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

what engine is that?

 

Some progress pictures of the Stapp project. More to come later! Please forgive the poor quality

 

It's definitely a Studebaker Champion 6 cyl. with maybe a pair of Riley sidedrafts. Hard to see from that picture.

The bigger question is it an early flathead (1939-1963) or the later overhead valve (1961-1964) as they both used virtually the same block dimension and external appearance. Hard to tell here but my guess is flathead judging from the heighth of the exhaust ports relative to the block.

This all should have started out on the midget site.

 

Sign painting. Dale Moore of Phantom Graphics did an outstanding job!

 

I did make it to Belleville in July, however I ran out of time and brake issues kept me from running the car. Bummer

 

Way Pretty!!! Good deal,Rich!

 

vintageracer the car looks great, you should be proud of it. Bill

 

beautiful

 

WOW! That looks amazing. Great job. One of my favorite sprinters.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

VintageRacer, Are those the original body panels or repopped, I wanna get new hood, nose, and tail tank for My '74 Stapp that I'm doing right now, If they are new where did you get them. I've talked with Andy Stapp a couple of times and when He called and told Me that Bopper said it was the last single rail frame He built, He told Me that He had the phone # for the guy who has Bopper's old molds But hasn't returned My call's with the Number......................................Rich

 

RABs32,

Those body parts came with the car and I have no idea where they came from. I will do some checking and PM you if I find anything out.

Sean

 

THANK'S Sean, I have a hood , Nose piece and tailtank that I'm gonna use for now, but if I can get a another new set I'll use that set for carshows and displays, and the current set will be used for track time. Thank's Again, Rich......

 

To everyone here who restores these old open wheel cars: Thank You! Maybe you did it for self satisfaction, but it means so much to so many other people. Keep doing the work and keep telling the stories; its very important. Now, if someone can figure out a way to restore the old builders and drivers.

 

Ben Cook Racing, Second car buikt by Cooks.

 

BCook and VintageRacer37, THANK YOU!!!!!!!! for the info on the body parts.....................Rich

 

Easter, here's one of old #39...looking good!!!, and one of old brother Bill..not so much!!

 

The car's being held up by jack stands. Bill is standing upright on his own and shaping metal. I'd say he's doing fine!

 

To: Vintage Racing Group
From: Carl Schulz - Indio, CA
Subj: Some photos from Oct 5th Jungle Park Reunion

Well rain and the threat of it put a damper on this year's reunion however a few brave soles ventured out and saved the day and the downpour fell everywhere but on the Park.

Here's a link to my Album with a few photos and commentary by Randall Cook. Mac Miller was in the car and there's shots of him at various locations where remnants of the track and buildings remain.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91981316@N06/sets/72157635992479815/

Hope you enjoy the photos.

Carl Schulz
Here again in Indio where I'm preparing to tow to Auto Club Speedway Thursday for our year's finale with the Historic Champ/Indycar Event in conjunction with The Izod Indycar Series MAV-TV Event.
Wouldn't be suprised if I'm not taking a bit of the Midwest clay from Terre Haute, Kokomo, Lawrenceburg, Eldora and Jungle Park with me to be disbursed on the Pacific Coast.
Photos and text by Randall Cook-

"Carl:

Tom and I took the Boyle Valve car to the Jungle Park Reunion on October 5th. Jungle Park was a legendary 1/2 high banked oiled dirt track that ran from the 1920s until around 1960. Today the track property is used in a canoe rental business as the old track bordered on both Sugar Creek and the Turkey Run State Park. The track itself is located a few miles north of Rockville, Indiana on US highway 41.

There have been times in the past when the reunion had over 50 vintage race cars show up with many of them being cars that actually would have raced at Jungle Park. This wasn't one of those times as only seven cars came this year. Even so, it was stll fun to talk with people and go around and check out the one old grandstand that is still standing. At one time I believe there were up to five staggered stands on the "front straight" of what was really a pretty circular track.

Of those cars that were there the most interesting was a pre-WWII motorcycle engined midget built by Henry Meyer. The car has never been restored and is pretty much like it was when it was last raced around 1950. Some guy bought it in a farm sale in Illinois and hopes to bring it back to its original glory when it was racing on the winter indoor midget circuit on tracks in Long Island as well in the Chicago Ampitheater. I've attached a copy of a photo that was on display of driver Ben Emerick in the car in 1947.


Several cars took laps on what's left of the old banking around the track including the Boyle car. One vintage SCCA car actually got on it pretty good a couple of times. In at least one of the photos you can see the US 41 guardrail in the background. In addition to the cars that found themselves going into Sugar Creek over the years there was at least one incident of a car going up the banking and ended up in the middle of the highway.

Jungle Park was always something of an "outlaw" track with the majority of its big car races being put on by the CSRA (Central States Racing Association). There only a handful of AAA races ever held there although Duke Nalon did manage to win one of those just before WWII broke out.


While the turnout was low the current owner of the property expressed interest in having the event again next year and promised to try some things to better advertise the reunion as well. He had several family members helping out with concessions at the reunion including one of his daughters who appears in one of the photos posing with your car.

At any rate everyone that did show up seemed to have a good time. It's too bad that you didn't leave California a couple of days earlier so that you could have made the trip as well. And it would have basically been on your way home anyway.
RJC"

 

You any relation to Steve Bixler in Harrison Ohio? Raced Winged Sprints throughout the 80's and 90's?

 

Good job! Going the extra effort for REAL HAND LETTERING! That car is Perfect end to end.

Can't wait to see it.

 

I'm honored. Hi praise from the Master

Sean

 

Josh, yes he is my uncle. That picture is of his father. I don't forsee Uncle Steve getting on here none too soon.
I am sure he has so much more information than what I can provide, but stumbled on that picture and thought I would share it.

 

How haunting is that old Jungle Park grandstand?

 

I don't know where else to post this so I'll take a chance here. I just found it the other day.

I just read and enjoy all of your stories and pictures.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A3oW-OW_Rk

 

Not only is the old grandstand haunting but the entire oval is still intact. Slowly walking around the track sends chills up your back thinking of the drivers who ran this place. Trees surround the track and a simple miscue by those early day drivers would have the car wrapped around the trees and the waters of Sugar Creek are very close to the backstretch. At one of the early Jungle Park reunions, it might have been the very first one, I asked legandary driver Joie Ray what he thought of racing at Jungle Park and he said 'it scared me to death' After you visit this historic old race track you will have a whole new appreciation of what the early days were like.

 

.....well our ''car'' season has finished over here and I will have to wait for Amelia Island next year for my next fix.....here are a few snaps from my season....

 

Does anybody here have any idea why Larry Dickson switched from his Ray Smith mount to the Stapp Chevy en route to the 1968 USAC Sprint championship?

 

Here's Smiths side.

 

Great story on Jungle Park.

Through what years was it open?

If only the grandstands could talk what stories they would tell us.

Jimbo

 

Thanks Rootie!