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

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Joshua Shaw, Jan 17, 2008.

  1. Ovalmeister
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 29

    Ovalmeister
    Member

    Not a clue, I wish I knew!
    David.
     
  2. oldebob
    Joined: Oct 21, 2008
    Posts: 782

    oldebob
    Member
    from Spokane WA

    They look like Ford model T hubs from the wooden wheel models. They were 6 lug and common on early midgets.
     
  3. oldebob
    Joined: Oct 21, 2008
    Posts: 782

    oldebob
    Member
    from Spokane WA

    I posted before I finished. The wheels appear to be the Solar stainless steel ones that came with the Solar kit.
     
  4. racer8
    Joined: Jan 17, 2009
    Posts: 54

    racer8
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    I agree with you on Mike I ran aginst him afew times at San Fe in Hinsdale ,Ill. and he was as they called him IRON MIKE
     
  5. Circletrack 40
    Joined: Mar 4, 2008
    Posts: 103

    Circletrack 40
    Member

    The wheels from Solar were stainless. The rear end on the one I had actually had two axel shafts with a safety hub, it was not a open axel but it did have a Floyd Davis Quick Change, then it had a dome type cover on the out side of the wheel, the lug nuts held this all together. I still have a couple of the old covers.
     
  6. racer8
    Joined: Jan 17, 2009
    Posts: 54

    racer8
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    I drove for Walter (MAX) Reichenbach and I beleve we had the first midget with the full roll cage and it debted was I believe 1968 at Wauekan Speed way on that nite Paul Rademacher was killed the next day USAC looked our car and the following year USAC made it mandetory.
     
  7. Hey Dave, Circle track 40. That race track in the photo of the Solar sure looks like turn one at Mt Lawn. Whatta you think?
    HG
     
  8. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,629

    The37Kid
    Member


    Yes, they are T wood wheel hub bolt pattern. They would take a 1926-27 T braked drum ( lot larger than 1925 and older) and it was an an easy fit into a 12 inch utility rim, weld around the inside and you had a race car wheel. I've been told that with a lot of braking an innertube could get overheated and blow. Ford offered wire wheels as an accessorie in 26-27 with a 5 on 5 bolt pattern, I've got one Midget wheel that matches this pattern, looks just like a 1935 Ford wire but with a 12 inch rim. :)
     
  9. jwracer14
    Joined: Dec 26, 2008
    Posts: 7

    jwracer14
    Member
    from Illinois

    Mike McGreevy
     

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  10. Calhoun
    Joined: Jan 3, 2009
    Posts: 39

    Calhoun
    Member

    From the track in Oakland, CA, in the early 1940's.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Calhoun
    Joined: Jan 3, 2009
    Posts: 39

    Calhoun
    Member

    This is from the mile dirt track at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Local driver Bob Reuther is in one of the cars. He couldn't remember which one. All he could remember was when the race was over he thought they were gonna have to get a shovel to dig the dirt out of the cockpit so he could climb out.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Calhoun
    Joined: Jan 3, 2009
    Posts: 39

    Calhoun
    Member

    The cars line up on the front straight at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Andy Granatelli set the "world record for a rocket car" on this track in 1946 at over 108 mph.

    [​IMG]
     
  13. LittleFauss
    Joined: Feb 2, 2008
    Posts: 272

    LittleFauss

    'jwracer14, 'Thank you for the pic of who back in the day before he was 'Iron-Mike,' he was 'Dyna-Mike' McGreevy. 'Probably before you signed on, I posted a few of him when he was racing BCRA midgets out in his native California for his long time car owner, Porter Goff. This beautiful midget was known as the "Easter Egg." This was before he went back east to drive for the Kenyon's when Mel was burned, won 2 USAC National Championships and then drove for Howard Linne. He then hooked up with Ed Lark (the Lark Equipment Offy, as your pic shows) and as the story goes; when Lark died, Mike married his widow, retired from racing and is supposedly still alive and well living down in the Hollywood, FL. area still raising his horses. And also it's a shame that the famous Santa Fe Speedway in Hinsdale, IL is no longer there. 'What a great midget track!
     

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  14. racer5c
    Joined: Nov 30, 2002
    Posts: 2,218

    racer5c
    Member

    Santa Fe Speedway, me in the # 5 John Andretti in the Armstrong mold car
     

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  15. Jim Dieter
    Joined: Jun 27, 2008
    Posts: 387

    Jim Dieter
    Member
    from Joliet

    Shame about Santa Fe, several years after it was shut down the big development deal still didnt happen. Not sure about now. Crying neighbors probably had as much to do with the shutdown as the land deal. It was a constant battle with these fools that built their houses next to a race track and then complained about motor noise. It always reminded me of a mini Ascot with its' shape..great for slide jobs. Roy..Great pic. Looks like about 10 seconds before John may have ran into you, and 2 minutes before Aldo may have blamed you for being in his way....lol
     
  16. Dale Fairfax
    Joined: Jan 10, 2006
    Posts: 2,585

    Dale Fairfax
    Member Emeritus

    Are you sure that's not a Dreyer car with chain drive? Pop ran that system for several years-most notably in his DeSoto powered beast.


     
  17. Spike Ruth
    Joined: Aug 4, 2008
    Posts: 440

    Spike Ruth
    Member

    I stooged for several seasons, as a teenager, for Jake Vargo who lived about seven miles from my place, in perkasie, PA. I did learn a lot mostly since his engine man was the legendary Ken Hickey.
    Only problem was ; Jake had this Dirt Car which ran like hell, but may have been the worst handling car out there in those years! That car was so bad that several drivers got out of it midway through shows! Among them Bob Mathouser, Elmer George just to name the ones im sure of from memory. In only a couple of years this car ended the lives of Dick Linder, Van Johnson, and finally Hugh Randall at Langhorne in the most violent flip ive ever seen. The Linder wreck was partly caused by Branson losing the handle and spinning.
    Now, my question is; how many of you knew of slightly "evi'" cars which had bad reputations?
     
  18. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Sure could be, Dale, I don't have a clue. It just looks like a m/c, caliper and rotor setup, did the Dreyer drive have a deal like that? It also looks to have a horizontal pittman arm (?) so I guess about anything is possible. :)
     
  19. nexxussian
    Joined: Mar 14, 2007
    Posts: 3,240

    nexxussian
    Member

    WOW, I was concentrating on the M/C, handle, caliper/rotor/sprocket & chain setup so much I missed that. Crazy.
     
  20. racer8
    Joined: Jan 17, 2009
    Posts: 54

    racer8
    Member
    from Wisconsin

    I was at Sante Fe (Hinsedale,Ill) the night Jimmy Davies was Fatally injured .I was the first to him when his car stopped. They got him out and in the ambulance started to pull out the infield and the axlel on the ambulance broke. My uncle had a station wagon we put Jimmy in it and drove him to the hospital. What a driver Jimmy was.
     
  21. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Of course the first one that comes to mind is the Mickey Thompson pancake car that killed McDonald and Sachs Indy 64. Everybody else who tried the car was scared shitless and words like "diabolic" were used to describe it. At the begining of the race everyone starting near it had their eye on it, and of course it didn't take long to prove them right.
     
  22. lexman24
    Joined: Jan 7, 2009
    Posts: 212

    lexman24
    Member

    I don't know if anyone is interested, but there is a 1937 Hillegas sprint car with a V8 60 for sale on the phoenix craigslist. He is asking $12k
     
  23. indybigjohn
    Joined: May 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,713

    indybigjohn
    Member Emeritus

    Thanks for posting that photo, Roy. I've already copied it and it's going into my slideshow screensaver. Your photo with the midget is already in there.
     
  24. indybigjohn
    Joined: May 22, 2008
    Posts: 1,713

    indybigjohn
    Member Emeritus

    "Evil" cars. Been a number of them, I suspect. Parnelli once said of Calhoun, "That thing was always trying to kill me."
     
  25. Buildy
    Joined: Jan 29, 2008
    Posts: 1,521

    Buildy
    Member

    Al Consoli,

    Do you have a larger version of your Avatar photo? I`d like to see that one,looks like the Tasney Spl #7?

    Did you get a new scanner yet?

    Thanks!

    Tony
     
  26. BIG JOHN 37
    Joined: May 21, 2007
    Posts: 318

    BIG JOHN 37
    Member
    from central NJ

    spikeruth - there was an indy laydown roadster at atlantic city this weekend that looked like the old (jake) vargo dragway roadster that my uncle jiggs drove often, particularly at trenton, do you know if that was truly the car? i have a real nice pic of my uncle in it at trenton, taken by walter imlay
     
  27. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Leave it to Aggie, back in 58 he put on a 100 mi. road race for midgets, at the, then, new Riverside Raceway, won by Johnnie Tolan.
     

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  28. Spike Ruth
    Joined: Aug 4, 2008
    Posts: 440

    Spike Ruth
    Member

    I know which car Jiggs drove; not sure if that was it. The car i hekped with as a kid was the dirt track car, not a roadster style car. I also worked on the Sprint Car, which was later sold to a friend of mine; Monty Wernett.
    I knew Jiggs, really nice guy and great driver! Would love to see that Imlay pic from Trenton, and im sure others would too.
     
  29. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Probably another Aggie promo. Don Hawley in Andy Gump vs Sammy Tanner at Ascot 1960s.
     

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  30. Rootie, the set-up is a chain drive. Saw the car @ Wms Grove with Bill Mackey up. Also, see page 190 in Dreyer history. ml9
     

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