History Rear Engined Street Rods

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/what-happened-to-ray-browns-27-lakes-roadster.395754/

 

Corvair powered T-bucket:

 

Aren't those Cotton Werksman's cars?

 

Yes they are Tony.

 

Although I don't have a picture, Bill Porterfield had a "T" bucket with a blown BB Chevy in the bed. I remember it being at Columbus, Ohio for the Hot Rod Magazine nationals. There were several magazine features on the car.

 

The Speed Sport Special, a version of this is still around.

 

Cotton Worksman's rear engine and original "T" big talent.

 

Hamb member @Littleman is working on a clone of this type car.

 

Stay off of the semantic topic, please. We all already agreed that this cannot be settled.

 

I believe that coupe belonged to a fellow named Dickie Flippen? I remember reading about him.
Semms he came from the East coast and went to work for Mickey Thompson. When I saw photos of the car
it was Chrysler Hemi Powered. Not positive though.

 

In Australia the front/mid/rear engined argument was settled by the Government dictating how it was all interpreted.
If the engine projects forward of the front axle line it's front.
If it is behind the front axle but in front of the mid point, it's called mid/front
If the engine is in front of the rear axle but behind the mid pint, it's mid/rear.
And of course behind the rear axle is rear.
My car a tribute to the Little Red Wagon (even though it's bright yellow) is mid/rear as the dynamic balance is over the rear axle but the engine faces the rear..

 

That is the Chrisman Coupe after its dry Lakes/Drag Heyday...during its transformation at the Barris Custom Shop around 1960...

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...us-super-cyclone-comet.1067444/#post-12116662




https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/dickie-flippens-chrisman-inspired-coupe.307570/

...This is the Coupe that your speaking of...

​

 

An old HAMB thread

 

Thank you, I stand corrected. They are both wicked coupes.
I like both.

 

I was at Garlits' Museum last month. In an early quest for speed.........

 

I would like to see more of this car. HRP

 

He had it in both street and strip trim.

 

Post #75 has the link to a thread on it.

 

Traditional rear engine:

1)Push driver forward like SoCal Special

2) have a drive system for mid or rear engine. What drive systems were available back then ( so we stay outta toronado territory)

Corvair?

Shorty trans with short driveshaft or direct trans to rear u joint ?

Would VW or porsche drive adapt to V8. Would it hold up?

 

Another way would be to approximate a boat V-drive by using a 4x4 transfer case and front axle on an engine and transmission installed backwards. The axle's direction of rotation would have to be reversed: the simplest is to flip the axle upside-down, thus avoiding ring & pinion drive-side issues.

Is there precedent for this? Jeep driveline bits must have been abundant enough in our era.

 

Yes, and yes. It was done, but it was not common.

Hewland started making gear boxes in 1957, with their mid-engine IRS arrangement.

I remember magazine articles showing that every so often one made it into a street car.

 

I machined the webbing in my quickchange so I could mount the ring gear on the "wrong" side.

I had Winters spin me up a reverse rotation ring and pinion so the drive/coast tooth profile orientation remains correct.

There are plenty of examples of people running with that reversed, with no ill-effects.

Some Ford 4x4 stuff, in certain years, had the "wrong" drive/coast tooth profile pattern in the front axle. No history of failure there.

 

A ring & pinion for a "high pinion" Ford 44 front in a regular 44 housing ? The transfer case route sounds fun, low range would be great for parades and traffic jams Counter rotating boat cam & a regular rotation rear (backwards rotating trans and transfer case) ?
Mike

 

It looked nothing like that the last time I saw it. It is owned by a couple near Monroe, Michigan. I have a picture of it but with a big aluminium wing on the back and other changes, it is no longer HAMB material.

 

It barely fit back when it was in street form originally

 

Just because you can does not give a person liberty to do so!

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/rear-engine-hot-rod.135150/page-8

 

I kinda like Roadkills Stubby Bob............

 

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/92654/hot-rod-history-waite-roadster
Mentioned already. Probably the closest example to a rear engine “hot rod”.
Lots of rear engine rides fit the forum rules. But the vast majority are probably some type of competition car. But isn’t that also a hot rod?

couple more pics of already mentioned creations.
Then there’s this thing.