1953 Burnside Special

Before getting into my mod, I should mention that there is a stock tuning part for the 313 called "Dual Race Exhausts" that adds 5 horsepower to the engine. It shows that the devs do pay attention to the 313.

So, I've given the Burnside 313 the tuning parts I believe it deserves. (Horsepower ratings are for each individual part.)

Four-barrel carb (171 horsepower):

This is the one we've all wanted; it was originally putting out 165 horsepower, but I found that I could get 170 horsepower from my replica 313 in Automation.

Three stages of engine block (179, 190, and 230 horsepower):

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


I've also added heavy-duty and ultra-heavy-duty engine blocks to the Burnside 313.

With the Stage 3 block, race exhaust, and four-barrel carb, you can now get 279 horsepower from the 313 for all of your early-NASCAR replica Burnsides.

 

Can't wait to install this! You're a hero!!

 

you've made my bloody day, this will get me through the isolation now

 

Is the 171 WITH the dual race exhausts? Stock it's 153hp. I ran it with the four barrel mod only and it knocked .6 seconds off the quarter mile, which seems reasonable.

 

No, that's with just the four-barrel. No race exhausts. I'm not sure what's going on on your end - maybe a mod conflict that's leading to my 4-barrel being overwritten?

 

Oh no there's no issue. I was just reporting the performance improvement in the 1/4 from changing to your 4 barrel carburetor was a .6 second improvement, which I think sounds accurate.

Separately, I thought going from 153 to 171 seemed like just a big jump from just a four barrel but after looking at historical information; it's right in line.

 

Oh...okay, great.

That's good to hear - I was mostly winging it with that mod (I used Automation, but that's not the most accurate thing in the world).

 

I'm just sitting here, thinking about amateur-level American oval racing through the years, and am reminded of these race cars that were built out of used cars and run through the sixties and seventies. I wonder about the chances of a third body with welded doors and rear fender cutouts.

The rest of the bits would be more versatile stuff - front and rear push bumpers, straight pipes, etc, so it might present something of an interesting thing to have if/when the Burnside gets a remaster.

 

the only problem with that is that the frame is way too weak, also I don't think it would get a remaster but rather just more content (it needs a lot of parts)

 

Beater version of Burnside Special 1952-1954

Another photo 1956

 

ooooh a Desoto, but what are those things on it, they look like wheels, oh god my eyes, they're awfull… MY EYES

 

yes is a 1955 Desoto Firedome

 

if we're talking burnside content improvements, i've said it before, and i'll say it again:

burnside gasser.

 

ute burnside for down under

 

https://www.beamng.com/resources/burnside-special-utility.5334/

 

So, speaking of remasters...I think this car needs an extensive makeover. I've been wondering why everyone thinks such a high-end car like this deserves a straight-six, and I've figured out why.

But why would this need a makeover?

Size, or a lack thereof.

You might think that it's sized like a Desoto Firedome, but it's far from it. It's closer to a Chevy in size, but it's wide. Like, Cadillac Eldorado wide.

For reference, a few vehicles of the early-'50s (courtesy of Automobile-Catalog and Wikipedia):

*1953 Desoto Firedome: length: 5420 mm / 213.4 in, width: 1963 mm / 77.3 in, wheelbase: 3188 mm / 125.5 in

*1953 Chevrolet Bel Air: length: 4966 mm / 195.5 in, width: 1905 mm / 75.0 in, wheelbase: 2921 mm / 115.0 in

*1953 Chrysler Imperial Club Coupe: length: 5563 mm / 219.0 in, width: 1949 mm / 76.8 in, wheelbase: 3340 mm / 131.5 in

*1953 Nash Ambassador: length: 5315 mm / 209.3 in, width: 1981 mm / 78.0 in, wheelbase: 3080 mm / 121.3 in

*1953 Cadillac Eldorado: length: 5608 mm / 220.8 in, width: 2035 mm / 80.1 in, wheelbase: 3200 mm / 126.0 in

*1953 Hudson Hornet: length: 5283 mm / 208.0 in, width: 1968 mm / 77.5 in, wheelbase: 3150 mm / 124.0 in

*1953 Kaiser Manhattan: length: 5363 mm / 211.125 in, width: 1902 mm / 74.875 in, wheelbase: 3137 mm / 118.5 in

1953 Burnside Special: length: 5140 mm / 202.4 in, width: 2020 mm / 79.5 in, wheelbase: 2930 mm / 115.4 in

Why does this matter? The Burnside's fine as-is.

Well, for the longest time, people have always wanted large cars. Eldorados, Imperials, Continentals, Bentleys - cars that are the size and weight of a truck, and which work perfect for demo derbies.

The Burnside's likely the closest that we'll ever get to one of those cars, and it's really sad that it's so small for a near-luxury vehicle. I'd be okay with it being so short if it weren't so wide.

This was brought up once before, and Gabester said that it's meant to be a Desoto-esque vehicle...

...but if that were the case, why would the Burnside be so short and wide? I don't understand - what's going on here?

Also, I've included an Excel file of the sizes of all the cars in the game, if you want to check it out.

 

It's surprisingly short-wheelbased and wide, but the length is close to the 202" Wikipedia quotes as the Oldsmobile 88 length.
--- Post updated ---
Also, the devs seem to have changed up some proportions. For example, the Barstow is quite beholden to the "lower, longer, wider" principles, having a 3" lower, 5" longer and 4" wider body than a 1969 Mustang on the same wheelbase.

 

that was maketed as a "performace" car, thanks to the rocket 88 engine. The burnside would go against the buick roadmaster, as a luxury car, but not a cadillac, or a lincoln or an imperial

 

Also, the devs seem to have changed up some proportions. For example, the Barstow is quite beholden to the "lower, longer, wider" principles, having a

It doesn't seem too luxurious to me. An Olds 88 is a decent match.

 

Pure suggestions first:

• Add a low gear position for the automatic, not everyone had it then, but it seems that most mainstreams did by 1953. A weird shift pattern like PNDLR is fun, but may be going a bit far.
• Fix the non-functional clock on the passenger side
• Switch the transmission strategy, limit it to 1 automatic option. Instead have 2 grades of manual; the standard 3-speed, and a special one, either with a 4th gear or a add-on OD box.

Other than that...

The presence of the more utilitarian taxi and police variants using a V8 instead of a I8 seems a bit Mercury. More premium than the mainstream but not too extravagant.

The sole availability of a 300+ CID with dual exhausts nudges on being too high end for a taxi variant built before 1955. Power seems about right for the capacity and specific year, noting the conversion from Gross to Net HP. Pretty much every year of the 50's had great leaps in power from every US manufacturer, perhaps the greatest combined leap was towards the middle of the decade. HP ratings (and styling flair) really shot up around the '54 - '56 period.

Relative to the more mainstream vehicles of the pre-'55 period, realistic options seem to be:

• Adding a sub 300 CID V8 base model engine, perhaps also combining to a single exhaust, with around 130 - 140 Net HP tops.

• Alternatively, give it some slightly more exaggerated styling details and bump the model years to '54-'55, placing it as a sort of special run-out model with mostly the old body but the larger mainstream engines seen commonly in the 2nd half of the decade. There is then the option to introduce realistic factory tuning and carb kits to bump power of top end models to 200 Net HP. My personal 0.17 mod setup gives the Burnside the powertrain options of a '56 Monterey since it was available with dual exhausts and a more pedestrian but still decent base engine.