Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

PK- I know you're a fan of the old IMCA sprints. You may already know of this site, but if not.........
http://www.usadirtracing.addr.com/Columnists/BobMays/04Short_Track_Thunder.html

 

Thanks Rootie, it's great to see pics of Gordon Wooley, Jay Woodside, Jan Opperman, Pete Folse, Bobby Grim, and the rest of the bigger than life men who entertained us with their lives. I, like alot of us are so fortunate to have seen them in their prime... leather mask, goggles, and even racing in short sleeved shirts. I remember Buzz Barton refusing to wear gloves; I heard him tell my dad once, "You can always tell a racer you just can't tell 'em much."
PK

 

Here's a car that I've been working on (on and off) for a while. This is the last known Jet Coupe in the Colorado Area. I did a quick write up, but need to send you a recent picture too. I had the car at the Greybeard show in Colorado last weekend, and got a bunch of attention.

Anyways- here's the write-up. I'll post the pictures later.

 

I remembered that I downloaded this Edmunds sprint car breakdown.

 

That's the problem i'm not sure how it was originally! I think the front axle is wrong for the car. Doesn't seem to line up with the shock mounts etc..... So not sure where to start! Because i;m not sure how it looked. So i afraid to build it the way i think it should be and then it not be right. I guess that's what you run into when you buy your first midget and have no clue about them. If i would have bought one more complete it would have made things a lot easier. Any help with front axle configuration, rear end, steering, brake setup etc... Just not sure what to do? Thanks, rob

 

That last post was for pk. Do i use "quote" to respond directly to his post????????? Rob

 

The first thing to do is strip it completely down and blast/clean and check the welds then replace any bent/twisted/F-U'd tubes. Frames that old usually aren't that straight. The axle is not right for the torsion bars, so it should be replaced with a straight axle. Give me a few and I can scan some pics of what you need, if you like.

 

Rootie Kazoootie,
this is a midget right? and not a sprint? or a 3/4 midget?

and yes the front axle does not appear to be the right one the shock mounts don't make any sense. the hairpins don't seem to fit on the axle right either. i do have a cage that came with it and a roll bar (i'll post pictures). so that's why i say i'm not sure where to start on it? do i just put a schroeder steering, a rear end i like model a perhaps, find a 4 cyl chevy ii, etc...

thanks for any help,
ROB

 

af/x private message me if you want Don Edmunds e mail address

 

What is the wheelbase? It's hard to reference dimensions by photos. Either way, the parts are the same just different sizes.

 

Here's some pics of a typical T bar set up. If keeping it "period correct" isn't important, I would suggest mounting some coilovers (color pic) and using the axle you have, cheap and easy.

 

That is definitely a midget! I have Blueprints for an Edmunds midget from 1965 I got straight from Don himself. The frame does match pretty well. The front axle as many has mentioned is the wrong style, the steering hoop uprights are missing, the hoop under the seat on the bottom of the frame would not be on an Edmunds midget, but there was a hoop like that on the sprint car blueprints, and the brake pedal is way to far forward as Rootie mentioned. Other than that it looks pretty good for its age. The front end would of had a small roll bar type hoop that would have bolted to the front of the frame on the tabs behind and on top of the axle area that would have had the upper front shock mounts on it. I am leaving that part out of my recreation for cleaner look. That car would probably have been built for an offy or Sesco, and ended up with a chevy II. Look up The honker II midget that Bob Tattersal drove to a usac championship, it is a great example of what this car can look like. That is going to be a great project!!!

 

I have a question-


Is there anyone familiar with Ross manual steering boxes?

 

Now that's a fine looking racecar there, and a state of the art 1951 hauler too.

 

here is a front shot that might help u, you can see the car has coil overs on the front, but we ran torsion bars on the pavement, so either would be "era" correct

 

nice pic racer5c!

AFX, I was just doing some searching myself on the stampings you found on the car. looks like reichenbach brothers was a fairly well known chassis builder from the post war up to the 60's. was the "kruger" stamping actually spelled krueger?? looks like there may have been another chassis builder by that name as well. maybe krueger's were a later partnership with reichenbach??

 

I have a few laying around. Most of the ones I have are from fork truck's I have a good buddy that is a lift truck tech, and when they remove one from service he drops them off to me, what do you need to know? PM for your question... Ryan

 

Racer5c will have info..

 

The Ross steerings used in Midgets were from fork trucks, I don't know if he still does but Bob Higman in Lafayette Indiana had a bunch of parts and housings for them.

 

A post from mlight9 for Corngrower




Corngrower, I dont know if this is the picture you had in mind or not, but here is 2 to view. Actual dates not known. mlight9

 

'Roy, 'Thanks a lot for the pic of Jimmy at Ascot. That was the same Sunday afternoon show that Gary had the throttle stick in your Dad's #4 car. And too bad too, Gary had just won a national race at the San Jose (CA) Speedway a few weeks before and just before that Jimmy had won the race at Roseville (CA), the day Bobby Olivero had debuted your Uncle's LTC VW. Again, history in the making. And speaking of stuck throttles, Rick Goudy had just written off the KingOLawn car at San Jose that he had battled Tony Simon with at Turkey Night just a few months before.

 

The Ross was used in fork lifts and tractors. They were made in single pin and two pin models. They were small and used a cast iron housing. Even though they were iron, they were still lighter weight than the aluminum halibrand champcar gears of the day and infinitely cheaper. We used a single pin Ross in the Iddings #93 USAC sprint car because it was the lightest weight gear we could find. We never had a problem of any kind with the Ross gear.

 

macmiller, in an earlier thread had taken a cheap shot at me and insinuated that I was pro-wings on open wheel sprint cars and midgets. Absolutely not true. I wanted to post a pic of one of my favorite cars of all time. Wally Meskowski's Wynn's Sprinter #1 that he started 1966 with for Johnny Rutherford's championship winning 1965 season. When JR broke both arms at Eldora early in the year Mario Andretti and Dick Atkins both drove the car that year. Does anyone know who else drove for Wally that year?..................'Just teasing macmiller, everyone loves your work of replicating our favorite cars of all time!

 

Racer 5c correct me if I'am wrong but I thought Bob passed away, I hope I'am wrong

"Doc" Parsons

 

[QUOTE="Doc" Parsons;3356535]Racer 5c correct me if I'am wrong but I thought Bob passed away, I hope I'am wrong

"Doc" Parsons[/QUOTE]

I hope you are too, if he has I havent heard about it

 

Those little Crosley cars used Ross steering gears too.

 

[quote="Doc" Parsons;3356535]Racer 5c correct me if I'am wrong but I thought Bob passed away, I hope I'am wrong

"Doc" Parsons[/quote]



talking to him right now.

 

(I am pretty certain that Mr Higman passed away this year). I'll check.
Checked and this is erroeneous.

I remembered an Obit and it was passed by Bob to others. Thankfully he is still with us.

 

wow!