WOW!!! So much HISTORY and coolness in one location! How does a bottom feeder like myself get the honor of being invited to such a GRAND MUSEUM for a peek at all that history? THANKS for the post very interesting stuff! Now about that beer problem!
i know, wusses, but i don't think you want to get me started again. i used to do some crazy shit when i was on the sauce. no fear. next month will be 25 years. i'll send over cadillac bob. we call him the cleaner. he'll take care of your beer problem but they need to be at 38*F thanks again for having us. we'll need to do it again in warmer weather. we'll fill your lot with hot rods.
Thanks everyone for all your kind comments. This pile that I have acquired has grown over a long period of time. I received the junior midget in 1947 and the Model A coupe in 1958. The 1957 Corvette I purchased in 1972 along with a 1967 435 Corvette roadster for a total of $2500. I managed to hang on to this stuff because my father was a demolition contractor and we always had someplace to store my stuff. All of us wish we could have kept our favorite cars--I was just so lucky to be able to do so. For forty years I was an industrial maintenance contractor working in the Chicagoland area. The shop pictured in the photos was my fabrication/repair shop which supported our work in the area factories. Since I retired last year it has become the my personal "Fortress of Solitude"/mancave/garage/shop. I am so lucky. I have quite a collection of Model t racing equipment from the 20's and 30's and have some knowledge on the subject. It was quite a passion of mine for many years. If any of you have an interest in that subject just pm or email me and I'll be happy to share anything I can. I am located just outside of Chicago in NW Indiana. Hamb members and like-minded humans are always welcome here==just pm or email me to make arrangements. Again--Thank you for all the kind comments cass
So there is a heaven after all You have some great cars and parts in your garage. I have just added another place to my bucket list.
stopped by the shop on sunday. cass is trying to get his recreation of the marchese bros. car finished for the miller meat.
overhead cam, twin plug rajo. i can't wait to hear this one run. cass's first attempt at engine turning. i know why larry, oldbobsign spent so much time admiring this car at our roby speedway presentation last fall. the lettering and logos are all hand-painted. it's beautiful. buffalo wires they had just finished up the exhaust
so why is the newest 39 ford on the rack? there's nothing wrong with the 39 ford box backing the caddy mill but when you have a pair of lasalle trans laying around, you might as well put one of them to use. take your pick, side shift or top.
the new indy car will look good next to the 1924 barber warnock car once cass finishes it. you'll get to see how things evolved over 50 some years of racing
If this doesn't qualify as every hot rodders bucket of dreams....I sure as hell don't know what would be better. Man oh man oh man !! Thoroughly enjoyed the website too. IT IS A MUST SEE, for sure. Buy me, give me, take me to any other update that you may please.....please. This is greatness.
The "new" Indy car is the 1977 Vollstedt car that Dick Simon drove in 1977,78,79,and 1980. Jerry Sneva made the race in1981 and Larry "Boom Boom" Cannon drove the car until 1983. It is a turbo charged offy powered Lightning copy built in Rolla Vollstedt's shop in Oregon. Rolla Vollstedt is credited with giving Janet Guthrie her chance at Indy in 1977. Rolla Vollstedt 's cars also led the American rear engined revolution in the early '60's. This car is the last Offy to qualify for the Indy 500. Rule changes on fuel and turbo boost limits doomed offy powered cars. This is the type of car that sounded the best. They had to accelerate in the straights and back off for the turns. Down force packages were just coming into their own. Modern cars at the 500 are also cool, running full throttle all the way around the track, but there is no sound like these earlier cars with their 4 cam Fords and offys accelerating out of turn 4 with their cam gears screaming, exhaust roaring like a fuel dragster, and their turbos shrieking like an F-16 and then a few seconds later the drivers would lift and the sound would change to a distant popping. I like it This car in its 1983 livery is ready to go. The fuel cells have been replaced, oil tanks cleaned, radiators flushed, transmission regeared, and engine tuned. I hope to be able to take it indy for the vintage events a few days before the race. The car has not been restored or messed with. It looks like it just got off the track with all its stickers and approvals and while it had some much cooler paint schemes in its earlier liveries I think to restore this car would be a terrible mistake. The cockpit is a tight fit, my wife thinks I'm nuts, friends in the Indy world think its too dangerous for me, my daughters want me to sign a power of attorney, but my grandsons think its cool so I am planning on running this car around the track. Look for me at Indy--I'll be the guy with the shit eating grin.
Thanks for sharing this amazing cache of history. Boy, I sure wish I could have seen the reaction to the speedster at the Newport hill climb, what an incredible machine.
Fortress of Solitude indeed, Bruce Wayne would eat his heart out. This is coolness beyond words, thanks so much for bringing them out for us mere mortals to enjoy !
As Anthony Hopkins basically said In movie worlds fastest Indian "I live more in those few minutes than some do in a lifetime". I really appreciate your old dirt rides. I've just finished dirt modified racing for 2nd go around in life & I'm going to hang onto the old car because it makes me happy to relive all the good times just having it around too look at. I've kept local memorabilia of all our old local dirt tracks "sadly closed" & would like to preserve it for others to enjoy. Thanks to you & Rick for the photos. Good luck at Indy!
WOW! Thanks for sharing all this great history. Now we know the Mother Lode actually exists. Just before & after WW2 my dad had a 1/4 Midget racer with an Offy they raced on the Fair Grounds 1/4 mile dirt oval. I have great memories of that time. These are all great cars here & wish there was more around to see. I like them all but like the name of "not your chicken coop". Jimmie
I had the pleasure of meeting Cass and his wife and Silent Rick today along with some of their other friends. Everyone was extremely hospitable. I read about Cass and his cars a while back but never thought I'd ever get the chance to see any of these historic masterpieces in person. Well today I got the tour of the shop. I don't know exactly how to describe it, and a single word like amazing isn't enough. Thank you for being kind enough to show me your collection and take a little time to talk about them. Steve
yeah, jerry murawski did his roby speedway presentation at the library downtown to a packed room. cass brought out the 35 car for display to go along with the presentation. people truly enjoyed jerry's show and loved seeing a car from both the era and local to nw indiana/chicago. the car really drew a crowd. cass and i talked to a gentleman who when he was around 5 years old went with his father to roby speedway. how awesome is that. afterwards, a few of us headed over to cass' shop to see his awesome collection and shoot the shit. good weather, good friends and a great way to spend a saturday.
The Jalopy Journal
