Final Chapter for 2006

A dream come true is all I can say about our latest adventure on the Bonneville Salt Flats!!

It all started about 42 years ago as a much younger Jim Linder set in the magazine rack at Dubrees Market in Livingston, Tennessee. Dubrees was a local market close to the local high school and not only allowed us kids to set and read comic books and magazines, but also fed us lunch of bologna (10 cents with two slices of bread), RC cola (5 cents) and a moon pie or hostess cup cake (5 cents). Reading the hot rod books was a thrill (I wasn’t allowed to buy them and take them home, (too much of a waste my parents thought) and the other benefit was Mrs Dubree was a cutie (about 25 years old, black hair and drove a black 62 Ford with red seats and a 406 four speed) and she always ran the cash register at the front door (right across from the magazine rack). A couple times a year the magazines featured the adventures of the Salt flats racers and it was just pretty cool to a teenager that had a strong love of automobiles. I worked part time at a gas station and got to attend some of the local dirt track races in Hillham, Tennessee (a town close by) with the guys that worked full time at the station. The ESSO station owned a couple of these cars and I got the job of stripping insides out of a couple of them. A flathead ford slinging dirt through the turns in a stripped down 32 Ford Victoria still is imbedded in my brain from many of those sat evenings. Gabe Sells drove the killer double zero car and won lots of races.

Now its many years later and all I have ever really done is cars, my wife and son have endured and loved cars all these years as well. Its September 2006 just a couple days after our latest conference and find myself reliving all those all hot rod books sitting at the starting line in our 1949 Ford F series pickup. I kinda think the place is haunted with the ghosts of all who have ran the salt over the last 50 years. The drivers suit is pretty uncomfortable with the flame retardant underwear, the head sock, gloves and helmet with neck restraint. Scott and Stan have helped me buckle up and we have pre warmed the engine to 180 degrees. Both gauges (one of each cylinder head) read exactly the same and is a good sign on a flathead ford engine. The windows are rolled up and the starter comes over and asks how I am doing? He then customarily jerks all the harnesses tight (a bit tighter than I would have liked) and Scott pops the window net up on the drivers side and closes the door for the final time. The heat and the pure excitement of actually running a vehicle on the salt flats is a pure buzz for sure. There is nothing in front of me but lots of smooth (very white) salt ! I can see the huge ( 4x8) one mile markers that I need to drive through and they look like another state away from where I am on the starting line. I am trying to keep the engine cleaned out and hoping I don’t dump the clutch too soon and stall the engine when the starter grins and points for me to head down the race course. First gear went way too quick and I carefully shifted into second and took my first look at the digital tachometer on the steering column. I pulled it into high at about 4100 rpm and settled down hoping this white stuff wasn’t as slick as it looked. My first timing light was at ¼ mile after the first mile marker and the truck was riding great and the engine couldn’t have sounded any better and hit this timer at about 4300 rpm! At this point I really don’t think I have taken a breath since I had left the line! The thrill was almost too much! The two mile marker went by pretty quick and the tachometer was still at 4300 purring like a kitten. No jerk, no snap no backfires just a very perfect sound thru the 3 inch straight pipes off the headers exiting the vehicle out the side. As I approached the three mile marker everything was still at 4300 and I felt like I was pushing dent in the floorboard. I knew that I needed to shut down after the three mile marker and let off the gas as smoothly as possible still with some concern of poor traction on decel. Traction seemed to be good and I shifted into neutral and turned off to the left (as instructed) toward the timing trailer and return road. Then and only then did I take my first breath and it wasn’t a good one as I had a mouth full of nomex head sock. Before I had even coasted to a stop I had the helmet, gloves and neck restraint off and in the passenger seat. WOW my heartbeat at that point must have been 200 beats per minute! As I got out and walked to the timing trailer I didn’t even care what the speed was, it didn’t matter at all , the thrill of actually doing something I had read about and dreamed of years ago took over . Now I fully understand the magic of the salt ! The salt bear had been good to me today for my first ride!

My speed was 97.61 mph (slightly off the 101 mph plus we would need for a record) and I knew the truck was running as good as it ever would without some major volumetric efficiency changes ! We had turned a couple times in Indianapolis 4500 in high gear on the interstate which would have been over the record. BUT this wasn’t in Indianapolis , it was in Utah. Ed Starr said when we returned to the pits (after consulting his pc weather station) Jim you are running right now at 5200 feet and that is a loss in engine actual horse power of approx 20 percent! I knew he was right on when he said it. The ADR (air density ratio) not only was different than Indy but also changes during the day.

WOW, something new to study and learn (getting harder for a old guy) but very excited about this new world.

Jim Linder

More to come about my new friend (or enemy Mr ADR ) Click here for Part 2.