History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

It may well be a repurposed industrial or aircraft blower. I looked at a B52 air cycle machine at a swap meet once. fresh from O'haul with the manual. $25. Would have made two of thee type blowers. And I saw lots of them at work. I have seen cabin compressors used as blowers. That was when NHRA motto was "Ingenuity in action"

 

Junji, This is Steve Pick in the Koenig and Pick car, running a centrifugal blower and homemade injection through a Crower U-Fab manifold. They used the equivalent of bunji cords initially for the front suspension. The car made Hot Rod Magazine, which referred to it as the "Rickshaw" because of its stance and unusual front end. However Steve could not make it competitive with the centrifugal blower, and later adopted a more conventional 6-71-Hilborn setup. I don't remember the details of the centrifugal blower itself, seem to remember that HRM said it was an industrial application...whatever that means. Anyone else? I'm constructing this from memory and it was a long time ago. I don't know how long Joe Koenig was involved, because later the car ownership was just Pick. He would go on to run the "Black Plague" top fuel car.

Again, outstanding videos!!!

Dave

 

Here are a couple of pictures of Steve Pick's car, from Don Ewald's site...better view of the centrifugal blower, and the log manifold it fed:





Looks like air went into the front, fuel into the back, and the whole mixture into the log manifold. Engine was a Desoto. Photos are from Lion's, taken by Doug Petersen.

 

Once again, Dave to the rescue. I am in awe of your vast recollections from the golden age of drag racing. I can remember a lot of what I saw then, but you saw a hell of a lot more than I did!

 

Don you have any info on this car?

 

Could be an aircraft blower, though it looks pretty small for that, Piston engine military aircraft used mechanical superchargers that look very similar. Must have been others making centrifugal blowers too!

 

Mike Ditty photo from Irwindale 7-13-68. The Woodford Bros. were from La Crescenta CA. They ran the car in 67 & 68, blown fuel by this time. Bill Woodford drove.The car was steel with a 427 Chevy. That's all I know about it.

 

Hey Dave,
As always, you have the info that backs up my movie clip. Koenig and Pick it is... for relabeling the title of the clip. Thanks again for all of your knowledge...with you and Dean aboard, I can slowly have titles to all of my movies. you guys are both outstanding...thanks
Jnaki
By the way, isn't this the Joe Koenig that was part of the 1929 chopped sedan out of Reath Automotive?

 

Junji, yes, in fact it is in one of your clips, first racing the Herman Brothers blown Olds powered 29 roadster and then racing the Bader & Ferrera Crosley altered, running a blown Cad. It once ran a streamlined nose an ran fuel, but later switched to the stock front to run the altered class. Sponsored by Reath Automotive, like so many other cars in the Long Beach area. His partner in the sedan was named Sundin, but I have forgotten his name.


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Found a picture of the Koenig and Sundin sedan I posted last year, here with a blown Olds and what look like side-draft carbs, similar to what the Rakers Car Club ran on their Reath-sponsored Fiat competition coupe (actually updraft carb, thanks, Dean)



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Dave those are up draft carbs off a WW II tank. Joe Reath was hung up on them for a while.

 

I have heard that. I wonder what tank they came from. I have had a couple of Ford Sherman tank motors. They had two large two barrel down drafts. The updrafts remind me more of ranger aircraft engine parts. The Ranger was an inverted 6 cylinder 440 cid engine. The Ford was a 1100 inch water cooled V8.

 

Dave,
I posted this in the Evolution of a Drag Sedan thread, so thank you. Now I have a couple of more names to go with the actual footage. Those three racers stood out at Lions. Reath Automotive was a great place to go to for parts, service, and just hanging around for information. Joe Reath liked talking to everyone, even teenagers like us. (small time local LB boys, backyard builders, new to drag racing, hungry for more speed secrets. etc.) He did give us a deal on services/parts for our 40 Willys build. Ahhh... memories.
Thank you,
Jnaki

 

Too new ......... removed

 

Fairly recent cackle photo--note the wristband on the crew guy.

Roo