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

WOW! How fortunate to have "wynn's#1" join this discussion. Nothing like getting first hand info.
I was around these cars, at the track, in those days but, I wasnt directly involved with Wally.
My main "hands on" experience with these cars came later, working on the Paul Leffler version. When Paul took over building "Wally" cars, he continued using Wally's parallel front bars. He also built some "spring front" cars and "convertables" that could be used with either leaf spring or parallel bars.
Paul told me that he built 63 cars with 30 to 40 of them being the Urgo/Kuzma/Wally style.

My main question is "How many new sprint cars did Wally actually build??"
In addition to the original #9 and the #1, there was the #17 JJ Smith Trucking Spl. and the #15 Competition Eng. Spl. How these cars related or if any of them were the same car. I don't know. ???????

Below is a link to some great pix of the Urgo/Kuzma #9.
http://www.rmauctions.com/CarDetails.cfm?SaleCode=JG08&CarID=r238

I have also included some pix of the "Wally" #15 parallel bar car and the "Leffler" #1 parallel bar car.


.

 

Looking at the left front of the #1 car, it looks like a torsion stop above the torsion arm on the left front. Was it similar to a half bar set up?

Sprintcar10

 

got a picture of it? (or did I miss it) I'd like to see it, I just bought an Edmunds Sprinter.
Thanks

 

I couldn't agree more!

 

Actually, The lever arm was not splined to the torsion bar, it was free to rotate. The stop was splined to the bar and was used to put pressure on the lever. this was done because the end of the bar that was anchored to the frame was difficult to access so all of the adjustment could be done easily at the working end of the bar. As you say, it would be much like a half bar set up....... Leffler was also a proponent of half bars.... We used them on the Armstrong Mould pavement cars.

 

I took that picture at the sema show in 07. I spent a long time taking all the little details in. The torsion bar arm was mounted on a pivot and not connected to the torsion bar. The torsion bar had a stop in the front and back. The torsion bar arm then pushed against the torsion bar stop adjuster bolt. I guess this made it easier to change bars and adjust them.

 

I didn't mean to repeat Mac, You posted as I was typing.

 

HA! Not a problem, Mr. Neil... Its your picture Between our two explanations, I believe we covered how it works purty well.

 

Mac & BZNEIL thank you.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Makes-Sprint-Car-Vintage-hot-rod-Halibrands-Quick-change-Race-Car-RARE_W0QQitemZ130285257537QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item130285257537&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A543%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Not an Edmunds or CAE, but interesting. No reserve, on the east coast, unusual qc

 

well guys a little off topic but the all stars in ocala fla was a good time but im still warming up .. damn was it cold... good racing and a lot of pa posse there ... kenny Wallace was driving a mod and won friday and got 2nd saturday night.. We met a guy that hung out with him thursday after they called the show for rain .. they were in the local bar and he says the man is funny and fun... Tim Schaffer (spelling) won friday and Terry Mccarl kicked everyones ass saturday... We were 50 miles due west of volusia county so we took a drive over to look . They let is right in and its a sweet track. I know what im doing next Febuary... Ill have long johns and boots too... we had ice on the windshield sunday am trying to get to the airport for home.. Im pumped and ready for race season..
Dave

 

Pretty rude and crude and mostly home made, but fairly complete. Looks like maybe Mopar t-bars, home made steering and the Q/C looks to be a banjo conversion from back in the day. If it doesn't go for much more than it is now, could be a fun build. You wouldn't see too many more just like it.

 

Thanks for your interest in my project,Wallys Wynns car.For Rustyrail, the sprint car on Ebay looks like a car that my dad owned in 1965. It was built by Cliff Hanson from Cheyanne Wy. The car never handled well, too flexable. I often wondered what happened to that car.

 

Was your dad from the Cheyenne area? Used to see a car from Cheyenne and one from Casper show up at Belleville. I think the Casper car was Novotny. Belleville was tough company with the Nebraska, KC and Wichita drivers, along with the outlaws that floated through.

 

The Hillegas outside the shop in Hatfield, PA.

 

Not sure of the era you're refering to, but Jack Hahn was a pretty fair wheelman out of Cheyenne back in the 60s.

 

a friend of mine is selling this it is down the street from me, he found it in a shop in philly I believe. if anyone is bidding on it for parts or what ever??? and needs me to pick it up and store it till spring or later in the year for pick up I can. just PM me

Paul

 

Rootie
Thanks for the pix. Era would have been mid 50's till the midgets took over. Had family that lived in Belleville, and Les and Berle Ward did glasses, so missed very few memorial day or fair races. Don't know how I could forget the Colorado racers as well. When we hit town, would make the rounds of the motels, checking out cars, then out to Goodrich shop to see who was needing repairs. A wide eyed 10 year old pressed to the window in the back seat. Thank god for open trailers.
Was there when Ralph Donaldson took out most of the back stretch fence, spending weeks in the hospital.

 

Rustyrail
My dad and I campaigned sprint cars in URC for about 40 years out of New England. I can still remember the story about his trip to get that car during a blizzard.
He raced it only in 1965 and wrecked it bad at Rutland VT. and sold the damaged body and frame to Charlie Clark from Plainfield,NJ..Never saw it again until tonite.

 

If your dad came out to Cheyenne to get the car, know what you mean about blizzards. Eastern Wyoming has some doozies. Snow barricades along the road are 15-20' high and sometimes 3 or 4 deep. Including a little info about Ralph Donaldson. He owned Belleville for a couple of years before his wreck.
http://www.mmshof.org/inductees/Donaldson_Ralph.html
Rootie, got any pix??

 

Didn't start going out to Belleville until the 70s with the midgets. But it was pretty wild time when all the racers and fans rolled into that lil ol town. Nothing like Ks. in Aug.: 100 deg. followed by rain followed by hail, then 100 deg. again with 90% humidity. That Goodrich Garage and Machine shop was a real trip, like a time warp back to the 1930s.

 

'NED FRY! Our new friend, NED FRY just emailed to me pictures of the Wynn's #1 car that he built as a replica about 5 years ago and runs the car at vintage events. Ned, thank you very much. Unfortunately, the pic entitled 34 Wally did not seem to open? But the other two, did. Great pic of you and the man himself, Johnny Rutherford. If there's anything more that you'd like to ad, please be welcome to it. 'Like what tracks were you and Lonestar JR at and in the one pic of you up against the fence at what looks like a banked dirt track? Thanks again, Ned.

 

Here's a shot of the #1 car might be able to see torsion set up on the front.

Curt Grogan

 

A Ferrari V-12 Formula 1 Grand Prix Dirt Car. No such thing, you say? Well, for a few laps in 1952 there was.
Seems Denver racer Johnny Mauro thought such a car could be the road to success at Indy and then the Pikes Peak hillclimb. Too slow to qualify at Indy and only mediocre at the hillclimb, he thought he it would be a good idea to enter it in the AAA 100 miler at Denver's Centennial raceway in Sept. 52. Took it out for practice and was actually cutting some good laps when he promptly rolled it over a couple of times, wadding up the car pretty good, and putting himself in the crash house for a week. Looking at the rf in the pic, I'd say that probably shouldn't have been too unexpected.
He sent the car back to Italy to be straightened out and then donated it to the Indy museum.

 

Rootie, thank you many, many times over for what you have done to give many of us the joy of viewing vintage photos of great old open wheel cars.
But......this is so OVER THE TOP....a wonderful sounding V12 ....formerly at Pikes Peak (one of my favorite places in the world).....and then the same V12 work of art....sliding in the DIRT.....Thank you again.

 

You're welcome. I'll bet that V-12 was making quite a noise, spinning those skinney knobbies huntin for traction. Here's the same car winding its way up PP a couple of months earlier, looks to be just below Glen Cove.

 

A couple of Bob Sweikert's mid 50s rides: The Indy winning "Pink Bathtub" and the more utilitarian looking Lutes Trucking upright Kurtis.

 

It's a sad day in the Midwest. We have lost another veteran racer and good guy.

http://www.legacy.com:80/heraldbulletin/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=123682761

HG

 

Spike, what is the history behind the #55?? ml9.

 

FWIW- came across this, and in light of the recent discussion of parallel T-bars, I found it interesting, not to mention the I-8 engine.