Wow! Wouldn't it be cool to find this thing today? Never seen anything like that rear end. I can't get my head around how that would work. If this has already been posted, forgive me. http://www.dragzine.com/news/flashback-friday-tommy-stringfields-1128ci-triple-engine-nova/
Each differential has a spool with a double ended splined stub axle between each with standard axles on the outsides. I'm going to guess all it has was an in and out box for each engine or that it has an in and out box for one engine and when you nail it it rolls the other two engines to life. Here is a problem that most folks don't know or don't think about with multi engine cars. If one engine is not properly tunned and isn't making as much zot as the other engine the strong one doesn't overpower the weak one the weak one drags the strong one down. They all have to be working together, it can be a tuners nightmare. Then you have the other problem with that one in particular. It only has two tires trying to hook up and fly. Remember TV Tommy's 4 engined behemoth? It was capable of smoking all four tires for the length of the track. I still think things like that are cool to the bone. I just love an oddball.
That would be cool. I always thought that wheel standers were not worth much but I always loved watching them also (I'm a little confused ). Nothing like seeing the underside of some old car and no jack holding it up.
I kind of wounder about that "If one engine is not properly tunned and isn't making as much zot as the other engine the strong one doesn't overpower the weak one the weak one drags the strong one down." Doesn't seem to be true. If it is Union Pacific should be told about it. They are doing things all wrong. And if you remember the "Odd couple" twin digger. M.T.s flathead and Chrysler coup. Howard's Twin Bear with one blown motor and one injected motor replacing one really Blown motor and still winning. They all put in what ever they have to offer. Unless it's not running at all, no engine is dragging the others down.
I have a friend here who has an 8mm film of that car under construction and on a test run..It was built somewhere in Florida. There are shots of the car ,as delivered ,in the dealers back lot.The car was delivered with the L79 327 350Hp engine and a 3 speed .The next scene is with the car jacked up (on 55 gallon oildrums!) with the engine /trans removed and all the floor rear of the front seat cut out. The story is that they built the 327, got two more 327's and fab'd up all the running gear. The rear end did have 3 center sections ,with removable plates to access the stubaxles between the axle gears,etc..The shots of the test run was on a back street with canals on both sides. The car got loose (Duh!!!) and skidded into the canal . A wrecker had to tow the car out of the waterand there's a shot of a minnow that was trapped under the side chrome strip and wiggling!!! I saw the film many years ago and I recall my friend saying that the car ran all up and down the East Coast . It was a real bear, no traction and ill handling. Later ,according to my friend, the triple engine setup was abandoned and it was turned into an exhibition wheelstander, using water-drums frt& rear, with the water pumped from front to rear to make it wheel stand. It may have been a dual rear-engine at that time.. I don't recall the exact specifics... My friend was from Florida and he got a copy of the film from a gathering at Don Garlits house I've sorta lost touch with my friend ,but I'll see if I can locate him ..I'd like to see the film again myself. I never thought in a million years anyone else had heard of "Triple Trouble" Stan
The parts I can't get my head around... These load from the front like a 9" Ford. So how the heck he managed to get the stub axles in is a head scratcher. I have to think maybe he removed the back cover and welded them back on at least on the center one. Or, the sections were all assembled and the axles slid in before the axle tubes between housings were welded together. The other matter is how the front engine could use a 3spd auto while the other two were connected direct through clutches. Seems like he would have to take off with the front motor then engage the other two with clutch once moving. Sure is fun thinking about the engineering involved.
That would be so amazing to see some more pics/footage. Definately "sounds" like a story you'd hear from the one crazy know-it-all at a car show with the tall claims, but this one is legit.
More info on Triple Trouble...found my friend that had access to the 8mm film...seems there's a fellow in Tampa Florida that was a friend of Tommy Stringfield...He may know where the car is/or ended up..PM and I'll give you the name ... My friend here told me that Tommy built everything on the car, all the rearend ,running gear,drivelines,etc in his home garage...He even welded up the stroker cranks for the engines....Tommy Stringfield sounfds like a real original gearhead!!!
The film I saw showed the rearend from the front..There were removable plates on the short tubes between the middle centersection and the two outer centersections. The middle c/s was connected to the two outer c/s's by stub axles. I would guess that all three c/s's would go in the housing at the same time and the removable plates were then bolted back onto the tubes. I remember studying the pics of the housings.. It was quite a remakable piece of home-garage ingenuity ...If I knew how to draw/post drawings I'd sketch out how I remember it... Stan
One one of the cars outing ,Tommy ran at the old Shuffletown Dragstrip..right outside of Charlotte. It was in it's wheelstand configuration @ that time... Stan
Now THAT'S cool!!! The overall concept has potential, but all the small details of making it hook and getting the suspension geometry to work would be tough. Theoretically, it could be duplicated with a single axle on each side instead of stub axles by putting splines in the middle of the axle, and turning down [tapering] the area between the end splines and the center splines.
------------------ Just a guess, but he probably didn't use internal stub axles to connect the middle center-section to the outboard ones. Instead, he probably used two full-length axles, just like in a conventional rear end- but with each axle having two sets of splines - one set of splines on the end, in the normal location, to engage one side of the center differential or spool - and another set of splines cut somewhere around the middle of each axle, to engage one of the outboard spools. Mart3406 ====================
I have that footage on an old VHS tape. It was put together with some clips from the old Brooksville airport drags back in the late 50's and early 60's. My next door neighbor grew up with Tommy and watched as the car was built. The tape has music dubbed over it and it will not play on a computer, I have tried countless times to get it posted on youtube. I need to find someone who can remove the music off of the tape and then copy it to a dvd. Robert
The story on the footage I saw ,was on a VHS..Seems there was a gathering at Don Garlits house and people were showing their films on a screen in the garage...The film I saw was taken on a video camera filming the screen...(confused enough !!!) it was poor quality,needless to say. The segment showing Triple Trouble was about 6-8 minutes long.. Look up an old dragracer in Tampa, by the name of Edwin Pantley..He may have a link to the film / or info on the car... Edwin supposedly had the first dual-engined dragster in Florida . I met him years ago through my friend Bob Brasfield ,who was originally from Fla. ...and they both were friends of Garlits
p-beaner, you are correct on how he started the other two motors. He would crank the one and make a pass down the track to fire the other two up, turn around and come back to the start line to make his 1/4 mile pass. I do believe that the footage I have shows him making a pass at the old Twin City dragstrip that used to be down in Oldsmar. There are also some FEd's making passes and the 8mm footage was shot from the tower which was in the middle of the track. Robert
26T, that is the same footage I have on the vhs. The footage on the nova was shot from a screen that they were showing on the wall off an 8mm cmaera. The rest of the tape is shot s from Brooksville airport drags and some footage from Twin City dragstrip showing the car make a pass from the tower. This was also shot with an 8mm and put on the vhs tape later. Noen of the footage is high quality and that may be why when I transfer to a dvd, it will not play on the computer. Plays fine in a dvd player. Robert
I am new here and joined to let you guys know that I met Tommy Stringfield today and am sad to say that he had slowly parted it out and junked the nova but he is still alive and well at age 79 and still living in the same house in here in Tampa.
Wonder where the triple-center rear axle ended up?? As I understand it ,later on all the triple stuff was removed and it was converted to a wheelstander... Glad to hear Tommy is still alive... What a backyard mechanical genius... Im going down to Daytona for the Turkey Run , wonder if it'd be OK to contact Tommy for a visit??
Wow what an update! Thanks for joining up to let us know. I missed this thread the first time around and glad it came back up. Ok now all you guys who say there's footage ? What happened over the last 2 and half years ?
All he has left from his racing days is a nos magneto he bought from Don Garlits speed shop the welder he assembled the car with, and a few old photos.
As far as locomotive engines they do not drive the wheels directly. The big diesels turn generators and the electricity produced runs motors turning the wheels. Sometimes you see ten or more engines on one train when they need the power.
--------------- Stick the tape in a VCR hook it up to a DVR or DVD recorder only use the yellow video cable (RCA) not the two sound RBCs. ----------- Play it on your tv and video record it with a smartphone and post to youtube
Just bought the magneto off of Tommy I had him sign it and the original box. I will be going to the Billetproof show at Don Garlits museum march 22nd to have Don sign it since it came from his speed shop here in tampa. We got talking about the rear, he used one splined axle all the way through, it was later scrapped with the car. I also found some film of the nova on you tube if anybody wants to see it look up (Copy of Dragway 42 Vintage Drag Racing Footage from 1965/1966).
The Jalopy Journal
