Lets hear of the survivors... race cars that were saved or lead multiple lives - salt / dirt track / drag racing / rods and/or back on the street Author Don Radbruch stated in Roaring Roadsters that "Nobody knows how many track roadsters were built - a good guess would be at least a thousand. Perhaps two dozen exsist today. When the roadsters era was over some cars were stripped of the engines and left to rust away. Hundreds old roadsters were victom of cannibalism - racecars eat each other. Thus was the fate of many roadsters whose usable parts went into sprint cars - the roadster itself sort of disappeared. A sprint car ate my roadster. The engine, gearbox, rear end and a few other parts went into a sprinter. The frame was cut up to make various parts for the sprint car. The body was put out back and forgotten." This doesn't account for the number of cars wrecked or the bodies dicarded because of rule changes in the SCTA roadster classes after WWII. It was common to see early lake cars transition to dirt track and/or drag racing... In trying to research my roadster I'm hitting many dead ends... my body is a survivor... any help would be appreciated http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=431579
Thom, I had seen this thread. Your roadster is pretty neat for a survivor. I would also like to know its' past. 41 Dave
For what it's worth, there is a known survivor of the Triangle Racing Association (Dayton, OH) and Mutual Racing Association (Muncie, IN) right in your home state. Mike Swain in Lebonon, OH has the old Pete Allen 93-a classic early "T" body with a Flathed Merc. Original paint and lettering. And, of course, there are two replica/restorations of two famous Mutual and AARC cars built by Don Anderson of Tipp City, OH: The Frazier/Winingear #32 roadster now hidden from view in the Smithsonian and the Tom Cherry #38 sprint car which was a beautiful roadster then rebodied into a beautiful sprinter now on display in the Knoxville, IA H.O.F. museum. Then there is the old Emmett Young roadster from Marion, OH which was driven by Paul Hooper in Triangle, Buckeye and Ohio Roadster events. This car was salvaged several years ago from the Emmett Young estate by one of his grandsons who in turn sold to an Ohio rodder who made the car steetable while maintaining most of the originality. It was powere by a 235 Chevy 6 and had a '23 "T" body and a "racy" nose made from a '35 Pontac shell. Jim Ingles from Patriot , OH now has the car and has "unstreeted " it and is in the process of restoring to as close to original as possible. A few years ago Mark Biro bought and restored the #17 Ringle roadster (Jaite, OH). It was a typical Northern Ohio car and ran at Barberton and Williams Grove with drivers likeBob James, Spike Gilliland, and Frank Wierzbicki. Mark no longer has the car-I think it went out of state.
The Biro restored #17 is owned my Marlin Heller from Central PA... it was sold as a Raffle car through the Williams Grove Old Timers and Marlin bought it from the winner... Last I saw it was still on display in the EMMR Museum www.EMMR.org
My Essex frame that was Z'd and set up for three point suspension was done in Springfield, OH... Bill Metz of Bill's Rod & Custom had also built the closed drivetrain chassis for my 33 in the 70's and has done a lot of Sprint related repairs and the years... he was responsible for the 95" wheelbase... I didn't want it that short but I'm growing used to it...
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