Two more days till Bonneville 2010

As I mentioned yesterday Salty has had some upgrades done over the year off. Some were much needed, and some were just because we can. But in the end this car is almost all brand new except for some of the body.

First the much needed changes. Ron, Matt and Chet left Bonneville last year with one thing on their minds...how to fix the problem of Salty trying to lift-off into the air. They came back with an idea to relieve the pressure from underneath the car to keep it from lifting. And like most ideas around the shop, they turn into realty. The idea was two tunnels running from the middle of the car to the rear of the car to suck the air out and create down force. So Ron tore the car apart and stared at it for a few weeks, finally all the thoughts and ideas were ready to be put to use. Lets hope these new tunnels direct the air better, if not were bringing some weight just incase!

Next, as you see in the above picture louvers were added because they're cool and we needed them. Next one of the biggest changes to the body was the new air intake for the engine.

It also received a butt lift. A new rearward tilt was added for easy access.

It got a larger water tank for more weight up front and mainly to keep the engine cooler longer.

The cockpit got a new safety device. Its a foam seat insert that forms to the drivers body for a more precision fit. It's called a Creafoam Seat from Bald Spot Sports. Ron feels much more comfortable and that's important.

And one of the last major improvements is the new Air Pressure Sensors, built and designed by Carl Sorensen, aka Captain Carl. And another feature Carl added is a Tilt Over System that deploys the shoots if the car tilts or rolls more then 45 degrees. Talk about a major safety device!

I've never seen the guys so calm today before a race. Tomorrow will consist of a lot of tinkering but mostly loading and packing. More to come on the car later.

SEE YOU THERE!?