O.K., maintaining that "Little Giant" is the most perfect Crosley race car ever built, I submit one of the nicest street versions I've ever seen. I like Dick Lahaie's just fine, but this one looks like a BLAST! We saw it in the spectator parking lot when leaving the Bowling Green Goodguys event in '09. A shop in Lexington, Ky apparently owns it, cannot say for sure if they built it.
This has got to be the wildest little Crosley I have ever come across. Was built back in the 50's for racing. Body is hand built. The story goes that the guy who built it got beaten his first race out because it was too heavy He was so mad that he took a drill to anything he could afford to drill, to drop the cars weight. He drilled everything: the frame, starter, generator, pedals, brackets...even the wheels! Ever since the car has won every race entered. They call it a Porsche killer.....and it earned that nickname
surprised the wooden/lufkin/benham crosley hasn't been posted up. it's gone now but i'm sure it was the world's fastest crosley. it either ran at or near 300 mph. only pic i could find online: i hope someone has some better pics.
Sorry, it's a photo I picked up while I was collecting shots of Comp Coupes and/or Chassis Research TE-440 rails. I really believe it's a crosley coupe, but with the wild recessed wheel well area it really changes it's whole look.
Thunderplex, Thanks for the extra pics of the orange wagon... could you post a pic of your avatar (I'd like to get a better look at the car in the forground)? Rich, No worries, it's a great picture- Happy New Year!
A couple more of my cut away Crosley engines, Cast iron block and Tin block motor made of about 125 stamped out metal and furnace brazed together. Crosley had; Exhaust, Intake (two in one), Exhaust, Exhaust, Intake (two in one), and Exhaust. Gear driven overhead cam. John
Thanks folks- wicked posts. jpm49c- ^ ^ ^ - Thanks for this cutaway post ( pleasing design evident..), and for setting the record straight.. Rich Venza; Thanks- Beaut bodywork & paint. Comp coupes- variety!
I remembered something else about the Crosley engine. Back in the 50s I saw a picture of a Crosley engine that had a camshaft that not only had regular lobes on it but also had ears opposite the lobes. . These ears would come around on each side of the valve stem head pull the valve closed. The thing that I don't remember is how the valve guide was able to allow the mushroom headed valve stem to be installed. It may have been a 2 piece split guide that was pressed into the block with the valve installed in the guide. At any rate the engine was said to turn outrageous RPMs. Does anyone else remember this engine or any other engine with this valve layout? Dick .
Dawford, this reminds me of the desmodromic valve gear, with its more precise valve closing, like Ducati racing bikes.
Crosley dragster, from Rod & Custom, Oct 1958 Dave Janas member of Toledo, Ohio's Pharohs car club. John
Here's one of mine... My Crosley still need to get the new engine in the car, if anyone knows of a decent Vertex mag for sale for a Crosley I am interested!
Another Crosley wagon altered class drag car just found over on Facebook. Anyone have more info on it?
I see that my Dad, Bill Waddill, was listed in this thread about Crosleys. He got a Bonneville Land Speed record with his late 40s/early 50s Crosley with a '49 Cadillac engine in 1952. He was the first person from east of the Mississippi to get a Bonneville Land Speed record. I wrote a book about him and this car is on the cover. It is called "The Original Hot Rodder" and you can search the book at amazon.com. It is also available on ebay and directly from me per instructions on the website www.theoriginalhotrodder.com. The response to the book has been tremendous and it is currently on the Community Blog of Hot Rod magazine. They thought enough about it to include it on their site. He has been gone for over 20 years but they are still writing about him on-line, his cars are on the covers of books and he was in the May 2010 issue of Hot Rod Deluxe magazine for an engine he built in 1959 in his Henry J for the Detroit NHRA drag races.
While it sounds like a good book I could not help but notice all 13 of your posts are basically spam.
Here's one I found just this morning on Craigslist. Not mine, and I don't know who it is, or anything about it. http://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/2157644004.html
I am very sorry you feel that way--I have never been accused of sending or writing spam before. Can you somehow block my posts, so that you do not have to look at them?
No, the problem is not me. You don't get it, this is an interactive site. Post a tad more than just about your book.
The Jalopy Journal
