Can I take my bus to Bonneville.

[rv_safetyman]

Wow, I  simply can't believe that someone has not commented about Eagles/Rust/Salt.  We are such easy targets.

A couple of years ago I posted on landracing.com (great site) asking how to minimize the affect of the salt on the car.  The thread is here:

http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,5708.0.html

I ended up using Salt-X ( http://saltx.com/saltx_prod_saltx.htm ).  Seemed to work very well.  I sprayed it on a couple of times before I went and a couple of times when I got home.  

I have tired other schemes including spraying the undercarriage with linseed oil and then driving on a dirt road (one of many recommendations by the big boys over the years).  Did not seem to work all that well for me.

The big issue is if the salt is wet.  It tends to cake up in places you did not know exist and then it is a problem.  Not much you can do about that.  I always prayed for lots of rain on the trip home and it never happened in all the years.  

We are on a well and septic system.  Our water rights are inside domestic use only and I can't put the sprinkler under the car.  That does seem to be a consensus recommendation.

Jim

[kaptar]

Several years ago on a TV series called American Hot Rod with Boyd Coddington had a show on running a roadster built for his wife at Bonneville. They got their MH & cartrailer stuck. It took at least two tow trucks to get them out so I guess it all depends on the route you take. Good luck.

[rv_safetyman]

I don't know how many ways I can say this.  If you stay where they tell you to you will not have a problem

If someone who has direct experience (read, not a keyboard jockey) has actually experienced or been a witness to a stuck condition, then I will be glad to back off my position.

You don't, by any chance, think that a reality show would make the episode a bit more spicy by staging a being stuck session do you?

The Salt is very sacred to the racers.  They have made a huge effort to work with the mining folks and the government to prevent total destruction of this wonderful phenomena.  They would not allow terrible destruction of the Salt if the conditions turned bad.

Jim

[artvonne]

 I gave an answer based on years of experience.  Then you show the site where the motorhome and various tow trucks got in terrible trouble.  Not sure where that took place, but was not on the public areas of salt during the race.Jim

  I think you have things a bit bass ackwards here sir. First, in the other about the Bus fire, you tried to make an a$$ out of me over my suggestion we utilise the water we carry on board to provide foam using liquid detergent to fight a fire. I simply tried to explain my beliefs, without ever saying one condescending word to anyone.

  Now were over here and you have your undies in a bunch again?  He asked, I answered. And I answered well before you did. Sorry I didnt have my crystal ball polished up to know your about to speak. As far as the link I put up, I posted that while you were posting, so again, it was nothing personal on my end. If you want to make it something personal I cant help you. As for me, I will continue the free exchange of information without becoming personal, as that is why I believe we are all here.

  As for the salt flats, I cant imagine anyone going out there in this day and age not looking it up on the Web. And wouldnt you know, the salt flats are run by the USFRA, and they have their own web site. Could it be, that I actually could have read about that escapade years ago, on that very website, and remembered it? Shame on me for passing along knowledge of something I remembered and how it related to a Bus.

  If you pay to get into the flats to watch, you pay USFRA. If you race, you register with USFRA. If you get your motorhome stuck driving on the salt in the area that USFRA has control over, they put it up on their website.

http://saltflats.com/

Scroll down to Bonneville Technical information, there is a link to the event I posted.

  I sure didnt mean to irritate anyone by posting that information. But some days you just cant win. As for me, I would be very careful driving off road anywhere in a heavy and fragile vehicle. But y'all can do what ya want. I'm outta this discussion.

[rv_safetyman]

Paul, I looked at the time stamps on our posts and it does not appear that we were typing at the same time.  However, I would be glad to acknowledge that your post was not aimed at proving me wrong (was a bad assumption on my part) and apologize for accusing you of trying to prove me wrong.

The fact remains, that I based my answer on my experience of over 100 days on the Salt over  a period of 20 years.

Just a point of clarification (not it has all that much to do with the original question).  There are three Bonneville events for cars/bikes and one for bikes only.  Of the three car/bike events two are run under SCTA (Southern California Timing association) and one under USFRA rules.  Speed Week and the World Finals are SCTA-BNI events and World of Speed is USFRA.  Again, that does not change the condition of the salt or any tendency of the racers/spectators to have problems.

Paul, I went back and read the Prevost thread and I did not find any personal attack on you.  I did challenge anyone to a objective test of dish washer soap vs a trade name commercial fire suppressing material.  The biggest issue I see is that one technology (dish washer soap) has not undergone rigorous testing while virtually every surfactant/foam material has reams of test data.  If the dish washer soap does not work well in a bad fire, then folks who have followed that advise will suffer possible bad consequences. 

I do not have any first hand experience with dish washing soap. That is why I offered to perform a head to head test under extreme conditions.  I will furnish the magnesium and the Cold Fire.  Not sure where we could do the testing.

I try to be very careful when I post to make sure I have first hand experience or verifiable, authoritative, sources.  I always give a link to my sources so that folks have the opportunity to challenge the details.  All I ask is that folks who challenge this kind of data use the same quality of data.  If they do, it makes learning a great experience.  If it is just thrown out as an opinion, that is fine as long as it is presented as such.

Jim

[luvrbus]

Don't you just love GOOGLE we been going there for over 30 years and never encountered any problems man have I been lucky

[challenger440]

well..... here is a pic of my brother and I.  I'm pretty sure that if I took my bus out there it would still be there next year.  It was a lot like driving on packed snow.  My feeling is that if you dropped the clutch you'd sink. 

The second pic is from the pits.  Looks like maybe a 40 footer sitting there.  No one got stuck while I was there.  But I thought it would be prudent to ask.  So if ol Magic is airworthy by then, with luck, I'll be there. Maybe i'll throw in some rope just for insurance.  jm

[pd4501-771]

I been there a couple of times in a bus never had a problem ,one year there was a guy running his GM scenic cruiser with a 3408 engine on the flats an another guy running a BlueBird with a 625 hp 6v92 in it


good luck

The guy with that Scenic (PD4501-104) that was mentioned is Greg Bush From Tulsa, OK. I'm pretty sure he has been out on the salt many times with that bus. I have another Scenic buddy from Iowa who goes to the flats every year also. Big motorcycle guys. They love their 4501s because they can haul bikes in the baggage bins.

Tom McNally

[rv_safetyman]

John, the salt is so weird.  The first time I went, I rode in in the back of a van and could not see out.  When I stepped out, I thought I was going to slip and fall on my a**.  It just looks like snow/ice and it looks fragile. 

However, think about the cars you saw running and the fact that you could hear them spin their tires.  Folks do it on almost every run and if the salt were that fragile, there would be huge grooves in the course.

Every time I go, I just stand in awe and marvel at what a fantastic place it is.  You probably saw the photographers on the starting line on ladders so they could get the long shots - since you can actually see the cars disappear due to the curvature of the earth.

One year I went, they were doing the inspections at the old air base.  I walked through all the close-by hangers and you could have filmed a WWII movie with a little white wash and some new glass.  If you go, drive around that area.  The big hanger on the east end is where they worked on the Enola Gay.  There is a ton of history there.  I have not been to the barracks in the past few years, but they were in reasonable condition the last time I saw them.  The museum at the base is very small - they said that they could not get any funding because young folks consider the bombing as a terrible inhumane act.   

Jim

[Paladin]

I've lived in Utah for 40 years and have yet to go to Bonneville. I'm thinking I might try to actually make a serious attempt this year. Won't take the bus though just the car since I'm close.

We're heading out to Wendover on the 4th in a week for the Foghat and Blue Oyster Cult concert, maybe I'll scope out the hangers a little.
 
They keep threatening to fix up the hangers, expand the museum and stuff out at the airfield but I never really see much getting done which is a shame, it was sort of the area 51 of it's day for special mission training etc. I'd volunteer my labor if they'd ever get serious about doing anything.
I've flown in and out of the airport there dozens of times, I used to love flying in for
a buffet lunch and then back to Salt Lake just in time to work.
There is an air show every year late summer, forget the date but it's always fun to drive out for it. Not as many warbirds as in the past though.

[Paladin]

Hey, I take it you are a Mopar man?
'68 Charger and '70 GTX here.

Well, what do you think.  I was at Bonneville in 09 and loved it.  But that was in a pickup.  A 4x4 at that.  Can I drive my MC7 on to the salt?  The areas where there has been traffic seems fairly stable but what happens if you drive a bus out there?  Can it be done.   
  How about the bend in the road?  Will I sink out of sight, never to be heard from again? 
Thanks, JM

[challenger440]

Palladin, yeah I'm a Mopar guy.  Challengers are my favorites.  Had a 70 with a transplanted 440/6pak that I drag raced for a couple of years back in the late 70's early 80's.  11:17 @ 122mph was the best I ran in that car.  Now I own a Challenger with an 8v71 in it. Muscle cars outgrew  my wallet.  Still love cars though.  JM

[Paladin]

My first was a '70 440 Challenger 'vert.  Of course we sold it and what do you think it would be worth now?
Yeah, could buy two new ones though I'd rather have that original '70 Challenger and I'd take a hard top this time too.

[challenger440]

Well don't get me started.  I could have bought a 70 440 Superbird, Petty blue 4spd for $1000. in 1974.  Had a 70 original 440/6pak 'Cuda in my garage for 6 months, guy wanted 3,500. for it with a spare 6 pak motor.  . Sigh.  One of my brothers has a 2011 Challenger RT.  Goes like crazy, goes around corners and stops.  Way better car than any of my old mopars, Who would have thought.  jm

[pd4501-771]

New Challenger may seem nice, but they will never produce the memories of true 60/70s muscle cars. Even Dodge can not reproduce that particular place in time. Try as they might. I doubt seriously there will be near the amount of interest in these modern vehicles in 40-50 years that still remain cult-like strong for original muscle cars. Just one opinion !

Tom