Watch This Belly Tanker Become a Race Car

John's Projects

As someone currently watching snow freeze to my window, it’s easy to say I’d rather be at the beach. No doubt a lot of us feel that way. Everyone’s ideal trip to the beach is a little different, though, and if you are more of the type who thinks of vintage drag racing in the salty ocean spray rather than piña coladas, we have found something that will take your mind somewhere warm for a few hours.

The story is one I found on YouTube from John’s Projects, and it is a nearly two-and-a-half-hour compilation documenting the entire build process for a belly tank racer. These contraptions are one of those wonderful pieces of hot rod creativity that popped up in the boom of land-speed racing in the U.S. after World War II. After all, the drop tanks were aerodynamic enough for airplanes, so surely they were a good shape to stuff a drivetrain and controls into in the pursuit of piston-driven speed.

If you’re thinking “That’s not a lot of space to fit all that stuff into” you’d be absolutely correct. Every belly tank speedster is crafted in its own unique manner based on how each builder chooses to address the problems inherent in cramming decent power into such a small and specific shape. John’s Projects does a good job of showing how he chose to solve all the packaging issues, but this is a compilation of over 80 videos that were posted as the project progressed, so if there is ever something that gets glossed over you can go back in the channel history and find a longer video on that topic. From mounting the Ford Flathead V-8 to fabricating the aluminum body shell on the English wheel, there is a lot of fun stuff covered.

We even get to join as the belly tanker takes its first runs on the Pendine Sands beach. While the actual run went well, the cooling system was overwhelmed, and led to getting a trip back to the trailer with a tow strap. A “total rethink” of the cooling system is just one of many items that sound like they need to be addressed, but with so much learned along the way, it’s hard to believe this racer won’t be back on the sand before long.

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