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History Kurtis "Cornis Engineering Special"

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by John Millham, Mar 3, 2013.

  1. Hello all,
    Does anyone have any history relating to the Cornis Engineering Special, which I recently imported to the United Kingdom? It now has a Ford V8 and I'd love to know a bit more of its history.
    Regards, John
     

    Attached Files:

    falcongeorge likes this.
  2. av8
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 1,716

    av8
    Member

  3. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    I can barely make out (what appears to be) San Bernadino Ca. on the hood which would lead me to believe it was a CRA car. You might want to post your pic over on the Vintage Sprint Car thread also.
     
  4. Rootie Kazoootie
    Joined: Nov 27, 2006
    Posts: 8,134

    Rootie Kazoootie
    Member
    from Colorado

    Might want to PM 29AVEE8 looks like he may have some info for you.
     

    Attached Files:


  5. hlfuzzball
    Joined: Jan 27, 2005
    Posts: 215

    hlfuzzball
    Member
    from Michigan

    Regarding Ted Cornis:

    You can EMail Don Edmunds at : [email protected]

    His website is: donedmunds.com


    Hope this leads you to the info you need.
     
  6. Most of the Ted Cornis cars were Kurtis copies that Ted built himself.
     
  7. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Last edited: Mar 4, 2013
  8. 29AVEE8
    Joined: Jun 28, 2008
    Posts: 1,384

    29AVEE8
    Member

    John.

    That car appears to have a sprint car wheelbase. As Dean Lowe stated Ted Cornis made a frame fixture to copy the post war Kurtis midget, and made many examples. He even poured the nose of a Kurtis full of concrete to make a buck to help form the nose. As far as I know from what he told me he never ran C.R.A. The only sprint car he ever made to my knowledge was a car he made for a customer who's name escapes me now. Ted told me he made it as a stretched midget from it's inception and it was 318 Offy powered for I.M.C.A. He said they did not properly maintain the Offy ( they apparently had some harmonic problems with the 318 that required more than average maintenance) and it blew mid season. The fact that that car carries number 51 leads me to believe that Ted had more to do with it than that, as it was a number he commonly used on his house midgets and on his 1959 Indianapolis roadster. Check the rear end, is it an 11 or 12 bolt side cover rear? Does it say Cornis on the side of the rear end housing? This car was more than likely built prior to 1959, I say that because when Bob Cortner was killed at "'The Speedway in the roadster that Ted built, it effected him greatly. Bob Cortner was I believe like a younger brother to Ted. Ted gave Bob his first ride in a midget in 1947 and they had a lot of success together and for many years after Bob's death Ted had very little direct contact with race cars. Keep us updated.

    Mike.
     
  9. Thank you all for your interesting replies, which I'm following up. This is obviously the best site for the job!
    Regards, John
     
  10. A bit more information regarding the Kurtis.
    The car's wheelbase is 90 inches. It has been fitted with disc brakes at the front and the rears are Bendix - without a handbrake. The mechanism for a handbrake was all there, rattling around, when I bought the car, but not connected to anything. (Hardly any attempt has been made to add lightness!) I shall leave the mechanism out. I think the rear axle might be from a Ford F100 or similar and it doesn't have a side cover. The pinion housing has 10 studs holding it onto the axle.
    It was apparently built in 1955 and was road registered in California. It has the number KR 552001EX on its paperwork and a label with that I.D. which I've fitted to the dashboard (to cover up a surplus hole). It was road legal in the USA, but there's no way it could ever be in the U.K., so I have removed most of the wiring for the lights, which were missing anyway. There's plenty more wiring under the dashboard which I don't understand yet and which is almost certainly surplus to requirements. The nose had a large "C" in the chromium plated tubes in a couple of photos I have, but that's not there now. There's no sign of any writing on th rear end, apart from the number 51 both sides.
    The engine is a 289 V8 with a four choke carburetor, which was in a bit of a state, but now I've cleaned it seems to work OK. The gearbox is a C4.
    I was told that Bob Gibson raced it about 3 times at Manzanita Raceway, Phoenix and it was then number 71 - sometime between 1960 and 1975! Others who might know about it are Donnie Melton, Russ Long, Ned Spath and Marshal Hanson, but I'm sorry to say these names don't mean anything to me and I've so far not been able to get in touch with any of them.
    Another thing I have fitted is an external electrical cut off switch for safety's sake. Here's the photo with the "C" in front, which someone has drawn on.
    Regards, John
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Mar 6, 2013
  11. Jim Damron
    Joined: Jan 6, 2016
    Posts: 2

    Jim Damron

    hello john:

    Ted Cornis was my uncle-- i saw the car you have on display at a used car lot in san bernardino=several years ago-i stopped by several times and the owner of the lot was never available-left my business card several but he never called
    I do not believe that this was built by Ted -as he never used any ford 289 that i was awail of. one of the other posts
    mentioned a streatched midget built by TED--it was built for his friend Norman Cole- and it originally had a Miller
    220ci 4 cyl -i believe that was originally a maine engine-it was later replaced by the BIG 270 offy (actually318ci)i believe it was driven by Don Melton from redlands calif in events in calif and inthe midwest.

    jim damron
     
  12. Jim Damron
    Joined: Jan 6, 2016
    Posts: 2

    Jim Damron

    iremember my father telling me the story about the concrete nose used as a forming jig- my father said he tried to get Ted to put some empty cans when pouring the concrete so it sould not be so heavy.
    Jim Damron
     
  13. Susan Sprigg
    Joined: Jan 6, 2017
    Posts: 6

    Susan Sprigg

    Uncle Ted Bought the Kurtis patent and built several cars with it.
     
  14. Susan Sprigg
    Joined: Jan 6, 2017
    Posts: 6

    Susan Sprigg

    Jim Damron was my Uncle's Nephew by Marriage. Ted Cornis was my mother's brother. Much is not original on this car if it is his. My mother sold it. The seats. the roll bar and the c are not original.
     
  15. Susan Sprigg
    Joined: Jan 6, 2017
    Posts: 6

    Susan Sprigg

    Uncle Ted build a sprint in 1976. I went to every race with him and stood in the center field. He won every race until they banned the Car because no one beat it. He designed and built molybdenum brakes for it. Brakes didn't heat in the curves, and the curves could be taken at top speed. Then brakes started selling like hotcakes and they outlawed them. It's not the first time Ted's innovations were disqualified for being an unfair advantage. He stopped racing for the last time. It was thrilling while it lasted with 13 straight wins.
     

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