Old Streamliner

Information on the Old Streamliner Class: B/GS Length: 26 feet Width: 44 inches Wheel Base: 164 inches Height: 39 inches Weight: 3188 lbs. Engine: Small Block Chevy Horse Power: 1000 Cubic Inch: 433 Induction: Kinsler Electronic Fuel Injection Transmission: G Force 5 speed Rear End: Halibrand quick change Body: Foam Core composite Frame: Tube Steel Parachutes: Deist Fire Bottles: 4 - 5lbs. bottles halon Drive Axle: Front Wheel Drive Tires: Mickey Thompson Bonneville Wheels: Special Made Tread: 21 inches

 

 

 

 

 

How it all got started

I heard of a man that had moved into town (Brewster) who had such a machine. I decided to meet him and see if I could persuade him to teach me to use his welder. The first time I went to his shop, I discovered a rear-engined sidewinder dragster that he had built and was experimenting with.

In the next few years we became fast friends. I went to several of his races and he went to many of mine. As a matter of fact, the first race of mine that Ed went to, he ended up hauling me to the hospital with a broken foot. Ed told me one day, that he wanted to build a car and get in the 200 MPH Club and did I want to partner up. I asked, “What’s the 200MPH Club?” He replied “that’s when you set a record at over 200 MPH”. SOUNDED GOOD TO ME.

In early 1979, Ed came to me and said “Speed Week is next week, let’s go” So I put the canopy on my pickup and we headed for the salt. Though we were hardly wet behind the ears about the salt, we did what many veterans have done and still do today, WE DROVE ALL NIGHT. We had a great time there for four days. We took rolls and rolls of pictures, talked to countless people, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Everyone was very friendly and open.

Don DeBring spent two hours with us going over all his stuff. We met and talked with Al Teague, Rick and Nolan White, and the Vescos (had met Don previously through motorcycles). Some one from SCTA/BNI gave me a current (1979) rule book. As everyone knows, having a rule book is the first step on the road to perdition. Your fate is sealed. Ed and I came home thoroughly pumped.

In the next year we did a lot of planning and scheming.  When we headed for Speed Week 1980, Ed bought some magazines to read on the trip. One was a Popular Science that had an article about the Vector bicycle that had just upped the human powered vehicle land speed record from 50 mph to 60mph. Ed took one look and proclaimed  “there’s our car”. The next thing I knew, we’re on a plane to Anaheim CA, and have signed a contract with Alan Voight and Dan Fernandez to build a body for our new car.

Our job then became one of designing and building a vehicle to fit inside that body. I have a photo of Ed and me sitting on his front porch on July 4, 1981. At that point, we had only a bare rolling chassis. Oh yes, one other small item, I was on crutches because I had blown out my knee, and Ed was going into the hospital for 10 days of traction on his back. We had the car on the salt for the Sept. Speed Week and came within 1.3 mph of the current record. We would chase that record until 1989. We made a lot of false moves, did some really dumb things and made our full share of rookie mistakes. Ed always said “if you build like everyone else, you will run like everyone else”. Trust me, there was more than one point that we both wished that we would run like everyone else. We set our first of many records in 1989 at 262.848 mph.

Richard Thomason, Ed Tradup

 

 

DANNY BOY STREAMLINER
Currently Held Records

 

FIA - Federation de International de Automobile
BNI - Bonneville Nationals Inc.
SCTA - Southern California Timing Association
BI - Bonneville Internationals
USFRA - Utah Salt Flat Racing Association

 

Sanctioning Body	Date	Class	Engine	Speed
SCTA/BNI USFRA	8/1992	D/Blown Gas Streamliner	292 cu. in.	315.489 mph

 

DANNY BOY STREAMLINER
Previous Held Records

 

Sanctioning Body	Date	Class	Engine	Speed
FIA	9/1991	Cat. A Group 1 Class 9	292 cu. in.	306.078 mph
LSA	8/1991	Cat. A Group 1 Class 9	292 cu. in.	303.604 mph
SCTA/BNI	8/1991	D/Blown Gas Streamliner	292 cu. in.	290.460 mph
LSA	10/1990	Cat. A Group 1 Class 2	256 cu. in.	299.083 mph
SCTA/BNI	10/1990	E/Gas Streamliner	256 cu. in.	284.968 mph
SCTA/BNI	8/1990	E/Fuel Streamliner	256 cu. in.	273.354 mph
SCTA/BNI	8/1990	E/Gas Streamliner	256 cu. in.	267.543 mph
SCTA/BNI	8/1989	E/Gas Streamliner	256 cu. in.	261.848 mph

 

FIA	10/1999	Cat. A Group 2 Class 10	371 cu. in.	340.361 mph
FIA	10/1999	Cat. A Group 2 Class 10	371 cu. in.	547.250 kph
BI/SCTA/BNI	10/1999	Cat. A Group 2 Class 10	371 cu. in.	340.361 mph
BI/SCTA/BNI	10/1999	Cat. A Group 2 Class 10	371 cu. in.	547.250 kph
SCTA/BNI	8/1999	C/Fuel Streamliner	371 cu. in.	332.921 mph
SCTA/BNI USFRA	8/1990	E/Blown Gas Streamliner	256 cu. in.	290.007 mph

We made a memorable run at Muroc but did not set a record.
SCTA/Muroc   1996   D/Blown Gas   292 cu. in.  199 mph