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History Halibrand - In pursuit of history & stories

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by flatblackindustries, Nov 25, 2008.

  1. N8B
    Joined: Sep 28, 2009
    Posts: 476

    N8B
    Member

    Bump for more stories.

    I just picked up a very nice, pretty rare, NON quick change center section.
    Still not sure why they still call them quick changes but who cares.
    They were usually one off customs for circle track racers who usually raced the same track over and over and know what ratio they wanted. These center section have the same Halibrand ribbing but were much much lighter.
    I still do not have a good figure of how many were produced. I am sure it was in the hundreds but these are not a widely known item.
    I will post photos soon.


    I also need more information on a 201 quick change my Slat Flat Racer friend has.
    It is an aluminum casting out of Colorado????
    plus IT IS REVERSED to run as 4wd or boat???????


    Thanks guys,
    Nate
     
  2. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,196

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    Interestingly enough, I called the factory five or ten years go about the "non-quick change quick change" and the price quote was $200 less than the real thing! Used a bolt on from Speedway for $98.00 instead!
     
  3. i think a lot of non quick changes were built in indianna, forgot the company, boonville indianna they made stock car chassis and parts , got the CRS syndrome with being old:cool:
    i got a new one and a couple sets of gears if needed
     
  4. dmisraje
    Joined: Aug 20, 2011
    Posts: 1

    dmisraje
    Member

    Can someone verify that these are quick change gears from a vintage race car? Sorry for interrupting the thread.

    Thanks.
     

    Attached Files:

  5. McPhail
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 673

    McPhail
    Member

    I worked for halibrand after it got to kansas.
     
  6. N8B
    Joined: Sep 28, 2009
    Posts: 476

    N8B
    Member


    Need more McPhail. :D

    Were you with them through the first bankruptcy and the name change?
     
  7. McPhail
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 673

    McPhail
    Member

    I was hired after Lejuerrne contracted me to do some shirt designs. I can't remember the exact year, 94? 95?.....It was right after Halibrand had been purchased and moved to Kansas. I did help design some wheels, i'm kinda embarrassed about the 'sweet swirl' wheels, but the boss thought directional wheels were the way to go. costs of casting was always a factor and the foundry was off site. quickchanges were all machined and assembled in house. we went to SEMA and the Street rod nationals alot. there was more money spent trying to look good and professional than was put into product. I even convinced Ed Roth to visit Halibrand and try to convince my boss to make some custom wheels for the Beatnik Bandit II but he was treated like a nuisance and ignored. Traditional values and history wasn't a priority for almost anyone back then so my pleas to re release old size drag wheels were largely unheard. I did get them to release a version of the 'no window' wheels. I was offered a job at Rod and Custom and my art was starting to get noticed about that time, and when I got a tattoo on my forearm, that was the last straw and I was let go. I wasn't there when it all went to hell. and even though the company's still here in my hometown, I have no idea what's going on with it now.
     
    bowie likes this.
  8. c322348
    Joined: Nov 28, 2007
    Posts: 343

    c322348
    Member

    The ones I have for my Halibrand 301 have splines on the inside, not squares.

    http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/500/555/555-600022.jpg

     
  9. brokenspoke
    Joined: Jul 26, 2005
    Posts: 2,967

    brokenspoke
    Member

    Nope
     
  10. oldandkrusty
    Joined: Oct 8, 2002
    Posts: 2,141

    oldandkrusty
    Member

    Wow, I had forgotten about this. Glad it has re-surfaced...
     
  11. N8B
    Joined: Sep 28, 2009
    Posts: 476

    N8B
    Member


    I try to do it once a month at least.
     
  12. deucemac
    Joined: Aug 31, 2008
    Posts: 1,482

    deucemac
    Member

    Just to set the record straight, Ted Halibrand and Jim Culbert both sold their companies to Curt Waters. Waters was originally a salesman for Culbert, who owned CAE, Waters went out on his own and has a company named Race Car Hardware. He decided to go big and bought CAE and Halibrand calling the "new" company ARC/ Halibrand, ARC being auto racing components. Waters was shady to say the least and Culbert never got more than a down stroke on his business and was bitter until the day he died. I met and talked to a gentleman named Jim, that later worked for Speedway Engineering, building quick change parts for them. I had a Halibrand boat V drive and it used midget gears on champ centers or visa versa. Jim remembered and built new gears from prints he kept after Ted sold out. He related that Halibrand didn't trust Waters at all and Jim and Ted would show up early each morning as the deal was going through with Waters and would move things out the back door before Waters men would arrive. He got money for the business(not enough) and still had patterns and other things stored away from his early morning sessions. Unfortunately, Culbert didn't do that and lost out completely. When Waters got in over his head, HE sold the company to Jackman Steel and they got both the Halibrand and CAE stuff that Waters had gathered. We got our champ rear end from Jackman when we built our new sprint car from a Carl Adams kit. Carl drove the CAE house sprinter in his career and was a protege' of Hank Henry, having done the actual work on Jimmy Oskie's J-ram Chevy. the only 4-bar car built by Henry. Carl is now a fabricator in the Carolinas and has worked for some NASCAR teams. The important thing is the Curt Waters interval and what problems he caused. I am sure they contributed to the demise of Halibrand and even the sale of the V8/midget rear end to National and their branding of the "Halibrand/National quick change.
     
  13. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,196

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    I wrote a lot of the copy for the CAE catalogs when I was working for another agency. When Curt bought the business, we did some stuff and never got paid.
     
  14. N8B
    Joined: Sep 28, 2009
    Posts: 476

    N8B
    Member

    deucemac,

    Very informative. Thank you.

    Denis,
    Do you have any insight into the Colorado castings I have seen?
     
  15. WOW! That was a lot of information that I never knew before. Very interesting.
     
  16. Macbuick
    Joined: May 9, 2009
    Posts: 1

    Macbuick
    Member
    from Belgium

    What about this 32 ??

    [​IMG]


    i have only found few infos in a book but nothing on the net.
    It would have been the Barry Blackmore advertising car and should be owned by Howard Gribble (dixit the book).

    Anybody knows more ?
     
  17. N8B
    Joined: Sep 28, 2009
    Posts: 476

    N8B
    Member

    Back up.

    Macbuick.
    I have info on that car. I will have to dig it up.
     
  18. N8B
    Joined: Sep 28, 2009
    Posts: 476

    N8B
    Member

    Folks - I have a short memory so I am going to post this link again to some amazing photos.

    Halibrand Patterns

    I have also reached out to certain family members of Ted to do a few interviews.
     
  19. Those gears look like something off a large machine......
     
  20. N8B
    Joined: Sep 28, 2009
    Posts: 476

    N8B
    Member

    Again.....BTTT
     
  21. 26 roadster
    Joined: Apr 21, 2008
    Posts: 2,019

    26 roadster
    Member

    Saw these type gears on another thread and they are from a boat application, in and out box or v drive?
     
  22. GearheadsQCE
    Joined: Mar 23, 2011
    Posts: 3,370

    GearheadsQCE
    Alliance Vendor

    Keep this thread going! I, too would like to know more about Halibrand, the man and the company.

    Several years ago when I was researching information for my catalog, someone told me that Ted Halibrand had a younger brother that worked for him called "Teddy". I don't think Teddy had any power in the company, but was more the 'little brother' to be taken care of.

    Also, I was told that the move from Culver City to Torrance was about 1957. This doesn't seem to agree with what you have discovered.

    Bruce Schneider
    Gearhead's Quickchange Exchange
     
  23. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,710

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    Whatever happened to the originator of this post, flatblackindustries?
     
  24. N8B
    Joined: Sep 28, 2009
    Posts: 476

    N8B
    Member

    A name change and witness relocation. Last I heard he was running from the CIA, NSA, NCIS, NWA, TWA, OPP and other organizations for various reasons.
     
    Last edited: Jan 26, 2012
  25. FlatHead Deuce
    Joined: Dec 1, 2008
    Posts: 20

    FlatHead Deuce
    Member
    from Ipswich MA

    Thanks to all for the great thread/info on Halibrand.
    I'm a CAD Drafter attempting to model up a V8 QC...I need V8 QC drawings if any exist...

    I'm years away from owning a Hot Rod, but I'm building one in my head daily...my "therapy" or art is in the CAD work.

    Full disclosure: I'm in this for love, not money.
     
  26. GearheadsQCE
    Joined: Mar 23, 2011
    Posts: 3,370

    GearheadsQCE
    Alliance Vendor

    BTTT
    More info needed.
    Trying to write a book about Quick Change Axles. All types & Brands.
    Technical, Historical and Photos needed.

    Bruce Schneider
    Gearhead's Quickchange Exchange
     
  27. craigibc
    Joined: Apr 20, 2008
    Posts: 203

    craigibc
    Member

    great info keep this thread going!
     
  28. fleetside66
    Joined: Nov 20, 2006
    Posts: 3,002

    fleetside66
    Member

    So that's what I've been using for a gas cap.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  29. craigibc
    Joined: Apr 20, 2008
    Posts: 203

    craigibc
    Member

    Love it, Fleetside66! I recently picked a Halibrand price list from 1970. I'll post it up this weekend so you all can check it out.
     
  30. Conder
    Joined: Jan 16, 2005
    Posts: 982

    Conder

    Is Ed Weimer still alive? Does anyone know?
     

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