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

I picked up this car this summer! it was built and campaigned by Buck Heberling from Rosebud Alberta. I also got a 68 Camaro stock car from his Widow. Both are for sale and should be restored

 

Here's the real deal! Carl Williams at Reading driving the Ruiz sprinter in 1960.

 

Monkaz, a fine shot of the Travelon Trailer.
Here are some of it in storage before restoration as it arrived from Vermiell's.
The very distinctive shape of the drop point on the tail makes this Shilala very easy to identify in any photo.
Scalzo's book "The American Dirt Track Racer" has a Bob Tronolone shot on page 126 Showing it as #65 (Ruiz 'preferred number) with a Chev in it.
Although it is in the background the tail is easy to identify.
Although the records show it as being built with an Offy, then being changed to a Chev ,then back to an Offy ,and now back to a Chev yours is the first shot I have seen of it with the Offy fitted early on in its life.Thanks for posting it.
It came from Vermiell with an Offy , a cage , and a wing !!
Cheers Greg

 

Your time frame input is enlightening, thank you.

In blowing up the picture of Christopher I'm surprised how low his seems to be and his arm is blocking any clue as to where he has it fastened.

I have been scrutinizing posted pictures for a while prepatory to my making one last week. There weren't many but here are two that I kept. One clearly showing the point of attachment and both illustrating an "in the armpit" location although both different in the routing of the main belt as regards the armpit.

Any comments or further observations or pictures?

 

Did any of you ever see Carl Williams run an Offy Midget at KCs Olympic Stadium? He out classed the field every time they ran there. He didn't need a left front.....it only touched the track a couple of feet going into the turns. He was a heck of a racer.

 

OK-Enough of this Winter foolishnes, it's time to go vintage racing.

Kenny Surabian got the ignition problems resolved and so we're ready to rumble at the year's first vintage event: Billy Shuman and Ray Alcaraz' West Coast Vintage Racers SW Chapter hosting with invitation to the Western Racing Association-Friday and Saturday-Feb 10,11 at Havasu 95 Speedway, Havasu City, AZ. Lots of vintage track time each day.
Kenny (a Clint Brauner trained Indycar graduate) with the car at Chuck Fausel's Date Ranch in Coachella.

 

How about the roadrunner in the background.....

 

Pictures from Pikes Peak 1956 @ Glen Cove.
Bobby Unser, Keith Andrews, Louis Unser Sr, Nick Sanborn, Jack Hahn, Paul Kleinschmidt

Whoops photos did not transfer

 

That car in godspeedbear post IS NOT AN ORIGINAL CAR and no pieces of it are from the original Farmer's Offy car! I am good friends with the son (Denny Frye) of the original owner (Kenny Frye) of the car that is trying to be copied here and he will verify this! To clearify another topic- the sister car or Miss Allis car does not exist in any form either. This can be verified by it's last owner whom I also know who scrapped it out at E & J Metal Co. in Rock Island Illinois back in the late 60's early 70's. No one can knock the fact of someone making a copy of a famous race car, just dont try to push it off as original when it is not! Now for a original super restored Allis powered car look at Duece354 pic's this is an original authentic Mississippi Vally Circuit car.
Jeff Adams
Coal Valley

 

Yeah ummm its not mine how did that OT car get on my property?? haha no its a 69 Satellite and its a future Nascar style street car project!

 

Also got a Watson Sprint car nose and hood mold! and few other odds and ends

 

I am looking for contact information on a Lynn Spooner (sp?) from the Iowa / Ind area and Scott Weiant (sp?) from the Sprinfield Ill area. They may be able to help me document the history of a sprint car.
Any help is appreciated.

Paul Martens, Fairview Okla

 

pic #17564 is a sprint, #17565 is a Champ car, right???????
mlight9

 

Speaking of Manzanita and Sam Brown belts here is a photo of Don Thomas getting out of his sprint roadster after rolling on top of the wall at Manzanita in 62 or 63. You can see it rolled across the injectors and the bented the frame at the bottom, there is a one foot patch job in the lower frame that can be seen today. As you see he had a Sam Brown belt, Don said Willkerson ran over to the wreck and though Don had been thrown out, well up popped Don, Don said he never dove so far down in a race car before! Great fire suit.

 

The Miller shots, and Info were great! Just have'nt had time to comment. The MILLER THREAD has been revamped recently.. Post em there if you haven't already.

On the Travelon car... Great car! Glad to see it coming back but is that a FORD I see in there? (Spacing on the Exauhst ports) Maybe a Big Block Chevy but doesn't look like it..

Just wonderin'

J Shaw

 

Some of my racing photographer friends liked this one I did of Roy,so I thought why not post it here,too.

 

One of Van.

 

I got goosebumps just sitting in that thing.

 

Josh or Roy,
Can you please tell me what rear shocks and torson bars you are running on eather the 22 or 49 car? My sprint car is set up for asphalt banked track and is so stiff there is no weight transfer at all. I may take it to Eldora in April for the 50th and have been asked to run it around the track. This was the sister car to the Harold Beck car that won the first race there in 62 with Stan Bowman driving. I am going thru the car making sure it is set up correctly.

 

Hi guys,
mlight9 , monkaz can verify his picture but the car in posts #17542,43,and65 are definitely of a sprint ,NOT a champ car ,from memory it is quite a short wheelbase although I havent measured it lately.
Does 88" sound right? It is 2" longer in the wheelbase than my Shilala which has been in storage for a while but I think is 86" and only ever ran on the pavement at Whiteman stadium in Pacoina CA.
In an earlier post, maybe 10,000 ago there is a fantastic picture of the Travelon Trailer Champ car #65 and a bit of history on it and the name of the current owner.
monkaz picture is unusual showing a Ruiz car as #15 as he more often than not ran #65,
Apart from this Champ,and the Sprint there are shots on these threads showing his midget as #65 , and his big Indy car for Herk Hurtubise as #65 and I have a shot of his rear engine Indy for Ronnie Duman also as #65 .
Was this his registered Number for all classes of racing or did he just fancy it??
Can someone tell me how the numbering system worked in the day??
Josh, it is an SBC in the Shilala but the builder sent it back with modern valve covers on it .
It is now fitted with its original "Corvette" scripted covers

I can post some stuff on another Miller if you are interested the "Derby-Miller" which ran down here.
I think the only part left down here is the engine which was in the foyer of an engine reconditioners for years
Finally, buildy, those two black and whites are fantastic!!
Some of the best shots on here ,just look at the tyres standing up in the shot of Van !!
Cheers Greg

 

Here is another photo of Lloyd Christopher. The photo is quite poor but it shows clearly the Sam Brown belt. The car is the Caccia Offy, the year is 1947 or 1948.

 

The photo I posted of Carl Williams shows him in the Shilala sprint car you own.
Whoever said Ernie Ruiz only used a number 65 on his cars was in error .
Here are two pictures, a rare one of Bill Vukovich in the #42 ex-Parsons Ruiz sprinter at Wms. Grove and Bob Scott in the ex-Parsons # 15 Ruiz car at Wms. Grove in 1954.
Bob Neilsen owned the Travelon roadster and dirt car in the 1980s.

 

Roy, It would be a shame to repaint that nose, especially since you have the mold to make more -as I remember it champ dirt and sprint noses are the same.

I'd take take it down to Monrovia, have GaryB autograph it and hang it on the wall instead.

 

trentesept,

Thanks very much for the compliments on the photos!

Also thanks to monkaz for sharing these historic photos!

 

EVERYBODY click on the pic in #17583............... you're missin something if u don't.
that is the damdest composition anywhere, anytime!!!!

BTW Smithy...keep it short and sweet..it's late night here, comprehension no good.
Jim

 

monkaz..............did you take those pics or are they an acquired collection?
Very professional. Thanks for posting.

Jim

 

Don't know if it was intentional or a typo, but Whiteman was in Pacoima, CA; situated next to Whiteman Airpark in biker-bar and gang-infested Pacoima, one of the "jewels" of San Fernando Valley in SoCal, Whiteman was closed after a brief existence, at least partially due to sniper activity in the area...
Just want to make sure you get the spelling correct if you ever make a showcard for your Shilala.
Who was the driver at Whiteman, BTW?

 

Seems I remember Ruiz's 1959 Indy car was a green 24, in 1960 it was #56 with Herk.

 

I did not take the photos, they are from my collection.
It is strange that the photo of Lloyd Christopher caught your attention, I was hesitant about posting it because I thought the photo quality was marginal but it clearly showed the "Sam Brown" !

 

Yes, black and gold flames
#4 1948 Hillegas