When I got married and moved here some 43 years ago, there was a belly tank laying in a pasture at a neighbors house by the highway. It got moved around a little, I suppose the cows nudged it around. Every time I saw it, I had visions of a belly tank salt car, but being young, unskilled at the time, and not knowing anybody around the area at the time, I never approached the neighbor about buying it. It just became a part of the normal scenery, until one day I noticed it was gone. Never knew what happened to it, Several years later I asked the neighbors kid who was friends with my kid, he didn't remember it, his dad had already passed away, so I never learned what became of it. I just hoped it was used for something cool and not cut up for the aluminum, but I kinda doubt it. I figure some scrapper came by and bought it for a few bucks, or just took it out of the then empty pasture.
JW, It's a 1-1/2 hp John Deere, "hit and miss" engine. The second shot shows the cockpit as viewed form the front axle.
That is really neat Marty. It looks like the flywheels may be a bit over balanced to move the resonant points. I had one of those engines for years and tried many things to make more power with it.
That's way cool, Marty !! I hope to post mine on here when i start it in the new year. Glass P-38 body. JW
Thanks a ton for this! Great documentation of chassis setup how it was done, or at least one good example, at the time that belly tankers were a newish concept. I’ll be on the lookout for a hardcopy of Fawcett #156 for sure. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Here is an 11 page thread on the subject https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-belly-tank-racer-build.1076441/page-11 May help
I had to rescue these from another thread because I got a new computer and all my scans are in "the cloud" and I don't know how too get them out but anyway here's the article from Car Craft Dec. '62. I think.
I always thought it would be fun to take a belly tank and put an old Cadillac flathead out of a tank in it and see what a guy could do with some old WWII surplus. You could turn the exhaust manifolds around and run twin turbos. you could plumb the exhaust out the side or maybe the back. but I don't know if a belly tank is wide enough for that, you might have too use one of those longer tanks.
Ray built this incredible belly tank to race at TROG. He did a fantastic job. Here is Mike Barillaro in his cool belly tank. Another belly tank racing at TROG.
i have two NOS tanks like in post 46 that i will never get to. with accessory's if any one needs a project
That i can,t remember. I should still hav that Mag. somewhere but that could take weeks to find. ''Rod Action'' or ''1001 Rod and Custom Ideas'' i think. It was lowered down with a Fork Lift in a sling. JW
Has anyone ever thought of building one for the street? I'm sure it would not be practical or comfortable for anything other than a short drive around town, but it would be pretty cool.
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