B&S says "farewell" to 2016 Challenge C4..."Hello" to 2017 build

The crack R&D design team at Bolus & Snopes' world headquarters skunkworks at a secret location near Shabuda, Mississippi has begun work weeks ahead of schedule on its 2017 GRM Challenge entry.

Stay tuned

oh, this is going to be good!

Following along.....

I so want to post the drag race picture again but I'll refrain this one time.

Bring it on!!!

Well lose to you while using your leftovers......

Careful with that Sawzall, You Don't want to end up like mine!, Can you even drive one on the Street without a Body? Well it is Mississippi.

Seat belt and britch's ....Should be good to Go!

Im in

Are you still going to put the vette Body on a truck Frame, Or the other way round.

'comeon now, I still have the Pic you sent me

Before we progress to the 2017 build, a moment of retrospect and silence to the finely engineered 2016 effort which finished an astounding 20th place...astounding in that it wouldn't shift on the drags when we wanted it to but would shift on autocross when we didn't want it to!

<img src="http://" /> <img src="http://" />

The keen eyed among you will note a rare coupe' conversion new hatch back that will be incorporated to reduce drag.... <img src="http://" />

Constructed of an uber-Light composite it was sourced from the mississippi gulf coast near the NASA John P. Stennis Rocket Propulsion lab and thought to have been a surplus part from a prior space shuttle mission....amazing how well it fits! <img src="http://" />

First order of business is to work on the aerodynamics...although we plan to substantially lighten the car from its hefty 2700 lbs at the 2016 Challenge we weighed (no pun intended) the advantages of a new rear wing to generate rear down force...of course we'll have to exceed 39 mph before its effect will be beneficial on the autoX. A difficult but not impossible goal. <img src="http://" />

An engine rebuild/conversion to carb prompted both scrounging missions and ebay/online bargains. Carbs and intakes were donated (have to figure FMV)...new distributor was $69.95 from speedway racing; budget tach was $23 on ebay.<img src="http://" />

I remember that Aero Hatch Flyin' through Both Space and Time. Let's do the Time Warp Again..

Began the weight loss campaign in earnest <img src="http://" />

Front plastectomy <img src="http://" /> <img src="http://" />

Hood and headlights weighed 104 lbs. Front bumper tipped scales at 63 lbs. Still some reinforcement that should net another 25 lb loss off the nose.

Next the rear. Rear bumber cover and subframe/20 gallon gas tank supposedly weighs 98 lbs. At last years challenge she came in at 2700 lbs albeit with 18 gallons of fuel on board which weighed an additional 144 lbs. according to the interwebs. Replacing fuel cell with 8 gallon plastic fuel cell. So just that combined with front end diet will net me a 370 lb net loss getting me to aroud 2330 lbs. But some more is coming off.

Took the car for a 20 mile hoonigan drive and the weight off the front snout is really noticeable in a very positive way.

Still battling transmission and EFI issues, though. And we think the ominous engine knock is likely a bad wristpin. That's the next project

I had to do it. Knowing it was headed for at least a month with engine and tranny out, I took it out for one last late afternoon hoonigan run, had a hoot on some isolated back country roads and as I crept through my normally quiet neighborhood of newly weds and nearly deads (straight headers), the local gendarmes lit me up as I pulled in my driveway.

Turns out one young cop was a GRM fan and had seen the car in the mag. Visited a bit and he offered to help with the build.

On bad news front, vacuum brake boost gave up the ghost

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

Awesome way to recruit some fresh blood!

OK...work day. We may have resolved our intermittent "knock" we've been chasing thanks to Dusterbd....jury is out but will update when we confirm.

Need some input. Challenge scrounging has yielded an edelbrock performer dual plane intake manifold and an edelbrock 1460 600 cfm 4 bbl carb. Everybody seems to warn the edelblog carb stumbles badly for autocross use in agressive transitions. We're gonna try it anyway initially and see what happens. To that end if that carb is not optimum, what are the hive's thoughts on running a Holley 500 cfm 2 bbl?

Engine is 350 L98 with long tube headers. Cam is gonna have to stay with stock torque cam...about 430 lift IIRC. No smog. 500 cfm enough for a torque motor?

Lots of circle track guys run that 2bbl carb. I would almost be willing to bet that they make a lot more power than you. So, i see no reason it wouldn't work.

Well after exploratory surgery as much as we could without pulling engine determined at least one wrist pin is gonna have to be replaced.

Oh well....could be worse

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

I guess it wasn't rod-knock after all!

You know I do still have that aftermarket cam that was too hot for my heads. Since you'll have it torn apart anyway...

In reply to Pete Gossett:

Remember I have roller cam

In reply to Ovid_and_Flem:

New solid lifters are cheap.

Stock 1406 are set REALLY fat so get their jet kit with emulsifier tube and spring options if you go that route. The manual is available online if you want to read up before you make your decision.

The Holley 500 is a great carb too and might require less specialty tuning.

I'd set up for both and try them at your local test night at the drag strip. You are going to test before you get to Gainesville, aren't you?

MY CHALLENGE CAR MUST BE CURSED

Last year one team member (painter) hospitalized week before event.

Then my longtime friend who was composite engineer helping with fglass repairs died of a heart attack a few weeks after event.

Yesterday we were gonna begin engine rebuild but my buddy who's a master mechanic savant didn't show. Called him all afternoon and he didn't answer. Found out this afternoon that Saturday night he fell off a truck while adding wood to a bonfire and hospitalized in burn center and undergoing skin graft surgery on his feet, legs and arms. Keep him in your prayers.

This likely will be death knell to our effort this year.