History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

Been way too quiet on here...

Here's a Thanksgiving treat

 

Doc Shanebrook wishes he had a right rear tire that big!

 

Does anyone know contact info for Joe Fontana or if he frequents this board or others? I met him last week at the NEAR Hall of Fame banquet at Thompson, CT. and would like to talk to him again. He came in from Calif. to attend the banquet.

 

I bought this pair at an estate sale 15 years ago, the red one had a steel body and "T" rails, I believe. The black one had a "hat channel" frame. They both had Model 'A' rearends with "Jeep" hubs, how popular were those hubs on Midgets ?

 

Triumph powered!

 

Just GOOGLE Fontana Automotive Inc Redondo Beach, CA
or
Contact NEAR1 website

Best Regards
Carl Schulz
Indio, CA

 

This sweet looking midget was perchased from Ken Hickey by two gents from Kansas. Bob harkey drove it for them. theywere arrested in N.Y. and a motorcycle cop from N.Y. got the car,and sold it to Brud
crawley it went thru several ownerincluding Hennesey, Ron Ayres. Leigh Earnshaw and Mike Eisenhower. I just remembered the cops name Jack Duffy. It`s in the barn now. Anybdy know who Hickey got it from?

 

It's certanly Harkey in both pictures. Denny Z.

 

I have to agree, Denny.

 

On December 1, 2004, the wife and I were visiting our daughter down in Florida. At the time I was writing for www.openwheelracing.com a website that Lenny Calinoff had. Lenny was really the one major influence in getting me to write about motor sports - well, with some additional help from the late John LeVan, I should add. It was on December 1, 2004 when Lenny left us, due to a heart problem. Damn, but I still miss him and our private messages and the nightly "Chat room" that we had back then.”

 

This is my vintage midget.... any help to I.D. the car would be great. It is has 4-parallel torsion bars.... evans denver steering....last run in the early 70's. I dont know much about it ....any help would be great. Thanks Keith 419-533-0844
Sorry I didnt get the pic in yet. I do have it on Ebay listed as a possible Kurtis...just found a previous owner....and found it was owned by Bill Wiswedel and then Freddie Fuhr and it is a Hillegass tube frame car and has run everything from a v8-60 to alfa romeo , chevy II and offy engines during its life. http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-49-50S-KURTIS-KRAFT-MIDGET-RACE-CAR-HILLEGASS-EDMUNDS-OFFY-270-CHASSIS-V8-60-/221161603209?pt=Race_Car_Parts&vxp=mtr&hash=item337e424089

 

Bet you a nickle that its a Hillegass. I aint been wrong on one yet
.If your ever out my way I`ll show you a couple, and the Patterns for some of the stuff on yours.

 

Thanks Stan... your right it is a Hillegass. I was lucky and a past owner seen it and confirmed its identity . Do you have any good hillegass frame pictures. Thanks Keith

 

There is not much Stan doesn't know about vintage dirt cars.

 

That Wayne Woodward stuff is really interesting, would make a great book, or at least a thread on the HAMB...

 

Sorry this is my first time posting pics.... my 50's Hillegass

 

I was going to send you a copy of the hillegass sheet with the frame on it but my scanner quit. pm me your address and I`ll send it to you.

 

Sorry , I only see red "X's"

 

Red X's here too.

 

it looks like you copied the wrong link. When you're on your photobucket page, you click the image link that says, "direct link" then on the forum you click the "insert image" icon and paste that link into the window that pops up.

 

Stan...You graciously gave me the tour a couple years ago for which I again thank you.


A couple questions...

Roughly how many tube frame cars or kit frames did Hillegass make?

Was the frame tube one piece and the kick-up, mandrel bent and not fish mouthed with two separate pieces as Kurtis did?

Do you know if the material was 4140?

Do I presume he went to fiberglass bodies or sections on the midgets at some point. Big cars?

The pictured car doesn't have the back of the seat as part of the tail section and I suspect that may have come with fiberglass. Did he go to that in just the later cars?

 

here is another pic I now have it in the garage and am getting ready to mock the engine into place .... more pics of the engine are on the way.

 

Here is the Poor mans Offy that is on it's way into the Hillegass as of tonight. It is a Fiat DOHC 132cu. in. .... power should be close to an Offy 110.

 

Thanks Surfref I appreciate the help. You have just unleashed me...LOL

 

the photo of the frame is correct except for schock mounts and the angular side plate in the cocpit. the frame is mandrl bent moly and he never evermade any fiberglas crap on anything he ever made. He was a metalshaper first, and a good one.

 

Im looking for the trailer for the above car if anyone could help I would love to get it back with the car. It was sold in the mid 1980's in Holland, Michigan

 

This is my Hillegass that is also seen above.... Owner/Driver is Dominic DelGrazie circa. 1958 Joliet Memorial Stadium. Thanks go to: Bill Wisewedel for sending me the cars history. And Bob Sheldon for the photography.

 

gcrparts.............. waiting patiently for pics of car with the engine installed. Just saying. It's too quiet here.

 

Ive been working on changing the chassis back to near original form ....with the exception of the motor I am using.... I need a torque tube If anyone can help I would be happy to buy one .......[/IMG]