The 56 is In Indianapolis In. as of about 4 yrs ago. Don’t know the owners name but it’s still a drag car of some sort.
Come on, Terry, where there are lots of people, there are lots of different opinions and different ways of getting things done. We're doing the best we can with the resources at our disposal. When the shooting stops, that's just because we're reloading. c
Chuck......I was just trying to state the obvious..........I needed to get someone's attention to reply. When a good posting or any posting shows up on this site it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to get any kind of reply these days. Have you noticed it or is it just me reading all of this good old stuff. Its like all the older racers are dying off and/or no one cares as of late ! Is it that boring to those still on this site or what ? Personally I would much rather read about all the old cars (PRE computer and PRE new FI cars) plus the stories behind all those who built and drove these old cars from the old days. Terry
Terry, there are plenty of distractions in the world these days. I hit the HAMB as a refuge from the craziness of the times. Between HAMB and my various shop projects, it's still possible to get through a day, a week, or a month without losing touch with what matters. I've frequently reflected on the fact that it was racing that added enough spice to life to make getting up and going to work possible through the years. Here is an example of one of the gadgets from the bottom drawer of my rollaway that I recently duplicated for a friend. I'm confident that you and possibly some others will recognize the application. I didn't originate this idea but it has served me well for almost forty years. Everyone, keep on posting the pictures, questions, observations, and commentary. That's what keeps us geezers going! c
That looks like it is to check the straightness and flatness of an engine block deck ? Anyway thanks for replying so quickly. My early years were good with my racing efforts in stock and Super stock then it became too expensive after around 1980 and my stupidity of getting married then divorced and having 3 (now adult) kids. My working for 3 years as a Div. 1 tech guy1971-1973 (working for NHRA was like working for the Gestapo) then 22 1/2 years as an IHRA tech guy was about all that kept me sane. I built several record holding engines and prepped cylinder heads from 1970 ( I got out of the Army in 1969.....Hated the Army even as a Sgt.) until about 1998. I sold everything and moved to Fla. in 2010 and now help put on 2 car shows a month now. One for older cars (hot Rods and muscle cars) and 2 weeks later one for Corvettes only ! Have a Merry Christmas ! Terry
It looks like you could use it for that also but I always used bridge and dial indicator that had 2 magnets to hold it to the deck or my C.C. tube and a plate that would fit the bore for the Super Stock dish. . . and by dropping a dome down below the engine deck to clear the top of a dome. Hemis were always a lot of fun.
I've mocked up the fixture on a spare head to demonstrate it's most productive use. Most followers of this thread have either experienced or heard stories about the tedious process that Stock racers have traditionally endured while setting up motors. In the past, there was a time when camshafts were checked on lift, duration and overlap and a racer who left the trailer with the expectation of winning was also prepared to undergo a complete teardown. Entering a teardown, there was never any certainty which cylinder would be the focus for that event. Bore, stroke, deck, cam specs, piston configuration, spring pressures, chamber volumes and runner volumes for any cylinder were subject to verification. That meant that ALL cylinders had to be blueprinted to the builder's satisfaction and the tech expectation. Add the factor of valve-to-piston clearance and I could always count on at least one very long day of sitting on a stool in front of the engine stand, juggling cam buttons, pushrod lengths, and rocker ratios to make sure that everything was legit and that there were no catastrophic events programmed into the combination before it was ever fired. The fixture, secured to the cylinder head allowed the dial indicator to be moved along the rail from one retainer to the next without the hassle of repositioning the indicator and aligning the needle multiple times. The most advantageous application was for a small block Chevy with all the valves in a neat row, front to back. I've used it on big block motors but, obviously, it has to reset when switching from intake to exhaust valves. I'm sure that it would work just fine on most overhead valve motors. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! c
Great info Chuck! Did I miss the mocked up pic? Sounds like a painful day being torn down...Randy Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Sorry, I mocked it up and neglected to add the picture. Getting old is a bitch! If it had been a "day" things would have gone a lot easier. During the Junior Stock years, at Pomona, it was 1. run class, 2. If you won, they sealed the motor and you departed for the barn at sometime after that, usually after 2 or 3 PM. 3. As many as twenty or thirty cars might be in the barn by the time you got there. 4. If you were runner-up and the winner got tossed, you probably started the teardown by 5 or 6 PM. 5. Depending on circumstances, an inspection could take at least a couple of hours or more. After the inspection was finished, you had all night to get it back together and ready for the first round on the next day. Different events had different schedules but having a full day to complete the process such as was provided at Indy was not common at the races I attended. If you were lucky, you tore down in a covered "barn" but I've ripped the motor apart in a open deset field beside the tech trailer more than once. The worst was at Las Vegas when we had the motor apart and a helicopter landed about 100 yards away! I was cleaning dirt and dust out of places that I didn't even know existed! The backwash blew away the tent that the racer beside me had put up. c
And they provided gaskets or no? Seems like I’ve asked that question before (it’s been a long first day of vacation...). Randy Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
The only thing provided was the actual labor force that conducted the inspection. You took your own tool box and gaskets. Met some really nice people under fairly intense circumstances.
I knew it was for checking valve spring/retainer heights, but I did't want to come off as a know-it-all, which I don't, no matter what my wife says. Yours is definitely nicer than any other I've seen. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
And now you know why NHRA does not really do inspections on stockers any more and the rules of today are a JOKE ! Its one reason why a record holding small block today will cost you between $25,000 and$35,000. You might as well run a Super Stocker.
Terry I'm going to attempt to set a record with my new 55 Chevy Q/SA this coming summer at a National Open or Points race. I wont have $8500 in it when it is done. There are lot of guys out there with " dime rocket racecars " having just as much fun as the other guys.
This car was originally rebuilt by Al Andrews. He found it in a muddy field. Everyone thought he was crazy. Al brought it back to its glory days of junior stock racing. Al got me hooked on building my clone junior stocker, the black and white.
Some Canadian info Canadian cars have different accessory codes. American radiators say Harrison and have a P/N on them. All Nomads were produced in the US. All Canadian cars have 1- piece bumpers. All California cars have 1-piece bumpers, the rest are 3-piece. Original Canadian starters and generators had green tags not red like the American ones. Canadian engines, generators, exhaust manifolds and starters were made by McKinnon Industries, not GM. McKinnon Industries produced products like intake and exhaust manifolds have a raised mark to ID them. It is a capital M with a square around it. Canadian 1955 remote oil filters were painted black not orange and blue like the American ones. Canadian cars use Phillips head screws, American cars use clutch head screws. All Canadian cars had Deluxe radios if ordered. All Canadian 1955 150 models came with side trim, American models had none. Canadian hood birds and antenna bases were made by a different manufacturer than in the US and therefore are slightly different in shape. 1955 Canadian door handles are not the same contour as American ones. Canadian 1956 antennas have an arrow head tip. The 1957 shop manual has a section on fuel injection, the American one does not. Canadian Pontiacs used Chevrolet engines but they were painted green. Canadian tinted glass is named SHADE-LITE Canadian generators are longer than their American counterparts. No Canadian cars had 1-piece frames. Canadian full disc hubcaps are shinier and have a different "spring" type mounting system. There were no Canadian-produced 1955 Belair 4 door wagons. 1955 Chevy horn wires are black with a white stripe, the American ones are all black. Canadian 5-6-7 clocks are built in Canada. All right-hand drive cars for export were produced in Canada, ie. Australia. The interior of Canadian 1955's have the interior surface of the glove box door painted a light shade of grey instead of body color. Undersides of Canadian cars were painted lower body color or dealer undercoated.
^^^The Canadian Pontiacs, that had Chevrolet V-8 engines for 55-57, had valve covers that were stamped/embossed with "PONTIAC", similar to our "Chevrolet" stamped/embossed valve covers, but in block type letters; staggered bolt pattern of course. I have a pair of them; courtesy of a Canadian Hamber, who GAVE them to me; thanks again!!!^^^ I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Hey I am Butch/56sedandelivery, That was fun! Thanks for the info Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
WE LOST A GREAT MOTOR SPORTS PERSON, DARWIN DOLL. DARWIN PASSED 12.22.20, HE LIVED IN YORK, PA. HE WAS WELL RECOGNIZED FOR HIS INVOLVEMENT, NHRA DRAG RACING MANY YEARS AS DIV 1, DIRECTOR, WORKED FOR ROGER PENSKE, MICH. SPEEDWAY. ALSO, NASCAR, IHRA, MANY CAR SHOWS, AND MANY OTHER SPL EVENTS TOO MANY TO MENTION. I HAVE KNOWN HIM SINCE 1973.
So sorry to hear of Darwin's passing. He put on some great shows with fantastic cars, as well as many of drag racing's celebrities. R.I.P.