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Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
#253320 January 07th 2009 9:33 am
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 28,125
Madman!
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Madman!
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 28,125
I received an email yesterday about this great van. The story is a bit long, but is an awesome read. The van was at the Nats, last year, but I somehow never saw it. Anyway have a read and post your feelings.


The Four Ball Rally – Boston to San Diego
45 Hours Coast to Coast in the “Orange Quest”

Boston, Massachusetts - June 2, 1984… In the early morning hours, in the pouring rain, more than a million dollars worth of exotic automotive machinery & 47 drivers assembled at a secret location in Boston. There they made hurried last minute checks of their equipment as, one by one, the high performance engines were fired to life. Then, at 3 minute intervals, these men & their machines began a wild coast-to-coast journey at speeds well in excess of 100 miles per hour.

The event is the Michael A. Preston Memorial Four Ball Rally & the racers come from all over the World to participate in this 3,000 mile dash for $10,000. The prize money, substantial though it may be, is not the incentive in this extraordinary competition. Most of the racers have, at the least, several times that amount invested in their vehicles & the specialized equipment needed. The real prize in this no-rules road race is in the running & completing of the event, doing battle with the clock, severe weather, mechanical failures, fatigue, irate citizens & the highway patrols in roughly a dozen states in an all-out attempt to be the first to roll into San Diego, California.

“Fantasy” Jim Smoot (President), Mike Giaffino (VP) & “Radical” Randy Shekell (VP) of Fantasy Coachworks was the first St. Louis team & the first custom van ever entered in the event. They raced across the country in a meticulously prepared Dodge Van dubbed the “Orange Quest” by Bill Burns the team mechanic, because of the vibrant sunburst orange paint scheme.

Hundreds of hours were spent planning & modifying the van for the race. A specially prepared 340 “Cuda” engine gave the van its 125+ mph top speed. As Team Fantasy would soon find out, every bit of that speed would be necessary to compete with the 930 Twin Turbo Porsche, Corvettes, super-charged Camaro, & the specially prepared European BMW’s that ran the event.
Gas shocks & massive sway bars front & rear along with light weight alloy wheels & “ZR” rated tires for handling. An air dam, flare kit, ground effects side skirts & a rear wing improved the aerodynamics of the rally van. Racing seats with 5 point driver restraints & a full roll cage were installed in case of any unplanned stunt driving activity. An 80 gallon custom made aluminum fuel cell was used to minimize gas stops. A police scanner, CB radio & front & rear shooting radar detectors were installed to monitor the law.

Team Fantasy was prepared with extra driver’s licenses, bail bond cards, lots of cash, food & beverages & no doubt free flowing adrenaline. They had also concocted a wildly imaginative cover story about delivering the van to the Universal Studio’s A-Team set for a stunt sequence, complete with bogus documents from Chrysler Corporation to back up the tale.

The Fantasy Team rolled out of Boston at 90 mph in a heavy downpour, everything working perfectly. Once into New York and out of the rain they pushed it up to 100 mph. New York State Police had been alerted to the rally racers by an anonymous tip & were waiting in ambush along the State Turnpike. They arrested the drivers of six rally vehicles, including the Fantasy team. All denied being involved in any kind of road race. One State Trooper took one look inside the van, & after viewing all of the gear, the only comment he could muster was,” Man, you guys are really wired!, What place you in?”. The police scanner was confiscated & an abundance of citations were handed out. The New York State boys were obviously not impressed with the A-Team story. After paying some heavy fines, all six were back on the road breaking the century mark again.

Everything went smoothly for the next 10 hours, then at dark, just into Indiana, the alternator went out plunging the Orange Quest into real country darkness. The part was quickly replaced, the gas tank topped off & it was back to the high speed pursuit of San Diego.

Another 12 hours without mishap were squeezed out of the clock. By this time, the rally van was burning down the Arizona highways. REALLY BURNING! A matter-of-fact message came over the CB radio from a trucker they had just passed…”You boys in that fancy van are on fire!”
The rubber skirting of the ground effects had been ignited by the hot exhaust & was burning fiercely just underneath more than 80 gallons of fuel! Skidding to the side of the road, there was a mad scramble to get outside with the fire extinguishers. Aside from one roasted side skirt, the fire hadn’t caused any major damage.

The Fantasy rally team was now well over half-way to the West Coast & had not been passed by or even seen any of the other racers. There was no way of knowing what place they might be running. In the near distance, the far western tip of the Rocky Mountain range rose up in sharp contrast to the flat desert country that they had been crossing for endless hours. As the minutes ticked by, they wondered how many of their competitors had already made the first of the mountain crossings.

Another 45 minutes & they began the steep ascent on a twisting 2 lane road. A storm that had been brewing opened up full force as they topped the mountain. For 30 long minutes, they catapulted down the mountain’s backside in the driving rain at just under 100 mph with a whipping crosswind buffeting the van back and forth on the narrow road. By the time the road flattened out at the bottom, several severe cases of white-knuckle had developed.

8 hours more running at nearly full speed, brought the St. Louis team to the base of the Laguna Mountains. The long uphill haul against winds reportedly gusting up to 50 mph caused the transmission to overheat and boil out nearly all of its fluid. Just 85 miles from the finish line and Champagne in San Diego and the tranny was out! Jim, Mike & Randy watched in disbelief from the side of the road as the rally team in the Mercedes rocketed by, and then minutes behind, the team in the supercharged Camaro. One hour down time & less than an hour from San Diego & they had lost 2 places!!

Once the transmission had cooled & been refilled with fluid, the rally van gobbled up the remaining 85 miles & clocked into San Diego at 45 hours, ninth place out of 23 entries.
Deduct their total down time (6 hours) & they would have gone Coast-to-Coast in 39 hours just off of the winning pace turned in by a specially prepared Pontiac Trans-Am.

Incredible as it may seem, in all previous years of the running of the Four Ball Rally & its predecessor the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash on which the hit movie “The Cannonball Run” is based, there was not a single serious accident or injury.


“Fantasy” Jim’s Strategy

This was a classic Tortoise vs. Hare race. The challenge was to take a cargo van (with the aerodynamics of a bread box) and make it competitive with high performance sports cars. But realistically, even with all of the specialized equipment, the Orange Quest would not be able to out-perform the exotics on the open road.

Jim’s strategy was to be completely self-contained, thereby eliminating time consuming pit stops. If the Orange Quest couldn’t win with speed, it could win with time.

With 120 gallons of fuel on board (40 gal. gas tank & 80 gal. fuel cell) the Orange Quest would only need to fill up one time during the 3,000 mile race. But what about the driver’s pit stops?
The van was not only equipped with food, drink, spare parts & tools but also an on-board port-a-potty from an RV. Believe me, no one wanted to be the first to use that port-a-potty, but before the van rolled into San Diego, everyone had!

What Worked & What Didn’t

THE POWER: The Kirn Racing Mopar 340 V8 was “under-built” for reliability. While it did include high-performance parts like Holley, Crane, Edelbrock & Hooker, the part #’s used were for a mild increase in performance. Top speed on the van was about 125 mph using 2.71 rear end gears.

THE ENGINE & SUSPENSION: Prepped, installed & tuned by Bill Burns of Burns Auto Service. Burns’ meticulous attention to detail ensured that the Orange Quest performed flawlessly for nearly 6,000 miles. There was no time for “test runs” and the van wasn’t trailered to the East Coast. When the Team pulled out of St. Louis, their “test” was an all out sprint to Boston. They raced balls to the wall from Boston to San Diego and after a 1 day rest “raced” from the West Coast back to St. Louis. Though an alternator had failed in Indiana & the tranny boiled out its fluid during a wind storm in the mountains, there was not a single mechanical failure, repair or adjustment made in nearly 100 hours of “racing”!

HOW IT HANDLED: Massive sway bars, heavy duty gas shocks & Pirelli P7 Rally tires on light-weight Enkei wheels made the van literally stick to the road like a go-cart. The front air dam & fender flares were modified with 4” front and 8” side rubber extensions that nearly touched the ground creating extreme down-force & giving the van a “vacuum cleaner” appearance. At top speed on the open freeways, the sheet metal body of the van would creak & sway (much like an airplane on take-off) but the tires, suspension & aero mods kept the van absolutely stuck to the ground. Even on the twisting 2 lane mountain roads, the van could hold its lane at race speed.


THE ELECTRONICS: In 1984, there were no cell phones, lap-tops or GPS. The police scanner was useless as it needed to be “reprogrammed” in every jurisdiction. It was confiscated in New York (later returned). The front & rear radar detectors also proved useless at anything over 75 mph. The team got so many “false” alarms, that they turned them off shortly after the race began and agreed to “floor it” regardless of the consequences. Only 1 ticket was issued during the race (New York) and 1 ticket on the return home trip.

NIGHT DRIVING: There were no halogen headlights in ’84. The van was equipped with 3 pairs of high powered driving lights but at speeds over 80 mph, the lights would “wind-flutter” so bad that they created a kaleidoscope effect on the road. The team was forced to turn them off and rely solely on the factory high beams for nearly 20 hours of high speed night driving.

THESE GUYS WERE INSANE: The drivers (ex-motocross racers) had no race car or rally experience. Literally sitting on an 80 gallon interior fuel cell (can you say “rolling fire ball”?), they strapped themselves into the Recaro seats and using only a trip kit from AAA, held the pedal to the metal for nearly 45 hours!

DID IT WORK?: “Fantasy” Jim’s strategy was a tremendous success. When you subtract the down time for the arrest in New York, the failed alternator in Indiana, the fire incident in Arizona and the delay in the mountains due to the overheated tranny – The Orange Quest was just off of the winning time. The team finished a very respectable 9th out of 23 but more importantly, the team proved that they could meet the challenge of racing the clock from Boston to San Diego in one of the most daring races known to man.

A MARKETING BONANZA: The nationwide press and subsequent news releases, feature stories, full color poster and “personal” appearances of Team Fantasy & the Orange Quest proved to be a marketing & promotional stroke of genius for “Fantasy” Jim and his Fantasy Coachworks custom motoring accessory & conversion company. In the late ‘80’s Fantasy Coachworks would go on to expand to 32 stores operating or under development in 8 states.

The Equipment

1980 Dodge B200 ¾ ton Cargo Van – 109” Wheelbase
Mopar 340 V8 built by Kirn Racing w/Holley, Crane, Edelbrock & Hooker
Quickor Engineering Sway Bars & KYB Gas Shocks
Pirelli P7 Rally tires – 255/60R15 front & 275/60R15 rear
Enkei Alloy Wheels – 15x8 front & 15x10 rear
Engine & Suspension prepped, installed & tuned by Burns Auto Service
Recaro Seats with Diest 5 point seat belt restraints
8 point roll cage by Custom Metal Works
80 gal baffled aluminum fuel cell by Brian Campbell
B & M Transmission & shift kit by The Gearbox
Bearcat Scanner & Super Fox Vixen radar detectors
Michelotti high powered driving lights & Cobra CB radio
D. H. Buck wrap-around spoiler & flare kit and Nor-Cal rear wing
RV Port-A-Potty by “It was his idea” (Jim had to empty it in San Diego!)

At the age of 20, “Fantasy” Jim founded Fantasy Vans (Coachworks) on February 5, 1975 with a $500 loan from his high school sweetheart (now his wife) Rose Colona . He retired on October 1, 2007 at the age of 53. In 32 years his company customized more than 50,000 cars, vans & trucks. Rose says he still owes her that $500!

He is available for comments, questions or just to say “hey” at (314)849-6537

Also I know how you guys are so here are a couple pictures Jim sent me

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]


Ken Schwarz
Tricky Truckers, N.J.
Van Clan Plus One, Canada
Manse Vans, Finland
Rebel Vanners, N.J. "USA"
Toopa Sinner Tribe, N.C.

www.showvans.com

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/360991

[Linked Image]

"Coolness ALWAYS trumps comfort"
AdSense long
Re: Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
Superbeast #253326 January 07th 2009 10:05 am
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,632
B
Wood Carver, Supreme
Offline
Wood Carver, Supreme
B
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,632
Indeed a "Historical" Story for Vannin !!! I believe I read this at the Natz last summer, but thanks again for posting it here Ken!!
B.W. smile


"Vannin'....It's More than a Passin' Fad!"
Re: Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
BvrWally #253335 January 07th 2009 10:31 am
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 11,529

Showoff of the week on Cardomain 11/26/07
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Showoff of the week on Cardomain 11/26/07
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 11,529
That is pretty cool. Thanks Ken.


Phil
'78 Dodge Van Nautique
Susquehanna Valley Vans, Inc.
Host of Spring Thaw
PennsylVANia Van Council, Inc.
Host of The Thaw
Host of Summerset
Certified Nats Judge
Member of Nats Board Support Staff.
Toopa Sinner Tribe
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2224899
Nautique

http://forums.coolridesonline.net/member.php?4172-nautic1

"Remember,If you ain't laughin',you ain't livin'"

[Linked Image]
Re: Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
nautic1 #253359 January 07th 2009 11:28 am
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 21,211
Likes: 25
N
Supreme Master
Offline
Supreme Master
N
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 21,211
Likes: 25
And in a Dodge baby! grin

Seriously though, that is one hell of an accomplishment in a van no less.


Nate Breece
Re: Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
NateB #253373 January 07th 2009 12:00 pm
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 953
M
old hand
Offline
old hand
M
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 953
Fantasy Jim, what a story. legendary? in the St Louis area


aka Blue Heaven 77 gmc
Re: Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
Mr Truckin #253389 January 07th 2009 12:42 pm
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 243
H
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
H
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 243
Thats awesome!


1989 Dodge B150
1988 Dodge B150
1979 Dodge B200
1977 Dodge B100 318 4spd
1976 Dodge B100
1971 Dodge Sportsman
1970 Dodge A100 8 door
1968 Dodge A108 Pop top camper
1965 Dodge A100 no door
Re: Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
hotrod #253402 January 07th 2009 12:59 pm
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,696
Likes: 172
Old Timer
Offline
Old Timer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,696
Likes: 172
Very nice to read and one heck of a good trip,thanks Ken.


Jim & Lucy Newkirk
1965 Chevy Bad Influence
1981 Chevy-the Love Shack
2012 Chevy Van , 2020 chevy van
2020 Chevy van Sapphire Sweet.
Club Vannerz.
vanninvanner@comcast.net
Re: Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
hotrod #253409 January 07th 2009 1:05 pm
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,497
"Canadian guy who lives way the heck out west"
Offline
"Canadian guy who lives way the heck out west"
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,497
Beautiful van! Great story to share... it's new to me... never heard of "Orange Quest" before! How many of you are looking at the pictures and the specs, thinking about some of the same mods? I know I am... sway bars, gearing, rims and tires... I don't rate topics (usually just plain forget), but I'm maxxing this one out!


Corey aka sasktrini, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

[Linked Image]
Re: Orange Quest - Four Ball Rally
sasktrini #253438 January 07th 2009 1:33 pm
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 28,125
Madman!
OP Offline
Madman!
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 28,125
I sent Jim an email telling him about the site. Hopefully he will sign up and give us all some incite too.


Ken Schwarz
Tricky Truckers, N.J.
Van Clan Plus One, Canada
Manse Vans, Finland
Rebel Vanners, N.J. "USA"
Toopa Sinner Tribe, N.C.

www.showvans.com

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/360991

[Linked Image]

"Coolness ALWAYS trumps comfort"
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