|
|
|
|
Nugget
Nights 2006...
|
|
|
|
|
|
(8/10/06) For the past three years during
The Southern California Timing Association
Speedweek on the Bonneville Salt Flats, racers and hot rodder's gather
outside The Wendover Nugget Casino in Wendover NV to talk about the day's
runs and look at some of the many cars that are parked along the front and
side of the casino. I have been in Wendover or over 10 rears now, and each
year this happening gets bigger and better. The early birds, (5 hot rods
from the northeast) started to arrive on Tuesday and by Wednesday some of
the racers started to trickle in. Soon every motel room on both sides of
the Utah/Nevada line will be spoken for, and the make-shift campground at
"the bend in the road" will be filled as well (shown below in a satellite
photo linked in the Bonneville
information page on the SCTA
website).
|
|
Friday evening at the Nugget...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ouch, this ain't gonna be a cheap fix.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is a true rear engine car, with the
gearbox behind the rear axel, the Corvette engine is shown in the photo
below. This has to be the costliest car seen at The Nugget this year, but
it is no trailer queen as you can see by the salt all over the car, this
will be a time consuming cleanup.
|
|
|
|
|
|
We've all heard the joke about "Female
companion wanted, must have Hot Rod and be able to polish wheels and
detail the Hot Rod and be a good housekeeper. Please provide a picture of
the Hot Rod." Well here's the Hot rod truck, scroll down to the
bottom of the page to see the "companion."
|
|
|
|
"STUPID CR/STUPID TR," this Model
T Ford was at the Nugget early in the week, but I missed the photo
opportunity, the rest of the week it serves as a salt shuttle and
sanitation service. The SCTA has a "leave it the way you found
it" rule regarding the salt flats, and everyone does their part.
|
|
|
|
While I never saw this little beauty outside
The Wendover Nugget, it did make it out on the salt, and I thought it was
worth looking at.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last year we had a blown Chevy mid-engine VW
micro-bus, this year we have The Winnemucca Propane late 20's Ford sedan
with an early MOPAR hemi where the front seats would normally be, what a beautify
car. It was tow-bared in, I suspect it's a work in progress.
|
|
|
|
A better mousetrap and a floor made of wood
give a new meaning to "Rat Rod."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wow, what a beautiful car, I may have to
take another look at my "best-of-the-show" selection.
Unfortunately I'm working the shift at the Nugget, and I can only get
outside on break's, Dennis saw this car, I didn't.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This well built rat rod was one of the
biggest attention getter's of the evening. The owner just parked it and
either left or lurked in the shadow's watching the reactions to it.
Everyone was guessing as to the origin of the flathead straight eight, the
best guess is a Chrysler, most agreed it wasn't a Packard. The engine
sports a straight pipe exhaust that I would have loved to have listened
to. There are seven 2-barrel carburetor's.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Ford Model T rat rod, I think the guy
below had a better idea, but it comes with a much higher price tag. We see
examples of both ways to hot rod at the nugget each year, from the $75,000
"store bought custom" to the $1,200 rat rod, clearly both
versions are a lot of fun to own, but if you ain't into spit and
polish...
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is not a Burt Munro Indian, but it
might as well have been for all the attention it was getting, nice
piece...
|
|
|
|
|
|
There's some "MG" signage on this
car, I'm not sure if it's true. Note the ammo can console.
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is an interesting
duel-carb/intake manifold/air cleaner setup on this small block Ford.
|
|
***
|
|
Here are some pictures from Thursday night
when it almost seemed that Wendover and the Nugget were being invaded by
an army of trailered weapons of speed and the people that support them. I
was working someone else's shift, we had traded days off and normally I
would be off and out in front of the casino full time. As it was, every
time I was on break I was out there with the digital camera. Although as
mentioned before, the early bird's had been here for a couple of days, but
the town and its motel's were otherwise deserted. The only indication
there was that something was about to happen was the head shakes of the
hotel desk clerks as I tried to find a room for a friend for the next five
days. That was in the afternoon, and I struck out. At 5:30, as I was
driving the half-mile to work I noticed the parking lot for the casino at
the base of the hill was full of the trailers and transporters of the
Bonneville racers. Pulling into the Nugget garage it was more of the same.
I made my first pass of the parking lot in front of the casino and on my
way out the front door I noticed the registration line was 25 deep (it
would remain like that until close to midnight).) Here are some pictures
of the latest arrivals.
|
|
|
|
This is as beautiful an example of a '23
Ford T-bucket as you will ever see. The '55 Chevy wagon behind it is from
Alabama, and although in close to mint condition, a restoration project is
a work in progress.
|
|
|
|
All I wanted was a picture of the shark's
smile, but the lady wanted to become famous for her smile as well.
|
|
|
|
The scene at dusk, the beginning of the salt
flats can be seen in the top left corner (in the area of the tree) under
the sky walk.
|
|
|
|
One of the many push trucks used to get the
geared-for-speed cars off on a run. Most of the tires are treadless and
narrow, to avoid wheel spin they push them off and up to 30-50 mph.
|
|
|
|
Another belly/drop tank racer, the pickup in
the background has a class to run in too. The Montego Bay is the casino
across the street from The Wendover Nugget (the one "at the bottom of
the hill"). This is one of the many pictures taken from atop the
Nugget parking garage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Two very fast and well-prepared team cars,
the workmanship on these two cars is as good as you'll find in any form of
racing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
What a great "stance" on this
radically chopped '32 Ford 3-window coupe. The Historic Wendover airfield
can be seen in the background, the crews that dropped the bombs that would
end the war with Japan trained in Wendover.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I love Studebaker's and this is one of the
longest and nicest I've ever seen, looks fast too. I'll update the speeds
later.
|
|
|
|
This is a motorcycle streamliner, I'll get
more picture's as soon as they unwrap it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is "the World's Fastest
Motorcycle, it runs 350 plus mph on two engines. As you can see, the
trailer comes with a canopy.
|
|
|
|
A classic highly chopped and channeled
Ford sedan, hope it doesn't rain...
|
|
|
Every year outside the Wendover Nugget
Casino there is a "best in show," this '32 Ford roadster gets my
early nomination. The car has 4-wheel independent suspension and is
flawless. By the time I got back for more pictures they had it covered up,
more later.
An update, here's the pictures I promised...
|
|
|
|
This is a Dennis Sylvia photo, I wasn't
there when it was taken, but the engine appears to be a Corvette crate
motor.
|
|
|
|
This guy as a bigger "package"
than I have, if this was your car would you take it out on the salt?
|
|
|
|
It's a "shifter" car, IMHO too
many of these cars are built with automatic transmission's, mostly because
there is little room for either feet or pedals in these tiny cars. Check
out the petals, there is a rubber O-ring at the outside edge to prevent
slippage. The car has digital gauges in the dash insert.
|
|
|
|
Here's the independent rear suspension,,
that's the exhaust outlet under the rear end center section. Note the
retractable license plate. This car is indeed the "best in show"
so far, the T-bucked a close 2nd.
|
|
|
Wednesday pictures:
|
|
|
|
Some of the first to arrive and "set up
shop" in front of the Wendover Nugget Casino, before long it'll look
like this scene from last year shown below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A roadster with a Ford flathead V8.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Back for another run, shown outside the
Nugget last night and on the salt last year. Those are awesome and
realistic looking flames.
|
|
|
|
A classic dry lakes/Bonneville belly tank
Lakester, note how tight the exhaust pipes from the big engine fit into
the skin of the drop tank.
|
|
|
|
That ain't no refrigerator in that trailer,
and it's isn't full of circus clowns either. For those of you too young to
know, Crosley used to make appliances before they made little bitty
econo-cars years before their calling. The Crosley car is most famous for
the number of clowns you would see climbing out of them at a circus. A few
years back I even suggested to the couple that runs the car on the salt
that they add some "clown" graphics to the car, but they are
more serious about getting speed out of little car than clowning around.
I'll get more pictures of the Crosley out on the salt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Wendover Nugget is the place to be at
night during the SCTA Speedweek at Bonneville...
|
|
|
|
A car belonging to a friend of O/IRR writer
and forum moderator Dennis Sylvia.
|
|
|
|
This is Karen and her truck, unfortunately
she also has a husband and five kids. She plays a tough game of Blackjack
and tips well if you can keep her winning. She's feisty too, one young
stud sat down next to her for one hand and tried to tell her how to play
her cards, she blistered him and after she won and he lost she ran him off
before I could.
|
|
|
|
