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| This is a shot of the 1962 twin engine Econoline shortly after it was finished. A professional photographer had set up out shop as a photo studio to take some shots for future publication use. You see the rear engine in this shot as the front engine is in the cab in the stock location. That is the rear engines rad above and behind the engine and the fuel cell for both motors behind that. |
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| This front shot shows the 5 inch top chop. Other than that the body is basically stock down to its 90 inch wheelbase. That is not a lot of room to cram in 2 engines, 1 transmission and a rear end even if you don't have a drive shaft. |
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| The interior has a full roll cage and seats had to be custom made to fit. They are extremely narrow to fit the space left over after fitting a V8, roll cage, rad and electric fans in a space designed for a small inline 6. |
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| This passenger side shot shows some of the custom made aluminum panels we fabricated. They are all removable with quarter turn fasteners to allow servicing of the front engine and rad. |
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| A rear shot shows the size of wheel tubs necessary to clear the top fuel sized slicks. The tires were a massive 36 inches tall. 23 inches wide and mounted on 16 inch diameter rims. They have since been downsized to lessen the traction at launch and reduce driveline breakage.
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| How do you couple 2 engines together you may ask. Here's how. The front engine on the right has no flywheel. The rear engine on the left has no harmonic balancer. Special adapters were machined for each and are joined by a double row chain. There is only 1 starter for both engines.
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| This shot is from the rear looking forward. You can just see the rear end, transmission, which is a shortened powerglide, and both motors. There is no driveshaft as the slip yoke from the transmission bolts directly to the rear end.
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| 8 This shot was taken at Performance World in Toronto in March of 2000.The truck won multiple awards in various classes but the prime award was the Best Engineered. Quite an honor when up against 350 other cars. |
Click here to play the video of the V 16 EH at Grand Bend.
You need Quicktime to play this video. You can download it free
here.
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We have not
updated this one for a while. The owner has been having a great
time racing his dual engine truck. Street driving has become a
secondary issue as times get better at the track. I must admit I
have sad news. During the winter of 03/04 the front engine was
removed permanently. In an effort to improve track times it was
decided to reduce weight by going to a single small block, but
what a small block. |
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This is the
power plant being installed in a new sub frame we built. It is a
custom built 434 cubic inch, 700 horsepower monster built by Joe
Kenny Racing engines of Buffalo, New York. The sub frame was
shortened in an effort to move weight off the steering axle. |
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This is the
drive train before installation. As you may remember from
previous photos, there is really no suspension as the sub frame
moves up and down when going over bumps. The shocks are just
there to hold the body up. |
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The 04
racing season was reasonably successful as no breakage occurred.
The new combination showed some new problems. On a hard launch
it always wants to turn left. Intensive investigation showed the
rear axle housing to be bent which we hope is causing the poor
launches. |
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A new
chassis set up is required. We added some more bars to the roll
cage in an effort to stiffen the chassis to aid the launch. When
the chassis twists on launch it is in effect steering itself, so
it does not matter what direction the vehicle is pointing.
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This is the
new tube sub frame we had constructed by a local chassis
manufacturer. New wider rear axle housing was constructed to
move the rear tires wider to make it more stable on launch. |
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The paint is
being redone to freshen up the looks and cover the newly
installed bars. A little brighter red is being used.
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The truck is on our surface table
to make the new sub frame easier to install. The lack of a
driveshaft in this application makes the correct alignment
difficult to obtain. The flag paintjob is being replaced with a
new logo. We are shooting for times in the high 9’s and a
straight launch will allow the driver to stay on the throttle.
Watch for us at various events as we are racing with
the Ontario
Nostalgia Drag Racers and can be seen on their web site at
www.fastpast.ca |
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This is the
completed and painted sub frame we had built. The tube design is
substantially stronger and the rear end is widened 6 inches for
stability. Nine second times are looking better all the time. |
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A little
brighter red was chosen this time. New graphics are due soon.
Looks good Opie! |
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| Seen here
are the new graphics on what was known as V16EH. The 2nd
engine removal required a name change. Opie Gone Bad is shown
doing what it does best, pulling the front wheels and hauling
the mail. |
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| Another
shot, wheels up and truckin! The 2006 season brought a personal
best time of 9.92 seconds and 130 mph in the quarter mile.
THAT’S FAST! Scary fast in a vehicle with the aerodynamics of a
brick. |
Click here to play
the video "From the Driver's Seat".
You need Quicktime to play this video. You can download it free
here.
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