enough so you're comfortable and can see the
track,
operate all the controls and read all the gauges. Liners reduced cockpit
space
often cause your visor and windscreen to fog. Plan on using a helmet
ventilation
system. The aerodynamics gained by a smaller car are lost if you're only
comfortable going 60 mph. Jack is comfortable with his car and goes fast.
Not all of us might be able to adjust to that small of a car.
Suspension: If you can, use front and rear suspension. There have been some
cars that could go very fast if the driver's vision wasn't blurred by
vibration.
Jim Bickford
-----Original Message-----
From: V4GR@aol.com <V4GR@aol.com>
To: land-speed@autox.team.net <land-speed@autox.team.net>
Date: Thursday, March 18, 1999 8:46 PM
Subject: Streamliners
> It is my opinion that Jack Costella's liner is the most advanced example
of
>streamliner construction existing. I can't imagine a better streamliner
unless
>it incorporates downforce, which Jack Is against, building his car more
like a
>Hydroplane. Looking for neutral lift.
> Anybody disagree? Rich Fox
>
>
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