Rescued from the Jaws Of Death

This is the First Bug that has been rescued from the JAWS OF DEATH. This bug was just inches away from being stuffed into the scrap dumptster. The guy in the background (with the day-glow hunting hat) is cleaning out an old junk yard, and he saw our ad for an old bug. This beauty has been sitting in the weeds for so long that it has a cool root growing across the interior.

So Cal LOOK Bugs

I found another good resource for hot rod bug info. The site also has some good top chop info. Its promotes some products that are sold by Speedway Motors. The www.socalook.com is full of stuff to supply more day dream material. Jim has been working on the trailer lights, getting it ready to rescue any stay VW's that we can find. We should open a Bug rescue shelter, so they don't end up in the "cruncher" With scrap metal prices being so high people are dragging anything to the scrap yard. They have been stealing the man hole covers in Indianapolis for scrap money.

Got Tin

Jim made our first Buy of some VW tin. He got a responce from our newspaper ad for an old VW bug. It was from a guy who is cleaning out an old junk yard out in the country. The car looks to be around a 1960 model. It will give us a donor for tin needed for a top chop on another body. I don't think this one belonged to Elvis, but were still looking. It might have belonged to Jim Morrision, because the doors where still there.(man that's bad)

Chassis Design is a frame up

Jim and I have been talking about chassis designs for the Speedwagen. We looked at a site www.prostreetbug.com that has a sturdy chassis and a glass body already chopped. The Chassis is set up for a V8 with a ford 9in. rear. This is a little heavy for our design, but would be nice for a street rod project. We also have been looking at dune buggy and sand rail chassis styles. I have several blueprints of old style oval track open wheel cars. The car shown in the picture above is a copy of a Watson Indy Roadster. I reverse engineered the chassis of this car for Champion Racing.Thats not A.J. Foyt at the wheel, its me having a good time at Indianapolis Raceway Park. I have a couple Don Edmund cars in the shop. One is a Supermodified, and the other is whats left of an old Sprinter. We might chop up the sprinter to make the chassis out of. Still having a good time sketching on napkins, but were getting close to a launch of the project.

www.volksrods.com

Jim Linder told me about this VW site. It has a tech section that has some good info on chopping a bug top. I have been thinking about making a mold of the top on bugzilla, and make a glass top to put on the car. This volksrod sight is full of good ideas. www.volksrods.com

Drawing Views

These are scale views of a 66 VW bug. I put these views into AutoCad. This gives us a start for the Cad Design of the Speedwagen. I did some geometry studies on the top chop. Its almost like cheating when you get to do it in AutoCad first. This top is full of geometry!!!!!!!!!! front to rear, side to side. Looks like 6 inches is the max chop that can be done, and still retain some slope into the rear window and engine cover.

WANT OLD BUG

We placed an ad in the Indy newspaper today. It reads WANT OLD VW BUG, any condition. This should bring in some crazy calls. I gave Jim a lead on an old bug the other day. What he found when he got there was a hood and a rust spot on the ground where the car once was.This would make a good show for the Discovery Channel--The Search for the lost bug of Elvis.

Did a little quick and dirty Photo Shop work on a Logo for our project. This is a modified body trim piece from a vw of some kind. I had this part in my misc junk pile (which is quite a pile). Who knows before long we can have shirts, hats, stickers and all the propoganda to promote our project. Talked to a guy tonight that has an old VW drag car for sale. Its a 57 with a chopped top and an old gasser style straight axle. The bad news is that it has a Baja chop to the rear with no engine cover. Opps I just noticed that I mis-spelled Bonneville on the logo above. Thats one of my special skill's--creative spelling. Hooked on phonics has been very very good to me.

Fast Indian

Went to see the Worlds Fastest Indian last night. It is a good flick for sure. At the end of the movie the people cheered and applauded. I only remember that happening at a Stars Wars movie. The crowd was a real mix of people, but they all were there for the same reason---A story about SPEED. There were high roller women in fur coats sitting next to bikers in chains and leathers. I knew I was with a good company, when the guys next to me were showing each other sketches of a bike the had in mind to build. It was good to see what the salt really looks like, it makes for better day dreams.

Concept sketch done by GK on the back of a place mat at a coffee meeting Saturday at the Steak and Shake.

Parts Truck

Here is our shop parts hauler! King has had this Chevy Panel for over 25 years. It's on its 3rd or 4th 6 cyl engine. It has a 55 chevy rear end, with a Saginaw tranny. It used to be a tow truck for a stock car years ago. Now it has found new life as the official SPEEDWAGEN shop truck.

CARMEL SALT CAR

Speedwagen here!

Making the plan!

Took a trip to Gasoline Alley on Indys West Side last Saturday, and had a pow-wow with Jim Linder and Terry Engle. They are a couple of old friends of mine who first got me interested in going to Bonneville. The Shops on Gasoline Alley have put together a Flat Head powered pick-up to run on the salt. Jim Linder is among many things---a BUG NUT. I got some good advice and encouragement from him. Now the hunt is on for a VW roller to start the CHOP. I just bought a new sawsall, and I am itch'in to cut some tin!

SpeedWagen on the move....

Chief Mechanic's Street Machine

Getting Started

Sat down with an old friend, Garry King, turns out he has caught the salt bug from a couple of hot rodders on the west side and has been thinking some about it. Since we have been working on design projects together off and on for about 30 years we decided to team up and do this. We decided that a G/Gas competion coupe is a good starting place. We like the idea of a chopped old style VW with maybe the track T or the SoCal look, with the dropped ford front axle. Looking at a Mazda or Subaru engine, kind of leaning toward the Subaru since it has such a good record in rallies and races all over the world. We are reaching out in all directions for information on these aspects, I am adding some electrical power to the shop, GK is building a scale model of a 66 VW for analysis. We will laser scan the model into our cad system where we can look at changes such as chopping the top, lengthening the nose, etc. Rules have been requested, questions have been asked of the Salt Flats technical gurus, the project is underway!

More Thoughts

Upon further consideration we see that more study needs to be applied.

First Thoughts About The Car

First thought about a salt car in 1953, california hot rodding was the big thing, and we all wanted to "go to the salt!" The streamliners, the cars made from drop tanks off jet fighters, the 32 Fords, it was all we thought about for 3 or 4 years.