VERY nice update, thanks for taking the time
to do it for us to enjoy!!!!!!
Joe :)
ARDUNDOUG@aol.com wrote:
> Crew and Friends,
> I just finished reading Tom Bryant's synopsis of his season. Nice job
> Tom. Sorry I missed visiting with you at this last El Mirage. I saw you a
> couple of times while we each were on "missions" around the starting line but
> never got a chance to say "hello".
> The King$ Ran$om XXF/MR had a good season. Eleven runs over the course
> of three SCTA/BNI events, 4 records, and 2 Two Club hats for my son Brian.
> Speed Week was our first outing of 2001. Brian had the privilege of
> making the first Long Course pass of the meet and create the first
> rooster-tail. Unfortunately I had the straight-alky tuneup a little lean and
> he turned out just before the first timed mile. We richened it a "click" and
> made a second pass in mid-afternoon of 215 in the 1/4 and 219 in the mile.
> This qualified us on Hayseed's 165 XXF/BFMR record.
> The following morning Bri ran a 212 in the 1/4 and 215 in the mile for
> a new record of 217+ and a red hat. This was one of my proudest moments,
> right along with my marriage, the birth of our children, my own induction
> into the Two Clubs (even though it was with an asterisk), and my first
> left-seat trip in a heavy-jet.
> Next, we switched to the blown gas class by changing blowers, tuneups,
> and being re-inspected, then set out to license my good friend and Crew-Chief
> Kent Walton. After a 174 pass on the short course Kent experienced a
> "big-bang" when my lean tuneup backfired the blower as the car entered the
> first timed mile, rupturing the burst plate, soiling Kent's underware, but
> otherwise doing no serious damage.
> We repaired the minor damage but neglected to re-torque the heads, an
> omission that would later haunt us. That same afternoon Kent ran 195 in the
> mile and qualified against Hayseed's 155 blown gas record. While in Impound
> we discovered that the head gasket was leaking badly between cylinders #7 &
> #8. I then made the decision to make the return run the next morning.
> When we fired the car for the return pass the next morning There was
> water pouring out of the left side exhaust, but the blower evidently gave
> enough "squeeze" to fire the two leaking cylinders and enough "breeze" to dry
> the corresponding spark plugs because Kent cranked off a 194+ pass in the
> mile, setting the new record at 195 and a little change.
> Back home after Speed Week we changed the blown head gasket and one rod
> bearing that was grooved from debris in the system, then waited for the
> October El Mirage meet.
> At El Mirage our starting position was very late due to it being our
> first Lakes Meet of the year. Running in XXF/BGMR, Bri turned out early on
> the first pass due to my tuneup being far too rich. We leaned the pill and
> made a second pass at 179+ on a 165 minimum. I felt that the car was capable
> of about 190, but elected to take the record and try again later. We got in
> line again, but the meet was called when we were #2 to run.
> In retrospect, I probably should have stayed with the Hilborn #30A
> nozzles in the hat that I used at Bonneville. I had switched to
> Crawford/Enderle #42's and the Ardun didn't like the setup.
> The November El Mirage was our final event of the year, running
> XXF/BFMR against a 195 minimum. Despite the engine being only 260ci in a
> 325ci class, I felt that we could go 200 without the "can".
> I arrived at the lakebed early afternoon on Friday, pitted next to 2002
> SCTA Prez Elect Roy Creel, rolled out the car, and got teched with the help
> Performance Measurement Systems Don Barr.
> The crew, consisting of Ed Weldon, Elon Ormsby, Mike Gorvad, Brian,
> Luke Taylor, and Bob started arriving after dark Friday, taking up residence
> in their pickups and 20' enclosed trailer/bunkhouse. Ed has been with me
> since I started running the XX/STR in 1988. Without his help I could never
> compete in LSR.
> Saturday morning we were #96 to run, mainly due to setting a record in
> October. Bri's first pass at about noon was 198+ on straight alky, not quite
> what I wanted, but a record is a record. We made some minor tuneup changes
> and got back into line. When the first day of the meet was called at 3:00PM
> to give the staff time to move the course and do a course-walk we were far
> back in line. We did, however, get a pretty good starting spot for Sunday
> morning.
> Saturday night we held the 3rd annual Cree/King Pot-Luck Bar-B-Q,
> attended by no less than 9 people. Afterwards we sat around the fire lying to
> each other about our speed prowess, the power of our tow-vehicles, our
> various health concerns, and our PSA readings.
> During the course of Saturday evening Roy Creel suggested that we
> "sweeten" the alky in the MR tank a little "just to make the plugs easier to
> read" and put in a little more gear. I had some 13% from Speed Week that I
> never used, so we dumped that in the tank first thing Sunday morning, changed
> the 2.7 gear for a 2.58, richened the pill from a .092 to a .075, and got
> back in line.
> On his first run Sunday AM Bri took the "warm-up" lap at the starting
> line and promptly hit the kill-switch while lining up to launch. Luckily we
> use a stock Ford starter and the Ardun starts readily. Shortly after he
> launched I knew we were too lean. The engine shot ducks all the way down, but
> managed a 200+, good enough for the record and a hat. It was reported that
> the meet had to be shut down while all the waterfowl carcasses were cleared
> from the course.
> We had one run left, so we richened the pill to .067 and got back in
> line at about 1:00PM. This time the car launched hard, stayed loose through
> low, second, and the first part of high-gear, and turned a 210+. After the
> run the blower pressure "tattle-tale" gauge showed over 20psi boost. It seems
> that the only thing an Ardun likes more than nitro is supercharged nitro.
> Back through Impound for the last time, this time finally measuring the
> engine and seeing Bri get his second hat of 2001. Another very proud moment.
> In 2002 we may back-off a little regards LSR. Bri and Cami are
> expecting our first grandchild in late April. In that we have just about done
> everything with the blown motor that we set out to do I may re-install the
> normally aspirated Ardun and with Jimmy Stevens driving run against our
> 181MPH Bonneville gas record, try to up our Bonneville fuel record of 210
> with Kent Walton driving, and run against the 178MPH gas record that Monte
> Osborn and Don Ferguson Jr. set this past weekend at El Mirage.
> I know that this is a pretty "wordy" letter, but I wanted it to serve
> several purposes including keeping friends and family, LSR List members, and
> Crew up to date on our plans and what we have done recently........
> Thanks, Ardun Doug &
> Brian King
///
/// land-speed@autox.team.net mailing list
/// To unsubscribe send a plain text message to majordomo@autox.team.net
/// with nothing in it but
///
/// unsubscribe land-speed
///
/// or go to http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
///
///
|