Kinda depends on what you're starting with. If you're starting with a blank sheet or a existing street driven car which is to remain it's primary purpose. If that's the case, start with the best, adjustable $hocks you can afford. I wont get into the black art of modern shock science, but today shocks are one of the most tunable components on a performance/race car. Next would be to reduce unsprung weight in any way possible, every ounce counts. Wheels, of course are the first step in cutting u/s weight, and while you're changing wheels, pick a offset that will give you the miniumum scrub radius possible. So now you will need to wrap something around the wheels, and, obviously, put the widest stickiest tires the rules/wallet allow. Brakes are self explanitory and of course, again, you can take them to about any level you can afford. The old saying that you have to go slow to go fast, certainly applies to road racing/autocross a lot of the time. If the car can be lowered any, certainly do it, lower profile tires would be a start. These are some of the things you could change but still be able to convert back to a streetable traditional hot rod. If you want to break out the welder and start adding brackets and such, things like long adjustable panhard bars, adjustable sway bars, raised suspension pick up points etc. can be added. Put simply and regardless of the level 1. eliminate as much suspension bind/friction as possible 2. build in as much adjustability as possible. 3. reduce unsprung weight. Balance and consistancy is the key to fast lap times. Adjustability will go a long way to finding right balance and free suspension movement will go a long way helping the driver be consistent.
In Hot Rod years ago they had a feature on a 36 coupe that was road raced in Argentina, the road conditions were terrible. The builder split the front axle, mounted it so each half would pivot in the middle, an independent type suspension with lots of camber change. Hot Rod Goucho was the name of the feature.
Go here... at the bottom of the page, click on the highlighted 220-slide show words. Search for the little yellow American hot rod racer! Just loved the sights and colors of these cars. Some neat WWII warbird pix, too. Gary http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/event/171/2008-Goodwood-Revival.html
"Special Interest Autos" did a story on 1930's roadracing in the US...some furrin cars, mostly modifieds. There was an "Old Gray Mare", which I remember as a Bugattie Brescia rodded with a souped up Model T engine.
I recall reading about a road race hot rod that Jim Busby owned as well, but darned if I can remember where I saw it.... I just did a google search on 'jim busby hot rod' and got a whole bunch of hits - try it out and see what you can find. The first couple were for a 32 coupe, but maybe there's a road racer in there someplace.
The earliest road racing "Hot Rods" I can remember were, out on the West Coast, the Manning Special (circa 1950), the Seifried Special, the Baldwin Special, and the Cannon Special (all with Merc flatheads). Variants of the Baldwin, the Manning and Cannon are still racing. On the East Coast, Briggs Cunningham ran a Buick powered Mercedes. Ak Miller's El Caballeo; and Balchowsky in the BuFord, came a little later. Duff Livingstone with his "Eliminator", in the late Fifties, showed them all the "short way home". It was a great time to be alive!
Close, this car was a clone of Chuck Manning's made by D. Margolien. Margolien was a friend of Chuck's. This one used the same molds to build the body parts. This car is super fast and is the only one of the three that Chuck had involvement with. The Baldwin Payne special has always been one of my favorites as well.
I'm glad to see this thread bubble up to the top again. This car has some neat tricks I really didn't notice before... the dash support / column drop mount is fabricated into the shape of the dash. Nothing else needed but a sheet of aluminum and some hole saws. Love it. And is that bulge on the trunk lid just a cover for the spare tire, or is it really a stealth spoiler? Gary
It looks like the same nose that Manning used, but the rest of the car doesn't look anything like his.
Re: Manning's car When the SCCA outlawed cycle fender, Manning rebuilt his car with the new rear section and the front fenders as shown. The cockpit remained as first built.
Why did the fender's get banned? To keep people from putting fenders on formula cars and entering them as sports cars? Gary
Ban MAY have just been to keep the hot rods out! I think the actual wording was "fenders which turn with the front wheel" were banned, so a cycle like fender mounted to the body (Allard J series) was still ok. The two seat requirement should have kept the formula cars out, but Roger Penske managed to circumvent that a few years later with his Zerex Spl.
Here is a picture of the grid that may be Palm Springs, 1952. Note the Manning (flathead Ford) ahead of Parkinson's Jag Spl (mine since 1972), followed by a bunch of Jaguars. I suspect the "hot rods" out qualifying the "sports cars" did not sit well with the SCCA!
^ So true, but by my mind the "specials" (hot rod or not), should have been run as some sort of modified or in a sports racer-ish class, and not head's up with mildly prepared factory cars. Well, that's water over the bridge now anyway. Still loving them 50's Specials! Gary
I have seen Jim Busbys "road racing" Hot Rod, it's a Brookville body as I recall , 3 window coupe. I don't recall the engine but knowing Jim it's well built. I remember the brakes were special also. As everything Jim does, it's right on.
So, Manning and Dave Margolien built new body segments, the front fenders and the rear section were different from the original manning configuration, but both manning's and margolien's car used this set up eventually. The sparks and Bonney special used this same rear section, the s&b special was not Mannings car as many people think but that is a different story. Gnichols, it's a spare tire cover. Even funnier they used the spare tire as a roll bar! At least that it what manning said in the articles he wrote. So was the dash according to those articles. That's why it extends to the trans mount past the shifter. We couldn't get that past race inspection today.
Also, talking with some people that helped manning he decided that he didn't like the cycle fenders because they kept flying off during the races. He could have changed the body because of that, or due to regulation changes. Or the regulations could have changed due to him leaving fenders all over he track.
This "Manning" was built by John Streets and his friend Wally (whose lsat name I've lost) in Wally's grandmother's attic! Needless to say, it had to be taken completely apart to get it out. The build was from the plans sold by Road & Track for $2 or 5 or some nominal fee. Still owned by Streets, restored, now powered by a 296 Merc, it just won its class at the Sonoma Historic races, besting my Parkinson Jag Special once again.
The Hot Rod, Resurrection of a legend. 2003 Brock Yates Motorbooks International, ISBN # 0-7603-1598-1 I suspect it's out of print, I got mine at a used bookstore. But I'll wager you can find it on the net. Worth the time to find.
Rootie, That is the "Ardent Alagator" the car that Won Watkins Glenn in 1950 I believe. It raced pre WWII in the ARCA, it is based on an English Riley chassis. It has raced on the East Coast in VSCCA events since the late 1970's. I got to make the grille that is on it now during an early restoration. Still have the original hood sides that the owner at that time desided to replace. Joe Gurtler Sr. did bodywork on the car in the 1950's and his son has posted photos of the car here on the HAMB from back in the day. Bob
Both these cars have raced side by side since the 1930's starting with the ARCA. "The Old Gray Mare" is owned and raced by a HAMB member, I get to see it run every Labor Day at Lime Rock Park. Bob
I love the original body of the schaghticoke special. John told me about how it was made from many different random sections of body panel from the junk yard. It's truly a piece of American art. Hopefully when I get mine together we can dice it up as well. But it's good to know the Parkinson-Manning battle is still going on.
The car you are talking about was a 1933 Ford roadster cut down with Auburn fenders looking like a 1930's Jaguar SS. It was built in 1949 in Santa Monica by Bill "Breezy" Addison. It had a modified flathead Ford engine, 39 transmission, 36 front end and a 1940 ear end. I was at the Donut shop one Saturday, overhearing 2 guys looking at my 32 Roadster and one said to the other he had a car like mine in a shipping container behind his factory. I bought the car and did research and discovered it was the famed "BREEZY MOBILE" THE ONLY CAR TO RACE AT ALL FIVE ORIGINAL PEBBLE BEACH ROAD RACES before they built LagunaSeca. I was restoring the car when a friend of Jim Busby, Bill Kargas, an Art Dealer from Carmel bought the car from me and we continued restoration. The car was invited to Pebble Beach where we took a Third place. It was later sold at the RM Auction at Pebble Beach. I don't know where it is now. So, Ironically, A HOT ROD WAS THE ONLY CAR TO ATTEND AND RACE AT THE FIRST FIVE PEBBLE BEACH ROAD RACES when they really raced on the road. Paul Gommi
I have tied to upload pictures. The first is me with the Beezymobile at Pebble Beach. The second is the car in my shop. The third is doing the restoration. It's hard to believe this was a 33 Ford Roadster. And, I'm getting old. It was Dave Beezy Addison.
This is the first time I've tried to post pictures. The photo of the restoration is Busby's shop. In this upload is the car in my shop.
The Jalopy Journal
