Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

Sometime in the early 90`s Jerry Karl took a ride in the Frankie Cal at Latimore Valley,and he didn`t just idle the car around the track.Jerry and Marty were friends from way back in the old stock car days at Freeport LI.
Here Jerry is with his son Scott and Marty on the Rt.




Here is a beautiful photo of the Frankie Cal Off with owner Marty Himes at Latimore in 1986. Marty was serious behind the wheel. Photo by my buddy Ted Van Pelt.

If I didn`t know better,I could see this being 1959 or so.

 

You're right, Buildy. Old helmet, shirtsleeves. 1959.

 

I see the no. 63 Wagner midget is still around. It was owned by Dennis Wagner, the son of Frank Wagner who owned the Wagner Plumbing cars from the Twin Cities that were driven in USAC by Jerry Richert and Jerry "Scratch" Daniels. I took this years ago at an "Outlaw Oldtimers" meet at the Princeton, MN bullring.

 

Jerry McClung was another one, went USAC for a while in the Midgets. And Of Course Jimmy Bryan....Clint Brawners shop is still there on Glendale and 7th street, even thou it a tire shop I think, Now

 

Hi Guys,
Speaking of Frank Wagner,we know that one of his cars was the Traco/ Foyt car, who built the other car ? It appeared to be a little wider than most cars and had those unique, high side panels. Has it ever surfaced? Nice car.

 

I've been lusting after that car for many years. Nobody seems to know where it's at. Here are some photos of it from various years. It was driven as a super mainly by Jerry "Haircut" Lepinski. The owner at that time was Tom Wilke. In the photo where the sedan body is black it was driven by Richert to an invitational win (starting from the rear). It had a nickname....the "cigar car"....I have no idea why.

 

I believe this is the same car from earlier yrs.(?) Daniels really liked it and refered to it as 'the fat car.' No idea who built it though.

 

I have been planning the side panels for my four bar midget. I was thinking about just running the side panels down and wrapping them around the bottom of the lower frame tube instead of a separate belly pan. I have a floor pan so the belly pan would not be the floor anyway. Were any cars in the 60's built this way, or is a full belly pan the way to go?

 

Seems most were full belly pan, but your way is Fine. I used to make pans by annealing and bending over pipes,tanks, or whatever was close...pretty easy. I dont think anyone will frown on your long sides.

 

I was there too - I sure was hoping the track was gonna let these guys make some laps in the cars. Sorry, I can't identify any of them

 

Bznel--- I have been looking at your pictures some more -- I'm sure your car is a -Butch Dahlke Frame--- Mine has same stops, axle,tab welded to frame for brake pedal and pedal , seat belt tab , and square tubing under floor pan.. What did the cage look like that you cut off ? Is the letters stamped on the metal t bar stops ? Or what page in this fourm is your pictures ? Mine is an 1984.

 

How many of you are heading out to the REAL "MAGIC MILE" for next weeks 100 miler?
I made it a few times back when; just wish they had put in lights before my health took a crap!
It wouldnt be too bad if anybody took action hot lap or TT pics, before it got dark. Thats my only hope of seeing any of this great tradition.
I just hope they get a big enough field of cars.

 

The guy I got the frame from said it ran at sun prairie in the early 80's. Here is a link to some before pics. The front axle on it now is newly built. There were some interesting things on the frame that made it unique. The coolest one, is how the panhard bar mounted in a slot in the frame tube for adjustment. The main rails were all 1.25" except for the tubes coming from the rear torsion tubes to the rear of the Halo cage. These were 1.5" and had a rather crude joint were it meant the cage. They also had a sheet metal gusset at the torsion tube side. The car also had adjustable slider mounts for the rear radius rods that mounted to the frame. The frame tube had a piece of bar stock welded to it to keep the mount from spinning. My stops do not have any numbers stamped on them.

http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/cc127/bzneil/midget/

Here is a link to the nose I made that shows the new frame design.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=366596&highlight=track+nose

If your car is the same the nose I have will fit it like a glove! I also have the bumpers, nerfs, hood, and radius rod mounts if you need them.

 

See the Vally 1/4 midget web site below.
aXe
http://www.vsqma.com/schedule.html

 

YO_ Bezneil--- Congrats You have a Butch Dahlke chassie-- He was president of Badger and ran at Sun Prairie. I talked to hime about mine before he pasted away. Mine has same cage -I cut off the elbo bars. My brake set up is about the same except no extra tube brace. Mine hase sliders on Rear r rods, and all shock towers. Mine panhard rod is a slider and mounted on left side. My rer tubes are stacked but I have the sheet metal gusset on front tubes. I have two spair front axles-paved and dirt- I have one extra alum rr slider like you have pictured. Butch made his own seats - did your come with car ?

 

Bezneil-- forgot to tell you the cool part-- I got mine off EBAY for $31

 

Joe, I read somewhere the "high sided car" was the ex- Beatson car. I have seen pix of the car, light in color, #63 owned by Beatson. I checked the Buzz Rose book on IMCA but can't find info or pix. There is a bio on J. Richert @ "gotomn.com" but no mention of the car except when owned by Frank Wagner.
mlight9.

 

Another Reading opener, this time 1963.
A.J. wins the feature while breaking-in the brand new Meskowski #9.
URCer George Monson on the brakes as he appears to be blowing up.
Herk kinda looking out of place in the Vargo Offy while racing Allan Crowe.
Marshman up in the K.E.Y. machine, racing Herk.

 

I just posted eight more photos on the "Cageless Midget" thread. A couple of them may have been posted here before, but six of them are from the box of photos Wayne Doebling sent me. Enjoy.

 

Gentlemen.... A question....
Years ago when listening to the 500 radio broadcasts, I seem to remember that somebody said that Andy Linden drove with only one lung. Am I right?
Does anyone know the story?
ZOOOM

 

I recall reading that somewhere also. Don't know if it's true or not or how it came to be. He was a marine in ww2/Korea, I believe, and maybe it was a war injury (?)

 

I kinda think the car Monson is in at Reading was my Hilly car, about two years before i started driving it. If it was entered as being owned by Dexter, then its tha same car.
I dont mean to bad mouth anybody, but, was Herk at a VERY low spot in his career at this time? I mean, that car was a waste of his time. Herk was way better than that one.
Of course, as i found out several times, a ride is a ride.

 

Don't know anymore about the Monson car right off hand, but I'll look for more. The Vargo car was qualified by Ray Brown and was relagated to the consi. which is when Herk was put in. Both Herk and A.J. had raced at Sebring the day before and I suspect Herk was just tagging along with helmet in hand, looking to pick up a couple of bucks.

 

Jim-
I stand corrected, Gordo did, indeed, hold the record in the Fetters car for a few weeks. I came across this:

 

Andy Linden had a lung removed because of cancer in the winter before the 1956 season; raced in 1956 and 1957. Permanently injured in midget crash late in 1957 season.


And yes Spike, that was your former Dutch Culp Hille car that George Monson crashed while owned by Dexter (and Tinker Whitney, I think).

 

mlight9;
I did see that "high side" Beatson Chevy run once at Reading. Johnny Rutherford was the driver that day.

 

This is my first post. Just wanted to say I will be running the Don Thomas sprint roadster, bottom of page 105, at Calistoga this weekend so if any of you are there stop and say Hi.

 

I believe the Fetters car was an Alfater chassis.

 

Welcome Steve, the Thomas car is a unique piece for sure, wish I was closer.