Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Roger & Marlene MANSON



Purely a racering couple, totally dedicated to the car and to good organization. They were running a little jeep when we first started Nitrous , Instant Horse Power Inc. in the mid seventies we all raced 4X4 in the rain and shine. Hill climbs,drags, obstacle course and large campfires. I was the most enjoyable crowd I ever racer with. At that time the somewhat modified 4 cylinder jeep was full size and the Pontiac Tempest four was a novel choice to run. Roger did extremely well and won many events. So when the Green Boys showed up to tech our "hawk" I was surprised to hear Roger was unloaded in my drive way to get his Super MODIFIED, dragster/cum Bonneville racer final inspection before heading south on the week end. They were very nice and helpful people 30 years ago and now they are even nicer, matured and relaxed. Good luck and see you there.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Great sponsor and source of raw mateials


Bob G with the new fuel !tank.tank As you probably gathered , Aggressive Tube Bending is our savior when we need things made or remade, The fuel tank was made with a hidden flaw and Yuri at Aggressive spotted the problem, so he built a new tank. It is beautiful. Shown here with Bob Georgeson one of the owner checking it before handing it over. I think it will be more than adequate, it was tested for 125lbs pressure. Thanks to all the good guys at Aggressive Tube Bending.
We are lucky and Proud to have them on board for the whole project.




Day shift and night shift







It is pretty well the same crew that show up. Dan, Dean, Steve, Mike Tonilli, Cody, Werner and even deans boss,and sometimes Bryson.

We are working day and night to get this thing to the salt.


I tawt I taw a Nitroluber


In preparing the motor home of "Maggie May's" we are giving it a full NITROLUBE servicing. Sponsors like Jason Rite are so nice to us and he is so extremely enthusiastic about top quality lubrication that he is tireless and puts on demos for industry all the time. Get your maintenance team together for a 20 minute seminar and demonstration and you will be sold as the GOLDENHAWK team on the whole product line.

Rod McKenzie builds heavy duty Hitch mount with Matt the Weldwer

hich for the motor home and Matt
welder. Rod has many years experience in the Hich business and now sell street light poles. Quite a switch! Thanks for coming to Richmond on Sunday.




Matt and Dean do the winch.







Werner Spring, crew chief and master mechanic donated a new winch from PRINCESS AUTO Sore and they gave us a very deep discount. Thanks to all the donations things are much easier and time is running out! Here are pictures of Matt and Dean getting the mount ready for the 4000 lb. pull onto the trailer.

Matt and Dean install equalizer hitch

Matt is a very skillful craftsman. He had worked all night and still came to put in a full day for the Hawk project.





What a difference a hitch makes

After hitch at Richmond Public works yard on Sunday.


Check the old Astrovan towing the empty trailer to Richmond works yard on Sunday, where Dean and his friend Matthew made the equalized hitch and mount for the new winch.

Towing home was a breeze with the equalizer bars barely done up.

Leticia latest in a long line of salt fever widows


Dean and his wife came to see the car, actually Leticia was likely interested to see what it is that could be so attractive that Dean would miss a MARINERS game for. She is a sweet heart and just the kind of partner a racer/bike rider needs to share life and two growing teenage girls.
Thanks, Leticia for coming by, it is nice to put a face to the sweet personality on the phone.

Cody happy gofer.


Cody Gillis has been my friend, assistant and around good friend since he was 12 years old. He is seen here sorting out the mess that builds up as the guys work on the car. Here is was picking up and sorting all the stray fasteners and organising them in the trays. This is very valuable function to save time now when it is so critical. Thanks Buddy you are a great young man. We are holding our breath to see if he will receive his passport on time to go to Bonneville for SPEEDWEEK. Any body coming down later than the 4Th please let me know if you would have room for him.(back up plan!!)

Mrs Cummings Delivers Transporter gets COOL-IT Cap

Not exactly fair exchange, typical of this project. It is all about PR!!
It is a long, long trailer about 40f overall. Greg Cummins of Cummins Trailer and Equipment were kind to deliver it right to our Big Top Tent. I felt a little bit sad that we had not enought time to really express our gratitude to them and to Dr. Dyck. It is the two people who made it happen, and thanks to Gregg donation to the project we were able to stay within our budget for the trailer. I look forward to one day exhibiting the car for Cummings Trailer and Equipment, while proudly displaying SURREY CENTRE OPTICAL banner.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

The Early Edition on CBC radio

If you get up in time, tune in to the Early Edition on CBC radio with Kelly Ryan today at 7:50 to hear me get tongue tied.
Regards,
Randy

Last body panel ready for paint


It is midnight and Werner , Dan and I finished the replacement panel for the rear portion of the body. As you can see we changed the material to use 1/8th aluminum along the ridge of the tail section.. This part was supplied and formed by Mr. Al Dawes of LONE STAR. Good job and nice fit, Thanks again. Now we can take it to Able Autobody in Walnut Grove (Collision Plus) for gold BASF waterborne color applied by master painter Dave.

Just what the Doctor Ordered



The long long trailer is checked out by Dean today at Cummins Trailer. It is just what the Dr.Glenn Dyck of Surrey Optical Centre ordered for the team. It will serve us well. Thanks to Glenn and Greg Cummins who also made a donation by reducing the overall cost and additional options.


AGGRESSIVE Ladies sporting Cool Hats!




At Aggressive Tube Bending in Port Kells (they built the car chassis) the offices where buzzing with the news about the Hawk in the Paper. Shelley & Jeanne where not too keen to have their pictures taken but I promised them it would be a secret so don't tell anyone, OK?

Monday, July 13, 2009

Everyone wants the COOL-IT hats.

At Cool-it Truck Parts in Port Kells, sales & marketing manager, Jim Brockes shows Seper the Cool-It cap in the Now Newspaper. Jim is the guy you call for 1.800.Radiators in the Fraser Valley and is developing the North American market for the near future. Watch this sponsor grow!

Maggie May's Magic Motorhome



Wednesday night, Dean and I and Barklee visited May to check out the motor home as a tow vehicle for the Goldenhawk. It is well equipped, has low mileage, great condition and 460 cubic inches of truck motor. Dean will take it to work his colleagues will install a new heavy duty hitch and they will also make additions to the new trailer to best suit the upcoming tour.
Note our mascot is sucking up to May? Smart puppy!

May saves the Day!


This is May (last name withheld for privacy) is an outstanding individual. At the tender age of 75 she still rides a big scooter 1000cc or more and tows it in a trailer behind her motor home every year from Vancouver to Yuma Arizona. She is truly active in her passion for speed and her generosity is extended to the Goldenhawk project. May and her late husband were both in the ROYAL CANADIAN AIRFORCE and she has donated the use of her motor home to serve as tow vehicle to Bonneville.
This project is very grateful to the people like May that have demonstrated the unselfish nature of many Canadians.

Burning the Midnight Oil?

Every knows that Canadians live in Igloo's, but what they don't know is we work in tents in the summer and winter.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Salt fever becomes epidemic

Michael Tonolli, the President of ACME FIRE has caught salt fever, not only is he working on the Goldenhawk at night, also brought his father out of retirement to run for parts and consult on the fire system. At the same time Werner is patiently laying out the electrical system one component at a time. A man of many talents is a big asset to any team, he works best when left alone.









Beware of Bryson and the Green Grease



Beware of Bryson and
the Green Grease!

Chute release completed




Dean was busy working on the chute release. "Just a simple thing", but it takes great thought and a couple of designs before Dean Culchesky is satisfied. Wait till you see what Werner and the team used for the handle inside. I will give you a hint................ It was purchased new and it was a stubby 3/8" ratchet. Now it is a parachute release lever and works for both chutes. Push for the 200mph chute and pull back if you go over 300mph. I expect to do a got of pushing before we have to pull it back. As a matter of fact we haven't installed the second chute and will not until we are finnished testing with the single HOLSET donated HX40 Turbocharger and the Nitrous Express Diesel injection systems. Heck if we can master all the nitrous we have on board, 50 pounds per run we may not need the twin turbos. (Thats about a thousand horsepower worth of oxygen plus the boosted air and we have the NW FUEL BIG BAD PUMP that delivers enough diesel through the Piers Harry and Dynomite extrude honed injectors). The twin turbo set up 1- HX40 & 1-HX 23 were also donated by HOLSET and PEAK DIESEL's owner Harry Kelleher.


Without these sponsors we would be nowhere!

Thanks to all 100 of you!!



Saturday, July 4, 2009

Nifty Someone turned Fifty
















Werner celebrated his 50Th with his family. Daughter cooked Cheryl did the cake and Kasey was surprised. Werner's mother was on hand for the occasion. HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the whole Goldenhawk Team and fans!

July 2 China junk not just a boat!

Today we filled the brake system with fluid and discovered (not surprised) that the crappy steel tubing we purchased (all that was available) didn't hold up to the pressure of the big Corvette master cylinder. However, Bryson and I re plumbed the car tonight and now we have 4Wheel 8 Piston big disc brakes. Bryson has turned into a very important part of the team. He is very careful and thinks about every move he makes, a nice trait in a racer.
Thanks Bryson!
Transmission and engine next to get ready for dyno. Oh yest also install drive shaft and align power train.

Notice to Truckers and Vacationers

Don't get overheated this summer, visit our cool sponsors, the team does!

Cool-It Hiway Services Inc.
The Largest Heat Transfer company in Western Canada for your Overheating or Airconditioning needs.
Parts: #4 20085 100A Ave.
Langley BC 604-888-1883
Service: 1244 Riverside Rd Abbotsford BC 604-852-5848 www.cool-it.ca

Rapid-Lube Ltd.
Fast Lube services for all Larger vehicles
RVs, Buses, Delivery & Dump Trucks, Cranes and Highways Tractors.
Fast and Affordable by using all OE and Best Quality parts.
www.rapid-lube.com

Thrust washer no small detail



Werner has the patience for details and is very adamant that the car be safe, therefore he removed the fuel tank and installed the missing thrust washers that were not installed in the frame when we trial fitted the race engine last fall.

NitroLube it up! CANADA DAY


July 1 2009, a milestone in the project as today we lubed the differential and pushed the button to send 12volts of Federal Battery power to the pump. IT WORKED just as it was supposed to and yes we videoed it. But I am not sure how to put it on the blog!
I will check with Brian Beesley, he always figures this computer photo stuff out.

The front drive lube system




This system is very unique to say the least!
OTT's Ben and Chris designed the differential to run upside down and backwards so that it would become front wheel drive unit. They also made allowances for the fact that the pinion bearing would need oiling from above and that the seal would be in danger if the pressure was too great. There was a solution, put a gravity drain bung at the top and a sump on the bottom to pick up the oil to bring it back to the tank. Aggressive Tube Bending donated a brass gear pump and Werner built a drive system using a winch motor and filter. We also built an oil tank and Kevin Knox of Diversions made the casing for the drive and laser engraved it with GOLDENHAWK.

Cockpit almost complete!


Werner has been hard on it for the past few weeks. First the shifter and then the throttle were completed and now he is remounting the dash so yours truly can reach the switches. he is also fabricating the parachute release mechanism. It will allow one handle to deploy one chute or two as the driver can push or pull it to release one or two. Smart idea by the crew chief and co-driver. I think Dan also had a hand in the design.