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SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 178 - October 8, 2010
Editor: Richard Parks [email protected]
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)
Photographic Editor of the Society: Roger Rohrdanz, [email protected]
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Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
 President's Corner, Editorials, Here is the info on my dad's service, I just found out that the New Bean Bandits are going to have a Memorial for Joaquin Arnett, By Keith Thursby Los Angeles Times September 30 2010, The important thing for me is to make certain that our SLSH readers aren't swayed by this writer’s thoughts which are inaccurate, See Janniro win this Inland Motorcycle Speedway Scratch Heat and interviews on the imsspeedway YouTube Channel, Thought I would check with you to possibly learn where the material I sent earlier is now posted, The Rosco McGlashan Aussie Invader 5R Newsletter is now available for October 2010, A short while ago a few people contacted me to say that a story was in the current issue of Street Rodder magazine that mentioned my name a few times, I just sent you an e-mail with more specifics after our conversation yesterday, Honda Hawk By Dick Keller, Newsletter #177 published a reference to a 1982 article from the Tri City Herald written by a staff member of the Western Reserve Historical Society, I just posted the following narrative on the Road Runners Group Page on Facebook, The following was sent in by Jack Dolan, So far the only TV Commercial I have seen is a negative vote on California Proposition 23 because of those big bad oil companies, Here's a chance for the whole family to visit the Los Alamitos Military base admission is free, On Saturday October 16 the Roundabout Restaurant at the Route 1 traffic circle in Portsmouth New Hampshire will feature their first cruise, The Sam Auxier Jr Show Live Monday October 11 2010 at 7PM EST

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President's Corner:  
   For all of you that follow land speed racing you must know that The Summers Brothers Goldenrod record has been broken after 45 years. This is huge. What's even huger is that multiple runs were made over the 400 mark and cars were even competing heads up for the same record. Our hats off to Charlie for taking the record and the Nish boys and Amir for getting their cars over the magic mark of 400 for the first time. If you're of the old school type there is something special about home built rides and Bob and Bill Summers fit into that mold perfectly. That leads into the first two shots for today. Royce McClintock was kind enough to lend us some shots of the "Boys" workshop, one outside (RCE_031) and the other inside (RCE_040). From this humble shop came their speed machine. Bravo!
   As you might know after the ride set the records for the Kilo and the Mile it was put out to pasture so to speak, touring everyplace in the States and abroad to show what a good old hot rodder could do with a little brain power and lots of moxie. All the wear and tear used up the marvel and it quite literally turned into a junker. Thanks to Ford Motor Company in that they had enough insight to buy the car and have it restored and put it on display in The Showroom of Automotive History at Greenfield Village.
   The next group of pictures is from Stuart Harnick and shows the car in all its glory on display. Thanks Stu for sharing! This leads us to have a look at a couple of old USAC yearbooks thanks to Kay Kimes. JMC_1 shows a page from a '66 issue and shows a rundown of the World Unlimited Class for wheel driven autos. Naturally our boys are at the top of the page. Like all good speeders one has to check out the rest of the records. What sticks out is everything up to 3,000 miles was set at our favorite playground, B-ville except two. And that happened to be the Mickster at March AFB in Riverside. For giggles I also checked out the '68 yearbook (JMC_2) as a cross reference and as usual some things are not jiving. Everything seemed cool until you get to the 4,000 mile mark then a big question mark comes up. Why did the '66 record book not show the records set in '63 by a Mercury Comet at   Daytona among others set before the book went to press? The '68 book clearly shows the records. Looks like it's just another in a long line of land speed records getting the short shrift.
   A little more reading in the '66 book revealed another mystery to me. JMC_3 shows the (U.S.) National Unlimited Records. JMC_4 shows the (U.S.) National Class A Records for all vehicles over 488" displacement. Seems the Summers set the Class A record but weren't credited with the Unlimited record. I wonder why since the car fit in both classes. It was also interesting to note that there were some Unlimited Class records from the '66 book that went back to 1933. That made them thirty something year old records. Pretty impressive until you ask yourself how would you like to drive around in circles for over 130,000 miles at 57 mph. Let’s put it another way, it took from March 15 to July 27 to go the distance. Boring! Imagine if you were on the crew to change tires and had to sit around 24-7 for 17 weeks. One also wonders how much that would cost for bragging rights in today’s world.
   For fun, I asked myself did the Summers Brothers break another record, that of having the oldest standing record on the books. All was looking good until I ran across a Carrell Shelby record set at Bonneville in '54 driving an Austin-Healy. That's a whopping 56 year old record putting our Brothers in the weeds. Our Cobra ran 132 mph for 24 hours. Well now Bob and Bill are in second, bummer. A further search shot ol’ Shel's down too. The oldest record standing isn't just one but multiples. They were set way back in '35 or almost 80 big ones ago. The culprit was none other than the Mayor of the salt himself, Ab Jenkins. How about a 24 hour run at 135+ in the aircraft engined Mormon Meteor. Amazing.
Captions:
CLICK FOR RCE_031
Outside shot of the old Summers Brothers shop in Ontario. Flaps on the side of the building opened to give them a little light and breeze.
CLICK FOR RCE_040
Inside of the Summers Brothers shop where the Goldenrod was built.
CLICK FOR SHC_001
Rear side view of the restored Goldenrod at Greenfield Village. The rear fiberglass cone detached and went flying when the chutes were deployed. That's why it isn't painted.
CLICK FOR SHC_002
The Summers Brothers Goldenrod looks fast just standing still. Chrysler suggested NACA ducts but the boys backyard engineered scoops gave more HP and a faster speed.
CLICK FOR SHC_003
Probably one of the lowest CD's ever for a race car hid a maze of tubes, engines and creative genius in the engineering department.
CLICK FOR JMC_1
Page from USAC's 66 Annual showing the Rod as the fastest wheel driven machine on the planet.
CLICK FOR JMC_2
Page from a '68 USAC annual showing they forgot to include some Official speed records.
CLICK FOR JMC_3
Seems the Summers Brothers didn't set a National Unlimited Class record with their car. The question is why?
CLICK FOR JMC_4
The National Class A records show our boys with the fastest speeds. The question is why do they have the Kilo listed as a standing start when it was done from a flying start? The record books really make our job of getting it right difficult.

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Editorial:   
   The following email was received by a reader and concerns the convoluted scoring system in automotive racing. 
   “The IndyCar championship will be decided at Homestead. There are now only 12 points separating Will Power and Dario Franchitti. Ten points is the difference between first and second place. So the bonus points for pole (1 point) and leading the most laps (2 points) will be at a premium.   If Franchitti should win the Homestead-Miami season finale, he'll earn maximum points. The worst Power can do is finish last, worth 10 points. Should Power have such a terrible race, perhaps caught up in an accident at Homestead where he has never raced before, Franchitti could clinch by finishing 8th or higher.  But if Franchitti wins and Power finishes second, then Franchitti will need to earn the remaining three bonus points, two points for leading the most laps and one point for the pole. Should Franchitti lead the most laps but the pole goes to one of the other Penske drivers, Helio Castroneves or Ryan Briscoe, he'll tie with Power.  The first tie-breaker is most wins, which will favor Power.”  From an open wheel racing fan 
   It seems that racing leagues have to “keep fans happy,” otherwise they won’t buy a ticket and see the races. In the past if you won a lot of races you were the season champion. Or if you had the most points accumulated from setting records at each meet. It was simpler back then; if you did well you won and if you did poorly you lost. But that system doesn’t keep the fans happy today. No sir, it doesn’t. You have to flimflam the score cards and spin the results and come up with gobbledygook to explain who the winner is and who isn’t. Let’s look at how this plays out with Irv and Syd. Irv has a master team and his car is running well. In fact Irv has won all 24 of the races that have been run so far, while Syd is struggling to stay in the top twenty, just barely edging out Bob, who is in 21
th place. Now the league doesn’t think that is quite the way to attract fans and believes those spectators have the IQ of a gnat, so from race 25 to 32 they are going to start all over again. Irv is given 100 points instead of the 2400 that he won up to that point and Syd is given 10 points instead of the 240 points that he had earned up to that point. 
   Irv continues to thrive and wins the next 8 races and 800 points while Irv struggles but gets enough points to reach the 10th spot and a chance in the finals. This time Irv is given his 100 points and Syd gets his customary last place 10 points. A strange thing now happens in the final two races for the Oval track crown of the Universe; Syd gets it all together and with luck on his side and bad luck on everyone else’s, he manages to earn two third place finishes for 160 points, while Irv has a last place finish and a DNQ. The final total is Irv 110 points and Syd 170 points. The Champion of the Universe is a driver who managed to luck his way into the final and still not win a race all year. Meanwhile, Irv, who has won 32 out of 34 races in an onslaught on the record books never seen before ends up somewhere in the fifth spot, not even good enough to stand on the podium. And you wonder why most of us with white hair have given up on these racing leagues. At least in land speed racing the champion is honored for what he has accomplished, not the legerdemain of a racing league’s accountant.

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Here is the info on my dad's service.  You probably know more about the Famoso raceway than I. This also was posted on the Bean Bandits MySpace web page.  Jackie Arnett http://beanbanditssandiego.blogspot.com/2010/10/joaquin-arnett-has-passed.html#comments. "When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure." author unknown    
   Legendary drag-racing pioneer, Joaquin Arnett, Jr, 83, of San Diego, passed away in his sleep September 24, 2010 at Country Hills Health Care Center in El Cajon, California. He suffered from Alzheimer’s.  The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) named Arnett its first National Champion in 1951. Two years later, 15,000 spectators watched Arnett capture the first NHRA Drag Race Championship at Pomona during a two-day, 850-run meet in which he competed against 374 other cars to win.  A beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Arnett was born November 27, 1926, to Joaquin and Esperanza Arnett in San Diego’s Old Town.  He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Viola Marie Arnett; his daughter, Jackie Arnett Sonka; son, Jeffrey Michael Arnett; sister, Noralund Zumaya; six grandchildren: Erik Arnett; Tara Dawn Arnett Sanchez; Chad Arnett; Ian Arnett; Cassandra Arnett and Joaquin Arnett IV; five great-grandchildren: Lauren Arnett; Priscilla Arnett; Gregory Sanchez; Ava Sanchez and Isabelle Hebish. He is preceded in death by his sister, Hilda Hernandez; and son, Joaquin “Sonny” Arnett III, who died in a car crash while racing at El Mirage in 1995.  Arnett grew up in San Diego, attended Stockton Elementary School and Memorial Junior High School, served in the Merchant Marine during World War II and participated in the battle for Iwo Jima. Upon returning home, Arnett married Viola, the love of his life, who he had known since early childhood.  Arnett was the founder of the Bean Bandits, the famed San Diego drag-racing club. Formed in 1950, the Bean Bandits established rules for drag-racing competition that became standard for strips throughout the country and were adopted by the National Hot Rod Association. Since then, the Bean Bandits have captured more than 350 major trophies and set numerous records; most of them in cars built by Arnett.  In February, 1953, Hot Rod Magazine featured Arnett and his trophy-winning dragster on its cover along with an article on his car and engine-building skills. This car will be on display at the San Diego Automotive Museum from October 1 through the end of January, 2011.  “I never even thought about getting hurt or something coming loose in the car. I had so much faith in Arnett that I didn’t question it. I would look at something and I’d say, ‘That’s going to hold,’” said Carlos Ramirez, a club member, now deceased.  In 1992, Arnett was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame in Ocala, Florida where his name is inscribed on a marble monument along with other top names in drag racing at the Don Garlits Race Museum. That museum also has a replica of the actual 1953 Arnett dragster that will be on display at the San Diego Automotive Museum. Arnett built the replica for Garlits.  In the early 1990’s, Arnett built three Streamliner-class racers that “Sonny” Arnett drove to record speeds: 202-mph on the 1.3-mile course at El Mirage in July, 1991; 231.946-mph which established a new Land Speed Authority record at Bonneville also in July 1991 and 227-mph at El Mirage in July, 1992.  “Joaquin was interested in mechanics from an early age. One of the first tools he built was made from his mother’s brand new Mix-Master that was given to her at Christmas by the Bridges family of Point Loma. He turned it into a sander,” recalled his sister, Noralund Zumaya.  In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.  A Mass will celebrated at Saint John of the Cross, 8086 Broadway, Lemon Grove, California at 10am, October 12, 2010.  Joaquin’s 1951 dragster is displayed at the San Diego Automotive Museum. On October 16, it will make a run at the Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, California. An event honoring Arnett’s life is being planned on for November 6, 2010 and will be in National City. The time and location will be announced on the Bean Bandits web page located at http://www.myspace.com/beanbanditsracingteam.”   Tom Fengler wrote the obituary. Sent in by Jackie Arnett Sonka
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My friend Tom Fengler (San Diego Journalist) wrote the obit, I neglected to give him credit previously.  However it is listed on my blog correctly now. Dad's dragster will be back in the San Diego Automotive Museum and will be there through January 2010. Our family wants to thank all the many people who have sent their condolences to us.  It has helped us with this loss. We really appreciate their kind words and thoughts they sent our way.  I have been so fortunate to have such a loving and talented father.  http://beanbanditssandiego.blogspot.com/. This is a video of his original dragster doing an exhibition run at Barona Reservation in July this year.  I have it also on my page for dad.  I will be adding photos and putting much of the information I have gathered from articles and such over the years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sngaQiyN3WU&feature=player_embedded. Thank you so much for your assistance and support over the last couple of years. Jackie Arnett Sonka

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I just found out that the New Bean Bandits are going to have a Memorial for Joaquin Arnett. It will be on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 34 E. 17th Street, National City, California, from 2-6pm. Maybe you could make that one, might be a good article in it. Bill Freeman
   Bill: I will put it on my calendar. Thank you for the updates.

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By Keith Thursby, Los Angeles Times September 30, 2010   
   Robert C. Truax, a retired Navy captain and pioneering rocket engineer whose adventurous projects included working with daredevil Evel Knievel and building a rocket in his backyard, has died. He was 93. Truax died of prostate cancer September 17, 2010 at his home in Valley Center, California, said his wife, Marisol. He received a degree from the Naval Academy's Postgraduate School in Monterey.  He interacted with such scientific luminaries as Robert Goddard and Werner von Braun and developed concepts that led to high-profile projects such as the Polaris submarine missile and the military's pre- NASA space programs, but he might be best known for building a steam-powered rocket for Knievel's 1974 attempt to clear the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, then trying to prove space travel could be affordable by building his own rocket in the early 1980’s. "What distinguished him was his visionary sense," Rick Sturdevant, deputy director of history for the Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo., told The Times. "I've had numerous rocket engineers tell me that a lot of Bob's ideas were ignored because they were too far out of the box, but that didn't mean they were naive or unworkable." 
   Truax had "an absolute passion for rockets," his son Scott said in an interview. "Rockets were in the forefront; everything else was a distant second. You could say it was a healthy obsession." Robert Collins Truax was born September 3, 1917, in Gary, Indiana, the younger son of Alida and Darwin Truax. The family soon moved to Northern California because of his mother's health problems. By the time Truax graduated from Alameda High School in 1933, he already was a "space cadet" who built rockets from tooth-powder cans, he told The Times in 1985. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1939. During World War II, he served on the aircraft carrier Enterprise, then led a team that developed the first liquid-propellant takeoff-assist units for naval aircraft. Truax earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering at the Naval Academy's postgraduate school in 1952 and a master's in nuclear engineering at Iowa State University in 1953. In the 1950’s, Truax was on loan to the Air Force, for which he worked on the Thor missile project and the first Air Force satellite program. He also served as president of the American Rocket Society, a group started in 1930 to advance the concept of manned spaceflight. He retired from the military in 1959 and joined Aerojet General in Sacramento, developing the Sea Dragon, a reusable, sea-launched rocket. He also continued work on steam-powered rockets that eventually led him to Knievel. By 1967, Truax was president of his own company. 
   The motorcycle daredevil's 1974 jump was a media event. Knievel had become a celebrity by courting danger with elaborate motorcycle jumps, but the attempt to get over the 1,700-foot-wide canyon was by far his most dangerous and most lucrative. A headline from a 1974 Times article said Knievel would "make a killing, or kill himself." He survived the jump but didn't make it over the canyon. News accounts said a parachute opened too early, affecting the flight of Truax's "Skycycle." "Technically, he made it over the canyon" but was blown back by a 15-mph headwind, said William Sprow, a consultant to Edwards Air Force Base and Johns Hopkins University who started working for Truax in 1959. Sprow said they knew of the wind issues but that Knievel couldn't delay the launch because of the commitment to televise the event. Knievel died in 2007. 
   By the 1980s, Truax turned to building a rocket in the backyard at his home in Saratoga, California. His plan was for a 25-foot rocket that would send a volunteer into suborbital flight of at least 60 miles up. He believed space travel could be more affordable and that spacecraft could be reusable. "Ultimately, he saw our future in space, and the only way we're going to get there was to make it affordable," his son Scott said. Truax had trouble finding enough money to complete the project, but received plenty of media attention, including an appearance on the "Tonight Show." "You think it's going to work?" host Johnny Carson asked Truax, who didn't hesitate with his answer. "You bet it's gonna work," he said. In addition to his wife, Truax is survived by four children from his first marriage to Rosalind Heath Schroeder, which ended in divorce: Ann Fleming of Lincoln, California, Gary Truax of Berkeley, Kathleen Truax of Sonoma and Steven Truax of Sacramento; two children from his second marriage to Sally Sabins, who died in 1993: Dean Truax of Vancouver, Washington, and Scott Truax of Willard, Utah; seven grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren. Services will be private. 

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The important thing for me is to make certain that our SLSH readers aren't swayed by this writer’s thoughts, which are inaccurate. I get a lot of comments from people regarding the Halibrand product line. They will ask, "Did you guys make the Kidney Beans," and I answer, "No we made parts for race cars, farmers grow kidney beans." The shape of the ventilation slots in a wheel were inconsequently to those of us charged with the design aspects. The shapes just happened due to dimensional requirements and the webs they would require to maintain strength. Thanks for your help. Bob Falcon
   Bob: The SLSRH is not your normal newsletter. It is an archive for all the information that we can find. If no one writes to me then what I know, which is limited, will quickly be exhausted and the newsletter will have no value. The more you write in about what you observed and what you know will establish a repository of knowledge. In some cases it will be the only knowledge that we possess about an incident or an event. In other cases the knowledge that we receive may be listed in many other sources and be redundant. But there is a value in redundancy. Having a fact mentioned twice or even more is not a negative thing. What is a negative thing is to have NO statements or reports on an event. So write in often and tell us about what you did and what you observed. It doesn't matter if you think that it is common knowledge or inconsequential. Knowledge is knowledge and we shouldn't judge it as important or unimportant. We record for the future and we have no idea what the future will want to save and to use. On another matter, you should try and reach the magazine and ask to be allowed to give your rebuttal. They may refuse to do that, but at least you will have tried to set the record straight. You can always post your remarks here in the SLSRH, of which you are one of the founding members.

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See Janniro win this Inland Motorcycle Speedway Scratch Heat and interviews on the imsspeedway YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/imsspeedway or paste http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNkIdbgZHXI into your browser. Howie Zechner

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Thought I would check with you to possibly learn where the material I sent earlier is now posted, i.e., my personal life and the info on my professional life.  Just wondering.  It has been a pleasure working with you. As I mentioned, I knew the Parks gent who worked at Bell Auto somewhat, but was unaware of yourself at that time. I traded at Bell Auto off and on for many years, and even did some writing and photography work for them shortly before they sold out. I met Johnny Glew sometime later, and even visited his home at one time for a party during a major holiday. Bud Lang
   Bud: I’m behind and struggling to catch up. Keep writing and also tell us more about Kenny Parks, Johnny Glew and others at Bell Auto Parts.

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The Rosco McGlashan Aussie Invader 5R Newsletter is now available for October 2010. You can reach Rosco at [email protected], for a copy. 

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A short while ago a few people contacted me to say that a story was in the current issue of Street Rodder magazine that mentioned my name a few times. The story was about Halibrand Engineering and their wheel products. Just yesterday one of the friends placed a copy in my hands and I am disappointed in the reporting of the article.  The writer is Chris Shelton, and I have never met or held any interviews with him on the subject matter.  I was a long time employee in the engineering department at Halibrand Engineering, and I know more about the product than anybody else.  Shelton discusses the flammability of the base metal, but is mistaken.  The confusion on this matter rests on the WW2 Incendiary Bombs which were casings filled with very small formed pellets of pure magnesium.  These bombs also had an igniter fuse that would ignite the pellets that burned with great intensity. Ted Halibrand learned of the high strength capabilities of magnesium alloy as a Field Service Engineer for Douglas Aircraft during WW2. The racing wheels he developed were made from heat treated magnesium alloy castings.  The benefits of these products were the high strength and light weight and most of all the true tracking characteristics.  The "wheel run out" was practically zero which manifested to true tracking. 
   We built Indianapolis race cars at Halibrand from 1964 through 1966.  The Shrike Indy Car was extremely light weight and contained 56 Magnesium Alloy castings.  Our prototype car was in the fiercest fire ever recorded at the Indy 500 in 1964 where it was deluged with over 60 gallons of burning high octane gasoline. The fire melted the aluminum body of the Shrike.  There were many Magnesium Wheels on the cars involved in that accident and none of them burned.  A few years later, we assembled a replica of the Eddie Sachs' Red Ball Moving Special and used over 75% of the parts from the original car.  The castings that were not used were items that sustained fractures.  That car is now at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. 
   I felt that this item would be of interest to the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians since the rumor about the flammability of these wheels seems to continue to crop up from time to time.  It simply isn't true and I know that for a fact.  Shelton did not mention the wheels we made for Bonneville and I have one of the last produced of that set. He also did not mention the fact that we made the very first cast wheels for motorcycles under contract to Kawasaki.  Another omission was the cast wheels that were on the Honda F1 cars that won the 1966 Mexican Grand Prix.  Our bolt-on wheels were used on nearly every auto company concept cars of the late sixties and seventies, and that was not brought up.  We also built a full sized mass rapid transit train concept for magnetic propulsion.  Halibrand Engineering had a work force of approximately 25 people, including office staff.   Bob Falcon
   Bob: I think you should send your letter to Street Rodder magazine as a rebuttal in their letters to the editor column.  I am glad that you mentioned this.  It is an important topic.  To infer that the wheels would burn would be to cost potential sales, so Chris Shelton needs to be informed and have a chance to make a retraction and apology if what you say is true and what he said was false.  It is a standard policy for the SLSRH to always retract erroneous statements when they are found out and to offer an apology.  We wish to harm no one and we wish to make our newsletter as accurate as possible.
  
Readers: I checked further and could find no email address or phone number for Street Rodder, though I did manage to find a street address; STREET RODDER MAGAZINE, 1733 Alton Parkway, Irvine, CA 92606. There was ample phone numbers for the subscription department, but nothing for the editorial office. Today’s print magazines are highly automated.

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This Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10, the Rolling Bones host their annual reliability run, mostly in central and western Connecticut. I'm going alone - have a vacancy in the shotgun seat of the roadster. Last I knew, there were still rooms available for Saturday night at Motel 6 in Weathersfield, CT if you'd like to go on your own. Starts at MJ Tuckers on Route 8 in Stanisfield, MA about 10am Saturday. See Rolling Bones Hot Rod Shop web site. I went two years ago. Nice time. Gil Coraine

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I just sent you an e-mail with more specifics after our conversation yesterday. However, I sent the e-mail from the Land Speed website. Did you receive it? Ed Farrell
   Ed: I checked the newsletter, The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians at www.landspeedracing.com and didn't find it there. I checked my sent and trash bins as well as my inbox and couldn't find your email. I thought that I saw something that you sent concerning the Bustle Bomb, but I can't remember where I might have stored it. I receive about 80 emails a day and work on 5 newsletter, so sometimes my mind gets a little overloaded with details. I would like more information on the Bustle Bomb. What I would like more is to get your biography for our history project. It was nice to see you at the Santa Ana Drags and Main Street Malt Shop Reunion.
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More from Ed Farrell:
The original developer of the Bustle Bomb was Dave Selway, who currently lives in Danville, California. The concept was tested while Dave was in high school, by tying two 38/39 Fords together, front bumper to rear bumper.  Dave took many pictures while the Bustle Bomb was under construction and a couple of years ago sent all those pictures to Don Garlits' Museum in Florida, where the car is on display today. Others that helped Dave with this car were, of course, Lloyd Scott, and machinist Noel "Snowy" Timney. George Smith's (Cadillac) was the rear engine. George owned a body shop in Paramount, California. The front engine was an Oldsmobile owned by Harvey Goldberg, who reputedly owned a junk yard in Los Angeles. The engine came out of Larry Shinoda's drag race roadster. Lloyd Scott, who was the first to go 150 mph with the Bustle Bomb, got most of the notoriety. He was then offered "show up" money at other drag strips, which was unheard of at that time. Noel Timney made this twin pinion Ford 1-ton center section with torsion bar independent swing axle suspension. Dave and Lloyd did a number of hot rod experiments, such as cutting all the counter weights off a Ford flathead crankshaft in the kitchen of Lloyd's home (what a mess!) Then they put in Dave's '32 Ford chassis and started the motor. It ran for seconds until Dave touched the throttle and it broke the bell housing and the motor fell to the ground. I was standing right there and watched it.

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Honda Hawk. By Dick Keller   
   The first glimmer of the Honda Hawk occurred when I met Burt Munro in 1968 on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Mickey Thompson had invited me to observe his successful attempts at setting numerous FIA land speed records with the Mach 1 Mustangs. Burt also was there and we talked for several days about his adventures as I looked over his ancient Indian streamliner. It really looked much better in the film, World’s Fastest Indian, than on the salt that week. After that experience I sketched some ideas in my spare time at Reaction Dynamics with the idea of eventually building a bike around a pair of Kawasaki triples. Fascination with the motorcycle land speed record grew while on the Salt Flats in 1970, watching Don Vesco set the FIM record at 251.66 miles per hour, followed days later by Denis Manning’s Harley-Davidson, ridden by Cal Rayborn, to 254.84 miles per hour. The whole Honda Hawk design and construction took place in about six months in 1971. American Honda was interested in the FIM record and asked Pete and me to build a bike to race that year. The results were a one way run in 1971 at 286.7 miles per hour and, in 1972, an AMA class record of 232.7 miles per hour. Not too shabby, eh? 
   Arriving on the Salt Flats in late September, it immediately became apparent I had screwed up the steering geometry. A four bar link design was employed to try and keep the steering structure rigid at design speeds over 300 miles per hour. While the Honda Hawk did fall over a few times at low speeds, compared to Manning’s tank-slappers in 1970, it didn’t look too bad. By the time Rayborn set his record with the Harley it could have been called the Duct Tape Special. Stuff happens when you push the envelope, and if you are prudent it isn’t fatal, just a learning experience. Manning and Rayborn stuck with it and won! After getting some bearing part numbers from Don Vesco (a really great guy) we quickly redesigned the steering using a center-point design. Dix Erickson hustled back to American Honda to fab the parts and we got it rolling immediately. It never fell after that in 1971. The major problem following the handling issue concerned the condition of the race course itself. I-80 was under construction, built on a berm of earth, rocks, etc., alongside US40. During the winter of 1970-1971 debris consisting of mud and clay washed out on to the international course. When the summer wind and heat dried the Salt Flats, the debris was blown away leaving a veritable motocross surface; well, not quite, but undulations remained in the high speed sections. Honda Hawk had a fixed rear suspension. As a result, at high speeds the rear wheel left the ground.
   We continually had two modes of failure on several record attempts, both related to over-revving the motors. While the motorcycle did have a rev limiter, it didn’t work. Solid state electronics were temperature sensitive in those days. The rev limiter was calibrated in the dynamometer lab at higher temperatures than the frigid conditions in October in the high desert. The result was disastrous. At high speeds the rear tire would unload and the motors would rev up before Jon McKibben could roll back the throttle. Several times this resulted in bent valves when they floated and hit the pistons. Other times, when the rear wheel was over-speeding in the air it came down and overloaded the drive chain which stretched or snapped. It was not possible to make the FIM-required reverse direction runs in the time available. Finally, the racing season was over. At this time American Honda took over the Honda Hawk program in Gardena. Several changes were made to the Honda Hawk’s front and rear suspension. It crashed, at speed this time, in 1972 after setting the class record, which still stands. I am not embarrassed that we built a unique bike in six months that went over 30 miles per hour faster than the FIM land speed record.  Dick Keller 10/03/2010

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Newsletter #177 published a reference to a 1982 article from the Tri City Herald written by a staff member of the Western Reserve Historical Society. Your summary of the article was that "the Museum was delighted to have the Crawford collection and the Crawford Family found a safe secure home for their collection." The largest portion of the article focused on the maintenance and preservation work that was performed on the Crawford collection. The article also presented a short history of how "The auto album and aviation museum established by Thompson Products, Inc." came to be owned by the Western Reserve Historical Society. Interesting that in 1982, "special emphasis was placed on the outstanding automobiles built right in Northeastern Ohio." I would also point out that Fred Crawford was President of the Society from 1967-1977. One would expect that he was quite familiar with the institution when the TRW collection was transferred. Many thanks. Gregg Simpson, Cleveland Heights, OH
   Gregg: The article was researched and sent to us by a museum volunteer. It is very revealing, for it shows the close ties between the museum staff, volunteers, donors and citizens of Cleveland during a time of growth. Museums are a vital part of the archival system that all writers, researchers and historians rely upon and the continued health of the Museum and Western Reserve Historical Society is critical to everyone's interest.

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I just posted the following narrative on the Road Runners Group Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=119836333254, "John Welcher just joined the Road Runners Group on Facebook. John is an ORIGINAL Charter Member of the Road Runners. He and his brother Orville (aka "Snuffy") ran the Dry Lakes in the late 30's, and joined as Charter Members of the Road Runners when the Club was founded in 1937, pre-dating the SCTA by a few months. Several Road Runners, including Wally Parks and Ak Miller were key players, along with leading members of several other Clubs, in founding the SCTA. John and Snuffy were there in the beginning. They ran their roadsters and streamliners on the Dry Lakes before WWII. When WWII began, John enlisted in the Navy. John never returned to land speed racing but Snuffy continued to race following the war. John is a most interesting gentleman to talk to, not only about the early days of Dry Lakes Racing but the early day of Hot Rodding in Southern California, his war time adventures, which include some harrowing stories and his life after the war, traveling the world while working in the oil industry. He and brother Snuffy's personal photo albums are absolute treasures. There are personal pictures of historic cars that most of us have only seen in books or, a few, in museums. They were the race cars of their personal friends and fellow competitors and even a few historic cars the Welcher brothers owned including the famous Streamliner that later raced as the Doug Caruthers #6 C & C Special and finally, the #25 Chrisman Dragster. That car now is in the NHRA Museum in Pomona. Welcome back to the Road Runners John. We are honored to have you join the Road Runners Facebook Group!" Jerry Cornelison, Road Runners - SCTA, (est. 1937)
   Jerry: Give our congratulation to John. He really never left our hearts and memories. Be sure to get his biography and stories while you have him there at the club meetings.

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The following was sent in by Jack Dolan. 
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STEVE FOSS'ETT'S 'TARGET 800 MPH' ABSOLUTE LAND SPEED RECORD CAR. The car: In 2006 the late Steve Fossett purchased 'Spirit of America Sonic Arrow' (a promising but unfulfilled project - achieving 675 mph in 1996) from LSR legend Craig Breedlove. Steve's target was 800 mph - and to bring the LSR back to the USA. Fossett's team meticulously rebuilt the car from the ground up, lengthening the wheelbase and widening the rear track, incorporating important aero mods to the wheel spats, jet inlet and parachute module areas. All hydraulic, electrical, parachute, suspension, steering and rolling systems were revised and upgraded. The opportunity: The car was just weeks from testing when Steve Fossett died in September, 2007. Without underestimating the challenge, this exceptional project, with its simple packaging and excellent power-to-weight ratio, has the potential to be quickly brought back to active status to target the absolute land speed record in 2011 - a unique opportunity to join the competition to become 'the fastest person on Earth'. Specification:
Length: 48 ft (14.63 m)
Width: 10 ft 6 inches (3.20 m)
Overall weight (wet): 9,000 lbs (4,091 kgs)
Engine: S&S LM1500 / General Electric J-79 GE-17 turbojet (ex-USAF F4E Phantom II fighter-bomber)
Thrust: 18,750 Ibf (83.4 kN) with 4-stage afterburner and water injection
Estimated top speed: 950 mph-
Construction: Carbon / Kevlar / glass fiber composite driver capsule, engine inlets, and rear wheel fairings, Lexan windscreen
Wheels: Aluminum billet hub, special alloy spun disks, heat treated, steel fastened
Tires: Filament-wound carbon/glass composite material with rubberized epoxy matrix
Included will be the car plus all designs, drawings, data and other documentation, all workshop and operations elements, including special tools and jigs, spares, loading and assembly hardware, custom race transporter and tractor, catering trailer and tractor, pickup truck. The project is in storage in Nevada, USA. Serious offers in the region of US $3 million are invited. Contact: Stuart Radnofsky - Project 100 Communications Ud, www.project100.com, Tel +44 (0) 1727 836238. E-mail [email protected]

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So far the only TV Commercial I have seen is a negative vote on California Proposition 23 because of those big bad oil companies.  This couldn't be farther from the truth.  Proposition 23 will put limits on the excessive power AB-32 gave to the California Air Resources Board, that is chasing business and jobs from our state and is going to put our Collector Vehicles into the smog inspection program. The Air Board says these lost jobs will be replaced with "green" jobs. However "green" jobs are only 3% of the State’s work force. More companies and jobs are leaving California than ever before.  The Air Board is lead by radical self-serving appointee's who are not elected and are not accountable to the voters of this state. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has set a goal of  no internal combustion automobiles in Southern California by 2020. They have set up a separate division of government, unaccountable to the voters, with its own finances, fees, fines, interest, and any other monies they bring in. All the while the regular State Government is in financial distress, teetering between debt and financial disaster. The 2010 Election is a time for change. The voters must send a message; this is not what we want in the State Government.   Below is an email I received from my friend Butch Gardner of the Thunderbolts car club of Sacramento. Butch is an out-spoken activist and has a radio show in Sacramento, California. He is a "Straight Shooter" and calls them the way he sees them. He has been working with the local clubs and the ACCC to get the Yes vote out on Proposition 23. Attached is a copy of a flyer they have been working on. I am sending this to give you as many ideas as possible to make your own flyers. I am a believer in the power of public opinion, so I would suggest you emphasize your area's club titles on your flyers and display them on your windshields at car shows and cruises, plus hand them out for other Hobbyists to use.
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   In a first move to continue to UNITE the entire Collector Car Hobby and Businesses in California the ACCC is driving a Vote YES on Proposition 23 movement. You will even note that finally the National Automotive magazines are realizing that our government and its regulations are a real threat to the hobby and aftermarket business. I won't go into the question, "Where have they been," but they're fighting it now! It doesn't matter what your hobby car is i.e.; Classic, Restored, Hot Rod, Custom, Sports, Pony, Muscle, Exotic, etc, your hobby, your business, your job and livelihood is in danger. They want to OUTLAW OUR CARS! A YES vote is not only crucial to the Collector Car Hobby, but all its suppliers and manufacturers within the state.  Read Proposition 23 and if you don't vote on anything else, vote  YES on Proposition 23 and tell all your car club members, individual hobbyists, neighbors and relatives! The time to say, “THEY CAN NEVER DO THAT TO US IS OVER!" Please forward this message over and over prior to the elections! I guarantee this battle is not over.   Please Print the attached Flyer and pass out everywhere you go! Krooze Safe, Butch Gardner
   Keep the Faith, Spread the Word and Get the Vote Out. "Dyno" Don B.
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The Faithful is a state wide email network. 
   Bob Morton: I am including the following in www.landspeedracing.com and am cc'ing it to Mary Ann Lawford at www.hotrodhotline.com.  I have already run this in another newsletter of mine.  I edited it somewhat and removed redundant language.  There were too many ampersands (&) and (").  I cannot guarantee that the website owner will allow it in.  They are a commercial venture and they may have certain rules.  Also, Prop 23 only is enforceable until the unemployment goes down to 5% and then AB-32 goes into full force.  SEMA is trying to change the provisions that harm the collector car market.  This is only one of many draconian measures taken by the Liberal Democratic Party Machine that has huge majorities in the California Senate and Assembly.  These politicians have stated that collector cars make much larger outputs of smog-like particles than more modern cars do.  SEMA has pointed out repeatedly that collector cars are few in number and are not major polluters of the environment, but their arguments have fallen on deaf ears.

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Here's a chance for the whole family to visit the Los Alamitos Military base, admission is free. Lots of displays, helicopters, vendor areas and a big car show. Sunday, October 24th - 9:00am-4:00pm. If you are interested in a booth or bringing a car to the show, contact Chris Buthe. All for a GREAT cause, to support the morale, welfare and recreation of our soldiers and their families at the base. Kathy Weida
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From: Chris Buthe. Subject: WINGS, WHEELS & ROTORS EXPO -Oct 24, 2010- Los Alamitos Joint Force Training Base. In this email, you will find one link to the WINGS, WHEELS and ROTORS website, and 2 different PDF files attached. See http://www.wwrexpo.net/. The  WINGS, WHEELS and ROTORS EXPO attracts people who love great machines and great people. It's a big event, drawing as many airplanes and helicopters as they can fit on the runway. There will be approximately 500 cars in the car show, and 30,000 people at the one day event on October 24, 2010. Net Proceeds will benefit MWR, the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation at the Joint Force Task Base. This is a California National Guard Air Base and a U.S Army Airfield Base. The base is the home for the CNG, CalEMA, First Response, and 31 agencies. It also has as its sister base the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. Admission to WWR EXPO is free to the public.

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On Saturday October 16 the Roundabout Restaurant at the Route 1 traffic circle in Portsmouth, New Hampshire will feature their first cruise. With a good show of cars this has the potential to be a regular on the cruise calendar in 2011. The Roundabout has some great food and it's easy to get to. With the season slipping away this is a good opportunity to get together one more time for the 2010 cruise season. Don Roberts

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The Sam Auxier Jr Show Live Monday October 11, 2010 at 7PM EST. National Dragster's Editor John Jodauga and GM's Chief Designer GTO/442 David R North will be interviewed. Zeus Radio Network, see http://dragracersreunion.ning.com. Interviewing The Greatest Names In Racing. Call In 1-877-500-9387. Archived Shows are at http://racersreunionradio.com. From Sam Auxier Jr

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