Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Gary-Hart-s-248-mph-Studebaker-Blows-a-Turbo-at-speed..html

[studemax]

Re: Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

Gary's team has been giving their all on the salt.
Nothing to be ashamed of, IMO.
Well done, guys!

[Matt Cramer]

Re: Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

Glad they'll be back - I was really disappointed Gary didn't get his hat this year. Maybe next year I'll be there in person to see it happen.

[JRoberts]

Re: Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

Yep that's a bummer. Too bad, but you know Gary isn't going to quit now. Waitin' for next year.

[38P]

Re: Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

I love the hard-core effort.

But attempting a 250 m.p.h. run with no oil pressure? What? No sodium silicate in the pits? . . .

Seriously, sometimes you've got to know when to "repack the 'chute" for another day. That's a hard call.

On the other hand, there's something about that salt that will make you do crazy things . . . .

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

On the other hand, there's something about that salt that will make you do crazy things . . . .

Or the smell of VHT at the strip
Or the smell of molten hot brakes at the road course
Or....you get the picture.

Sometimes applying logic isn't the right thing to do. Been there....loved that.



Brian

[BangShiftChad]

Re: Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

Let me clarify a little. When Gary made his qualifying pass at 248, he lost oil pressure with a half mile to go. He legged it out, shut it off, and went to impound to prep for the next day. A swarm of people were on this car, trying to figure out what was wrong, and it was determined that something was going on with the distributor and oil pump, but it wasn't real conclusive. After pulling the pan, checking bearings, going through the oil pump, etc., the car was back together and running with 50 lbs of pressure at idle. Everyone thought things were good. The car still had good oil pressure on the turbo ruining run until it was almost over. When it puffed all the smoke, Gary lifted pulled the chute, and pull off the course. He did the right thing, and would have had his hat if the motor could have pulled for another 7-15 seconds. Gary's team is not only pro, but also fun, friendly, and genuine. It was my pleasure to spend a little time with them, and want to congratulate them on their performance. Despite tradition and looks, the Studebakers are not good land speed cars, but they sure are bitchin, and Gary and the rest of the Hart racing team represent them well. They should be proud of themselves.

[38P]

Re: Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

Thanks for the update. Awesome coverage! Teams like Gary's are what make Bonneville great.

On the other hand, there's something about that salt that will make you do crazy things . . . .

Or the smell of VHT at the strip
Or the smell of molten hot brakes at the road course
Or....you get the picture.

Sometimes applying logic isn't the right thing to do. Been there....loved that.

And I've got the AAA towing invoices to prove it, too . . . .

[dieselgeek]

Re: Video: Gary Hart's 248-mph Studebaker Blows a Turbo at Speed

Speedzzter -

The stude lost oil pressure at the last mile on the qualifying (first) run. We worked to solve thatproblem, weren't 100% sure we knew what it was, but once we put it back together it "passed all the tests" - I used a checklist I created for the engine/powertrain, things like "minimum idle oil pressure" are on that list, as well as making sure the engine computer is getting accurate information about barometric pressure, air temperature, throttle position, etc. As long as it passes the tests, it can run. And it did after a few hours' work (thanks fellow BangShifters!).

At Bonneville, *EVERYONE* shares the philosophy of "run until it breaks" - that's how it works. Then you rebuild, make a few changes, and bring it back next year to try and go faster.

You should go check it out. It's your kind of freakshow,
-Scott