History Homemade mystery drag engine. SOLVED!! Car still exists!!!!

Picked up the current Hot Rod Deluxe and saw this short item from their history of the Golden Age of drag racing. I was just thinking about this car last week! I remember when the article ran in 1966 (the story says 68, I think it's a typo ), and have often wondered what became of the car. I think I recall the car was too heavy and was due to be redone, but then zip! THIS GUY MADE HIS OWN ENGINE FROM SCRATCH! Even as a 13 year old, it made an impression on me! His name was Byron Barnes, a machinist in Long Beach. The mystery is.....where is it? Scrapped. Under a tarp? Last seen in 1978, according to the article. ANYBODY KNOW ANYTHING?
Read on:

Ignore the pic of the Sox & Martin shop.

 

Would be interesting to know the outcome.Pretty innovative.

 

It wasn't uncommon in the 20-30's to do it yourself, though most were based on existing blocks. I am awed by the sheer talent and skill of even tackling such a thing! No gaskets! Obviously it's VERY old tech, but that's the HAMB. Can you imagine anybody trying this today?

 

I'm impressed that he went off road racing at the age of 80.

If he was a dirt track racer in the 20s he must have been born about 1900. He is described as "retired" when he built the drag car in the 1960s. Do the math.

 

I remember the write up on that engine. It was fascinating.
Byron had two children, Gifford Barnes and Kay H. Barnes (m. James Garwood). Both seem to be still living. Kay is in Long Beach, Gifford is in Oregon or possibly Alaska. They're both in their 80s

 

I wonder if this is the same car that was built to fit into a 'flathead 4' class that existed at the time? I remember seeing a write-up (can't recall where/when) about a hand-built, big-inch motor a guy machined/welded together for this class that didn't have a cubic-inch limit, simply that it had to be a flathead 4.

 

Are you thinking of X/D ? Almost all the engines were Model A-B motors. I think the class was gone by 1966. I seem to recall this car was made for Junior Fuel, Nitro, but I may be totally wrong! You could be correct, who knows? I hope it still survives!

 

Interesting front suspension on the rail; an upside down, torsion bar based (???), center pivoting affair. Five inch bore, with a 4 1/2 inch stroke out of a 4 banger; wonder what the drivetrain was? So many questions, too little answers. Ignore the Sox and Martin shop photo? That ain't going to happen either. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

The article was in Car Craft. Surely somebody has the issue, it did have way more detail. It was at least two full pages, maybe more. If you got the issue, please scan it!
Surely SOMEBODY knows what happened to it. I just have a feeling it still exists!

 

I want to say this was a bit earlier, and the car in question wasn't finished at the time. But I do think that was the intended class. Just some 'teaser' pics of the partially-done motor. It may not have been finished if the class disappeared...

This is the stuff that's missing these days in racing; the off-the-wall homemade stuff. There's a pic of a home-built DOHC FE-powered gas digger in the 'AA/GD' thread that's a perfect example of 'enginuity in action'... LOL.

 

Bump
I don't want this buried! Come on guys, the HAMB does NOT FAIL!
Anybody know anything?

 

Wish I did. I dunno' shit ... but I do know that's awesome. Thanks for askin' !!

 

I remember the article, it was in Car Craft. If I recall right it would have been in '64 or'65. I had the mag, but it got thrown out when I moved to MO. The block and head were welded out of sheets of steel. I inquired about it on the banger meet and never got any answer. Incredible workmanship and imagination.

 

I'm guessing Rooman or Chase Knight, if anybody.

Waiting for more news... This is a new car to me.

 

This dragster is sitting about a mile from where I am typing this. It is restored, but I haven't seen it run. It has been photographed and the editors of Hot Rod Delux and Car Craft are scheduling reports. Later it may be shown at the new Racing Museum in Wilsonville. The engine is mind boggling that every part is hand made.

 

Huh? So how did it get from Huntington Beach to Oregon? What's the story?
How about PICTURES? Anything?

 

Barns family members moved to the southern Oregon coast & brought the car and hung it in the garage. Tim learned of it and was invited to see it. He SCORED. A freelancer took photos a while back but nothing became of it. When this article came out Tim contacted the editors and they promise a follow up. We will have to be patient, you know how slow the magazine business is compared to the internet.

 

Interesting! At least the car exists! Maybe "Tim" or you could take some pics for us Hamb'ers? It would be AT LEAST 5 or 6 months before anything is in print.
Some engine shots would be GREAT! Thanks for solving the mystery!!!

 

Too bad I'm not the techno type that whips out the cell phone & documents my life. I saw the engine apart and its both crude and amazing. The rods are heavy and the pistons are the size of coffee cans. The flat head has huge valves and the cam is a piece of tubing with lobes furnace brazed on. The chassis is just the opposite, extremely light and high tech. It's hanging on the wall again, but will be down for the magazine guys. They wanted Tim to take the engine apart to photograph it too.

 

Gary, really glad you ran this down...hope some pictures follow, maybe followed by a fire-up...can't imagine how it would sound...

 

It's a totally unique car, I'm VERY happy it survives!
Do you remember X/Dragster? I'm thinking it would make a good thread. Info and pics are very hard to come by. Old magazines are about the only sources.
I too really hope we can hear this beast in a video.

 

I do remember X/D, knew Paul Eichner and Ron Benham, who ran one, a half-Hispano-Suizo engine in a car that still survives...most of them ran Ford 4-s, B and C models, the fastest I remember an X/D turning was around 135 by Don Yates in the Yates-Smaldino banger with a Fargo head. Don Yates later drove A/FD's but he really loved the 4-bangers....(later Mickey Thompson ran 4-cylinder Pontiacs, cool, but not the same as the traditional X/D...Tom Toler ran one too.......I think it would make a great thread, I'll see if I can find some X/D pictures....

 

Hi this is Tim in springfield or and I own Byron's dragster it is completly restored and runs.

 

I have 100's of photos during restoration and rebuilding of engine,I own a performance machine shop here in town.

 

You sir, took this thread from cool too freaking awesome!!!

Post more pics,
Post more story
Post more facts
Post more please!

 

^^^^^^^^What Rasmus said!!!!!!^^^^^^^^^

 

I'm sure we all are looking forward to seeing the pictures!
Will the car be in Hot Rod Deluxe?
If so, after the publication, maybe you can post a bunch, I'd guess most of us are interested in the motor!
COOL!

 

Insert "featured thread" HERE!

 

Glad I stopped in, add me to the list of wanna see!