Word to the wise, it can happen to YOU!

[Max_182]

Got my boat done. First hard pass produced this. http://www.do-it-yourself-dragboat.com/pump-break.htm. Watch for word-wrap on that URL.
Good thing it happened where I had a sandy beach just ahead of me. It sank pretty much as I beached it. No damage other than the pump and my schedule! I probably had about 10 seconds between the break and when it would be going down. Speed was probably somewhere around 80 or 90. I hit the rev limiter at 7500 (first day out) and it startled me. I lifted off the throttle briefly and bam, I got a shower. People on shore said I disappeared in the mass of water. Hehehe Anyway, inspection revealed that a crack had existed previously, and was welded. The crack was located in the center of the hole.
You'll definitely know if this ever happens though, the shower of water is most noticeable.
Anyone have a Berkeley suction piece for sale? Seriously. I'll take it if the price is right. Email rkunze-at-colusanet-dot-com.
Rk

[Max_182]

oops, it looks like the period at the end of the sentence got included in the URL. This should work: http://www.do-it-yourself-dragboat.com/pump-break.htm

[wrightnow]

I just found a crack in pump also, so I'm looking too...what a great weeken huh

[cal***boat]

http://pritek.net/images/GT.jpg
Get hold of Dave or Paul over at GT Boats and they should have one

[Contradiction]

So was it 80 or 90? How fast do you run and what happened to the guy in the back seat? :)

[burbanite]

Good to see you have a ratchet, what about a pop off? I had seen pics of that boat a while ago and wondered what became of the project - good pics of the build up.
I'm interested in the way you have your fuel system plumbed, particularly the collector/surge tank.
Boat looks good.

[Max_182]

burbanite:
Good to see you have a ratchet, what about a pop off? I had seen pics of that boat a while ago and wondered what became of the project - good pics of the build up.
I'm interested in the way you have your fuel system plumbed, particularly the collector/surge tank.
Boat looks good. No popoff, but I'm looking for one now that I have to replace the suction piece. As far as the pics of the project, as you can see there is quite a gap in the time frame. I got so busy with my business and the boat that taking pics just slipped my mind.
The injection in the new rig is presently just a conventional plumping job; main jet and secondary. That's it. My last hull, the Horizon, is where you saw what you call a surge can. That's a pressurized inlet system, mainly to facilitate either multiple tanks or one that's far away, and also so that you don't have to prime it to start it. With the pressurized inlet system, it will self prime. Fire away if you have any specific questions on that, I spent years building injections, everything from tractor pullers to Indy cars. I was manager of production at Kinsler back during the Can-Am. I don't do carby-aters. wink
Rk

[burbanite]

Max_182:
Fire away if you have any specific questions on that, I spent years building injections, everything from tractor pullers to Indy cars. I was manager of production at Kinsler back during the Can-Am. I don't do carby-aters. wink
Rk I'm in the process of building a new engine for my boat, a 496 and I am replacing the carbs with an 871/birdcatcher on alcohol.
I intended to make up a priming system as I want to run the hat facing the rear of the boat but having seen your setup I think this is a better deal, especially as I want to keep my side tanks.
Gofastracer just built a similar system I think.
Do you have any diagrams showing how yours is plumbed? What are the specifics of the pressurized tank - inlets and returns in relation to each other, baffles etc?

[Cs19]

what type of boat was it? makes you realize how much pressure those suction pieces really have inside them.

[Moneypitt]

OUCH!!!!!!of course there are worst ways to get WET........Moneypitt

[Max_182]

cs19:
what type of boat was it? makes you realize how much pressure those suction pieces really have inside them. Rogers Drag Star. Basically a 18.5' tunnel, 1/4" hull thickness. It was raced in the late 70's by Wally Albright. He was "Wally" in the Little Rascals movies if you're old enough. wink
Rk

[Max_182]

burbanite:
I intended to make up a priming system as I want to run the hat facing the rear of the boat[/b]
Not a bad idea for safety. I remember during the Can-Am, McLaren determined from some wind tunnel testing that with the area of average scoops (or blower hats) the vehicle would have to be going over 200MPH to force more air than the engine was sucking. And those were small blocks!
but having seen your setup I think this is a better deal, especially as I want to keep my side tanks. Gofastracer just built a similar system I think.
It's just a standard pressurized system as KFI would sell it. There is only one way to make it work as far as I know. I helped design it.
[b]Do you have any diagrams showing how yours is plumbed? What are the specifics of the pressurized tank - inlets and returns in relation to each other, baffles etc? I'd just buy the tank and PR valves from KFI if I were you. That's what I do, and I could easily make them myself. The system is just a Holley pump that pumps a closed loop from the fuel cell through the VS tank, and back to the fuel cell. The important part is that it's under pressure via a spring loaded poppet valve on the return. Then, this extra few PSI is pulled back out of the system by placing another poppet valve, set up with exactly the same spring pressure as the first one, in the line from the pump to the bbl-vlv.
That's the key. There will be a quiz later. wink
Rk

[burbanite]

All sounds simple enough. We have built pressurized collectors (VST) for our cars in the past and I was interested to see if there were any anomalies specific to this environment.
Last year we used Kinsler poppets in the fuel system when we ran the Chevy engines and probably still have a bunch lying around here....
I like the idea of the rear facing hat, I have filled the engine with water before, kind of ruins your fun for a while. :rolleyes:
As an aside, did you know any of the McLaren Can Am guys? Tom Anderson was with them back in those days if that rings a bell?

[Max_182]

Yea, I know Tom. He's running one of the NHRA top fuel team now I think. Regarding the McLarens, most recently I spent about 8 years doing restorations on some of the McLaren M8 cars, a couple of the Shadows, and even the Lola GT6 crashed by Augie Papst at Riverside, and the old Jackie Stewart L&M Lola. Most of these through Chuck Haines and Tom Frederick. Several are in the Rosso Bianco museum (Peter Kaus) in Frankfurt. Frederick use to live with Kinsler (before he got married) in the off season. That's where I knew him from. He crewed for Bob Nagel during the season. I lived near TF (outside Sacramento) and worked on the restorations from about '85 to '93 or so then started my present venture, an ISP. Also had a side business doing electroless nickel plating. I use to run ads in Victory Lane Mag.
I miss the Can-Am, those were the days.
Rk

[burbanite]

May or may not be the same Tom Anderson, the one I know is now a part owner in Fernandez Racing. He was our GM until a couple of years ago, good guy to work with.
I worked with the McLaren F1 team for a few years and some of those guys had been around the Can-Am deal, we had one of Denny's M8's around the shop for a while - what a machine! I love those big unwieldy machines.

[Sangster]

Max_182:
Got my boat done. First hard pass produced this. http://www.do-it-yourself-dragboat.com/pump-break.htm. Watch for word-wrap on that URL.
Good thing it happened where I had a sandy beach just ahead of me. It sank pretty much as I beached it. No damage other than the pump and my schedule! I probably had about 10 seconds between the break and when it would be going down. Speed was probably somewhere around 80 or 90. I hit the rev limiter at 7500 (first day out) and it startled me. I lifted off the throttle briefly and bam, I got a shower. People on shore said I disappeared in the mass of water. Hehehe Anyway, inspection revealed that a crack had existed previously, and was welded. The crack was located in the center of the hole.
You'll definitely know if this ever happens though, the shower of water is most noticeable.
Anyone have a Berkeley suction piece for sale? Seriously. I'll take it if the price is right. Email rkunze-at-colusanet-dot-com.
Rk We have a full race Prepped Berkley Pump By GT Boats..Ran once in a Daytona.. To much Pump for the motor the guy had..Stuffer Plate..PM for details.... :D
[ July 10, 2003, 06:45 PM: Message edited by: Sangster ]