Daytona clone bound for Bonneville Speed Week 2020

This project started as a 1970 Charger, 318 auto car that was three tires in the scrap yard and one on a banana peel. In a short 2 1/2 months last spring, I did a little sheetmetal work on it. It will house the 498" THE Block (B-block) Brodix B1 MC headed engine built for the task. Only need to go 238mph to break the record in Classic Production A class.

VERY COOL !!!!!! Please keep us posted.

Special thanks to my friend Mike Hancock who invited me to share a corner of his shop in Washington and gave me a hand with some sheet metal removal, media blasting, and protective coating of the work when I finished. Special thanks also to my friend Tom Hodder who helped me with some fabrication of the roll bar (first time installing a roll bar) and some other tasks.

A few more pics of my effort last spring. My friend invited me to his shop in Washington...fortunately I live in FL so it was only a four day drive each way...and he put me up in his RV for my 57 days at 12 hours a day work!

Still got quite a ways to go, as I still have to install almost all systems, but I have almost everything to get it done. Dual fire systems (engine compartment and cockpit), more bars in the cage, finish wiring, install Aeromotive fuel system, install parachute,wing, assemble nose and install, brake system, Hydramax clutch, etc. Still have to source a QA1 driveshaft. Have to modify and install the 9" rear axle with 2.47 gears. Does anyone know of a lower ratio for the 8 3/4" rear axle? Lowest I can find and have is a 2.76. Should be a piece of cake to have it finished by Speed Week 2020 which should be in August.

Before you poo poo my power levels, keep in mind this is an endurance engine designed to run WOT for minutes at a time!

Then there's the pile of some of the rusty metal I removed! Not sure where the inner and outer wheel houses went...but they were replaced too! I thought I could use the tail light panel, but it was just too thin and also had to be replaced. I have a 1968 Charger that is rustier!

This Daytona owned and driven by Lee Sicilio has the record currently. He had another Daytona in another class, but he crashed that one bad at 291mph or so last fall at Bonneville.

The second pic is a Barracuda with a twin-turbo 528 Hemi that was running almost 300 mph in 2016.

If you have not made it to Speed Week, you should consider going first chance you get. It is a unique and amazing event. If it doesn't rain out you will not be disappointed!

My buddy want to get out there this year,, I guess he want to get his 200mps license,, we have a buddy that
is gonna let him drive for a few passes

Awesome project, Daytona clone or real are at the top of my list, years ago I helped a friend building single cyl Turbo Buell motorcycles & he set some records, I did not get to go with him, but I had a blast building & dynoing the engines.

"A little sheetmetal work"...I tip my hat to you, sir !
I would hope that steering setup has a very slow ratio ?

Hope Bonneville in general, & the salt especially, are good this year.

Question.. how much throttle movement do you have on this car... my friends car has like 10" of travel so
its not all jerky as you roll into it

Wow, what a project.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Only 238 mph?

I have a friend who is into watching salt racing, he has been to Lake Gairdner in Australia, as well as many times to Bonneville. He talked me into going to Bonneville in 2014, the 100th anniversary and while the event was rained out, it was like a huge car show, every parking lot in Wendover was full of every type of vehicle from all over the world, it was great to talk to people and see all the machines. Almost went a second time, and yes it rained out that event as well. One day I will make it to Bonneville when it doesn't rain. One thing I picked up was that running on the salt is very hard on a car, I hope when you did your restoration you sealed every crevice that salt could hide in. Most of the guys I talked too completely disassemble a car after every race to clean and prevent corrosion. I have been drag racing since 1974, and I must say the salt racers have a passion about what they do. And the technology and craftsman ship is really something to see, I would recommend that any gearhead needs to see speed week at least once, it's a bucket list thing for me to get to see an event, that isn't rained out. It was weird to see the great salt lake as a lake, it had about 3 inches of water on it as far as you could see.

Great job and very cool build. When I had my heart attach in 1999 while going to cardiac rehab classes an older lady noticed the racing shirt I had on and told me about her sons salt flats car. We talked for the next several weeks about racing and every time she told me about her son her eyes lit up. She was so proud of him. Goodluck and please keep us updated.

great fab work !
please keep the updates coming !

Very cool. I have seen plenty of engine stuff for sure and more than enough drag cars(doesn't get old btw)but this is something unique and very cool, at least to me. Cant wait to se the finished product. Bonneville is something that has always intrigued me and I have thought about it many times. For now Ill keep trying to go 200 in a 1/4 with an NA Mopar.. Best of luck with it and look forward to seeing more.

Speed week is on my bucket list!

Only 238 , huh ?
Best wishes on your effort.........or should I say
efforts , since you have to back it up too.
This is super cool.
Cracking the two ton mark is bucket list stuff.
Chasing a record is getting serious.

Well plan to check that bucket list thing this year fellas! If the weather holds and this Covid-19 thing is done, it should be a hoot. I will let you guys know if I'll make it. I guarantee it is worth the trip.

Now, where does this happen-
I met my friend Mike Hancock and his crew in 2013 on Thursday evening while attending a fact finding visit for my project. Se met in a grocery store when I asked him an access question. Long story short, on Tuesday after spending some time visiting and helping out a little, he offered me to take his car for my Rookie Run (up to 150mph), which I did. It's an initial licensing run. He then says they have time for one more run, if I wanted to. Silly question...so I ran 160mph for 3 miles and gained my Class C LSR license!!

2014 and 2015 rained out, then Mike called and asked if we were coming out in 2016. I wasn't planning to attend, then Mike says "if you guys come out, I'll get you over 200mph!" I said let me get tickets! Ran193mph to license up to Class B...then a subsequent run with someone else driving broke the engine. At this event, early in the week, transmission had to come out. He says they were going home, as they were all too old to remove the trans on the salt. I said, I can do that, no need to go home! We fixed it, with the help of George Poteet's (Speed Demon) Tig welder (Troy Trepanier), eho welded the ring gear back onto the flywheel, wished us well, and then I went 193mph. What racing event habe YOU been to where this kind of thing happens? Come on out and join the fun! Come for the first weekend and all the car shows, no telling how long we will have the opportunity to run on the salt!

WOW, that's a ton of work but a great job!! Keep us posted

I totally
Your dedication and skill amaze me

I use to go down as a crew member for my friend's 1598cc Hayabusa. He also ran a bike that had two 1250cc GSXR engines in it!?! Oh the stories! Haha. From the 5 times I was down there, it was definitely a cool experience. It can be hot and exhausting, but still a good time. Haven't been down in 8 years, but might make it down again some time. I always loved seeing Mopars there, and yours will be one to watch! Wish you good luck and safe low level flying!

Thanks!

Okay, so missed it by a year, but finally got my junk to Speed Week 2021! Had a good showing with a 187mph at the 2 1/4 on the short course right out of the trailer, which cleared me for the long course! Stayed on yhe short course for a couple more passes to work out some things, then moved over to the long courses. Lexan windshield caved in a little on a 217mph run, but we fixed that. Made a few mods and went 230.973mph exit speed at the 5 mile after averaging 229+ for mile 5. Stayed in the throttle to the 6 mile and burned a piston, so done for this year. Tires grew considerably which threw final calculated ratio off quite a bit. Also had inlet turbulence and fuel distribution issues that I must address. We will be back next year, class correct and ready to break the record if conditions permit!

217mph run, winshield caves at 53:37, uneventful-
https://youtu.be/QbIa7B70Rak

230.973mph run, other GoPro didn't capture.
https://youtu.be/IFnDxQg_iic

VERY cool, at least you made it !!!!

Awesome, Hope you get the little bugs worked out and you become the new record holder !!

Are they, BNI, going to run again this year like in the past?
I can't believe how long your right foot was on the floor I'm not sure I could keep mine down that long To many 1/8 and 1/4 runs, maybe
How long is the long course now

What was the terminal rpm on the long course run?
I know it’s hard to really tell from watching a video on the phone, but it sounded like you ran it higher in 3rd than what it would pull in 4th.
It didn’t “sound” like it was super high rpm in 4th.

Hey Cab,
Long course 1 was graded to 9 miles this year, long course 2 was graded to 8 miles. The short course is 3 miles.
Put it on the calendar for next year, see you there to break the record!

Very cool build and very successful outing.....I love how your cage allows the use of the stock mirror and you have stock floor boards...Bet the car isn't light. You look comfortable in there and car looks pretty stable at speed. And I think your hood scoop hates you lol....

That is awesome for you first time out. I have no doubt, that you'll beat that record. You must have some good weight in the back, to keep them skinny tires from spinning! I know how slippery that salt is! Good luck with your upgrades for next year.

Man Dwayne, you are picky!! LoL! I wish you'd have been with me and told me to lift at the 5 mile marker! Would have extended my fun and saved me a couple thousand dollars!
You are correct. The engine seemed to struggle to get to max rpm in 3rd, then stopped accelerating at 6400 in 4th. The rear 28" tires expanded 2 1/2" in diameter which threw my final drive ratio way off. On the dyno (at 860'elevation, don't know the DA) the engine made 135 less hp at 6400 vs 7400 where max hp was attained (which is what 28" tires should have given with this gear at 240 or so), so even at Bonneville DA there is a difference, in this case enough the engine couldn't overcome the aero of the car with the taller tires. I believe fuel distribution and inlet turbulence exaserbated the problem. The a/f on each bank was showing 12.7 up to a point. As the speed increased well above 200mph, the a/f (based on an Innovate Motorsports dual guage) was changing so rapidly I could only see a number occasionally, bouncing between 12.7 and 13.1. The engine made best power at around 13.1 on the dyno...for a few seconds at a time. That was obviously too lean in the spread for the #7 which burned and #6 which had the thermal coating partially burned off but the piston survived. I now know I should've had O2 sensors in all primaries and a way to monitor that on the fly, or I should've kept it richer to keep it alive. That and I should've lifted at the 5 mile marker, or definitely when rpm started to decrease, although I'd guess the damage was already done. Expensive lesson learned, 5 miles was probably plenty for WOT! I had asked the experts when I was building the headers about EGT or O2 sensors in each primary and was told that wasn't needed on a NA engine at this HP level. I wanted to do it before Jet Hot coating if so. I learned the expensive way it is needed and the cost of the system would have paid for itself here!
Solutions- Get the heads and manifold to Wilson's Manifolds to help fuel distribution, work on the scoop for better inlet air, and add a K&N
air filter that will flow enough air to help control the inlet turbulence. If you have any suggestions I am wide open for suggestions. I cannot use computer controlled ignition in this class or fuel injection. There is a low pressure above the scoop I will address, not exactly sure how I will change it to help inlet airflow, but I will change it.

Dragula, you can't see it but the car has a full headliner! Need to tighten that mirror up! LoL! And yes, I was quite comfy in there, if a little snug!

Incredible….. thanks for sharing your experience

Very cool. Hope to see it in person next year.

You are motivated far more than most. I'm sure you will succeed.
Doug

Amazing! You guys did a ton of work to get there. Congrats on a successful campaign.

I saw this car in 1 of Johns videos.He has some great footage.

Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing and please keep us updated on your project!

Lifsgrt where to you get fuel out there? Do you bring your own drum? I ask because I was delivering a car to Carson City and I stopped at the 'track' There was nothing there besides 2 poles that held the sign for Bonneville. I took a picture The next town is Wendover. I have enjoyed reading stories about salt racing since I was a kid. Watching your videos pulling the 4 speed is incredibly awesome!! I can't even imagine the velocity you feel. Didn't they use to lay a redline on the salt to orient drivers? I just wanted to check in and say your efforts are incredible and you know we here are all pulling for you and your team.

Fuel is available on site. You can use your own fuel but you can not set a record with it, You must use on site fuel for record runs, You have to go straight to impound on record runs also.

The last couple years the event fuel has been VP Racing. There was a semi loaded with all kinds, all you need. I thought I would burn way more C14 than I did. I brought 15 gallons or so and since I broke I actually brought a partial can home. When you run for a record you have to show at the truck with an empty tank. They add the amount you request and seal the tank. It stays sealed until you back up the record run unless you need more, then they add fuel and reseal. I didn't make it that far, but will next year!

Hey Clanton, I cannot view that video. Can you help?

I am unsure why you can't view His YT is John Wylie .I did join to watch live video but I think the yt is public. search him on yt and ask to join if needed.sorry for any trouble.

Good Job !!!!