These things are still popular. I started making them about 10 or 12 years ago...check out some on my site...http://members.shaw.ca/podmek
Ryan, If you don't want to spend the $ for one, build it! 1940's style BANTAM MIDGET. MODEL CRAFTSMAN MAGAZINE
To scale the drawing.....The car on the blue print should be approx. 18 3/4" long from the tip of the tail to the tip of the front wheel. 1. body sides are 1/4" thick, cut from a 2x4 with a band saw (the rest of the body is cut and carved from scrap pine) 2. the springs are made from railroad banding.....can be cut with tin snips (use a propane torch and needle nose pliers to form the spring eyes) 3. the shackels are bicycle chain links 4. the frame is cut out with a band saw from 1/2" thick maple (top view the rails are straight and parallel) 5. hood and belly pan are made with sheet aluminum 6. windshield is from a soda bottle 7. the grill is cast aluminum, but could be carved out of wood 8. the axles can be made out of steel or aluminum rod or whatever 9. a lathe would come in handy to make the wheels ( you might be able to find some wheels and tires on EBAY) There have been 100's if not 1000's of these BANTAM MIDGETS built over the years, and not one of them ends up the same. Everyone has different skill levels, let alone ambition levels.........improvise to your hearts content.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dooling-Streaml...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:2|294:50 I can see where this hobby might get a little spendy!
Like building a hot rod, depending on you wallet, your time and talents.They range from $00.00 to the sky is the limit.
cool thread ,dont see to many of these in oz. l did see some nylint thimble drome repros on ebay. Whats the detail like on these thigs? l realise they dont run but they do look ok.
I have one of the Nylint repros. The detail is very good. very faithful to the originals. Even has the correct "Thimbledrome Champion" lettering cast on the bottom.
Leo (@winchester) ... Sorry ... the "Meadors" I eluded to in my post is not the name inscribed on your (very cool) teardrop tether car: The "Meadors" I was referring to in my post was my father's friend Gary "Goodguy" Meadors. Gary is the founder of the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association (www.good-guys.com). At some Goodguys events, Tether Car enthusiasts display and/or run their cars (in an exhibition / demonstration-only type sub-event). I believe Gary still has a small collection of Tether Cars ... but it's no where near the size of Eric Zausner's collection (see http://ezspindizzies.com/) ... or the many other Tether Car enthusiasts that have posted in this thread. Good luck finding out the origin of your teardrop tether car ... although the HAMB is probably not the best forum for this type of research, there are quite a lot of guys on this board that are very knowledgeable about the subject.
Hello to you all. I am happy to have found this forum thread section. Everything I have read here is of terrific interest to me. I am currently trying to source information about my tether car and items from various sources that I have found on the net. I have a vintage teardrop tether car. It has been passed down from family member to family member and I am currently trying to obtain specific information about its original manufacturer and also value. I believe this car to be Borden but I am seeking further and correct identification. I have the car in question and also a lot of original period items which have been passed down with this car. Things like the original carry case ( as seen in pic) original AMRCA typed membership correspondence letter ( typed from Robert J. Dunkly NY/NY), AMRCA 1945 rulebook, AMRCA pit badge assigned to original owner, AMRCA lapel button in original box, USPS envelope from the AMRCA circa 1945 all tied to the original owner. A wooden gold faced 1948 AMRCA plaque. Hand written time and speed card. Period AC delco and champion miniature spark plugs. Original 5x7 B/W photos. All of these things are in the pics but may not be openly shown. I also have around 8 race trophies which are also tied to this car and original owner and some are shown in the B/W pics I have. I am trying to identify the correct manufacturer of my car and the value of all the item I have associated with it. I can supply general pictures if need be upon request. If a person could help me by providing a contact name or website to which I may find other appropriate informatin I will be grateful. Thank-you for any help or replies in regards to what I am mentioning. It is of great appreciation. I will try to post a general photo below. I do not have photos of the trophies at the moment.
Hi Icehouse, Welcome to the HAMB! It's hard to tell exactly what type of teardrop car you have from the picture you posted. If you can take some shots of the car out of the box, it would help. Cool story by the way!
Thank-you for your reply casper. I am sorry about the poor picture in regards to identification. I will post one of the other pics I have. If I need to take other different views and such please let me know.
I think you might be right, it could be a Borden, most of the Bordens I have seen are smaller (mite sized) teardrops. I can tell you it's not a McCoy (the most commen) and it's not a Matthews V car. What kind of motor is in it ..... McCoy 60, Hornet 60, Dooling 61 or something else, also what is the approx. overall length?
Thank-you once again for the reply. The overall measured length of this car is 19 inches give or take a quarter inch approx. I just measured it now. The engine has been mentioned to me as hornet from other people I have had responses from very recently. I will post a pic here now of it. Thank-you for any ID info and such.
Icehouce, I looks like a Borden to me. The engine/axel mount is the give away to me. The value of the car alone is $1500 -$2000. The individual item add up to @ $300 But the whole package together is were you will make your most money. You can probably get $2500-$3000 with all the items together. Collectors will pay more for a car with the original owner / racer's accesories. If the car belonged to a well known racer and it set records the price will go to the high end of my estimate. ,
Hello to you all again. This is all so very exiting to me as I try to pin down the specific origins of the car I am speaking about. I thought you may like to see what I was mentioning in my recent previous posts VIA pictures. In the one picture is all of the items that I have received with the car in question. It appears that this car was raced extensively from all the trophies and other items that I have which are tied to this car. Also, the front picture shown here is the one I have a question about as written below. The mans face in the second picture is a bit of a mystery to me and I was hoping that some of you may possibly know who this person was/is? This other picture is a poor partial snapshot of the original B/W 5x7 that I took recently. The reason I am asking is because this is the person who is shown in two of the original 5"x7" B/W pictures that have been passed along with the car I have. I believe it is Warren Borden but I was hoping for a response from you all and what you might think. I am sincerely appreciative of any replies that you may have concerning what I am asking. If need be I can take more definitive pics upon request. Thank-you
Icehouse, I'm starting to think you are just here to get infomation from us so that you can take your stuff and sell it on ebay. Are you going to take all of this history and use it to talk up your auction and get a higher price because of it? what is in it for us? Those of us that have spent ours talking to old racers. Spending years at the track putting in time. Are you just looking to make a fast buck? This is a hot rod measage board. This thread is the only place you have posted. Good luck. .
Hello Crazydaddyo and thank-you for your honest reply. I am happy to have received/read what you are mentioning. Please let me explain. First and foremost I am one who appreciates this hobby starting from it's long ago roots and continuing to it's present. I am of the mindset that this hobby and it's originality needs to be preserved for the others who follow in it's tracks. This is the driving factor in my posts here. I mean not to bid up anything but I seek correct information so as to provide this information correctly to whom may want to own a piece of history like what I am asking. To me it seems like a double edged sword of sorts. My honesty in the car I have mentioned is nothing but. Likewise is the hope that a vehicle and the history that accompanies it will continue on in a place that is deserving of it. In my honest response to yours, I need to say that I have been lucky enough to have been granted this chance to learn the lineage that I have come to love in my own experiences with this hobby albeit my own understanding is of a more recent nature in comparison. Everything I mention or ask is nothing but the truth and while I may have veils on my eyes concerning this most pleasurable hobby and in regards to it's history I have the most positive outlook. I am heavy in my heart to respond to you that the vehicle I am asking about here is unfortunately going to be sold VIA that which allows access to the world. I would most surely like to have it in my own collection but I also because of today's economy am in need of money myself and I connot swing the money to allow for this purchase. With this I am hopefull that it may be purchased by whom who will allow this car to go forward in the future and hopefully influence other people as to the history of this fine hobby. A true collector of these cars who will hopefully provide it a good home devoid of anythng other than museum status is deserving IMO. This is why I am seeking reassurement about the lineage of the model I am asking about. I mean no harm to the hobby on the whole and in retrospect I mean to continue a historic icon to be passed upon to those who will keep it in a environment deserving of what it is. I hope this is a answer to what you are mentioning. This is why I ask the question(s) I am asking. I hope you may understand this and thank-you once again for your responses.
This goes back to the CO2 powered tether cars. I just started collecting them when I got one along with some Pinewood Derby cars. I love the sleek lines.
Hello All, Thanks to everyone who posted in this thread, I have enjoyed the great collection of information. I am currently working on a hot lil job for the Salt Flats. Years ago I saw a car on eBay called the "Xtremeliner" It was fully built and polished, absolutely beautiful, it sold for over 2k and it seemed like every other one that came up went for as much or more. I dreamt of building one with a modern engine and maybe with a carbon fiber body like the full size ones. A few thousand just to take it apart and rebuild from scratch wasn't going to happen so that's as far as my dreaming went. Then last month a raw casting came up, awesome I thought and I bid high only to lose it in the last 2 seconds. Defeated I went to bed, the next morning I had a second chance offer for a second casting the seller had, and the dream was back on. The castings. Xtremeliner and a new old stock Orion engine also picked up from eBay Originally for R/C racing use, the engine has a throttle carb and long crank. I plan to use the engine mount shown and a standard r/c clutch, I hope to operate the throttle in some fashion yet to be determined. Here are a few pics of others' Xtremeliners I have saved and the inspiration for my car. I have not been able to find info on the designer. I have been told His name is Marshall, he lives in California and dosent like to be bothered. So if anyone can shed more light or info on this design or share pics of your Xtremeliners I would sure appreciate it. Cheers, Andy Pic saved in 2003 Work of art no?
I'm waiting for resin to dry and cruising the Bay, found this car, I'm especially taken by the leaf spring front suspension. Might have to incorporate that into my Extremeliner.
Gang - Here are a couple shots of a Dooling "F" car disassembled. Hope this photo is good enough to show some real detail. Take some time to check these parts out, you'll be amazed. This one was given to me by an uncle who raced it locally in the '50s. It was tethered, and ran on a portable wooden track that came apart in sections. There was a stake in the center that had a ball bearing on it with a cable that ran to a triangular bracket bolted on the car. They ran on alky/nitro and were push started with a broomstick stuck into the cockpit. The owner would push it with the stick behind until it fired and pulled away - than quickly step away from the track. The body was magnesium, and the casting was very, very precise. Running gear (as you can see) was spectacular, including a magneto, and points (from an old Ford V-8 no less). This one had a Hornet motor with adjustable fuel injection and a beautiful little overflow tank. The tires were hollow so they would flatten out and grow in diameter from centrifigal force at speed, effectively raising the gear ratio for more mph. Very sophisticated stuff for so long ago. Note the killer piston dome (super-high compression) and tiny aluminum piston rod, as well as the miniature piston ring. Also, the little-bitty box containing an actual Champion spark plug (not just a simple glow plug). There was a kill switch toward the back of the car - with a length of wire running up from it, and to stop the cars, they would hold a rag out to catch the wire and trip the switch. This car was the Nebraska state record holder at something like 138 mph. I believe the Hornet was the kick-ass motor for the day. I remember my uncle not wanting my aunt to know how much he had payed for it. She probably would have shot him if she ever knew. Does that scenario sound familiar to any of you hot rodders today? (-: After having this one for several years (long after my uncle had passed) I finally sold it on e-bay to get money for my "real" hot rod. I kinda hated to do it, but the $1000 went a long way on my low-budget project. Ryan - If you really must have one, there is always a nice assortment on e-bay. I haven't checked for a couple years, but back then prices were in the $1-3K range for a decent car.
If anyone is interested I can get castings from marshall. I think he gets $150.00.plus shipping. P.M me If your interested and I'll ask him
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