Electra GSX Road Racer

[Buster]

That's a real bummer. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I hope your buddy has a 100% recovery. I think the fact that he has so many people think enough, and that care about him would be more willing for him to recover.

[BqUICK]

We now have "9 PAGES"! This represents about 150 or so 8.5"x 11" pages if printed out!

Buster, thanks for your concern about Jeff, I will pass that on to him. I expect he will have a 100% recovery over many months!

Also, here is the Faithful Pursuit START UP PROCEDURE

How to Start the Faithful Pursuit Buick.

(Pre-check fuel pressure gage at 6 ? 8 PSI at idle.)

1. SILVER KEY in Primary ignition, OFF position

2. Ratchet HURST shifter to PARK

3. RED SAFETY switches OFF covers OPEN

4. Battery Power ON at Main Power Switch, RED KEY

5. Listen for Electric Water Pump ON

6. Listen for Dual Electric Fans ON in 5 seconds

7. Electric Fuel Pump Switch ON

8. Listen for pump to build back pressure, cycles grow shorter, pitch is lower.

9. Secondary Ignition Switch ON, RED SAFETY SWITCH

10. Throttle forward, pump3x, butterflies open

11. Turn Key in Primary ignition, RED SAFETY SWITCH

12. Engine START in under 8 Revs. Or STOP and re-run 18 - 26

This is nothing compared to the start up of an INDY car!

1969 Buick Electra 225 Custom Sport Coupe turned 12 Second <span style="font-weight: bold">ELECTRA GSX</span>

NASCAR Winston Cup modified Buick Electra Chassis

God Speed

[Buster]

BqUICK, did you use a console when you did the hurst shifter conversion?

[BqUICK]

Buster,

I purchased a 1969 Buick Gran Sport Console on Ebay. It actually came with a piece of junk shifter from another auto manufacturer. I bought the correct guts, sandblasted and painted them and installed it into the Faithful Pursuit. It was tough trying to shift that transmission with that shifter.

The manual valve body demanded a ratchet type shifter. Hurst made a good one and that is what is in there now.

God Speed, <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

[BqUICK]

Hey everyone!

I have a few short videos on Youtube. The first video is a walk around and the second is the car coming out of its trailer in Atlanta, Georgia.

The video was taken by my son. We were driving back from our Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. convention in Orlando, Florida in 2005 and stopped in Atlanta to see an old friend. Ray Williams, in the wheel chair was a World War II P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter Pilot.Ray is one of the elite Black Fighter Pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, who recently recieved the Congressional Gold Medal in March of 2007 from President George W. Bush at the capitol Rotunda.

Just type in Youtube, enter thier site and do a search on "Electra GSX" or "Electra STAGE 1"

There is also a Tuskegee Airmen tribute I did called "Flying Invicta"

Please check them out, I'll be putting on some racing stuff later!!!

God Speed

[BqUICK]

Here is the Electra GSX Youtube link!

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Electra+GSX&search=

[BqUICK]

Hi how have all of you been? Fine I hope, it's been a while since we have talked! Hopefully GS, SMARTIN, and our Buick guys fighting in the sand dunes are doing okay!

This past year we did not race very much because we are doing some massive upgrades. We finally went to Watkins Glen in September to do a few laps with our driver Roy Hopkins. Roy is the 2007 Targa Newfoundland CHAMPION. Congratulations Roy!

We drove the big Buick Electra at SOLO II with the Genessee Valley BMW Club at Monroe County Community College in 2006 and really hauled around the cones. Roy Hopkins did an astounding job of driving the closed cone course at 65 seconds! We were NOT the slowest car there although we out weighed everyone by at least 1,500lbs! This action may have contributed to what I am about to tell you.

We drove it to Watkins in October 2007, went in for tech inspection and found that the four link bracket plate that is welded to the chassis was ripped out of its mounts. The welds actually held but they stayed on the frame and holes were left in the brackets! The assembly fits in a pocket at the side of the chassis and actually stayed in place as we drove the car TO THE RACE TRACK FOR SHAKE DOWN!

So...the Faithful Pursuit had a few broken rear suspension welds, not surprising since the things weighs over 2.25 tons! If we had gotten on the track, it would have been a short run, the first hart left turn would have put us in the wall!!!!

Well, we hung around the track for a while and met some really nice people and talked about next year! We met one of the top Ferrari North America people who organized the sports car racing event we were at. He showed us pictures of his grand kid and everything.

Robert Duckmanton was my partner that day. "Mate" it the word he uses, being an Aussie and all. He is living in the states these days and has had an interesting life. He was a racer, a preacher, a teacher, and more. He helped with all the heavy lifting associated with setting up the car for road race.

This summer we:

1. Rebuilt the TH375 into a super heavy duty 1000 lb-ft capable unit. HD aircraft aluminum 1st gear drum and sprag, new bearings, and clutches for the pack. Reversed valve body ,new EDGE Converter bearings and internal upgrades good to 1000 lb-ft.

2. New 1.25" thick drilled and slotted high Nickel content steel rotors. We had to re-position the calipers and buy new brake pads. The setup works great!

Okay mates, here is where all the energy has been going for the past two years.

This is a piston from the Faithful Pursuit's original 430 Buick engine. It is a custom built set made by JE to my specifications. It is 9:1 with ceramic coatings on the top and a wear coating on the side. There are too many design features to list and I'll just say it cost more than double a 455 STAGE I forged piston!!!

So..with a driveline built to handle 1000 lb-ft, Forged Ceramic pistons, Halo, Ceramic Combustion Chambered STAGE I Heads, INCONEL valves, Billet Connecting Rods, and a thick walled 1969 430 BUICK Block can only mean one thing....! Yes the Faithful Pursuit is getting <span style="font-weight: bold">"BLOWN"! </span>

Yes, I said twin "turbo-superchargers". As an old aviation engineering technologist I know that the correct terminology IS <span style="font-weight: bold">TURBO-SUPERCHARGER</span>. We are getting TURBONETICS hardware.

Over the next five to six months, the ball bearing 72's, stanless steel plumbing, fuel injections system, wiring, guages, etc., etc., will be installed in Kentucky, by ex-Garret turbo man Tom Kirby.

Our goal is to be at the GS Nationals in May of 2008, the Tuskegee Airmen's 2008 National Convention, and MAXTON AIR FORCE Base for some high speed trials in the fall!

God Speed

[Guest imported_MrEarl]

BqUICK , glad to see you back.Been wondering where you've been as the Performance and Custom Forum has been rather quiet lately. Look forward to hearing more about the grand Faithful Pursuit.

[Smartin]

Blown?? Would you be interested in waiting for a new TA Performance aluminum block? It will probably be a couple years before it's ready, though.

[BqUICK]

I spent veteran's day thinking about the many WW II veterans I have met over the years since I first joined the Tuskegee Airmen, Incorporated, as a volunteer in 1987.

Last Friday I flew to Florida to pick up the new 430 STAGE I motor for the "Faithful Pursuit" and also a new car for my wife of 20 years, Deborah. As I drove past the many Air Force and Army bases, I took notice of one particular base. Walterboro, was a name that I had heard many of the old Tuskegee Airmen talk about. The green sign, "Tuskegee Airmen Statue, next right" caught me by surprise. Too late to make the turn off, I continued on a little way and saw the city's name on the water tower, Walterboro, North Carolina.

Even now I can remember, nearly 20 years ago, driving my 1969 Buick Electra 225 Custom Sport Convertible to Ray William's house in College Park, Georgia and talking with the old P-47 Thunderbolt pilot and retired police detective about his plane, Walterboro, Tuskegee, and Lockbourne. These were names of US bases where African American men and women were trained in the US to support the war effort. Men like Ray became fighter pilots for the 332nd fighter group or the 477th composite group. 960 pilots and about 13,000 Black support people made up the Tuskegee Airmen. Today, about 100 pilots are still living and a few thousand support personnel.

For the past 12 years I have driven a Buick with the license plate that reads "332FGP47". People ask me what it means and I explain, "332nd Fighter Group; flying P-47 Thunderbolt fighters". The 332nd, otherwise known as the Tuskegee Airmen are the people we honor with our big Red Tail Buick Electra that now carries that 332FGP47 plate.

For the next several hours of driving, I reviewed memories of the old guys that came to our Tuskegee Airmen meetings in Atlanta while I lived in Georgia in the '80's and '90s. P-47 pilot, George Prather with his 1976 Riviera GS, (I rebuilt his Q-Jet on that 455 back in '89 or so.); Flight Mechanic, "Toy" Conley, with his 1970 "Four Bolt Main" Chevy 350; and P-51 Pilot Freddie Hutchens would drive in with a 1968 Mercedes sedan of all things! Ray Williams always drove this red '85 or so Caddy Coupe DeVille. He locked his keys in it after Freddy Hutchen's funeral and I jimmied the door for the old 'Jersey PD detective as we talked about things.

Although I was the youngster of the group, and not a veteran, we really connected when it came to cars and planes. We were aircraft guys who loved cars, and a lot of Tuskegee Airmen loved Buicks. I have had a few Tuskegee Airmen "Staff Cars" over the years. There would always be a '68 Lincoln, '69 Electra 225, or '87 Grand National with the club license plate that I parked at our various meeting spots around Atlanta.

These days, the Faithful Pursuit carries twin 3' x 5' American flags and we proudly escorted the Tuskegee Airmen and their limousine last February at the "Wings of Eagles Air Museum at Elmira-Corning Regional Airport. The two old fighter pilots in the limo enjoyed the long smoky burnout I did for them as we met them at the highway exit enroute to the museum. There were many good times over the years and my Buicks were around through all of it.

Anyway, as I hauled the little U-Haul 4x8 with a new Scotty Guadago built 430 STAGE I SRT motor, I thought about my trip and the many people I had seen. Scotty's mom, dad, his two young kids. It was good to see them again. Back in the "old days", Scotty's dad ran PEE GEE Performance on Schenectady, Avenue in Brooklyn; just about 10 blocks from my house. Scotty built our first Tuskegee Airmen race car motor in '97 and kidded me about the 500 miles it has seen since then.

Now the new organization, "Scotty's Racing Technologies" or "SRT" is in a small block building on their property in Shady Hills, Florida, about an hour and a half west of Orlando. I drove the black '95 Buick Riviera up from Jacksonville, Fla. to haul the motor and the new Riv back to our base of operations in Corning, NY.

So, now you have been waiting for me to get down to the details of the motor. As you know, this is a low compression "nothing" motor, to borrow Scotty's term. What he means is that this motor was not built to build power on its own. It was specially built for turbo-superchargers and fuel injection. Scotty noted a few things, first the paint did not burn off at the exhaust runners. Second, you could hold your thumb down on the exhaust side of the head WHILE IT RAN and AFTER a DYNO PULL!!! for a "nothing motor" it made more horsepower than it should have. 9.0 to 1 CR, 425 HP @5205 RPM and 472 lb-ft @ 4,200 rpm. This was with dummy injectors plugging the holes and a Holley off another guy's race motor. A typical motor like this probably would not get more than 400HP, especially not with only 9 to 1!

Okay, so some of you already know the Big Secret, some of youse guys don't. Remember when the twin towers went down, they said the steel in the beams got too hot and they softened and collapsed? Well, they were talking about if the beams had a thermal barrier, a coating, they would have stayed up. They actually did have a coating but it was a thick spray on type coating that you could peel off with your finger nails. When the aircraft blew through there, the coating materials got blown off the beams and they melted.

The SRT Buick 430 has the latest ceramic insulation technology in it. Piston skirts, piston tops, combustion chamber, exhaust runners, STAGE I valve faces all have this special coating. Heat is the enemy of the Buick block, among other things. 2,500HP capable billet aluminum rods back up the custom built JE forged 430 Pistons. Special INCONEL, special high temperature alloy, exhaust valves provide further protection from the violent and scathing environment that often destroys turbo motors.

So why does all this help a motor make make more power? Well, if the "Hot Side" (The exhaust) stays hotter and the "cool side" (the intake) stays cooler, the laws of thermodynamics state that your higher thermal efficiency will yield greater output. The heat was kept in the exhaust runners and did not migrate into the rest of the head iron or the oil. That is why I could put my thumb on the exhaust runners briefly and not get burned. Now believe me it was hot, but not nearly as hot as a standard engine. And yes, you could easily rest put your hand on the intake manifold as it ran and keep it there. The thermal barrier placed on the bottom side of the pan kept the hotter oil from heating the new SPX intake manifold. These coatings also help to protect the motor from melt down as well.

JE, TA, Swain Technologies, SHAW RACING, did a great job on the parts. Scotty at SRT did his usual great job on the assembly, build, and dyno of this very special motor. This motor, like the P-47's radial engine will have Turbo-supercharger technology. The P-47's turbo was the size of a washing machine, set behind the pilot! She made over 2,200 HP and would slam you back in the seat when you went full blower and water injection, WEP!(War Emergency Power) This new motor and the uprated Faithful Pursuit will be a lasting tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen of WW II.

There will be another 6 months of fabrication and development of the twin turbo-supercharged fuel injected SRT Buick 430 STAGE I. Our goal is 725 Rear Wheel Horsepower. The turbos, Turbonetics 72s, have been sized for the new 600 CID TA Buick block under development. Ultimately, if all goes well, in 2009 we will have 1,500 HP on tap!

God Speed,

[BqUICK]

Here are a few photos of my visit to Scotty Guadagno in Shady Hills, Florida last week. I had a good time over there and Scotty did his usual excellent job.

425 HP @ 5,200 rpm; 475 lb-ft @ 4,200 rpm Without the tur-blowers on. The fuelie ports were plugged and a Holley installed for the dyno work.

Scotty's Old Reliable Dynomometer. He says its seen 1 million HP

Ceramic Combustion Chambers kept the runners so cool your could put your finger on the head after a dyno pull, with the engine still running!!! After four dyno pulls, there was no burnt paint on the runners! Thats a first time Scotty said.

Scotty putting the finishing touches on "For a "nothing motor" she sure is putting out the HP"! noted Scotty. Ceramic combustion chambers from JE and Swain Technologies and the head work of of Jake Harrington helped here too.

Fork truck into the U Haul

Safe and sound, ready for the 1,200 mile trip home

1995 Supercharged Buick Riviera, got 20mpg pulling the 2,000 lb load home.

It was a good trip but I was glad to be home. The ceramic elements worked really well, normally a low compression small cam motor does not put out this much power. Maybe 400 would be what to expect but the ceramic work seems to have paid off. Now we will put the new motor in for the Turbo guy to do his thing in Kentucky in 2008 !!! May completion, see you at the GS Nationals!

God Speed

[Smartin]

If you've got a free schedule August 1-3, 2008, we'd love to see it at Columbus for the BPG nationals!

www.buickperformancegroup.com/forums

[BqUICK]

Adam,

Thanks for the invitation to attend the BPG Nationals on August 1-3, 2008, Columbus!

I want to put a schedule together this winter and I will include BPG Nationals as a goal. Lets talk further.

I'd like to see your new 455 Centurion in action!

God Speed,

[Smartin]

I think we could accomodate you with your own display tent as well!

I hope to have my Centurion running mid-high 13's by next Summer....stock appearing!

This year's event was a great success, and 2008 should prove to be even bigger. Look for it to be THE Buick performance event of the year!

[BqUICK]

Good Morning!

Here is a link to my newest Youtube video. The 1969 Electra GSX raced this '71 Cougar that was really hot and probably an 11 second car. He had just gotten to the track and was making his first pass. The Buick had him in the 1/8 but beat her in the 1/4 by a car length as he was taking it easy.

This was in 2006 at New York International Raceway PArk, Mount Morris, New York.

Faithful Pursuit got the hole shot with some low RT and did about a 13.01 @ 101. This was on street Pirelli P-Zeros. 4.11 to 1 Spool, Crossed the beam at the rev limiter, 6000 RPM.

Raced this other Chevy, I do not know what it was. Can anyone ID that silver pill?

It was fun editing this on MS Movie Maker and adding in the guys from my Tuskegee Airmen Chapter. There are a few car guys there and everyone seems to like the car.

The next video will be of the big blue Buick on a pylon race course! Now that was a wild ride!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyb7vPHl9QA

Happy Holidays and God Speed,

[Smartin]

Sweet!!

The silver car looked like a Nissan Sentra, or Toyota equivalent...tough to tell.

[BqUICK]

Twas the Night Before Christmas....

'Twas the night before Christmas and in the garage,

No trace of Ford, Chevy, or even a Dodge.

The presents were wrapped and the lights were all lit,

So I figured I'd mess with the Buick a bit.

I popped the release and I lifted the hood,

When a deep voice behind me said "looks pretty good."

Well, as you can imagine, I turned mighty quick,

And there, by the workbench, stood good ol Saint Nick!

We stood there a bit, not too sure what to say,

Then he said "don't suppose that you'd trade for my sleigh?

I said "no way, Santa" and started to grin,

"But if you've got the time we could go for a spin!"

His round little mouth, tied up like a bow,

Turned into a smile and he said "hey! Let's go!!"

So as not to disturb all the neighbors' retreat,

We pushed the big Buick into the street,

Then, taking our places to drift down the hill,

I turned on the key and I let MSD spill.

The sound that erupted took him by surprise;

But he liked it a lot, you could tell from his eyes.

With Pirelli’s a' crying and exhaust tips aglow,

We headed on out where hot rodders go.

And Santa's grin widened, approaching his ears,

With every shift up as I went through the gears.

Then he yelled "can't recall when I've felt so alive!"

So I backed off the gas and said "wanna drive?"

Ol Santa was stunned when I gave him the keys,

When he walked past the headlights he shook at the knees!

The big block exploded with the <span style="font-family: 'Impact'">STAGE I</span> sound!

When he dropped the hammer, <span style="font-weight: bold">GS</span> shook the ground!

Power shift into second, again into third!

I sat there just watching, at loss for a word,

St. Nick turned to me with a gleam in his eye,

And said “Lets get TURBOs & then let’r Fly!”

With a wave of his hand and a prayer to the Lord,

There were twin Turbos & water Injection aboard!

We passed Hemi’s, Cobra's and Veyron's that night,

Punched over-drive and blasted from sight!

St. Nick turned to me with a gleam in his eye,

And said “Merry Christmas BqUICK!” and we took to the sky!!!"

BqUICK 2007

GSCA, North East Member #33

[BqUICK]

T-16 hours from Mid-Night Christmas Mass; we began the always arduous task of swapping our 455 STAGE 1 for our new SRT CERAMIC 430 STAGE 1.

Actually, the 430 is the numbers-matching engine to this body. Our last motor was a basic 500 HP 455 STAGE 1 build by Scotty Guadagno done in 1997 at Pee Gee Performance in Brooklyn. The new 430, built for turbos is to be installed in Kentucky this Spring 2008.

Our Twin P trim 72 TURBONETICS ball bearing turbos are from Jack Cotton. BUICK 430 iron block and heads, magnafluxed by Mickey Merollo Racing; Heads by Jake Harrington, Shaw Racing; Long Block, Scotty Guadagno, Scotty's Racing Technologies (SRT); Pistons, Forged JE Turbocharger with Ceramic thermal coatings and wear coatings; Valves, Chevy stems, STAGE 1 2.125 Intake, 1.75 Exhaust, Inconel Exhausts, Stainless Intakes; Billet Rods; Roller Rockers; Ceramic and other coatings, valves, combustion chamber, valve springs, and intake, Swain Technologies; lots of other oiling and bottom end tricks to keep it alive! We call it the <span style="font-weight: bold">SRT CERAMIC 430 STAGE 1</span>

So why would we do such a thing as install a motor on a cold sub-freezing Christmas Eve you ask? I guess it’s not every Christmas a few guys get together and do this sort of thing. I pulled my first motor for this car in 1979, it was 13 degrees F and -38 F with the wind chill! We had no garage, no money, just a few buddies a braided cable come-along and several layers of winter clothing. We loved our Buicks and helped eachother through lots of builds year round. If your car did not run, you got tickets. You kept it running hot or cold!

Fast forward about 30 years and here we are again! This is the fourth motor to sit in this chassis and hopefully it will not be the last.

First, let me tell you about the people. Romero was the first to arrive, you can count on him to be on time. He is going to college for Automotive and just getting familiar with cars really. He is doing this for the first time.

Jake Harrington was about 14 or so when his grandfather, Steuben County, Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee Gary Shaw designed and built our NASCAR CUP spec. chassis for the Electra. Gary, a retired Machine Shop Supervisor for Corning, Inc., worked on the Faithful Pursuit for about 14 months before he died at Tioga Speedway in 2002 of a heart attack. He served in the USAF from '56 - '60 as a radar tech, drag raced in the late '60s, began road racing in the '70s and even raced 24 hours at Watkins Glen. He still holds a lap record in a <span style="font-weight: bold">B Production</span> '64 Corvette Convertible that he owned until his death. He was an engine builder, race car builder, and champion racer. At his family's suggestion, Dave Machuga of Machuga Racing Chassis finished the Faithful Pursuit in 2004.

Now about 20, Jake is no stranger to "Holiday" motor pulls and builds, etc., etc. He grew up around racecars and racers. He owns a super hot Fox body Mustang road racer that Gary Shaw built.

Jake rebuilt the heads on the 430 and did a nice port job. We went through two sets of heads to find the two that would do the job. There were some structural issues with two heads and they were unsuitable for use. One of the heads used was an original to that chassis, which I had rebuilt in 1979 and rodded on the street for just one summer.

I had begun the morning cooking some eggs and stuff for breakfast. As the light began to peek through the morning's grey gloom, I laced up my Air Force boots and coupled our diesel truck to the race trailer. I pulled the trailer out of the entrance to the garage bay we would work in. Ate my eggs, fired up the propane garage heater. When Romeo came in he pushed the Faithful Pursuit outside as I did the steering. We kept the noise down at first as the wife was still asleep at 8:30am, Christmas eve.

We cleaned a path, out of the tight garage to bay #2 so that the engine hoist could be taken from behind bay #1, in front of a '69 Electra 225 Custom Convertible, and to bay #2. The convert has been up on stands and is getting prepared to be stripped, rebuilt and painted. The 455 STAGE 1 from the Faithful Pursuit will be in her frame rails this spring.

The jack rolled smoothly over the cream speckled epoxy floor I put down the summer before last. We just used it in November to pull the SRT 430 out of the trailer, after I brought it home from Scotty's Racing Technologies in Florida. We were now ready to take the biggest step yet in Faithful Puruit I's development program, a twin turbo-supercharged fuel injected SRT Ceramic 430 STAGE I.

We all know that the latest generation Big Block Buick, BBB for short, is not the best at handling stellar HP figures for long. 600+ get a girdle, 800+ get cement poured in the block, 900+ its a matter of time; 1200+ your living on borrowed time, get a priest for last rights. With each bump in horsepower, life expectancy goes down and dollars for the go power rise dramatically. From a halo or girdle to custom rods, crank, cement; etc., etc.; you can spend 5, 10, 20+ thousand in a hurry. You KNOW it wont survive, the question is how long; a season, a weekend, a few runs, one? But…how many people can get a Buick in the 7’s or 6’s? How many people can get a 2.25 ton car to go 200 mph? If you want fame, in Buick circles anyway, build a 9 second street car. You will be a member of a select few and those street creds are valued outside of the Buick world to some degree as well.

Okay Bquick so what makes you different? Why buy two 700+ TURBONETCIS 72 ball bearing turbos? Why build a 1500 HP fuel injection and piping setup? Why spend tons of hard earned and harder saved money? I suppose by now I spent enough to buy 2 new Corvettes or one really hot turbo Viper and a show trailer for it!?! I love my Buick, plain and simple!

Well as a rather conservative guy, I had to look at our options carefully. The descison was simply to build a 1500 HP capable setup, trusting in the Lord our God, that TA Performance would make good on their promise to build a 600 cubic inch aluminum BBB. All this plumbing, turbos, waste-gates, intercoolers, water tanks, pumps, and stuff would go into the new Faithful Pursuit II, still under development. The SRT CERAMIC 430 was never intended to be the permanent motor for this setup.

We were all in about 4pm that evening. The 455 STAGE 1 back on the engine stand where it sat from 1997 to 2000 while the chassis was getting built. Now the SRT CERAMIC 430 is bolted up.We will wire her and fire her on Saturday!

God Speed,

[JohnD1956]

you da man Bquick. A real inspiration. But your scaring the crap outa me. If you need another 430 when you're done with this one, let me know. I have one that comes with another whole 69 Electra...Hahahah

JD

[BqUICK]

JD,

When we strap that '69 Electra to the floor dyno and bring it up to 800 or so HP, now that will be scary!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> We might go up in the biggest ball of fire since the last sun in these parts exploded, but we gotta take that one in one thousand chance!

Captain James T. Kirk

Full Power Start From Cold

USS Enterprise, NCC 1701</div></div>

There are lots of 430s around and they put out more power than a 427 Chevy or Ford! Nobody wants them! Everybody wants the HEMI KILLER Buick 455!

God Speed

[BqUICK]

Hey, its good to be back after all these months of work on the Faithful Pursuit.

The following upgrades:

1. 1000 lb-ft capable EDGE Racing Converter

2. 1000 lb-ft capable TH 375 Transmission with GV OD

3. New race brake pads and high nickel rotors

4. 1600 lb-ft capable eachTwin-Turbo Superchargers. Yeah, that's what they are$$$$!

5. 1300 lb-bt capable Twin GODSPEED intercoolers 650 HP Capacity Each

The wastegates and blow off valves will be installed over the next two weeks. Photos to follow.

The current twin-turbo-supercharger setup is amazing! It looks great and has a lot of special features to preserve the engine and enhance cooling capacity of the huge intercoolers.

Gd Speed,

[JohnD1956]

Gee, I was wondering what happened to you guys. Are you considering shipping this car to the autobahn for a real road test?

[Smartin]

Good lord!! TWIN Superchargers????

[Guest John Chapman]

Nothing trumps excess like <span style="font-style: italic">wretched </span>excess!

Or, as the old hot rodders would say:

A lot of power is good,

More power is better...

Too much power is just about right!

JMC

[BqUICK]

Yes its good to be back in action here...! Since we have gotten lots of work done, now we can share a bit more about our activities with you.

I hope you miliraty folks are taking note because there will be some good stuff in this for you soon. 332FGP47

As an Aero guy, what most people call "Turbos" we call TURBO-SUPERCHARGERS. The tubine half of the unit is spooled up by exhaust gasses while the compressor, the actual SUPERCHARGER half, blows through the intercooler on the way to the engine.

So...no we do not have two SEPARATE turbos and two separate Superchargers.

Actually, about 25 years ago, before low mass ball bearing turbos, there was a 1969 Electra designed, on paper, with two belt driven superchargers in the front of the engine and two turbo-superschargers at the rear of the engine. This was a concept for the Electra GS-V. 2 Blowers, 2 Turbos, Doug-Nash 5 speed. Get it?. This was never built! But oh how cool it would have been.

Looking for turbo tuner expert volunteers to help with our twin turbo Faithful Pursuit. Anyone in Nevada?

God Speed!

[BqUICK]

Twas the Night Before Christmas....

'Twas the night before Christmas and in the garage,

No trace of Ford, Chevy, or even a Dodge.

The presents were wrapped and the lights were all lit,

So I figured I'd mess with the Buick a bit.

I popped the release and I lifted the hood,

When a deep voice behind me said "looks pretty good."

Well, as you can imagine, I turned mighty quick,

And there, by the workbench, stood good ol Saint Nick!

We stood there a bit, not too sure what to say,

Then he said "don't suppose that you'd trade for my sleigh?

I said "no way, Santa" and started to grin,

"But if you've got the time we could go for a spin!"

His round little mouth, tied up like a bow,

Turned into a smile and he said "hey! Let's go!!"

So as not to disturb all the neighbors' retreat,

We pushed the big Buick into the street,

Then, taking our places to drift down the hill,

I turned on the key and I let MSD spill.

The sound that erupted took him by surprise;

But he liked it a lot, you could tell from his eyes.

With Pirelli’s a' crying and exhaust tips aglow,

We headed on out where hot rodders go.

And Santa's grin widened, approaching his ears,

With every shift up as I went through the gears.

Then he yelled "can't recall when I've felt so alive!"

So I backed off the gas and said "wanna drive?"

Ol Santa was stunned when I gave him the keys,

When he walked past the headlights he shook at the knees!

The big block exploded with the STAGE I sound!

When he dropped the hammer, GS shook the ground!

Power shift into second, again into third!

I sat there just watching, at loss for a word,

St. Nick turned to me with a gleam in his eye,

And said “Lets get TURBOs & then let’r Fly!”

With a wave of his hand and a prayer to the Lord,

There were twin Turbos & water Injection aboard!

We passed Hemi’s, Cobra's and Veyron's that night,

Punched over-drive and blasted from sight!

St. Nick turned to me with a gleam in his eye,

And said “Merry Christmas BqUICK!” and we took to the sky!!!"

God Speed,

BqUICK 2008

GSCA, North East Member #33

[BqUICK]

Ever hear The Balad of the Green Beret? I think that is the name of one of the coolest military songs I have heard. ...brings a tear to mf eye!...like when you see a '72 Buick Electra 225 beat a hot '68 Camaro @ the strip! (Even I have not seen that in a while, but my '69 beat a new Mustang GT & you see that on YOUTUBE!!!)

I guess it's the pride I feel when a big heart carries a heavy load like nothing else can. Thats a 455 in a Buick 225, thats our guys 'n gals in Iraq, Afganistan, Vietnam, Korea, or Berlin in '45.

Okay, you guys know the Faithful Pursuit, aka Electra GSX, is a military tribute to the 332nd Fighter Group, the Red Tails, the Tuskegee Airmen. She was designed and fabricated in Shaw Racing where a Cold War era Air Force veteran, Gary Shaw, built her chassis to do more than her designers dared dream. I know, I've spoken with Steven Pastiener, designer of the '70 Electra 225, '70 GSX, & '87 GN!

Well, in 2002 when this thread started, our chassis designer, Gary Shaw, died while chasing his dream at Tioga Raceway in NY. I spoke @ his funeral & even did a burn out as I left the church. My wife said "Do'nt crash...what are you doing!!!" But I knew Gary and all his friends respected that rainy day "quiet" tribute! It was Gary who built the 2.73 posi I was running in the '69 Electra convertible I drove to the funeral!!!

The Faithful Pursuit rolling chassis, body, & a thousand parts then went to Machuga Chassis where Gary's racing buddy, Dave Machuga, #78 himself, would take over. I did not know Machuga but he seemed to be a pretty cool guy. I was at the track after Gary died. I looked at turn #1 where they said he went off the track. The EMTs got to him & he was conscious but went under shortly after. He was DOA, massive heart attack.

Before the start of the feature, Machuga and a few other racers, in their suits, went through the crowds with their helmits out, raising money for their brother racers' family! One of Gary's friends pointed out Machuga and said, he's the guy Gary would want to finish your Buick.

The building of a 194.9 mph 5,000 lb Buick Electra in not a job for sisies! Girlie man Hot Rod Fab shops would'nt get this job done! Many of them did not know what I was talking about.

Who ever heard of going that fast in a Buick, any Buick? It was depressing to realize that no car builders shared my enthusiasm. Sure, they would take my $ but you could tell they did not care.

But one evening Gary walked into my garage and like when Mad Max said "I'll drive that tanker!" Gary said "I'll build your race car!" When he died I did not know what to do next, maybe just quit & junk the whole mess!

Months later, I visited the Machuga Chassis Works, off route #1 in Campbell, NY. The grimy grungy place smelled of cigarettes & gear lube. 18 wheeler race trailer not used in a decade, old cut up cars, tires, carb parts, a table of race springs, racks of steel tubing, an English Wheel, pipe bender, plasma cutter, welder, and metric tons of dusty trophies from 30 years of winning races!

There sat the Faithful Pursuit's chassis; her body on a flatbed trailer outside, amidst the chaos.

The Balad of the Green Beret playing softly in the background. I knew the Buick was in the right place!

Merry Christmas!!!

[Buster]

Great to see and hear that you and the Faithfull Persuit are still doing well and kicking! Merry christmas BqUICK!

[BqUICK]

Buster,

Merry Christmas to you buddy! Yes, we are back!

On Christmas Eve of last year, we installed the ceramic turbo motor. The late Gary Shaw would have been proud. Doing race car stuff on Christmas Eve was rewarding!

Gary's grandson, my 3 boys, & a co-worker's son were all out there pulling the old Pee-Gee 455 STAGE I and dropping in our new dream engine!!!

It was about 25 degees out, our garage door open as we pulled the hood off outside, the kerosine heater blasting away inside, hot ham sandwiches for lunch...!

It felt good to finally drop in that very special engine that took 3 years to re-design & build!

That experience with my sons and friends was the best Christmas gift I ever received!

May God Speed you safely in your Buick this Christmas,

[serb]

BqUICK,

Check your PM's.

[BqUICK]

Serb,

Thanks for the tip off. I updated a few items as you can see.

[BqUICK]

New YOUTUBE video!!! type in; <span style="font-weight: bold">Flying the Blue Dream Buick</span>

Let me know what you think.

Machuga is installing the race cage today. The old cage had just one vertical bar in the hoop behind the driver. The race hoop has a vertical, horizontal, and two diagonal bars. It will be welded in place.

Christmas eve was spent designing our new Turbo Faithful Pursuit tee shirt. We sold a few hundred of the last batch and these should be even better! They will feature the Tuskegee Airmen, natually.

Have a Happy New Year!

[Smartin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaLV7Trijgk

Nice video! Lots of footage we haven't seen yet..

[BqUICK]

Local racing legend, #78, and Faithful Pursuit designer, David Machuga, suffered a major heart attack on Tuesday.

Dave was rushed into the Arnot Ogden Medical Center where he received triple bypass surgery that day.

Please offer your prayers for his recovery!

God Speed,

[BqUICK]

Ok, we finally got this ship on the level and I can communicate with you all again!

We had a big fund raiser for Machuga in March which went well. His surgeries cost tons as you know a triple bypass and the meds and other stuff adds up.

Dave has still been working with us and even did a little welding.

There we were sitting around the small addition to his shop, with all the usual suspects, when Dave decided he had enough of sitting around next to a heater.

His chest hurt a lot where they sewed him up but he was still helping people who came through the door. There are a few go-carts in the small shop, including some "Ferrari" looking go kart with one serious OHC V-Twin! Someone's 12 year old drives that 70mph bullet.

The Faithful Pursuit has been getting some attention too. He welded this little doughnut coupling for our turbo input pipe.

Oh yeah, we finally got the girdle in! I do not kno w if I told you but the Smilidon powerplant...you like that name? The Sabertooth Tiger's technical name was the Smilidon. I figure that a twin-turbo Buick engine has two long teeth like the prehistoric Wooly Mammoth killer.

Scotty Guadagno put this wild combo together that should give us 800+HP. Its got ceramic coatings on nearly everything that can get hotter than it should. We'll put the spurs to her soon enough and we'll see what she'll do!

God Speed,

[Smartin]

If Scotty did it, you're definitely on the right track!!

[BqUICK]

All,

Our Racing crew and the Faithful Pursuit has been requested to attend the T<span style="font-weight: bold">uskegee Airmen, Inc. 38th National Convention; Palace Station Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada' August 6th - 9th. </span>

We are working like hell to be ready for that!

God Speed!!!

[BqUICK]

After all these years, more than 30 in all; it looks like it is finally time for the old 1969 Buick Electra to do her thing. In 1977 I went from not knowing if any of the 99th Pursuit Squadron were left alive, to finding they had four full squadrons in combat; to learning they flew bombers with the 477th training for Pacific Theater of Operations in WWII.

I actually first met the Tuskegee Airmen in 1984 at a NJ Historical Society gathering. I met Teddy Robinson, FAA Sector Manager at Kennedy International Airport; as well as Dr. Forsyth, known as "The Flying Dentist" who flew with Alfred "Chief" Anderson long before WWII.

Chief was the pilot trainer at Tuskegee Institute who took 1st Lady, Elaneor Roosevelt into the clouds; partly dispelling the beief that Blacks could not fly or fly well.

I developed the concept of the Tuskegee Airmen tribute car using a big Buick with a WWII theme. I was researching the P-47 for my degree project at the Academy of Aeronautics while driving the big Buick Electra to school there.

I really loved the thick fuselage Thunderbolt since about 1972 or so when I would read about her incredible strength and power. While in school you could buy an old p-51 Mustang fighter plane for $50K. Event then Jug were rare, as the Army Air Corps scrapped them by the thousands. I knew I'd never own one so I sought to design my own Thunderbolt from my Blue Buick Electra.

I did my first sketch of a P-47 inspired Tuskegee Airmen racecar in 1979, modifying another groups insignia by putting the wings of the Tuskegee Airmen's 99th Fighter Squadron mascot onto a fighting cat with boxing gloves.

I went from not knowing if my dream of a car would ever be built to it being unveiled by a USAF General in front of 7 surviving Tuskegee Airmen and 300 paying dinner guests in 2004!

Now the Tuskegee Airmen actually requesting Faithful Pursuit for their convention.

Now another act of faith is needed; we need to raise about $50,000 to make the August convention trip happen and to prepare the car for the September Silver State Classic Challenge 194.9 mph high speed pass dreams come true. It is actually a miracle that the Convention and the SSCS are in the same stage just a few miles from each other.

There is still no guarantee, even after spending huge amounts of cash so far, that we will not go bankrupt or even get killed or maimed in the process!

That is true Tuskegee Airmen style! They put thier skins on the line to beat the Nazi and prove that America's racist policies were a waste.

We are here to leave a lasting tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, bring to light their long forgotten fighter plane, and prove that the Buick Electra is a worthy performance car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4b6WAPmDSk

We are selling tee shirts again! Help us get to Vegas and make this happen this year!

God Speed,

Michael Joseph

(607) 974-6063

[BqUICK]

Guess what!!! I just saw the first draft of a Faithful Pursuit print. It was made by aviation artist Jerry Taliaferro, working on the Tuskegee Airmen fighter plane prints for the Tuskegee Airmen's national convention in Las Vegas.

Jerry has agreed to do the 1969 Buick GSX aka rolling blue Thunderbolt, aka Faithful Pursuit as it will be on display in Las Vegas at the convention in August.

The print will be for the convention and under 50 are expected to be made, printed on archival paper. I'll get MINE! When was the last time you saw a museum quality professionally made print of a twin-turbosupercharged, fuel injected, 1000 hp Buick Electra?

The first draft will be shown here within the next few weeks.

God Speed,

[BqUICK]

Dear Friends,

Thanks for your continued support and interest, I appreciate you more than you know. Thanks guys in tent cities all over, the Army, Air Force, and Marines who have checked in. Buick people from BCA, GSCA, Bennett Buick in Wayland, NY; Blacks Service Station; Wings of Eagles; Hokey Pokey's Ice Cream; Aniellios Pizza; Dimon & Bakorn Movers; Noahs' Ark Electronics; Hilton Hotels; and so many more friends both military and civilian. Special thanks to the Tuskegee Airmen who again approved our use of their name in a general session at Kennedy Airport this Spring!!!

84,800 hits; 4 Principal designers; two of us US Patent Holders, one Motor Sports Hall of Fame member; one living motor sports legend! Two of us did not live to see the unveiling in 2004; both of the survivors have had "Cardiac Events" over the past year! Yes, your life flashes accross your mind's eye. All I could think about was the car, the car, and the car...(Shades of "Big Mac")

It took 30 years, $130K, and 5 cars to become an overnight success! We just have to hold on a little longer...194.9 mph is soooo close!

We're going to Vegas!

God speed,