Driller Dan Nayoski

Dan was on hand to give a hand on Sunday at Diversions shop. Kevin was busy making pieces for the cockpit while directing the build process. Dan is not as large as Kevin or myself so he fit the bill of being the driller and thread tapper man in the cockpit.

Here he is preparing cockpit floor to mount the 1/2" grade 8 bolts to secure the safety harness/crotch strap.

He said he enjoyed the time away from his business which is Vacuums Plus (see the sponsor links). He will supply the vacuum system for the trailer whenever we acquire one.

Dan is also preparing to do some embroidery work for the team.

By days end he had the seat and belts all in place.

Where do race specs come from?

This was sent to me by a fan and old racer. He says this is true.

Randy

AN INTERESTING HISTORY LESSON

Railroad tracks.
This is fascinating. Be sure to read the final paragraph; your understanding of it will depend on the earlier part of the content.
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number.
Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England , and English expatriates built the US railroads.
Why did the English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Why did 'they' use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England , because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England ) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since. And the ruts in the roads? Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome , they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore the United States standard railroad gauge> of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. Bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a Specification/Procedure/Process and wonder 'What horse's ass came up with it?' you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses. (Two horses' asses.) Now, the twist to the story:
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRB's. The SRB's are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah . The engineers who designed the SRB's would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRB's had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRB's had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.
And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important? Ancient horse's asses control almost everything.. and-----> CURRENT Horses Asses are controlling everything else!!

Frank Noses Best

A visit to Collision Plus shop in Walnut Grove and a quick hello to the owner Doug was all he had time to spare. When you are turning out good quality high volume repairs and paint you are in high demand. Able Autobody is that kind of establishment.

Richard showed me the finished nose cone that Frank Vaski spent many hours filling and sandin to take out the dimples that showed up as the foam cured in the nose section. Tomorrow Richard will finish the tail section and then the coating will begin.

Good work guys!

It will be golden soon!

Cool COOL Kool Coat

The gentlemen at Kool coat have ceramic coated the exhaust system for the Goldenhawk. Here you see the changing of the guard as the new Mr.Fink takes the reins while Spencer and Dave are on tour with their race car in Edmonton.

Thanks guys for the good coating job.

Frankforth Waterjet to get new website soon.

Sean Frankforth compares the finished product against the image on the screen of the Water jet Cutter.

Watch the blog for his NEW WEBSITE coming shortly. I will give you a link, so you can now start thinking of all the neat stuff you can make of almost every material.

Phone 604-888-4606

Cockpit for a KING

This cockpit is very large and protective of the driver. The brakes are 4 wheel and 4 piston high performance discs to stop the car and they are applied by a Corvette manual master cylinder. Of course for maximum driver comfort on those hot days waiting in line to make a run at Bonneville we have "COOL-IT' Hiway services sponsored air conditioning. We might not go fast but we are stylin!

The instrument panel was redesigned by Kevin of Diversions and emailed to Frankforth Waterjet Cutting to be made.

Brake pedal fitment

In the world of custom building even the simplest car with lots of room we are finding everything has its challenges. Fortunately the Goldenhawk team supporters/workers always come up with a solution. Here Jake is posing to get the brake pedal travel and placement correct for taller driver like him and Yuri and still fit Kevin, Werner, and Landspeed Louise. mean while Kevin's drilling the final mounting for the fuel tank.

Gee "TANKS" for the tank!

As Kevin mounts the fuel tank you can see the neat flame/smoke arrests he fabricated up at the top of the firewall.

Just smokin!

Last week we made huge gains on the final fabrications. Many of the tasks involved reworking tanks and other parts. The fuel tank had to be rearranged to fit in the front of the fire wall and the mounts adjusted accordingly.









However, Kevin's keen eyes spied a dark line and our worst fears came true. In an attempt to make pretty we had created the opportunity for a welded seam to leak.
But in true Goldenhawk spirit Kevin made some table saw cuts and Jake welded it up. A test proved worthy of fuel so ..............................Kevin remounted the fuel tank and crossed it off the list.

Scot Kalitta dies 21 June in NHRA Funny Car

SCOTT KALITTA LOVED DRAG RACING!

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Scott Kalitta died Saturday JUNE 21`2008 when his Funny Car crashed and burst into flames during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
The NHRA said the 46-year-old Kalitta - the 1994 and 1995 Top Fuel season champion who had 18 career victories, 17 in Top Fuel and one in Funny Car - was taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, where he died a short time later.
Witnesses told The Star-Ledger of Newark that Kalitta's Toyota Solara was travelling at an estimated speed of 300 m.p.h when the crash occurred.
The Palmetto, Fla., resident started his career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in 1982. His father, Connie Kalitta, was a long-time driver and team owner known as

"The Bounty Hunter," and his cousin, Doug Kalitta, also drives competitively.
Scott Kalitta is survived by wife Kathy and sons Corey and Colin.
"Scott shared the same passion for drag racing as his legendary father, Connie. He also shared the same desire to win, becoming a two-time series world champion," read a statement released by NHRA officials. "He left the sport for a period of time, to devote more time to his family, only to be driven to return to the drag strip to regain his championship form."
"Scott was a terrific driver and perhaps more importantly a better person and a great father to his two kids. He will be truly missed by the entire NHRA community."
NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski - a native of Rochester Hills, Mich., about 20 miles away from Kalitta's hometown of Mount Clemens - learned the news from a television report Saturday afternoon.
"That really hits close to home," Keselowski said after winning the pole position for Saturday night's race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis. "(He was) a friend of my family's, and I send my thoughts and prayers out to him. That's tough to hear."
Last year, Funny Car driver Eric Medlen died after an accident in a testing session at Gainesville, Fla.
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Scott Kalitta died Saturday when his Funny Car crashed and burst into flames during the final round of qualifying for the Lucas Oil NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
The NHRA said the 46-year-old Kalitta - the 1994 and 1995 Top Fuel season champion who had 18 career victories, 17 in Top Fuel and one in Funny Car - was taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, where he died a short time later.
Witnesses told The Star-Ledger of Newark that Kalitta's Toyota Solara was travelling at an estimated speed of 300 m.p.h when the crash occurred.
The Palmetto, Fla., resident started his career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in 1982. His father, Connie Kalitta, was a long-time driver and team owner known as "The Bounty Hunter," and his cousin, Doug Kalitta, also drives competitively.
Scott Kalitta is survived by wife Kathy and sons Corey and Colin.
"Scott shared the same passion for drag racing as his legendary father, Connie. He also shared the same desire to win, becoming a two-time series world champion," read a statement released by NHRA officials. "He left the sport for a period of time, to devote more time to his family, only to be driven to return to the drag strip to regain his championship form."
"Scott was a terrific driver and perhaps more importantly a better person and a great father to his two kids. He will be truly missed by the entire NHRA community."
NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski - a native of Rochester Hills, Mich., about 20 miles away from Kalitta's hometown of Mount Clemens - learned the news from a television report Saturday afternoon.
"That really hits close to home," Keselowski said after winning the pole position for Saturday night's race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis. "(He was) a friend of my family's, and I send my thoughts and prayers out to him. That's tough to hear."
Last year, Funny Car driver Eric Medlen died after an accident in a testing session at Gainesville, Fla.
"LIVE FAST, LOVE HARD AND DIE YOUNG AND LEAVE A BEAUTIFUL MEMORY"

Give The Hawk a Brake!

Nothing is for free! Well the Guys at RALPH'S Used Auto & Truck Parts (Royce, Gerry and Chris) were generous and said if we wanted to take out the brake pedal assembly from a Dodge van, they would donate it to the cause. (Now I am sure they thought it would be easier to build one than pull it out because as we found out the brake pedal has a lot of welds to the firewall.) So with generator, extension cord and cutting tool Kevin and I began the extraction. After 90 minutes of cutting, unbolting, bending and BLEEDING plus destruction of 5 cutting discs we achieved the goal. Thanks men!

Hawk stripped bare by crew and sponsors?

LANDSPEED RECORD STREAMLINER

available for promotional opportunity

(SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED)

The title is meant to be attention getting!

It sounds like everyone took their stuff and went home, but the truth is the parts will get the final touches and be reassembled in preparation of our ATTACK on the Bonneville Salt Flats/BNI/SCTA landspeed record for four liter diesel powered streamliners, E/DS.

You can see that the car breaks into four separate assembles each can be moved about on its own under carriage. This is the car with just the cockpit section and the landing gear set up to be a trailer with the jeep moved to its forward most point. The power train frame can be added to this configuration. When the tail section is installed the jeep moves to the tail end and that could be trailered as well, granted it is 32 plus feet long and would make a strange site in traffic. So in the interest of public safety we will keep trying to find a sponsor with a large flat deck trailer or a drop frame transport truck.

PLEASE let everyone know we need another sponsor or two to solve this issue.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT THROUGH THE PAST 18 MONTHS.

Welcome! Jake Skocylas to the team.

The young gentleman is Jake Skocylas, besides being full time employee of his family business,

INLINE Sales & Service, he has jumped on board to be a full team member with the Goldenhawk. Jake is a friend of Werner's and has been performing welding on his time off for the Goldenhawk for the last month. Now, he has joined we thought "if he is working double hard we should show him twice!"

That is the completed exhaust manifold that he has finished and is ready to go for ceramic coating at Kool Coat on 96Th Ave in Port Kells. There Spencer will be coating inside and out just the way all turbo manifolds should be done.

Hawk to get BASF Water borne Gold

A picture tells the story, arriving at ABLE AUTO BODY / COLLISION PLUS #2 - 20120 _ 92A Avenue, Langley,BC. OH yes note the name on the transporter. Thanks to Diversions.

At the far end of the complex is the body shop crew contemplating how they will graft the aluminum tail the fibreglass fairing that

Murphy Aircraft Manufacturing built and donated, to the Plastic ABS body material supplied by PLASTEC.

I have every confidence in their ability to deal with the situation because they are the pros at all kinds of body work and restorations.

Look for more about

COLLISION PLUS in the days ahead.

Goldenhawk Able to get Gold BASF

In response to a call by Collision Plus technical coordinator,FrankVaski
We removed the removable tail section designed and built by Aggressive Tube Bending, was loaded in Kevin's Thunder Truck, along with the nose cone that Kevin hand built with the team at Plastec last year and transported to Collision Plus shop in Walnut Grove, Langley, BC.

The latest print exposure

This is the article from the Vancouver Province newspaper.

JUST CLICK ON IT TO ENLARGE IT. (all the pictures can be viewed that way).

The CFUN 1410 Radio interview is 7megabytes so I am trying to find a way to send it out with out having to resort to burning disc. Perhaps I can ask Judy to put it up on the website so you can download it.

IF YOU are interested in hearing the interview send me a reply,

To goldenhawkracing@yahoo.ca

RAT"S ROB KNOWS TRANNY PIECES

I was very impressed by the neatness and organization of the parts room. Rob was very kind and often paused to explain what most race car engineers would know

Finally we agree on a plan of action and by the smile on Rob's face he is happy to be involved.

Thanks Rob and Colleen for your help! Stepping up to fill the spot left by a previous sponsor who could not fulfill his commitment leaving us at a critical time.Considering that you are still a small operating business, it is a huge commitment.

THANKS FOR COMING ON BOARD!

"RATS" is the fondly used name (Rob's Automatic Transmission Service) in the heavy duty diesel transmission circles . Rob and his wife ,Colleen operate a small farm and Colleen helps with most of the things that require two people.

When I was given their names to call on for sponsoring the transmission build and installation, Rob and Colleen were described a good ,straight people. After meeting them I would agree.

I visited them on Canada day and we made an agreement that RATS will build; a transmission that is direct drive and thereby eliminate the torque converter spillage generated heat and the expensive upgrades for the lock up type.

Randy on 1410 am Radio Listen Live!

Join us by listening on your computer

just click on this link,

http://www.cfun.com

click on

"LISTEN LIVE"

(Blue box) on the main page.

Randy will be interviewed "live" tomorrow morning

30 June 2008 at 6:30-6:45 am Pacific Standard time

**** Be sure to turn on your speakers!!!****

Mad Dogs & Englishmen

"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun"! That was written by a very wise person and today, Sunday, I understand what they meant.

I was early morning when Kevin and I began to remove the body panels, the set up engine, transmission, steering box and power train frame from the car. The sun was already boiling at 9 am and by the time we put the tools away it was 2:30 pm. The engine/transmission is in the back of Kevin's thundering big Dodge and awaiting delivery tomorrow to our "skunk works" machine shop. They will pull it down and prep it for the big ponies of the twice turbocharged engine, commonly called the backup motor. After some cleaning up the sharp edges of the power train frame we will take it to APEX FINISHING LTD. to be redone before final assembly.

TOM THE TIRE GUY in Surrey

Twenty five to thirty years ago I went to CANADIAN CASH & CARRY store in Burnaby to get 16x16x36" Slicks mounted and balanced for my Twim turbocharged dragster. It was at that time that I met a Dynamic young man, with a line up of people waiting to receive his bright smile and happy helpful service. I recall spending my time looking through photo albums of all the race, custom and show cars he had put on the wheels and tires. I soon discovered that Tom Erickson was the go to guy for all hot rodders and racers, he knew the product available and to this day will give you a super deal on tires and wheels. That's why I insist that the Goldenhawk GOODYEAR LSR 330 MPH+EAGLE Landspeed tires are carefully mounted balanced and check for true surface, no run out.

Honesty, Good prices, Great advice, and Tom's Great personality make it your best choice

for tires and wheels.

13550-106ave. Surrey,BC. V3T2c5

call 604-581-8550

BEWARE HOT HOT PIPES!

One more scallop cut and the exhaust is to be hauled out with the power train, A couple of welds and it will be off to get ceramic coated by KOOL COAT to keep the heat in and the turbos HOT. Kevin will fasten the heat shield to the body. Pretty hot looking heat shield Kevin sculpted into the body panel.

Good Work as Always.

Federal Battery Decal hides a hole

FEDERAL BATTERY OF RICHMOND is our battery and electrical sponsor. Chris Scullion the owner gave me a lot of the FEDERAL BATTERY decals along with the equipment. They came in handy to cover/the damaged spots.

Kevin Knox is fixing small dent in the panel from unknown forklift strike!

DIVERSIONS Heals the BODY

Kevin Knox takes care of his body (the PLASTEC body) that he built hand last year. It is a one of a kind adventure into ABS plastic body fabrication using vacuum former and heat guns and raw proto typing talent and nerves. The body and paint sponsors are going to have it easier now that he has taken the bumps, dents cuts and bruises that appeared in the car over the winter stored in the steel yard at AGGRESSIVE TUBE BENDING LTD, in Port Kells. There was nothing that panics Kevin, as he is the best plastic fabricator around. He is always forming, 3D scanning and rapid
proto-typing FDM models for manufacturing industry. He also makes many laser exact parts for customers in large volumes. He is now planning to add welding equipment for MIG and TIG to round out his humble shop. His very understanding wife, Tina, has excepted his tool addiction quite well and is not planning an intervention at this time. Thanks Tina for sending him out to pay with us on the GOLDENHAWK.

The LAST POST

This is not the last post, but it is the milestone I have been pressing for in the project. It is now time to remove the mock up engine and send it to be bored, balanced and blueprinted, to be installed later with the twin Holset turbochargers for the 330mph attempts at the worlds fastest diesel record. The power train frame will go to APEX FINISHING in Burnaby for a fresh powder coat. The cockpit will be the focus for a week or so and then the final assembly can begin. The Cummins 3.9 turbocharged race engine awaits at Piers Harry's equipped with Colt cam, Zoltan ported head, Peak Diesel parts, Dynomite injectors ,Hamilton push rods,NX nitrous Fluidampr, ARP studs, all the good stuff! All donated by the sponsors. Please email me if you need directions to build a mega power plant for your project.

It is at this time I would like to express my gratitude to Werner Sprenger and Kevin Knox who have stuck in for the long haul of the last 16 long months. I can see the toll it is inflicting on them and yet they complain not!

I would also like to say thank you to the approximately 40 sponsors who have donated time, assets and money to the project, asking nothing in return. To the persons, owners and volunteers who have worked many days and weekends to build the car, thank you. To the media who have reported the project to the world and to the fans all 23,000 who visited the website and pass emails around the globe, thank you. To the estimated 200,000 blog visitors thank for you encouragement, and please keep forwarding the blog post notices for your friends to enjoy.

I too am exhausted but happy to have all the effort, enthusiasm and support of everyone.

This is truly a tribute to the great flying team

the Royal Canadian Air Force

" GOLDEN HAWKS"

The last welds?

Here is the final steel bracket welded in place for the drive mount of the oiling system for the front wheel drive. Werner makes " the last weld"! Kevin doesn't believe it and he is right there will be more but for this phase of the build this was the last brackets that had to be weld in place. Oops, Kevin is right we still have to mount the canopy latch.

Exhausting is exhausting!

It seems like exhausting would be as easy doesn't it? Why it is just sort of a way of passing gas. Wrong! At first the task seemed straight forward. Simple put the turbo in the precise location so that the single and dual turbochargers can be interchanged when changing the engine. Throw in the fact that the body of the car lifts 4 inches, (that's 10 centimetres in Canada), to adjust the running height and install the landing gear for transporting the car. This is accomplished by dual air cylinders that operate from the cockpit. However it is the body and not the power train frame (engine tranny and overdrive, and steering all stay together, but the exhaust goes through the body panel and must be aligned in such a way as to allow the movement. Well after several exhausting weeks of trial and error, with different configurations and several types of flexible pipe and "multi" manifolds being fabricated and then cut and re welded and chopped and then thrown out only to try another way we finally got! The bonus is that it will protect the PLASTEC body from the 1600+ degrees of exhaust gas that must past by and it will also imitate the design of the F-86 50 calibre gun ports that will be airbrushed at the nose and uses no flexible tubing. A little art and a little practicality. Good work guys. The crew is exhausted and the work is not over.

Nitrous Express our valued sponsor

Fan ride of the month.

Mike Woods, owner of NX

Nitrous Express is (on left) busy on his 94 Musclestang prepping it for the racing season. Mike is also busy opening a warehouse in Mexico to service all the hot rodders in that country. That about covers the whole North American territory!

It costs to be a Proud Canadian. BIG TIME!

A picture is worth a 1,000 words and gas is $1.48.9 a litre in Vancouver and they are going to add .10 for a carbon tax next week. (for our American friends that is about $6.03 a gallon!!)

OTT INDUSTRIES in Final Act

A is for axles short and sweet,
B is for Birfield a joint that is neat
C is for almost complete
D is for drive axle at Ben's feet
E is for great effort,
F is final drive
Yalta yatta aytta I am not a poet but OTT is the place that make beautiful parts and the Goldenhawk will be the better for all their works. Thank you for being a major sponsor, BEN and CHRIS!
Those are fine pieces of machinery Ben is holding, a little more splining and heat treating and the job is complete.
Final assembly will be done by OTT INDUSTRIES to make sure that it is RIGHT.
When you need something special for the love in your garage visit OTT's website it is:

www.ottindustries.com

Fuller Bros. Give tires - TireLife

Notice the decal from the 1973 Stock car. SEAL-ZIT this product solved all our tire inflation problems by eliminating the rim porosity and reducing the tire temperatures on the long runs at the track. Naturally when I thought of going to high speeds on the salt flats I went looking for
SEAL-ZIT and found a new name TIRE LIFE, same good product and a sponsor to boot!

Special thanks to Fuller Bros. makers of TIRE LIFE for sponsoring our tires in conjunction with Goodyear's Competition Tire. It is nice to know that we will have a spare when we get to the salt. Remember, SEAL-ZIT is now TIRE LIFE

APEX FINISHING LTD. Get it right!

APEX FINISHERS is powder coating the last two wheels built by

GREEN"S AUTOMOTIVE. Brian is photographed here checking the high speed custom wheels before beginning the coating process.
Brian Johnson is the owner of APEX Finishing Ltd. and besides being a good sponsor has a good sense of humour. This is evidenced by the fact that every time I print his company name I seem to get it wrong.

I have called it Apex Refinishers, Apex Powder Coating etc. and each time Brian laughs and say

"You spelled our name incorrectly, again!"

You would think that it would be simple to look at his trailer with the name on it, considering we borrowed it for almost a year.

Anyway, Brian is an avid racer and restoration buff for the likes of old Mini Coopers and such. When we have some time I plan to get more details of his hobbies to share with you, but for now when you think FINISHING think

APEX FINISHING LTD.

in Burnaby BC. 604-431-6633

Thank you Brian.

Attention Diesel Owners,Drivers & Techs.

If you are an owner, driver or heavy duty technician you will benefit to visit the web site for our sponsor and supplier of the fuel systems for our race engines. Gord Reid is the main man and owner of NW Fuel in Port Kells, Surrey, BC

www.nwfuel.ca

Race Engine completed at PIERS' shop

Mike Nichols, 29 year old mechanical technician for Piers is installing the "FLUIDAMPR" on the completed race engine.

June 9 2008 Piers Harry has completed the build of the first of the two 3.9BT Cummins engines for the Goldenhawk. The back up engine is still in the chassis as a set up jig for the exhaust.