Has anyone ever suggested a Jet turbine powered go-cart? The turbine can be built with a junkyard turbo with a combustion chamber added externally. You start it up with leaf blower. Check the "How Stuff Works" site (www.howstuffworks.com) for more info about turbines and how they work and links to other sites about jet engines and turbines. The Nye Thermodynamics site details his construction of a junkyard turbo constructed jet turbine and even sells plans. Make the cart and have each team member race it around the course for a total of four laps. Instant show.

-- Paul Beck (pbeck@abcschoolsupply.com), April 11, 2001

Answers

Yeah, that junk yard's just slopping over with turbos and combustion chambers. Have you seen what they go through just to get ANY engine to run? It would be very easy to turn JYW into a "motor show", but I'm not sure that was the original idea. I think it's interesting to see them try to get thier machines to work with no motors at all! (Wind mills, sail power and pedal-powered you-name-its.)

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 11, 2001.

A jet engine? oh my. hmmm.

-- Julie Summersell (Juliesummersell@aol.com), April 11, 2001.

Well, there goes that show's production budget! I want to see the look on the bean counter's face when someone mentions seeding the junk yard with jet engines.

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.haynes.fl.us), April 12, 2001.

Yea, well that's why they seed the yard with the parts the teams need. And I don't know of many yards that charge more than about $200 for a very good turbo. Most are about $50. The cumbustion chamber is nothing more than a length of 4" heavy wall pipe with several diesel injectors for fuel and a couple of spark plugs for ignition threaded into it. Use electric pumps for fuel and oil movement. It really is several seperate subsystems that operate connectivly and not a whole integrated self contained system like a car engine. If you check the sites I quoted you will see that this is really a viable project with the right expert and very educational. Don't slam it if you don't know it.

-- Paul Beck (pbeck@abcschoolsupply.com), April 13, 2001.

Geez- If I can't slam something out of pure ignorance, where's the fun? I've been laboring under the impression that the show was aimed toward finding low-tech mechanical answers to general challenge problems. I guess a drain pipe with a couple of spark plugs fits right in. What was the question again?

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 13, 2001.

That's exactly what I've been trying to say. What's easier than a compression turbine connected to an exhaust turbine with a chamber for exlosive hydrocarbon in the middle "bodgered" together such to form an equal but opposite action of thrust to the coefficient of the thermal reaction of the petroleum byproduct fed into it. By gads... I think you've got it!!!

-- Paul Beck (pbeck@abcschoolsupply.com), April 13, 2001.

All it lacks is a pair of roller skates and "ACME" stenciled on the side! The more you say, Paul, the more I like! (But this has got to be a competitiion for top speed only!) Beep Beep!

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 13, 2001.