Jet Trikes

It will be a hot time in the junkyard this episode as the Auto Amigos take on the Dirty Drivers in a fast and furious challenge to build a trike powered by a jet-engine. The race will consist of three trips down a one-eighth mile track...one at a time. The team that records the fastest time in any of their three trips will advance to the semi-finals. The Dirty Drivers are building a true jet engine on a lightweight frame. A propane tank will provide the gas and a spark plug will act as the ignition source. The key ingredient will be a turbo-charger from a truck. The turbo charger has two fans that turn in opposite directions. One fan will suck the propane into a combustion tank while the other will suck the heated air out and through a nozzle. If there's time, they also want to build an afterburner which should increase their speed. An afterburner ignites any remaining gasses in the chamber for added thrust. Time is NOT on their side. The Auto Amigos, on the other hand, are going for a thermo-jet engine. A car engine will be attached to a large fan. The fan will suck air into a large tube which will be funneled out the back. Around the back side of the fan are a series of nozzles which will spray a mist of gasoline into the tube. A spark plug will ignite the propane causing a jet of hot air (and flames) to shoot out the back. This is going to be heavy so a big, beefy, sturdy frame will be necessary. The weight might slow them down and cost valuable seconds.