[Brian Watts]

Anyone know somebody building a car for this ?

http://www.saltflats.com/36_HP.html

http://www.burlyb.com/

The Challenge: Find out how fast your 36hp Volkswagen bug can go at the mecca for all land speed racers, the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. Drive your bug from a standing start and accelerate at full throttle over a full mile until it’s ultimate top speed is reached in a precision 132 ft. Sped Trap, and do it with the same street legal bug you drive every day.

The owner of the 36hp based bug that achieves the highest speed at one of the sanctioned events will be awarded a genuine early 60’s Volkswagen trophy commemorating his/her record.

The 36 HP Top Dog:
To date, Dick Beiths original 36hp record of 101.296 miles per hour set in 1961 has remained out of reach, despite forty five years of technological advancements.
Will this be the year a new all time top speed for a 36hp engine Beetle will be established?

Could your bug be the next Bonneville Record Holder?

 

[quartermilekyle]

thats badass.36 hp goin over 100 mph.thats badass

 

[36hplandspeedracer]

This year Tom and Gaylen have installed a higher geared tranny in the 103 mile per hour bug and hope to finally find out what a turbocharged 1378cc 36hp engine can really do. Anybody want to guess on this years top 36hp speed?

Burly

 

[Unkl Ian]

Any other changes, like to the motor ?

Depending on the exact gear, my guess in 107.1 mph.

 

[Tom Simon]

The weather forecast says high 70's low 80's that week in Wendover, which means dense air :yes:

If they can throw enough boost at it and the fuel system is up to it, and they have enough gear...

I will guess they will blow their old record out of the water with a 2 way average of 117mph... And I still think that record is 'soft' :-*

but I'm an optimist. Good luck, guys, go get 'em!

 

[roadcow]

They ran out of gear last year at 3/4 track and were at 6K rpm from there to the traps so I'd say they should do much better with the different trans. No guess though.

 

[36hplandspeedracer]

Here is some food for thought. I just got off the phone with Bville Tom and can give you his latest test report. This morning, with the new high geared tranny in place and the accelerator pump on the single carb repaired, he achieved 85 miles per hour in "3rd" gear at nine pounds boost. He does not know what the RPM's were because he was approaching the rear of a semi with such thrust he needed to institute a brake test as well.

He considered both tests very suiccessful.

Tom said his first runs will be with the engine in exactly the same configuration as when it set the 103 mph record last year except the air intake leak will have been corrected and the new tall gear trannie. If all is successful, he is also assembling a second different intake sytem to try.

Earlier I asked for guesses on Toms top speed for 2009. So far Unkl Ian has said 107.1, Brian 109., and Tom S. 117. miles per hour. Anyone else out their willing to put their projection out there?

Countdown to WOS is now at eleven days and closing.

See all of you soon..........

Burly

 

[Unkl Ian]

With a different intake, maybe 108.7 - 109.2

 

[36hplandspeedracer]

Flash ! ! ! !

As of tonights great news that the ghost of Blackline 57 lives and will be coming to the salt under the guise of Chip Birks 1960 drag racing street beetle, we are expecting at least five 36hp Challenge cars to compete at this years World of Speed.

59 Ghia (Denzel power) of Richard Troy.................DSS Ghia

74 Beetle of Britt Grannis....................................SS Bug

60 Beetle of Mcallister Bros/Chip Birks...................DSS Bug

58 Beetle of Beaver Geezers...............................SS Bug

74 Beetle of Bruch/Anderson...............................NA36


Thanx to all for their participation in the Challenge and on the forums.............

Burly

 

[bvilletom]

SEP 2009 Bville Changes

Here is a list of the changes we made for this years Bonneville. The engine is still quite small for this racing class, 74 x 77 = 1378cc, we put 1.3 ratio rockers on the same cam, a 2J Isky & now the lift is about .400”. I worked on the chambers and got two more CFM on the intake (now 51 CFM @ .300”). I reshaped the exhaust ports and picked up 4 more CFM (now 48 CFM @ .300”). The heads were generally checked and put it back together. I’m still using the same T-2 Garrett turbo and the single 40 mm Solex BMW carburetor. One change we will be trying is a new custom intake manifold to the turbo with internal vanes using a 40 DCNF Weber with it still being a complete hideaway turbo system. By using this Weber carb we will double our intake airflow.

The biggest change is the 3.88 gear. Going from a 4.37 to a 3.88 with a small 1300 cc low compression turbo motor isn’t exciting until it comes on boost, then it feels pretty good.

I don’t want to stray too far from what I know works and my biggest concern are keeping it from burning down, a full throttle turbo mile makes a lot of heat. I realize the record is pretty soft and I many not raise it a whole lot, but I’m sure going to try! This motor has 3 years on it now so in 2010 I think it’s big motor time. The new motor will be an ALL OUT for this type of racing, with no compromises.

Bville Tom

 

[bvilletom]

Here are some pictures of the Weber DCNF w/turbo on 36hp. I just about broke it on a jetting run. It ran out of fuel at full boost (see tattletale gage under dash) at 18psi in 3rd gear. It still lives I think, so we are done testing now.

Bvilletom

 

[bvilletom]

the gauge

 

[bvilletom]

The turbo with DCNF

 

[Tom Simon]

Definition of DCNF:

"Doesn't Count, No Fuel"

 

[36hplandspeedracer]

The USFRA's 2009 World of Speed event on the Bonneville Salt Flats came to a conclusion Saturday afternoon after torrential rains early in the week, possible cancellation of all the racing activities and finally blue skies and sun, warm weather and great racing. A record number of thirteen Volkswagen powered cars, both air and water cooled, both gas and diesel, ran for top speed. There were streamliners, pick-ups, bugs, bajas, Formula Super Vees, a turbo powered big VW motored splittie bus(94.891 mph) and even a VW Lupo powered Honda Insight hybrid. All in all, it was a record event for Volkswagen land speed racing. This event also welcomed the largest contingent of VW spectators supporting the racers with folks from Michigan, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and elsewhere coming out to experience to aura of Bonneville and be witness to the Challenge.



The 36hp Challenge saw three new records set in the five available bug classes and a baseline Ghia record established with a Ghia equipped with a rare Denzel modified 36hp motor. Two new 36hp Challenge "1" Club members were initiated into the elite club which also consists of Dick Beith and Tom Bruch (yes, just four total !). The Blackline 57 project which so many folks have been following on the Samba and Ultimate Air Cooled Vintage Speed forums returned from being dead just three weeks ago thanx to Chip Birks who donated his street car for the effort to establish a new DSS (Vintage two barrel carb) category record of 103.056 mph and qualify for the "1" Club. Team Irelands Britt Grannis, along with the Beaver Geezers crew of three different drivers vied for the SS (Stone Stock) record with the Beav's Al Leggett eventually driving to a new 36hp record of 73.492 mph.



Tom Bruch and Gaylen Anderson brought their record holding bug back to the salt with more gear in the trans and a Weber 40 DCNF carb on top of the turbo and boosted the all time 36hp bug and NA36 (New Age 36) record to a new high of 106.514 miles per hour. The carb provided the power but ran out of fuel at sustained high RPM's and damaged the engine, preventing further speed run attempts.



Richard Troy worked on his 58 low-light Denzel Ghia back home in Northern California through half of the meet overcoming the normal pre-race obstacles that seem to pop up when time is of the essence, threw on the tow bar, drove through the night and arrived on the salt for the very last days racing. With no sleep and just a half a day to race, he tuned and with the Blackline/Birks crew helping taking care of small details, was able to not only get all his passes in, but gain membership in the "1" Club with two passes above 101 miles per hour topping out at 101.163 miles per hour.



Experiencing tradgedy and frustration, all the 36hp Challengers muscled through to set four new 36hp records and make the 2009 World of Speed the most successful 36hp Challenge event to date. Bruce Cook from North Carolina, holder of two of the records that were exceeded called to offer congradulations. At next months ECTA Maxton, N.C., meet, Bruce's Canadian 51 split will attempt to reclaim the DSS record from the Mcallister brothers with a ****** Worsham tuned 36 engine and if that does not do the trick, he recently acquired an Okrasa set-up that will also enjoy Whiteys magic touch.



2010 is just around the corner and the 36hp Challenge just becomes more challenging. Hope you find the opportunity to view these little mighty mouse motors racing down the blackline or even participate with your bug, bus or Ghia. For more info and 36hp Challenge links, visit www.saltflats.com or go to www.burlyb.com .



See you on the salt........................



Burly

 

[bvilletom]

Not enough testing!
We didn’t have the best Bonneville racing this year, but we sure met a lot of really nice people. I put faces on a lot of the people from the internet forums that I really wanted to meet. Great fun!

There were some very good VW race efforts but the one that should be commended was the Blackline crew to make such a excellent performance after such adversity. Well done!

Our little 36hp turbo motor is getting much more difficult to tune on the road (my uphill road dyno is not long enough). You have to be at full throttle for at least ¾ mile before the problems start to show up then it’s quickly too late. What seems to be happening is the needle and seat in the Weber DCNF turns into a main jet and it literally runs out of fuel in the bowl. And then goes full lean & burns the pistons in about 3 seconds.

It has great potential, turned the ¼ mile at 88.3mph. the ½ mile at 102.6mph, and pulled up to 5300rpm in 4th gear (111mph) early in the second ½ mile with 3.88 gears & 26” tall tires at 16psi boost and then runs out of gas. Well with more testing and better parts we’ll get the right combination found.

The jetting seems to be ok as long as we have enough fuel. We already have a large fuel line from the tank to the pump, now it’s time for an electric fuel pump, pressure regulator, large carb, big n&s, and a large bowl, etc (maybe Holley 4 barrel?). Rules-wise we can make more or larger holes in the deck lid but not use stand-offs or scoops. This time it made a huge backfire in the intake and blew the bellows apart between the manifold center section and the end castings making a huge air leak and would not start. Kind-of a blow off valve of sorts that saved the turbo compressor.

Bvilletom