History Rear Engined Street Rods

Hey @gimpyshotrods , isn't it to do with where the engines center of gravity is in relation to the axles???

 

No, and the whole thread only exists at the whim and favor of the boss, so let's not get into heated debates over terminology.

Keep the photos era-correct.

 

These are early and interesting.......... and definitely very cool.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/don-waites-rear-engined-t-roadster.441333/

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/ray-brown-lakester-more-details.431258/

 

Pete Aardema built a pretty cool rear engine street rod many years ago but it's a bit heavy on the "street rod" part so I won't post a photo and jeopardize the thread.

 

Lots of rear engine dragsters here: https://pre-1971-rear-engined-dragsters.webnode.com/a1950s/

Very little spilled over to street driven hot rods. The complexity of construction meant that it was mostly confined to race vehicles. There was a surprising number of pre 1965 rear engine dragsters, which were the predecessors of our modern rear engine top fuel cars. The landspeed guys were also onto this, and there are quite a few early examples of rear engine lakesters. There have been a few outrageous street rod builds, but they really don't fit a pre-65 hot rod description.
Hope you guys enjoy the cool pics........

 

This thread should be pinned. Screams 'hotrodding" the way it's meant to be. Innovation and 'out of the box' engineering. These guys weren't 'restoring' hotrods, they were 'creating' them.

 

Asking for 'street rods' in the traditional hot rods section

 

According to this bunch the back enigne in the Kentz and Leslee truck would be a "mid engine".








To me the truck has a front engine and a rear engine. Just because it isn't behind the axle doesn't keep it from being "the" rear engine.

 

This thing I built from a pile of scrap parts.The rear axle has suspension with a home made open drive conversion...

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/409-powered-1960-corvair.614530/

 

I'm debating about posting the pics, but for the longest time, there was a Model T based truck in town that used a Buick-based 3800 V-6 drivetrain sitting in the back.

 

*engines in places not in front of the driver. Debate solved.

 

I wonder If some of the California guys on this forum may remember
this particular vehicle? I took no pics of it at the time I encountered it.
I will describe it. Just South of the Pismo Beach area towards Santa
Barbara is a large flee market facility. It is a permanent site that features
small warehouse type storage buildings that can be rented monthly
or such. There are hundreds of vendors on hand there on most weekends.
Many auto related vendors included. While perusing the venue I met an
interesting gentleman that specialized in Harley motors and parts. Also
cars to some extent. He was giving me a tour of his plethora of mixed offerings.
He had a Avanti with a blown smallblock chevy and a few other interesting
vehicles. While looking at his "stuff" I spotted what can only be called
a street dragster. The car was tubed chassis with a rear mounted motor.
The motor was a 426 Chrysler Hemi, twin carbs and adapted to an Indy
car type trans axle. It could have been a 1964 Hemi so it may be Hamb
allowable to speak of? The chassis was quite short for a dragster as it
was built to be driven on the street. The passenger compartment was
wide enough to fit two people snuggly. The body was aluminum and
appeared to be professionally constructed. Painted in a Candy red and
Gold scheme it was dated but quite striking to look at. The various
suspension and steering components were mostly chrome plated.
Also some really over the top hand engraving done on many pieces.
Side mounted radiators in the rear again an Indy type theme. I would
think that at some point it surely was featured in a magazine or two?
The fellow that owned it stated he thought it was built in the early seventies.
He had it for many years and it had been languishing in the corner of his
shop for those years. He said the car drove well, but was kind of scary
when throttled up. The fellow was a motorcycle drag racer and the car impressed
him with acceleration. The man himself was memorable as he was rather large
Black Man with a booming voice and most congenial manners. This was 10
years ago and the man was 75 years old at the time. So I would assume the
situation there may have changed. If some of you guys saw this rear engine
powered beauty I am sure you would remember it. Maybe a picture will
appear.

 

I'm curious what qualifies a car build, or post as being "acceptable" at times here? And I don't caare either way on this thread as it's interesting to me?
Does the vehicle itself have to be pre cutoff date? Or does there have to be some traditional car built before the cutoff date? Or do we have to see a certain number of cars built a specific way, and prior to the cutoff date to qualify?
It would seem to me if there's one done, as an example in the period, and others done recently using period correct type parts, then that would make them OK to post? Of course that would eliminate Toronado drivetrain on an older car, or modern imported supercar engines and drivetrain I'd think. But seeing a period car, with period drivetrain, seems it fits here since we have already seen images of the same from pre '65 posted.

 

See post #26

 

My suggestion is period-only builds, as in built then.

While the Toronodo/Eldorado (TH425) transmission was designed along side the TH400, and shares most of the same parts, it didn't make it's debut until 1966.

While that is near the edge, it is past it.

If we keep this historical it might be allowed to continue. If not, we might lose the gamble.

 

What about cabovers ?

 

I'm thinking if the OP can modify the thread title it MAY clear up some of the "questionable" entries being posted here, he did specify "street rods" (I don't consider that a dirty word by the way) and not cars specifically built as race cars.
Nothing bothers me either way......especially regarding the cutoff date here but more specifically whether it's a 64 65 66 67 dated blah blah blah Hemi engine.
In regards to the forum being posted in on the HAMB, this is the general discussion category and not the traditional category.
When it's all said and done it's the bosses call as to how long this thread stays active so common sense is the HAMB order of the day.

 

The "sidewinder" style....
These were another concept of the early rear engine dragster scene. There were quite a few running in the 60's.

 

I see that has been changed. Now in the general board.

 

An excellent example of moderation..... in moderation.

 

Here is an article about the 'Smokin' White Owl'. Widely accepted as the first rear engine dragster, And the first drag car to use a Chevy V8.
https://offenhauser.co/blog/owl-be-there/
Take particular notice of the reason Ollie gives for the idea of the rear engine. It may not be what you would expect.....
This sort of thing had a definite impact on the hot rods of the time. Just as is the case today, what the racing guys were doing trickled down into the street driven hot rod scene. It is a 'natural progression' of sorts.

Ollie's grandson posted this thread informing of his passing in 2008.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...rris-drag-racing-pioneer-and-engineer.275874/

@dmarv has not been active on the HAMB since March 2018. I would sure like to here his thoughts and stories if he is still out there. If anyone has contact with Dan Marvin from White Owl Speed Equipment, please ask him to drop by here and tell us more........

 

I'll throw a wrench in the debate and state that historically, SCTA and NHRA called a car with the engine behind the driver, rear-engined. In fact, the SCTA rulebook for 2021 regarding the Rear Engine Modified Roadster Class states that, "The driver's seat shall be entirely in front of the engine. The entire engine shall be forward of the centerline of the rear axle.".

I understand the technicality between the mid-engine and rear-engine terms. I think it depends on the circles that one runs in (hot rods vs sports cars, etc).

 

Clearly. Lets ignore that so we don't get the thread mired, and subsequently closed.

Alternate engine placement has always been my jam, I just haven't been able to convince anyone to all me to build one, so I am making my own.

 

So you still think that Don Garlits invented the rear-engine dragster, do ya?

Nope....he just perfected it!

 

I totally agree.
And, just so there is no misunderstanding, the comment and the picture both came from the NHRA site, not me....