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

The Count's Miller, I have managed at least one more photo and will keep trying for the others
Cheers Smithy

 

Here are the rest,
I have no known original photographer that I can credit with the images but information came from the now defunct "Cars and drivers,Australia", it only ran to 3 issues,all of which I have, but managed a two issue article on the Miller before it went under.Also some information from the author and headmaster John Medley.
I hope you enjoy the shots, the garage ones are particularly informative being taken in 1976 and the car not having been touched since around the time of the War
Cheers Smithy

 

Here's another photo of the #22 Ranger of Gene Cunningham of Des Moines, behind the #5 Ranger of George LeMay of Calgary, Alberta, Canada taken in the late 90's at a Vintage meet at Arlington, MN. Possibly the last time there were ever two Rangers on the track at the same time.

The official in the striped shirt is Kenny Hockman who was a pit steward for Frank Winkley IMCA events in the early fifties and worked a few vintage meets for the IMCA Oldtimers.

Notice the exhaust header differences in these Bob Ochtrup photos.

Have more if anyone wants to see them.

 

Make sure "The Bopper" gets a copy..... It will make his recovery a little easier....... John S.

 

The Hisso V/8 was used in the unlimited boats. I think there was a couple of V/8s used in race cars but most were what they used to call 1/2 Hissos. They could use either bank of the V/8 so the intake and ex. could be on either side depending on which bank of the V/8 you used. Speedy Helm had one of the more famous and fastest around, there were several more around that ran real good. Some of the better running Ranger cars belonged to Diz Wilson.
Jim Graybeal

 

the Ranger engined car belongs to my friend Wayne Blevins from Tampa.

 

Herre is a sprint car we did work on, back in the late 70's/early80s, at Raceway Garage in Riverhead, LI, NY. We did not have to do too much on this one, (Might have added louvered side panels and some other things?)so memory is a bit fuzzy. I seem to remember that it was once Ranger powered. You can see just how long, and how much room between firewall & nose... As I recall this car was a chocolate brown and yellow color. Owner at that time was either Phil Canali or Bill Shoemaker. (probably the latter.)

 

actually it belongs to his dad Russ Blevins, ( I got to drive it)

 

Hey guys, it seems the Miller research missed the mark! No comments at all !!
Well except from you Jim, but you're nearly family.
Maybe it was a bit too early for most but it is the beginning of the heritage and should be revered as such
No Miller, No Goosen, No Offy, No Offy sprint cars , No opening for the Chevs or the Rangers to do battle!!
Here are some progress shots of the restoration of the Ernie Ruiz Travelon Trailer #65 Shilala Sprinter.
Plenty of history here.
Many many shoes got their first leg up from Ernie in this car.
Its last incarnation was as the Vermiell Offy in '74 but it started out in the '50s
Its going back to its Chev configuration(see Scalzo's book) and probably the colours as driven by Joe Guisti whos picture was posted here recently on post #16980
I hope this whets your appetite
Cheers Greg

 

My uncle drove this car in 1964 he was Joe Giusti...

 

He also drove this #98 car on the IMCA schedule with I could find someone with 1964-65 IMCA programs not sure what tracks they ran?

 

Anybody have any astute comments about the progression to Sam Browne belts, then shoulder harnesses as relates to each one's use with no roll bars then roll bars (token and substantial) as regards to the benefit or dangers there of?

 

Hi trentesept: Just a question, what happened to the Offy that was in the car when Vermiell had the car. The Offy came out of the car that is pictured in my avatar, the 12x car was originally the Bob Slater Offy that Slater lost his life in Des Moines Ia. We sold engine to Frank Fiore in S. F. Bay area, he sold engine to Vermiell. Thanks Bill Chadbourne

 

Welcome pljas, I am very pleased to have you on board.
I have been corresponding for a few years about this car with your cousin Primo and he is following its progress closely.
Cheers Greg

 

Bill, an update for you although I think I have posted the details earlier.
The Vermiell Offy was sold to a friend of mine who lives locally.
He had a couple of reasons for buying it.
He was already the owner of the Dees 318 Offy shown here in my shop with one time wrench Mal Church leaning on it (a shot for Stan Lobitz to see his mate is still up and kicking!!) and he wanted a spare engine for the Dees.
He had also done his research and knew that the car had variuosly run the Offy and a Chev during its life time .
I think George Shilala built the car in 1955 but Van from Vancraft in Indy passed before I could get a definitive answer from him on this and my #98 Shilala.
White lists Ernie Ruiz as having a 270 cu in Serial #153 from Feb 18th 1953 and a 220 Cu in serial #179 some time in 1955 so if either of these engines are the number out of your car that is solved although Ernie had plenty of cars and presumably a number of engines right up to the rear engine car for Ronnie Duman.
The Dees was sold to another local ,and to the original guy's regret , he let the engine go with it.
The Dees was campaigned for a number of years but was sold on again and is now well known to some on here as it now resides in Queensland (about 1200 miles away) and still has the spare engine on the floor next to it.
The 318 was recently found to have a sheared bucket key resulting in a damaged cam and it was repaired by the owner and the spare engine was not used.
To my knowledge the spare has a cracked crank in it which has been repaired with a cap screw through the web but was run by Vermeill like that for many years.
If you would like me to check on the engine number ,PM me and I can ring the owner for you.
Hope this has answered your questions.
Oh ,Bill , dont think I havent had the same thoughts as you about that engine!!!
Cheers Greg

 

Sorry Bill ,here are the photos

 

Hi Greg: Thanks for the response, I have no idea about what the engine number was.
The engine we sold to Fiore was short stroke 255, it was 252 cu. in. He was going to use it in a rear engine Champ Car. I was just curious what happened to the engine. I have a 95 year old frend who was one Ernie Ruiz's best frends, he would tell us old stories while we towed to Sprint Car races here in Ca. Thanks again Bill

 

We have talked about this before. You could make a 270 as big as a 318 but there were only [5] 318's from the factory. They had a different crankcase and clylinders than the 270. Jimmy Wilburn, Scharder, Collins had them. They were ground thumbers but on average on most tracks a good 270 would beat them after these guy quit.
Jim Graybeal

 

28dyeyer,
Yes I have a few things to say about Sam Brown betls and roll bars. Sam Brwone belts helped you sit up straight in the car without having to youse your arms. The shoulder harness made you sir up straght in the car. With the roll bar lower than your head it made no since! After they pushed me off I would losen my shouled harness so I could duck[the Sam Browne would letyou duck]. I got fussed more than once. But the day I got hurt at Ft. Wayne indoors in a heat race I did not have time to do that and I almosr got my head tore off, thanks to the stupid rules.
Jim Graybeal

 

I know this isn't pre roll cage but Im pretty amazed that this Grant King Champ Car nose I got today at the swap meet fit my Osborn Sprint Car so good, heck the dzus buttons are only half a hole off

 

well I have no idea why the pictures didnt post

 

I have to agree with Jim. If my head was taller than the roll bar I prefered the Sam Brown belt for the same reason. Denny Z

 

Jim- My Dad Danny Sr got upside down in a midget in 1967. He had his shoulder harness tight. It landed upside down and pushed the rollbar into the track. That pushed his head down and it broke his back, kneck and crushed his left elbow. When it stuck the rollbar in the track his elbow was crushed by the rollbar. That was in June and he made it back and ran a USAC show in Sept. He loved his racing.

Danny Jr

 

Manzanita Speedway, closed 2009. I miss it.

 

Frye jr,
I raced against you Dad a couple of times in 66, but never got to know him.
Jim

 

Almost the exact same thing happened to my dad in 1967. He was at Mt. Clemmons in an IMCA race in the car in my pic on the left. Karl Busson had set fast time (so far) in the two lap qualifying session. Dad went out and said he really felt good in the car that day. He was faster than Karl on the first lap and was running quicker on the second lap. But (there's always a "but"), he had the car real sideways coming into #4, looked like he was ready to shoot off of #4 and down the front when he hooked a little hole in the rail with his rear nerf. There was a fence outside of the turns with a small guardrail inside of that. Someone had busted a hole in the rail in the middle of #4. With his rear nerf actually rubbing the rail, it hooked him, the car turned straight right and took off like a space shuttle. I remember seeing Dad straight from the top as he headed towards the sun. After a slow mid air roll, the car came down upside down with the left tires hooked over the guardrail (so it wouldn't roll onto it's side) and the roll bar went deep into the dirt. Dad was mashed up into the cockpit with the shoulder harnesses holding him in place. He said he couldn't breath. Some young guy came running over from the infield and slid up to the car, reached up inside and unhooked his belts. Now, it was worse. He said he couldn't say anything because he was mashed and pinned with his head sideways on the ground. Somehow, they got him out. I remember him coming by the grandstand sitting in the front of the ambulance with the window down waving at us on his way to the hospital. He refused to lay down or be "trapped" in the back of the ambulance. He wanted control of the door and window. His neck hurt him from then on. I remember it being one of those "make it or break it" moments. If he had been a couple inches off the rail, he may have set fast time - for an IMCA race on dirt. Pretty damn cool for the talent during that period. But (there's the "but" again), fate said "No".

 

Great find Roy! That gives the car a great look. I could not make it to the indy swap, any other good vintage items there?

 

I don't have any, "astute comments", about Sam Brown belts but I do have an observation. I believe the first driver to employ the use of a Sam Brown harness was Lloyd Christopher as can be seen in this 1947 photo of Christopher in the Caccia Offy.