Ryan submitted a new blog post: The 2-Much Twin-Engined Dragster? Continue reading the Original Blog Post
It is amazing what ends up on walls and shelves of warehouses, hangers, and garages. I know of a collection that includes the sprint cars of Carl and Veda Orr, most have never heard of the cars and few knew they drove them. The So Cal Speed Shop tank was purchased for its tires so many years ago and stored before being restored. When I was in Community College the Auto Shop had a FED hanging on the wall, with a blown hemi. So maybe,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Is this a scoop? I wonder if it created too much lift and that is why it is said to have performed poorly with the body on. But what great styling it has! It’s so cool!
Streamliner Dragster history shows that extra weight harms acceleration , Remove the body and a lighter car will be quicker off the line where it counts the most.
That's true up to a certain top-end speed. Modern top fuel "rails" are mostly streamlined again, because at the speeds they achieve during the last half of the strip, aero matters.
But, all modern fuel cars (funny car also) weigh (with driver) the same amount, Back then there was no weight minimums. So if back then, all the cars had to weight the same, the ones with a slippery body might have an slight edge, but at 150mph? any aero comes it wayyy to late, Bonneville the exact opposite it true because its speed and distance over acceleration in a short distance
Just because a TJJ Blog / H.A.M.B. thread can never have enough pics ... ... here's a few more pics of the Moss Automotive "2-Much" streamliner dragster:
On my last visit to the USA i visited Midland to see the Chaparral museum. I wonder if the person who built that streamlined body was involved in building Chapparals? Midland is in the middle of nowhere so there would not be too many skilled body builders there. Maybe contact the Oil Museum there where the Chapparal car display is located.
Bill, as stated in Ryan's TJJ Blog: ... and since Midland, Texas is over 500 miles away from Tulsa, Oklahoma; I doubt the Chaparal 2 (fiberglass) and 2C thru 2H (aluminum) racecar bodies were fabricated in Tulsa.
I am always intrigued by multi-engine race cars. I was lucky enough to see the 4-engine Tommy Iveo rig run, even at night, what a firestorm that was. I also saw the dual engine Toronodo of Mickey Thompsons at Pomona. They were really more show than fast, traction was almost impossible. This body on this beauty is gorgeous. Thanx for the story coverage.
My old crew chief runs the Chaparral museum... There's no connection there at all. I grew up in Midland and yes, it's in the middle of Knowhere (spl However, the amount of talent from that area is crazy. There is a little test track outside of town that I grew up racing gocarts on... that same track hosted the first cobra race car, all of the Chap cars, a number of Indy cars in development, etc... Other names from the area include Franz Weiss (winningest Indy car motor builder in history), Guy Mabee (sports car Bonneville racer from the 1950s), Eddie Hill, and a ton more... Midland is this strange car town... with nothing else going for it... Hard to explain it.
Love the stories of old race cars or hot rods & always read all the reply’s. Keep waiting & hoping for that classic response: “ I have had that car in my garage for 40 years & love it every day”. Where in the hell do these old classics disappear to??? With my socks?
Rattlesnake raceway..... Right behind Jim Halls shop. Do they still drive the museum cars back to the shop to keep them maintained?
I saw a bunch at the Garlit's museum in Ocala (the "Bustle-Bomb", Ivo's twin Buick dragster, and Bob Langley's "Scorpion" for example). It's worth the trip.
Direct drive coupled to a rear end that Jack fabricated, using two Ford banjos on a common axle housing.
Thru the course of the pictures it's evident that this car went thru a lot of evolutionary changes. I noticed the front axle and suspension as an example. The early body-less pictures show a tube axle, but made using the ends of a Ford axle. Also 4-bar radius rods and friction shocks with a cross spring. Later pictures show a chromed axle most likely fabricated tube axle like CAE used to sell, with probably torsion bar suspension and friction shocks integrated together. Side pictures also show evolution, or possibly a rebuild or replacement frame. Look at the early pictures, then look at the later pictures. The framerails are very different in configuration. Very interesting...
Lucky you!.......As a kid I always said......"man I would LOVE to see these cars run"!! Bet it WAS sweeet. 6sally6
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