After not getting much done here at work today, (im not loafing if I cruise the HAMB at work if my phone aint ringing) Anyway I spent a good while looking at the cageless midgets photo thread. How are these built? Are they direct drive with a push car? some tiny transmission? I found a few good pics showing the steering. What kind of rear axle was common in these? I've never seen a real one that I could look at up close. and pics of pretty painted bodies only get my head full of bad ideas. I've been thinking, well I have a 120hp inline 4 cyl. sitting in the garage, it has a 5 speed rear wheel drive mated to it. Also have a Dana 35 from a Jeep project there that I could shorten. Ahh the bad idea that come to my mind while I'm waiting for the evil of winter to subside into the joys of spring. Keith
Depends on the era they were built. The earliest were rail frame, then the later 50s Kurtis types used a single tube frame and by the 60s they had progressed to multi tube space frames. Here's some examples, pick yer poison.
I've been around midgets and sprints since early childhood. That one drawing by Edmunds is the kind I remember. They had an in and out box hooked to the firewall/ crank; not a transmission. Those used to made by CAE. The rear end is a small axle quick change. Several manufacturers of that. The ones made today use a slider at the rear to disengage and engage the gears so there's no need for an in and out box. You could easily build one with the motor but throw the other stuff away and you'll need to make a "button" which adapts the crank to the drive shaft as these babies are direct drive. No flywheel or clutch.
I was looking at that, fitting a tranny into that short of a WB. While I'm here daydreaming, I might as well figure out how to build the linkage between the engine and driveshaft, anybody have any pics of this setup?? We have a nice open road course here that lets you hot lap just about any thing you can put on the track that passes a tech. www.beaverun.com I run the OT car that got me my screen name there and love it, but I have always wanted to run an open wheel car at speed. Keith
Use to use a in/out box driven off the end of the crank, nowdays they just hook a u-joint on the end of the crank and engage the engine through the spur gears in the Q/C.
It's a round piece of billet metal ( approx. 3/4 thick) that has holes to match the crank and adapts to the u-joint spline or is splined to fit an in and out box shaft. Look at item # 11 on his picure of the in and out box You need a machinist to build this unless you have all the trick tools. Great picture of the quick change and in and out box.
One of my non-vintage midgets has a SCREAM modified Ford Focus package in it complete with clutch & starter. No transmission, just the single speed of a quick change. It is very tight for space at the driver's feet. At the Miller Meet in Milwaukee a few years ago I saw a sprint car [84"WB] with a shortened toploader in it. I believe it was run on a road course at least once. We've benchraced the idea of trying the self starting midget on a road course ala Rodger Ward's famous Formula Libre win at Lime Rock in Ken Brenn's Kurtis-Offy. At least our brakes are better than his were. Chuck Schultz Winfield, Illinois
If your heart isn't set on a midget, you might consider a larger sprint car sized car. HAMBer MacMiller built a 'replica' of sorts of the Parnelli Jones Fike car using all modern automotive drivetrain with a simple frame requiring minimal tube bending, looks great. Pics can be seen here: http://macmillersgarage.webs.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=5161077
Not the easiest of builds to carry out but I am doing just that at present. I have opted for a transaxle instead. Not something you will knock up in short time. Has taken me about 4 years of my spare time to to get it to this point.
there are adapters out there for various motors what are you planning to run? i ran a 3.1 chev with a flexplate and direct drive so that it could be self starting no transmission
i've seen BERT transmissions in a sprint and a lot of DIRT modifieds they have a small internal clutch two speed and reverse
I, build midgets and sprints and champ cars what ever you want > got a Kurtis style on Ebay now and building a midget now that I, will sell, all my cars are Hand hammerd aluminum and moly frames , no glass stuff .
The motor is a take out from a very OT Mazda miata. I pulled it from a car that was 3 weeks old, we put a 5.0l Ford motor in. The owner did not want it, and was to good to throw away. If things are slow at work today, I'll spend time looking at the sprint styled cars. At BeaveRun you really need more than one gear if you want to be competitive. Keith
Of course if my loving wife gets wind of another project I just might have to live out in the shop for a few weeks. Still can't figure out why she is upset, her car is finished, the 3 project cars I have going are not, but isn't that the perfect time to start a new one? Keith
If you REALLY want to build a midget or a sprint car .... Don Edmunds has the plans available to purchase of his 1960's Auto Reseach midgets, sprint cars and super modifieds on this page of his Web Site .... http://donedmunds.com/plans.html His cars were both some of the most successful and best appearing of that era. You could modify things to suit your needs.
Man this place is a quick trip to the bankruptcy court, I LOVE that Fike's Special. That Mazda motor in proper dress has a real Offy feel, if you dont know what a real one looks like, plus they run real good with a few Weber side drafts on them. Keith
If you really want an Edmunds I, made about six of them over the years , OUTLAW CHASSIS , metal Bender over 50 years doing this stuff. I , can get you started and you can finnish . Maybe your just talking ? PM me lets see
Keith, How far are you from Harrisburg/York area? Check out the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing. www.emmr.org You could recreate a Hilegass sprint or midget. tt
Go on line to Speedway Motors and order a Sprint & Midget catalog. Most everything you will need can be bought from them. Or Speedy Bill and his staff can inform you WHERE you can get it. No i don't work for them, I buy a lot from them.
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