- 1 week ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00On this episode of Hot Rod Garage,
00:01we get the land speed car back up to speed.
00:04Or is it all just an El Mirage?
00:10Where's my car?
00:30Welcome back to Hot Rod Garage.
00:34I'm Alex Taylor, and this is Lucky Costa.
00:36Hello.
00:37We have quite the episode ahead of us.
00:39It's finally time to go to El Mirage.
00:41We started this project last year with the Roadster,
00:44where we're going to celebrate 75 years of Hot Rod magazine
00:47by going back to the roots of land speed trials.
00:51Like you do.
00:52Land speed goes all the way back to the 30s and 40s,
00:54when early Hot Rodders would use dry lake beds and salt flats
00:58as wide open speed proving grounds.
01:00It was the racing of the day,
01:03so much so that Hot Rod's first cover photo
01:05was taken at the El Mirage dry lake bed.
01:08We built our Roadster as an homage to that cover car,
01:11but we've yet to make it to El Mirage.
01:13By the time we got it done,
01:15we had lots of inclement weather,
01:17which made it where El Mirage wasn't happening for us.
01:20However, we were able to take it out and test it a couple times.
01:24Benefit to that was we were able to find quite a few things
01:26that need to be changed on the car.
01:28One is that we still need to get padding around the head and helmet area.
01:33The halo area?
01:34Yeah.
01:35We have a couple handles to move and re-situate,
01:37because it turns out I'm kind of sitting like this, crunched up.
01:40It's very small.
01:41And then we just need to do a couple more things to get it up to past tech,
01:45which is add a couple of the Zeus buttons to the hood,
01:48and just a couple of things here and there we need to address.
01:51Now, just as importantly as the Roadster being ready for competition
01:54is to make sure that our push truck is ready for its duty.
01:57In land speed racing, the push truck is the unsung hero.
02:00Most land speed cars are geared for their high speed,
02:03which makes it a little bit hard for them to get off the line under their own power,
02:07or maybe they have parts they're trying to protect until they get up to a higher speed.
02:11The trouble with our push truck is that it steers just like a drunk bull
02:15as soon as it hits 50 miles an hour.
02:17So in order to remind ourselves of how sketchy this is,
02:20we thought we'd go for another test drive.
02:24Oh, you're turning the steering wheel, but we're not really turning.
02:27It's doing stuff.
02:30Uh, wow.
02:32So let's pay some attention to that.
02:34So, uh, first thing on the list will be excessive steering play.
02:38Give her a little guess.
02:44How fast we got?
02:45Uh, 50. We're doing 50.
02:47Oh, 50's good.
02:47You got 30 more mile an hour over this, though.
02:51You're in need.
02:53Be nice to steer it straight.
02:55You know, we only have like a mile to get off the speed or something.
02:59So, like, we need to be able to do it at a reasonable rate.
03:0240, 45, 55, 60 miles an hour, 65.
03:17You got up to 65.
03:18And, uh, there's the testing, trying to simulate real-world driving conditions.
03:26Okay, this is a perfect test right here.
03:30Yeah.
03:31Do you think you need some suspension work?
03:33Something.
03:34Okay.
03:38I believe on the panel, all we have to change is everything between the wheels.
03:43Yeah.
03:44And between the bumper and the trans-cross member.
03:47That sounds simple.
03:48So we're going to find out exactly what's going on with the straight axle.
03:50It has kingpins in it.
03:51That's a bit of a pain to work with, but it should be kind of cool when it's right.
03:56Leaf springs on the left and the right with bushings in the front and the rear.
03:59I think we're going to replace the entire spring.
04:01Drag links, tire rod ends, a gearbox overhaul kick.
04:05In addition to all the suspension work we have to do just to make it steer,
04:08we have to figure out a way to make it push the front of that without affecting
04:12this super attractive cattle guard.
04:14Very nice.
04:14So I believe we're going to attach something up there that will line up with the wheel on the back of that.
04:19Correct.
04:19The push wheel.
04:20So overall, quite a bit of work to do.
04:23But the main thing is we need that to push this.
04:25We need this to pass tech.
04:27That also kind of needs to pass the rule book.
04:29And we just have to make all this happen so we can get to El Mirage.
04:31Now you're pushing your luck.
04:35So we have tested this twice, took it out two days.
04:37We took it to the airport one and then to the track for the second at HRG day.
04:41We knew that when we handed out a full day of testing at the airport, we had no issues.
04:45It shifted perfectly fine.
04:46That was a day we were only going to go 100 miles an hour.
04:48Yeah.
04:48And you went like 130 or something.
04:50120.
04:51By accident.
04:51Yeah.
04:51Yeah.
04:52Okay.
04:52So we knew it worked.
04:53Everything was good.
04:53When we took it to HRG day, which has been transported a couple of times in between then,
04:58we now, I couldn't get it in second gear.
04:59Dad and Lucky crawled under here.
05:01What they found was that something moved.
05:03I believe it's something in the mount of the transmission, which is what we're looking at now.
05:07And the shifter, the actual movement, because that's happening on the outside of the transmission,
05:11that piece was actually hitting the floor, preventing the shift from happening.
05:15Yeah.
05:15Unlike regular transmissions where the shifting mechanism is all encased in oil and inside the trans housing,
05:21this actually has a whole bunch of levers and slides and arms all external that are,
05:26you know, it could see some debris or dirt or dust.
05:30In this case, it-
05:31Saw the floor.
05:31It saw the floor.
05:32To get by at the track, pulled the transmission over and out of the floor
05:37by putting a couple of hose clamps, which was an at the track fix.
05:39You know what?
05:40That is some creative stuff right there.
05:42I would give your pops props.
05:43Anyways, it was a temporary fix.
05:45So we're going to find out where the movement actually happened,
05:48and we're going to fix that, and then we should be good to go.
05:50Yeah.
05:51So last year when we were working on the Roadster,
05:54one of the things I really wanted to do for looks, and I thought functionality,
05:58was put the leather straps on the side of the hood to hold it down.
06:02And then David Freiberger messaged me and says,
06:04I think you should check the rule book.
06:06So basically it's saying that we have to have some kind of hold down
06:10other than the leather straps, spring style, like it has.
06:12I can still keep those on there, but in order for it to be adequate,
06:16we have to put at least four DeZeus buttons, and we've got those right here.
06:21So we got a whole kit, and we're going to make this legal.
06:23And just as a reminder, we always have to go back to this rule book right here.
06:28Okay, so got this thing racked, which is not an easy task all by itself.
06:35We did do the wheel bearings, new drums, linings, lines, and wheel cylinders
06:42before we took this on the road previously.
06:47But that did not help the amount of slop that is in the steering gearbox,
06:51the actual pitman arm. The gearbox shaft has a certain amount of slop in it.
06:56It's okay for the pitman arm to roll forward and back.
06:58It literally articulates like this, which makes it steer.
07:03However, it's not supposed to go in and away from the frame.
07:06That's where the slop is. The bushing's just worn out there.
07:08So we're going to address that issue.
07:10And then the other gig is this.
07:11You would think this is a loose wheel bearing because it...
07:14There is a certain amount of slop there.
07:18You could tell that there's an end point where it stops each direction,
07:21which makes me think something's worn out.
07:22Okay. Let's take it apart.
07:30Okay, so what I'm trying to do right now is take the spindle and backing plate off in one shot.
07:34Should just be four bolts.
07:35But you can do that. It's going to save us some time.
07:37We don't have to go into the hydraulics or anything or bleed anything out.
07:40So I will hopefully remove all this in one piece, hang it from a fender well, and see how that works.
07:50So that is two of what could have been four, four legally.
07:55Like, that's what we have to have.
07:57However, I'm going to go ahead and add two more.
07:59And then we're going to do at least two up here.
08:02We'll be here a while.
08:05The Zeus buttons, also known as quarter turn fasteners,
08:08are lightweight little fasteners that are really awesome.
08:11They attach and detach panels with just a 90-degree turn of their head.
08:14So we've got almost six Zeus buttons here.
08:27Technically, rule book-wise, you only have to have four.
08:42These are just for rule book and added precaution.
08:45So anyways, Zeusing the last one up, keeping the leather straps.
08:50We'll lock those down.
08:52And then we can put a done stamp on this.
08:58All right, so with this thing all taken apart,
08:59it's literally stripped down to just an iron chunk of iron.
09:03Now I just need to throw it on the stand, roll it outside,
09:06and con somebody into getting a wire brush on a cordless and cleaning the whole thing up.
09:10And then we're going to paint it black, put it back, eventually hit the track.
09:16Now let me just grab this thing.
09:18If only somebody would help me on that side.
09:20There we go.
09:22And then carefully.
09:28We are back getting our land speed roadster ready to pass tech,
09:31and getting our push truck ready to drive at push truck speeds.
09:34All right, I mentioned a couple times, but last year at HRG Day, I thought that I suddenly just
09:39couldn't shift this thing in second gear, left me questioning myself.
09:42Turns out a couple bolts had stripped in the transmission case, which allowed the back of the
09:47transmission to scoot over just enough, which put the sliders running into the sheet metal floor,
09:53which made it where I couldn't get into second gear.
09:55To permanently fix that, I'm going to drop this mount, helicoil the bolt holes that are stripped,
10:00and then we're going to actually slot the mount right here just enough that we want to move the
10:05transmission over just a little bit, that way we gain a little bit of extra clearance for the sliders.
10:10Still keeps everything in line, everything will still be good, but we should not have that issue
10:14anymore after this.
10:17Okay, so we're going to put the leaf springs back in it right now.
10:19These are brand new items.
10:21We did have to use a couple of the original bolts.
10:23Luckily, they just spread into the bushing that is pressed into the leaf spring.
10:27These are the new pins for the rear.
10:28All new with all new bushings.
10:30I'm just going to try to make it so that the zerk fittings are facing the same direction.
10:33That is a sign of professionalism is what that is, which is why I'm double checking.
10:42I could be able to massage that around.
10:44All right, so as you can see, I now have a dental part acquired here.
10:59I've got a couple tools to select from because one thing turns into another.
11:03While those bolts were both stripped, this side of the housing you can also see is cracked.
11:09So Mike could use it as is because it's got a very deep thread.
11:15But I'm going to go ahead and weld it up so it doesn't get any worse.
11:19So I'm going to grind it out, make a nice V-spot, clean it up, weld it, shape it back,
11:23helicoil it, and then we'll be back in action.
11:26Race cars, hot rods, anything semi-custom, they always present problems.
11:40You know, you've got that checklist with like three things,
11:42and you think you'll knock it out in two hours max,
11:44and then you spend six hours and kind of get one of them done.
11:47It's exactly what happened with this transmission.
11:49So originally I went to fix the stripped holes,
11:52then found out the case was broke on one side,
11:54then found out it was broke on the other side.
11:56So I was like, okay, slight kink in the plan,
11:58but we'll just cut it out, clean it up, weld it, it'll be good to go.
12:02One side kind of worked, and then the other side continued to not take a weld.
12:07Well, that led to the question of maybe this isn't aluminum, maybe it's magnesium.
12:12In the case of this Tex Racing 101A, it is a magnesium case.
12:16We're lucky we didn't catch it on fire.
12:17Since I went ahead and started to try to repair this with aluminum,
12:20now that metal is all corrupted and it's not going to be easy to fix as is.
12:25But whatever the case is for now, I'm going to bolt this up, lock tight it in.
12:29It's got enough threads to hold it tight.
12:30That way I can get back to other stuff that will stop us from passing tech,
12:34like the roll cage padding.
12:48Okay, spindle's installed.
12:52Spacer's in place.
12:55Bolts lining up.
12:59This is the new tie rod end with the new ends on it.
13:01I'm going to install it right now.
13:08In somewhat kind of tight.
13:11Okay, we've taken out the old, putting it in the new.
13:14Wow, these are pretty close to an accurate reproduction of a vintage shock.
13:20We're going to be replacing stock for new.
13:24Okay, so this RS5000 Rancho shock is 100% installed.
13:34One more shock to do, and that will be the shocking conclusion of the shock installation.
13:39We'll shock you later.
13:43As projects often go, something really simple turned into something really complicated on our
13:48land speed roadster.
13:49I thought I was just going to fix a couple stripped out bolt holes.
13:52Turns out the case was cracked.
13:55Thought I could weld that with aluminum.
13:56It's one of those where you're like, oh, this will still be simple.
13:59Well, turns out the case is magnesium.
14:01Had we known that, we might could have welded it better.
14:03Long story short, it's repaired.
14:06The case is not totally repaired, but I was able to tap up higher, pull some threads from higher up that
14:12hadn't been touched, hadn't been broken.
14:14It's loctited, it's bolted, I don't want to touch it again, don't want to touch that again.
14:18And you know what?
14:19I can't stand you either.
14:21And with that said, it's time to move up and work on padding around the head space.
14:29So I took the front brake hubs off the truck, took it over the tank, cleaned it.
14:33We've updated a couple of things.
14:35This thing came originally with literally ball bearings.
14:39Ball bearing with ball bearing races that have the little dimple in there.
14:43So this is what used to be in there.
14:44They worked fine from 1957.
14:46However, this is the new hookup.
14:48This is a tapered roller bearing.
14:51It's a modified center race that allows you to put a seal on the inside.
14:55It used to be just like a piece of felt smashed between a couple of washers.
14:58It was very antiquated.
15:01This is the new new because the other new ones are already installed with the seal right there.
15:06I'm going to put it on right now.
15:13So the instructions clearly said to torque this to 50 pounds while spinning the hub.
15:19Let the bearings seat.
15:22Then you back it off until it feels good and there's no slop.
15:26If you feel anything, it's not right.
15:29That feels nice and solid.
15:31And it still spins.
15:34In the cotter pin, there's lots of different ways to do this.
15:37I do all the cotter pins like this.
15:40Cut off the excess.
15:42Cut this one straight.
15:52Forget about that.
15:57So last year when we were getting ready to go to El Mirage,
16:00I actually already got these plates ready to go in the car.
16:02I just kind of ran out of time and had other stuff happen.
16:05So just bent them up out of sheet metal and going to use these brackets right here,
16:10which were recommended from the company that's going to be filming these panels.
16:14And these are a two-piece clamp that came from Summit All-Star Performance brand.
16:19And one piece right here will bolt on right here.
16:23So I've made my markings where I want to drill and bolt it to.
16:26And then the other side will bolt on and it'll clamp around the bar.
16:29Now that may be hard to get a visual reference.
16:32However, lucky for you guys, there's one bacon already done that I actually set up last year.
16:41So now take this over to the car, show you guys how it works,
16:45and then repeat again and again until we have all the padding plates ready to take measurements from.
16:51Okay, so I thought I was super close to being done.
16:57Ends up there's another set of leaf springs that came in just about a day late.
17:00Have to start chiseling through the years and years and years of grease.
17:05Somebody was like lube happy.
17:06They pumped grease into this thing.
17:07It's coming apart really easy.
17:09No rushing nuts here.
17:29Okay, so I got all of these pieces, the surround pieces in, and
17:33theoretically everything looks good right now.
17:36I put my helmet on so I could see where we were at and I realized really quickly I don't have
17:42any head clearance.
17:43So I referred to the rule book and this right here isn't something that would keep us from passing
17:50tech.
17:50The fact that the helmet will hit with even a thin pad.
17:54However, from a safety standpoint, when you say you were to roll the car,
17:59your belts are still going to stretch.
18:01You could be as tight as you could be, but the belts will stretch.
18:04If your head is right there and you have any flex on this or even just the impact of hitting that
18:09without any air gap is going to hurt your neck.
18:12You're going to have some kind of injury come out of that or at least pain nonetheless.
18:17So having that air gap is really important.
18:19So what I'm going to do, I'm going to take these mounts out that I have up here
18:23and I'm going to build a couple new straps and weld it right here where it's flush.
18:29Taking up as little room as possible and then do that in two different places.
18:34That will buy a lot of space because it was hanging down so much.
18:38It's going to increase clearance by about half an inch.
18:42And yeah, modify, adjust, and we'll come back to this in just a little bit.
18:47Okay, so I got the straps cut, welded, ground down so it's as flat as possible,
18:56and they are pretty much ready to go.
18:58I just have to drill a couple of holes, do a couple of nuts.
19:00There it's going to be time to put this panel that goes right here back in.
19:03It's actually going to be done right.
19:04I feel good about it.
19:06Took maybe 30 more minutes and that shows that sometimes it's easier just to act than think about it.
19:10So this panel van is going to be a push vehicle out at El Mirage Lakebed pushing our land speed car.
19:20So one of the last things we have to do in the back of this vehicle is to take these shocks off
19:23and put on some new ones.
19:25I really don't know why we're taking these off.
19:27This is a type of patina that cannot be bought.
19:31Actually, they're worn out. They got their money's worth out of them.
19:33And we have some new Rancho RS 9000.
19:36That would be better than a 5000. It's a 9000.
19:38It's actually an adjustable rear shock.
19:43All right.
19:43So last night, I left off by clamping this up, getting a game plan for today.
19:47So what I'm going to do is I'm just going to give a nice little tap here.
19:51So that way I can drill a hole, get everything lined up.
19:53And then I've got some quarter 20 nutserts.
19:56I'll get the front one mounted.
19:58That way I know it's in place.
19:59And then I'll go to the back and do that same.
20:01So that way everything is nice and square.
20:02And then this will be all bolted in and good to go.
20:05So you may remember from before that this had a lot of space here.
20:11And it was really spaced down in this back area.
20:14Because up front was clamped a little tighter.
20:17And that was a little tighter.
20:17But the middle was really hanging down.
20:19So we have picked up a lot of clearance in the most critical part.
20:23And I think it's going to work.
20:25I think it's going to work.
20:27OK, the truck's coming down.
20:28It's coming off the lift.
20:29Once we get the wheels on, we're going to take it off the lift completely.
20:31Because we need all the weight of the vehicle on the suspension.
20:34There's a good chance that these brand new springs are going to need to settle.
20:37And so we're going to take it for a little spin around the block.
20:39Put a little heat into the springs.
20:40Bring it back in.
20:41Check the right height.
20:43Measure the right height.
20:44And then start mounting the push bumper on the front of the vehicle.
20:48To match up with the back of the 32 land speed car.
20:52Because this is a push vehicle.
20:55So we have not been to the alignment shop yet.
20:58But it has all new bushings, shims, tie readiness, ball joints, shackles, shackled bolts.
21:03New grease.
21:04Leaf springs are new.
21:05It's all new.
21:07So we're going to cruise around this lovely community that we're located in.
21:13And get a little, put a little heat into the springs.
21:16Let them settle down.
21:17OK.
21:18What we'll end up with is the actual right height of the vehicle.
21:22The springs are going to settle.
21:23It'll go down to the right height.
21:24Because right height is super important right now.
21:28Because I'm going to be pushing you around.
21:29Oh.
21:30So what we're looking for is bumps.
21:33Or we're looking for articulation and bumps and dips.
21:36You want the springs to actually be getting used.
21:39We don't want nice and smooth.
21:41Yeah.
21:42How's it feel?
21:43It feels good.
21:44Really?
21:44As soon as you turn the wheel, it starts to get moving.
21:48Yeah.
21:49That's what I'm talking about.
21:54Jump in.
21:57Craters.
22:00Sucking up the bumps.
22:03OK.
22:03Overall, how do you feel?
22:06I feel good about it.
22:07OK.
22:08Well, I think maybe far enough.
22:11Oh, no, not bad.
22:12Think if they're going to settle.
22:13They've settled.
22:15Hit as many potholes and dips on the way back to the shop.
22:18And we'll put everything on the ground.
22:21And then go to Woodshop.
22:23Woodshop, yes.
22:24Woodshop is our next.
22:25Oh, wood butcher.
22:26Something else to add to my resume.
22:27Yeah.
22:28Nice.
22:33Made it.
22:41That was a good time right there.
22:42It was a good time.
22:43Yeah.
22:43It's still bumpy.
22:45Yeah, it's still pretty whoopty.
22:47It's a little better, right?
22:48I will say this.
22:49The last time we were on the freeway driving next to a trash truck,
22:52and I was doing this with the wheel, nothing much was happening.
22:54That's true.
22:55And then if you went a little bit further, it felt like the back would kick.
22:58And then at one point, it felt like the whole thing was sort of doing the shimmy.
23:01OK.
23:02A couple times there was some crazy death wobble.
23:05Yeah.
23:07We have no more of that.
23:08It feels good.
23:10So remember, this is all a very important part of the conversation because this is the
23:16push vehicle for the Land Speed Roadster.
23:19And according to Lee Kennedy, who is not only a master of tech, but he's also a master of pushing
23:25people, there is an art to pushing.
23:27And I don't imagine you can have a very good art if you don't have the proper tools
23:32to do that art.
23:33So this is very important that it works.
23:38So what's left?
23:39You got some switches to push around over there?
23:40Switches and handles.
23:42And I have some wood butchery to do.
23:43See you over there.
23:44Goodbye again.
23:45Bye.
23:45Bye.
23:46Bye.
23:46All right, so if you guys can't tell, it's a little chilly in the shop, which is kind
23:51of all bundled up here.
23:52And this seems like a really nice nap spot for that because it's all tight and cozy.
23:56However, it's like really gives you claustrophobia when you're trying to drive.
24:00So with that said, it's time to move some stuff around.
24:05So some things that I want to change.
24:07Right here, there's the shifter, the parachute, and the master disconnect all right here.
24:13I'm basically resting my arm on the master disconnect.
24:16I'm really concerned that I'll accidentally hit it going down the track.
24:20The parachute, hard to get over and reach to when you're in fourth gear.
24:25With that said, immediately right there is fire suppression.
24:27So it's very hard.
24:29I mean, it's just, it's so confined.
24:30And then all the switches, I had to, when I'm actually belted in,
24:33reach across my body to turn stuff off.
24:35Some stuff has to move somewhere else.
24:37And that somewhere else may be an inch that way and a quarter inch that way.
24:43But we just got to get some kind of separation.
24:45The stuff is no longer friends.
24:47It's got to go.
24:48Okay, so we got the panel backed into a safe spot.
24:51It's on the ground.
24:52We put heat into the springs.
24:54Now I'm going to measure the height of the push vehicle.
24:56The idea is we're going to put a big push plate in the front of the panel vehicle
25:02that will be lining up with the wheel on the back of this vehicle.
25:07The deal is 32 has this wheel on the back, allows us to push against it while we're driving another vehicle.
25:13And if anything happens like we're not perfectly aligned, this wheel will allow for everything to
25:17stay nice and safe.
25:18However, we want that to land squarely in the middle of that wood.
25:23That gives us plenty of margin to chase her down the track.
25:25Push her as fast as we can go so that she can go as fast as she can go.
25:29Since we are doing a little woodwork, I'm using a drywall square to mark where the wheel is.
25:37And then I'm going to go over and know that when I put this on the front of that bumper,
25:41I can mark exactly where the middle of that plate should be.
25:44I'll see you over at the panel.
25:45Okay, so what's going on here is I've taken some, I believe it's four inch by one inch or one and a half
25:53thick wall, inch of metal we had laying around.
25:56And when I'm in the building is a couple of arms and hang this to the cattle guard,
26:02but allow it to rest on the bumper, then mount the wood to it,
26:08and then use it to push the land speed car.
26:10So this will be on the front of the vehicle, but obviously three feet apart.
26:19Then this will be sitting on it, but like I said, three feet apart.
26:26There will be two of these pieces of wood there,
26:30because it has to be able to push a good amount of weight.
26:34So moving this up here, so it will be that thick.
26:38And then two more pieces I'm going to cut right now, but these will be specific lengths.
26:42They're going to rest on the top of the bumper and go back against the cattle guard.
26:46And then the U-bolts will go right through the front and attach everything to the cattle guard.
26:50So this is one of the legs and a little scrap of wood that we have left.
26:53I'm just sort of holding it up to get an idea of about how high we want it.
26:58When I used the simulated land speed car wheel, it shows me that the wheel is going to be riding
27:05just beneath the crest of the bumper right here.
27:09So I want to make sure the center of this wood is close to the bottom of the bumper.
27:16So that's about the center.
27:18It looks like if I put that extension right at the very top right here,
27:23it will put our contact patch right in the middle of the wood, which is at the bottom of the bumper.
27:42Welcome back.
27:43Still in the exact same spot and everything looks the same, but it's not.
27:47This, we've moved them this much.
27:49They move this far forward, three fingers wide.
27:53The only other thing that I'm going to address is I'm going to move this master disconnect right here
27:58under the switch panel.
27:59That way I can just come over and punch it if I need to, to turn it off.
28:03I think it's still going to get everything out of the way.
28:05I think it's going to be clean.
28:06Flaming River actually sells a bracket that holds this rotary style master disconnect that we got from them.
28:13And I think that is our only option for now.
28:16So you guys aren't going to see that at the moment because I got to get that part ordered,
28:19but that's okay.
28:20You'll see it at El Mirage where hopefully we don't have to use it.
28:23Are we almost done?
28:25Finally.
28:25This is like a year plus in the making.
28:27How long are we going to milk this for?
28:29But we have made it.
28:30The Roadster is finally done.
28:33It's just got, it needs a, it needs wrap slash paint.
28:36You're going to paint it up or something?
28:37Yeah, it's going to be nice looking.
28:38Really? All right, cool.
28:40But then the panel truck.
28:42That thing is good.
28:43It's good to go.
28:43I actually feel like it is.
28:44We had a nice little drive around in it and maybe just hit the alignment.
28:47Make sure everything's safe and tight.
28:48New, new tires.
28:49Get rid of those tires.
28:50Yeah.
28:51Put them back on the big rig they came off of.
28:53I don't know where he got those.
28:54So all joking aside, we finally have the right combination to take us to El Mirage.
28:58The Roadster behind me, I actually feel really good about.
29:01And I think the panel truck is going to not only look right,
29:04but I think it'll actually perform for what we're needing to do with the Roadster.
29:07Exactly, drag snacks and push cars.
29:11So goal is to get there, actually compete, past heck.
29:15I mean, that's obviously a huge one.
29:17That's a win in itself.
29:18Yeah, the novel that they give you.
29:20Yeah.
29:20And I mean, enjoy it because it's going to be, it's an experience.
29:24It's something that holds a lot of history and we actually get to be a part of that.
29:28Yeah, I've never been.
29:29I'm looking forward to going.
29:30Okay.
29:31That means you guys need to come with us to El Mirage because that time has finally come.
29:36Absolutely.
29:37Pack your tackle box, grab your wakeboard.
29:39We're going to El Mirage.
29:40Don't forget your flotation device.
29:41Uh-huh.
29:42Safety first.
29:51Okay, so we've made it to El Mirage.
29:53Is this a Mirage?
29:54Is this real?
29:55It sure seems like it's real fake.
29:57Is this happening right now?
29:58We are finally at El Mirage.
30:01But the whole actual meet, the SCTA part of it, that part is still a Mirage.
30:06We're actually here alone.
30:07Because the meet got canceled.
30:10Last week.
30:11Due to excessive heat.
30:13No meet because of heat.
30:15But we're out here.
30:16The course looks decent.
30:18And I have plenty, well, plenty of practice in the roaster.
30:21I've been in it quite a few times, given it a try, driven it.
30:25We made some modifications last time though.
30:27Right.
30:28Now the other fine-tuned piece of machinery we need to get to is you.
30:33Today is your day.
30:34So Lucky is going to be, unfortunately, pushing me around today.
30:38That's right.
30:38Get used to it.
30:39Today is the first time that our push truck will be in action.
30:42And the whole goal is for us to learn this dance between push truck and race car.
30:46And get a sense of what the fastest mile an hour is that we can get to before the roadster
30:50pulls away at just the right time.
30:53The faster mile an hour that he can push me to before I take off, the better chance I have
30:58at a big mile an hour at the finish line.
31:00It's kind of like just an extra bump towards our goal.
31:03So, over there, in the distance, I believe I see.
31:06Beyond the shrubbery.
31:08There's a course.
31:09We got to go find it because I don't actually know where it's at.
31:11There's no markings because, well, no one's out here.
31:14And there are some crevasses over there.
31:16So, we have to plot a course just to be able to get the car to the course.
31:19Correct.
31:20All right.
31:21So, while I would love to do a full speed run, this is open to the public.
31:26Absolutely.
31:27This is not a private event.
31:28Because there is no actual meet today, there's also no safety crew.
31:32There's nobody to block the course off.
31:33If we were to start pushing and we got up to speed and then we get to three quarters of a mile down
31:38and Joe Schmo in the airplane wants to land out there,
31:42that's going to be a bad ending for the both of us.
31:44At any given moment, a hang glider with an engine and a propeller on the back of it
31:47could just fly right through the course.
31:49We're just trying to say we're going to go as fast as we feel comfortable,
31:53trying to get enough push practice in for Lucky.
31:57That way, when we can actually go full speed, when the course is really, truly blocked off
32:00and shut down, like in an SCTA event, we'll be ready.
32:04I concur with your diagnosis.
32:06We should probably go find the course.
32:07Should we?
32:08I think it exists.
32:09Okay.
32:09Um, we're driving this thing?
32:10Yeah, I guess so.
32:11All right.
32:14Now, we're plotting this course because we have to drive a lower vehicle out here.
32:19Yeah.
32:19So, yeah, visual reference is whatever that is.
32:22Yeah.
32:23We're to the east of it.
32:25So, I see a lot of coming this way here, specifically.
32:27I think, I still think further out.
32:30I think out there is the way to go.
32:33Turn wheel right.
32:35Turning it right.
32:36Going straight.
32:37Going straight.
32:38Going straight.
32:41And it looks decent out here.
32:44I'm going to put a cone here.
32:45Right here.
32:46All right.
32:48This is probably the middle of the lake bed.
32:50Yeah, so if we went that way and checked it and that way and checked it,
32:52then I think we'd have a run.
32:53You know, it looks like that's the route.
33:00That's a nice lake bed.
33:01It does look very nice here.
33:04So, let's go this way.
33:05Nice.
33:18So, let's set out two cones on either side right here.
33:24Tell me when.
33:25I think, like, right here, it looks like people were goofing around doing donuts or something, so.
33:30Yeah, start right here.
33:31Yeah.
33:31Because right there, we get kind of nasty.
33:33Yeah.
33:33Right here.
33:33Okay, I feel like.
33:40Nope, back a little.
33:43Oh, just a little bit that way.
33:46That's the spot.
33:49So, we have a course somewhat plotted.
33:51I don't know the distance.
33:52I don't know the direction.
33:54It's pretty far and it's pretty wide.
33:56Our thoughts were, though, because this isn't out here drug and checked,
34:00we've made a course that we feel like is a safe enough distance
34:03that is smooth without ruts across it.
34:07And we have a good start and we're going to go down and check one more time just to see
34:11if anything were to happen how far of a shutdown we have.
34:15We've opted to run the actual direction of the course even though we're running a shorter distance
34:19because I don't want to run left to right and potentially get into scrub brush.
34:23That's a bad day.
34:24Scrub brush.
34:25You're a scrub brush.
34:26I saw that band.
34:27Let's go.
34:27Are we ready to go?
34:28Yeah.
34:32This, while it looks like just a dry lake bed, this is the proving grounds for early hot rodding.
34:38It continues to be proving grounds for hot rods and speed, but it really plays a really key element
34:45in the early days of hot rods because there wasn't tracks.
34:49There wasn't all of that readily available.
34:50They came out here and found a dry lake bed and that shows the innovation that they had
34:55because they could have just not done it, but they found a place, they came out here,
34:59they hot rodded, they developed parts, and that has led us to hot rodding today.
35:05So I feel very lucky to be out here on this ground and we get to make some runs in our Roadster
35:10and I just get chill bumps thinking about it.
35:12So with that said, I think it's time to hit the dirt.
35:16So here's how it works. Most land speed cars are geared so high that it's hard for them to get
35:22going on their own and then it takes a long time for them to get up to speed. This gearing is done
35:27with the top end speed in mind and the push truck is able to make up for the start. Since El Mirage
35:32is an especially short course at only 1.3 miles total, the job of the push truck is extra important.
35:39It gets the car up to a speed where it can actually start accelerating in a reasonable amount of time
35:44and then once that goal is met, the push truck falls away and the car speeds off to
35:48record-breaking glory and that is what we're practicing.
35:54We were crooked when I started. It was my fault. I wasn't straight.
35:58So then Lucky's following my angle which puts us off course. So we've picked a mountain in the
36:03distance that we're shooting for. I just need to make sure I'm lined up there. The sooner that we
36:07can get the car off of the push truck with speed, the better. So we're going to try to work through
36:13that. This is a teamwork exercise. We're doing teamwork here, team building.
36:29That's it, team building.
36:44Let's go!
36:47Okay, that was way better.
37:05It was really good, huh?
37:06That was...
37:07That sounds expensive.
37:09Don't need that, right?
37:10Who's Hans, and why is he always laying around?
37:13All right, that really felt a lot better.
37:17I did figure something out.
37:19I am the ultimate pusher?
37:22That's what I was thinking.
37:23Okay.
37:24You're not too shabby.
37:24Okay.
37:25But this arm restraint, too short.
37:28I fumbled, put it right back in first gear
37:30because I couldn't jam it to third.
37:33And I, like, tried to get it over there,
37:34and, like, it did its job.
37:36It was restraint.
37:37So we did that in second gear.
37:39That was second gear?
37:40Yeah.
37:41Those are good gears.
37:42Yes.
37:43So what...
37:44Do you know what mile an hour we pushed off at?
37:46I think it was, like, 57 miles an hour.
37:4857.
37:48Okay.
37:49I think what I want to do on my side
37:51is I want to not get RPM as early.
37:55Like, I don't want to get in the gas as early as I did.
37:57Right.
37:57So, because it just comes up.
37:58It seems like I was pushing you for a second,
37:59like, and then...
38:00Because when you were ready to go, you were gone.
38:02Well, when I clicked off,
38:03did you see the back end fishtail a little?
38:05Yeah, you were getting it right there.
38:06Yeah.
38:07So that felt pretty good,
38:08but I'm just going to save getting into it RPM-wise
38:11until we're a little bit further down.
38:13Gotcha.
38:14I think we're going to let the car cool just a second,
38:16make sure our course stays good,
38:18and then I'm going to fix this darn arm restraint
38:20so I can get to third gear.
38:21We've got to check that,
38:22and then we'll be good to go.
38:25I'm going to be over here in the shade.
38:27Yeah, I don't blame you.
38:27You'll see me.
38:28I'll be right over here.
38:29Goodbye.
38:31All right, so this is going to be our third pass.
38:33I'm rolling up right now.
38:34What I'm doing is I'm using the hump on the hood.
38:37I've pre-aligned the cars,
38:39and the hump on the hood is parallel
38:41to the H of Hot Rod Special on the back.
38:44So I'm creeping up on it right now.
38:46Car's in drive.
38:50That was a delicate attach.
38:52And here we go.
38:5350 miles an hour is as fast as I can go,
39:11and she clearly found third gear that time
39:14because I am eating dust.
39:23All right, that felt really good.
39:27Lucky had some speed under that push.
39:28I don't know what he was going.
39:29I've been leaving off of him in second gear,
39:33and on that one, I came off in the top a second,
39:35needing to shift immediately.
39:37So since I know he's got some speed under him,
39:39I'm going to try taking off in third.
39:41Seeing how that affects us could be good,
39:43could be bad, but we're going to try it.
39:46Let's do it.
39:53All right, that last run,
40:23felt really good.
40:25It was a good time, definitely.
40:26It was better than the couple before
40:28when you were doing all that,
40:30was that the Texas two-step?
40:31It's called the shuffle.
40:33The lakeside skid?
40:34The lakeside skid, yes.
40:35That's our name Dan.
40:36Something for sure.
40:37Yeah, so the last two passes
40:38really gave us a lot of information.
40:40We were happy with both of them.
40:41On the second-to-last run,
40:43I tried staying in second gear,
40:44and then he got me up to about 55 mile an hour.
40:47I took off, and that all felt pretty decent,
40:50except I was already at the top of second gear,
40:52meaning it was time for me to shift
40:54pretty much as soon as I took off from the push car.
40:56Right, and when you depress the clutch
40:57and go to shift gears,
40:58you're slowing down just a little bit.
40:59Then you get into third gear.
41:01Then you've got to kind of build up momentum
41:02all over again.
41:03So how did we cure that problem?
41:04So basically what we did,
41:05he kept around the same speed,
41:07a couple mile an hour or more,
41:09and then I went in third gear,
41:11and I had plenty of time after push-off
41:13to get some speed under me before a shift.
41:15It was clean.
41:16It was smooth.
41:16It felt really good.
41:17Absolutely.
41:17I got in there,
41:18I gave it all the beans.
41:19You did.
41:20All the beans,
41:21and you were in third gear to receive the beans,
41:23and then we were bean-powered
41:24all the way down the track.
41:25That's a fact.
41:26Just to reiterate,
41:27the whole goal of a push vehicle
41:29is we want to be able to make the course longer,
41:34so to say,
41:35by shortening the distance it takes
41:37to get up to speed.
41:38These have a little bit of perfection
41:40that they can have.
41:40This one needs a little bit different gearing,
41:43because I think we're going to run out of gear
41:45once we go to a full course.
41:46Luckily, it has a quick change we're in,
41:47so it's just a matter of buying some gears,
41:49taking the cover off,
41:50and putting whatever set you want in there.
41:51And seeing that the push truck
41:52is basically maxing out its speed potential
41:54pushing this car,
41:55I would love to see a bunch more power under the hood.
41:59So, we have a few thanks to Sam.
42:01We have quite a few people to thank.
42:03Gearstar transmissions,
42:04that we were able to go through all the gears
42:05in this thing, no problem whatsoever.
42:06Always keeps us reliable.
42:07Right.
42:08Holly.
42:08Absolutely.
42:09Driving this thing is like a dream.
42:11Mickey Thompson over here on the roaster.
42:13And take a little vibration out of this,
42:15we have Toyo tires in the front,
42:16a more aggressive tread pattern
42:18for the off-road application.
42:19What a variety of tires.
42:21We also have DSP,
42:22who foamed and covered our head pads
42:24that are inside the Roadster cage.
42:26I noticed those.
42:27Those are very nice.
42:27They look so good.
42:28They do.
42:29They do.
42:29We also have Dennis and Vehicle Effects.
42:32His guys,
42:32they got us all hooked up
42:33with the graphics and the decals
42:35and made it happen
42:36in a very short period of time.
42:38And it looks amazing.
42:39It looks patina.
42:40It looks like period correct.
42:41I'll send a shout out to my sister, Meg,
42:43because she helped me design that,
42:45got it all laid out.
42:46Thank you, Meg.
42:47And then last but not least...
42:48By helped you,
42:48you mean you thought of it
42:49and she made it.
42:50That's how it works.
42:50All right.
42:51Ideas, action.
42:52It's great.
42:53So is that it?
42:54I think so.
42:54I think we're done.
42:56Okay.
42:56Do you have social media?
42:57I do.
42:58Thank you so much for asking.
42:59Really?
42:59I am Mobile Tech Lucky
43:00on absolutely everything.
43:02Very nice.
43:03Very nice.
43:03Now, do you have social media also?
43:05Why, actually, I do.
43:06It is Alex Taylor Racing
43:07and we are Hot Rod Garage Show.
43:09Yes, we are.
43:10Let's go to the lake.
43:12It's not a lake.
43:13That's a El Mirage.
43:15Okay.
43:16Fair enough.
Be the first to comment