Hot Rods Spalding Bros Repro, for "Too Tall" Ganahl.

Jeff, did you have the PW sideplates ? These came from Hamb Member @ Les Moran from Perth, Australia. He gave them to us for the freight cost. Thanks again Les !

 

Nope, just an A/B center section. It’s going into a vintage race car with a dedion IRS. The builder will source all the missing parts. I’m not at liberty to show any pictures or names.

 

So, it must have looked like this one ?

 

Lookin good! Was it mentioned what that paint color actually is? @pgan ?

 

I think it is painted to match his Dragster .

 

No, not really. That one looks like a Halibrand with a Warren rear cover (they fit just fine). Mine didn’t have ribs going over the top.

 

Well, I learned something today.

 

Maybe the differences are just the evolution of the part? I have to search on my other computer to see if I have a top pic.

 

Just to answer a couple of quick questions: Like Halibrand, Pat Warren (Downey Machine Co.) made at least three different size QCs, for midgets through Big Cars. Fortunately Halibrand V8 gears fit my Warren rear. I think Warren also made a 2-speed QC, which are quite rare (I've seen two). If you look way back through this thread, you'll see how sorry my center section was when I got it. It had been broken a number of times, poorly welded, rewelded, then even had some extra "fins" added on the bottom. I cleaned it up as best I could, then Marty (and friends?) rebuilt, and/or replaced, internals, converted it to a live axle, and made it look and work right. Thanks again Marty.
As for color, that's simple. Yes, it's the same color as the dragster (I was astounded when I found that out from Bill Spalding--I had never seen a color photo of the roadster. Still haven't in fact.). It's called Omaha Orange, and it was a GMC '50s color. But it's been used by everybody since. We called it CalTrans Orange, because they still use it. But my paint mixer told me it goes by several other names these days. PG

 

Thanks Pat, I was thinking that was the color but couldn't remember the name!

 

Here you go Pat! I saved this from the HAMB but I've never been able to find the thread to see who originally posted it. This is the pic that Marty used to get your wheelbase dimensions.

 

Sunday morning update. Great to see it with all of the running gear installed ! The last shot reminds me when Pat wondered why I went to the trouble of doing the trans crossmember the way I did. Once he sat in the car he realized why.

 

Looks like crossmember leaves room for feet either side of trans. Looking forward to your build of belly pan & attachment. Following closely of great build

 

The belly pan is the orange part in the background of the first picture, it fits snuggly to the outside of the frame rails.

 

Thanks, I forgot about this one. I saved it to my file. Since it says Ray Brown Automotive on the hood, this is after the White Bros. bought the car. There's no engine in this pic. But I can't figure why it still has the circle track parts: nerfs, and especially shaker grille. I thought they only drag raced it with the flathead V8. That also looks like a Downey-type neighborhood in the mid-'50s, but I can't track down who the White Bros. were or where they were from. Whose trophies? Bill Spalding wrote a whole autobiography and gave me a copy when I interviewed him not long before he died, but it only had one paragraph on the roadster. His brother talked about it in a couple of interviews, somewhat. But there's just not much history on this car, and none after the Spaldings.

 

WOW! Looking great! Way to go Pat

 

Pat, I seem to think Harold White worked at Ray Brown Automotive.

 

The only other colour pic I know of. Orange wheels in this case. Maybe there were other photos with it in the background?

 

Here is a (and Alchemy's) old Pat Warren Midget center section back in 2002 when I had it. A Halibrand cover fits with no problem. There are no ribs on top of the case. It is just smooth. When I got it it was out of an old midget with a live axle.

 

In that second picture I can see black tubing either side of trans going to hoop. Is that mounted to floor pan or welded to frame? Is that enough to support drivers feet, full weight of driver? Obviously, in my street build, considering & love look of belly pan, or do I do it easy with flat plywood floor. Thanks for posting many great builds & helping the unskilled

 

That framework bolts to the frame, it also has sheet steel that mounts to the top, with louvers to let the dirt and mud drop through.

 

^^^ Very slick. Thanks again for teaching on a great build

 

More assembly going on at Pat's place.

 

beautiful execution

 

Can't wait to see it with the steering gear mounted. It is looking close to the original.

 

Phenomenal

 

What were the torsion bars originally from?

 

Spaldings knew Johnny Hartman. Hartman made torsion bars for Frank Kurtis, so most likely those.

 

The bars we used were 1" at the spline, and were used on Midgets. Gary Schroeder figured the sizes off of the corner weights I gave him, excluding the un-sprung weight. They were purchased from PAC who bought the torsion bar business from Gary. As far as the original car, Mike is correct Johnny Hartman supplied the Midget bars.

 

Hartman and the Spaldings collaborated on another Chev 6 lakes/track roadster before this one. Although the rules specified track roadsters had to have production frames, and the Spaldings claimed theirs were Essex, the originals were made by Hartman. Marty did the same on my car, using a large press brake to form the U-channel rails. Then he cut and tapered the fronts, narrowed them side-to-side, and added partial boxing plates (with some holes) all like the original. Masterful work. Although Hartman did the work, the Spalding car was considered the first "Kurtis-type" torsion bar track roadster. I don't know what they had for steering, but I had mine made by Schroeder--very likely the last one made. I won't install it until I have the finished body back on the frame. But that's coming next.
Cheers,
PG