Rocking an authentic fuel jettison tank from an F-86 fighter jet, this BONNEVILLE BELLYTANK SURVIVOR traces its heritage from Sabrejet to the Salt Flats!
During the 1940s-1950s, land speed record Lakesters at Bonneville with donor bodies crafted from World War II and Korean War aircraft fuel drop tanks or “belly tanks” flooded the Salt Flats during Speed Weeks. It was the most economical way to build an aluminum-bodied, streamlined racecar. Intact, original Bellytankers are rare vintage icons of true hot-rodding ingenuity, especially if still powered by original motors. Jamie Trudeau’s Flathead-powered XF/GL Lakester is a BONNEVILLE BELLYTANK SURVIVOR.
Jamie Trudeau and his wife, Janet, have been running Trudeau Warbird Enterprises since 1978, since 2008 in Punta Gorda, FL. A hands-on consultant on restoring, maintaining, and test flying vintage military aircraft – Warbirds – worldwide, Trudeau specializes in the care and feeding of North American Aviation T-28 Trojans. And, he’s a consummate carguy as well, focusing of late on his preservation of an aircraft-influenced Bonneville Lakester still powered by its original Ford Flathead V-8. It’s the same engine that powered his Bellytanker to 120-plus mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1956!
After being stored for some 15 years, its second owner modified it in the early-1970s, adding an Oberhausen electric centrifugal DRAGSTER-model supercharger and three Stromberg carburetors. Raced in the mid-to-late-1970s at Loring Air Force Base in Maine, it had been clocked at 140 mph on the AFB’s measured mile. Loring was one of the largest Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases in the country, active from 1953 until being deactivated in 1994.
Stored after running at Loring for more than four decades, Jamie Trudeau purchased it in August 2022, and occasionally takes it for a ride around his shop. We caught up with him and his BONNEVILLE BELLYTANK SURVIVOR at a show and 1000 Miglia Experience Florida event at Centennial Park, Venice, FL, hosted by the local AACA chapter club.
Constructed in 1955, it features a handcrafted tube chassis fitted with a 120-gallon aluminum “TANK, FUEL, JETTISON, EXTERNAL” body from a 1949-1956 North American Aviation F-86 Sabre jet fighter plane. It still carries its original “PROPERTY U.S. GOVERNMENT” ID tag, #172-48250. Its dry weight is just 87 pounds. Post World War II, military surplus yards were filled with aluminum belly tanks, some more aerodynamic and desirable than others, offering hot rodders an inexpensive solution when building a Streamliner to run on the Salt Flats at Bonneville and dry lake beds in Southern California.
Typical of 1950s builds, power for this BONNEVILLE BELLYTANK SURVIVOR was a naturally-aspirated Ford Flathead V-8, an early-1950s, third-design (8BA) 239-cubic-inch variant. Unlike earlier Flatheads, its distributor is mounted topside, not the familiar, inconvenient crab distributor flush-mounted on the engine’s front cover. The Lakester’s drivetrain utilizes a ’48 Mercury three-speed transmission and rear, fitted with disc brakes.
When modified by its second owner, the original Flathead received boost from a vintage late-1950s Oberhausen Engineering centrifugal DRAGSTER model supercharger, driven by a starter motor. Conveniently sounding a little too much like respected speed equipment manufacturer, OFFENHAUSER, the Atlanta, GA based company offered a wide array of questionable performance-boosting components. Its portfolio ranged from an electric supercharger to Pulse Jet and solid propellant add-ons. Since the DRAGSTER model centrifugal supercharger was driven by a starter motor turning an 8.5-inch impeller via a set of bronze reduction gears with a ratio of 6-to-1, actual boost was little to none! There were some product updates, but the company and its superchargers faded away rather quickly. More about Oberhausen and its supercharger product line (inventory later sold to Turbonique, Inc.), please visithttps://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/hot-rod-oddity-the-1958-oberhausen-electric-supercharger/#more-96922
After 32 years in New England, the Trudeaus relocated to Florida, partnering with Dexter Aviation, and maintaining its Warbird fleet. In 2007, Trudeau took over the Dexter operation, relocating to Charlotte County Airport, renamed Punta Gorda Airport, in 2008. The airport had been a training field for combat pilots during World War II.
Serving customers worldwide, Jamie Trudeau is a licensed pilot, still test-flies vintage aircraft he’s restored or maintains, and loves hot rods and racecars especially if they have an aircraft connection. His BONNEVILLE BELLYTANK SURVIVOR showcases that connection!
Check out video of Jamie Trudeau and his Curtis P-40 Warhawk-influenced Rat Rod at the 2017 Turkey Run, Daytona, FL, https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=547420752395836