Target 550 MPH

Target 550 posts, 2011

January 1, 2011. 85: Happy New Year from the Target 550 team.

January 5, 2011. 86: Plumbing, hoses, www.jfcracing.com and the first conference of 2011. Check www.jfcracing.com. They have an interesting site

January 8, 2011. 87: Altered water tanks, heater elements, composite parts and panels.

January 15, 2011. 88: Inside detail of a body panel and a special set of screws for the oil filters.

January 19, 2011. 89: The master practicing his craft.

January 21, 2011. 90: Lift hole plastic aero inserts, rear panel conflict area and new tunnels for the rear engine area. After some of the pipes, cables and lines exit the rear protection tunnels, the front engine tunnels are adequate. Just the rears need to be replaced.

January 28, 2011. 91: Throttle and fuel shutoff cables, oil tank drains and the new oil scavenge pumps.

February 04, 2011. 92: It's all about plumbing stuff.

February 08, 2011. 93: Images that can't be overlooked. Sometimes there are images that just don't fit that day's post. These seem to be in that area. Guessing regarding them is your privilege. As time passes they will all fall into place.

February 12, 2011. 94: It's so simple when it's done. No room at the inn. A special situation and a unique solution. Watch for the star. They didn't have one of these in the Bell Auto Parts catalog.

February 17, 2011. 95: The water lines are just about finished.

February 24, 2011. 96: Oil filter drain, hose clamps and Ray Therat's view from Down Under. The Rat lived up to his heritage and immediately was crawling around looking up at what the Gods have created. He survived because he avoided the traps.

March 4, 2011. 97: Rat's Eye View, Part 1. The Rat can't read so well, so he ignored the "No Cameras" sign and scurried about the floor shooting whatever caught his eye.

March 11, 2011. 98: Rat's Eye View, Part 2. This time the Rat stood up and started shooting photos from a different viewpoint.

March 18, 2011. 99: Finishing off the oil system and beginning the Composite Components. Some parts on the car have to be replaceable in case they are damaged. Molds and replacement parts are now part of the finished product.

March 26, 2011. 100: The new dry sump oil pans. Treit describes the reason for new dry sump oil pans. They relate to the positioning of the engine in the chassis that was dictated by the quick change rear ends.
This post will be completed with a second section.

March 27, 2011. 101: The Studs and the Plug. As soon as the pans return from the polisher and are assembled, I'll post several shots of the finished items.

March 29, 2011. 102: More oil pan, oil filter and the onboard battery box. The Old School oil filter turns out to be much more modern than we thought.

April 3, 2011. 103: Pipes, screens and streamlined woodwork. Every so often I have to sweep out the corners and see what I find.

April 8, 2011. 104: Tail skin and the rear wheel fairings. The entire tail section cannot be completed until the rear wheel fairings are done. Jim Hume is building the bucks for those pieces. His wood working skills are being tested.

April 13, 2011. 105: Clean sweep down, fore and aft. Don't slight the corners. Some things that have been overlooked. Just another glimpse into the Target 550 'liner.

April 16, 2011. 106: Skin and Wood. Complex shapes in both metal and wood are the challenges.

April 23, 2011. 107: Clutch activation and odds 'n ends.

April 29, 2011. 108: A look at the tire and wheel enclosures.

May 6, 2011. 109: Hydraulic lines to the clutch slave cylinders.

May 8, 2011. 110: Happy Mothers Day.

May 13, 2011. 111: Plumbing and Passing On.

May 20, 2011. 112: A look back to 2007.

May 26, 2011. 113: A tour through the shop's Museum.

May 28, 2011. 114: Wheel and hub assembly, lug nuts and more plumbing.

May 30, 2011. 115: Some images that were returned in the mail.

June 3, 2011. 116: A windshield mold in a day. Frank Martinez of Redmond, Washington is as smooth as the resin he brushes on the matt. It's a joy to see him work.

June 10, 2011. 117: Wheel fairings, take 2. After the wheel fairings were made, it was decided they were too close to the ground. Frank made modifications to the mold to help Hume reshape them.

June 17, 2011. 118: Micro Plumbing. One of Marlo's main concerns is the problems that the salt environment can cause to electrical circuits and equipment. These are all avoided by using air to activate systems that could also be done electrically. This includes electronically-controlled fuel injection.

June 24, 2011. 119: Frank Martinez delivers the first windshield, the molds for the modified front wheel under fairings and Jim Hume forming the aluminum rear wheel fairings.

July 1, 2011. 120: Dressing for summer and miscellaneous glimpses.

July 8, 2011. 121: The inside plumbing for the dual clutch cylinders and the shift control center with its air supply. Not only is it colorful it is complex.

July 15, 2011. 122: Jason and the Arachnoid. Now the tail skin is finished except for the rivets but there is still a lot to do in that area.

July 22, 2011. 123: Even new brakes must be fitted. From the master cylinder to the discs......almost connected.

July 29, 2011. 124: Brakes, plumbing, dash and the engine package for the dyno tests. The engine was taken to Les Davenport's dyno for preliminary tests. There will be more to report in a soon to come post.

August 5, 2011. 125: Brake caliper mount, breathers and the frame air pressurization system.

August 12, 2011. 126: Plastic tubing retainers and Heaven on Earth.

August 19, 2011. 127: Oil line retainer and breather box.

August 26, 2011. 128: Breather tanks, oil lines, pressure testing and belt drive system.

September 2, 2011. 129: Belly Pan, breathers and the new spy camera.

September 5, 2011. 130: Granite Falls High School project for World of Speed.

September 12, 2011. 131: Loading the Granite Falls HS Urban Concept car for the trip to World of Speed on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

September 17, 2011. 132: Knobs, Knurls and Kolored anodizing. These small parts are necessary, intricate and so slow to make.

September 23, 2011. 133: Making an egg shaped hole round and changing Push to Pull.

September 30, 2011. 134: Belt tensioning idler and rear wheel fairings.

October 9, 2011. 135: Greek couplers replace sleeves in the drive train.

October 14, 2011. 136: A pattern for the windshield(s). The plural used since 3 windshields will be made; 2 of them as spares.

October 21, 2011. 137: The new Torque Tube. The new Greek Couplers require a revamped torque tube.

October 28, 2011. 138: Assignment: Clear the desktop and show the Greek Couplers in the drive system. With the Greek Couplers and no universal joints, reliability should be a given.

November 5, 2011. 139: Engine and blower dyno test. The primary reason for this test was to ensure that a 90 degree rotation of the Whipple superchargers wouldn't create a problem with fuel delivery. The test was a success.

November 11, 2011. 140: A refinement with the Greek Couplers, progress on the windshields and some new jewelry for the engines. There's a lot of diversity in this post and it all means progress.

November 18, 2011. 141: More photos of the canopy windshield frame/molding.

November 25, 2011. 142: Canopy finishing, windshield molding and mounting the windshield. I am overwhelmed with this part of the car. So many hours of planning, finishing, special fixtures and only one shot at it. If the canopy would have needed to be replaced I think Les would have been driving an open cockpit car. It's not completed yet but there's no way they can lose it now.

December 2, 2011. 143: Oil Pans, the windshield assembly and quick change. The major work on the windshield has been done. There are two more windshields to be drilled and fitted but it's far enough along that it's easy to see how well it has worked out. Some modification to the final front drive unit is being done in the milling machine.

December 9, 2011. 144: Clutch cover, roll cage buck and new clutch can covers.

December 16, 2011. 145: The scatter shields had to be modified to work with the B & J transmissions.

December 23, 2011. 146: The year in review, part 1.

December 25, 2011. 147: Merry Christmas 2011.

December 26, 2011. 148: The year in review, part 2.

December 27, 2011. 149: The year in review, part 3.

December 28, 2011. 150: The year in review, part 4.

December 29, 2011. 151: The year in review, part 5.

December 30, 2011. 152: The year in review, part 6.

December 31, 2011. 153: The year in review, part 7.

Target 550 MPH

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