125, we did this chassis from a project startedby another Hamber, we hung our own ladder bar suspension off of a frame that started as a Speedway T, the wheelbase was unknown until we got it built, a little long for some purists ,but drives well and hooks eveywher we have raced it,
This series is of a "home built" early altered. I don't know who owed it or anything about it found on the web. Yes two guys are lifting the chassis up in the air At Pomona in the staging lanes
Here is my Dad Gary Essman in the blue shirt with the Black Magic car he only drove the Black Magic for a short time . This is the car they made after the purple Magic Muffler that my Dad was the main driver for after Jim Miles the owner raced it for a short time. I'm going to the Texas LONESTAR ROUNDUP today . I will share some pictures of any old altered's in the upcoming days
i'm not protesting that the 55 in post #889 and the fairlane in post #893 (which, to me, if anything looks more afx.....) ARE NOT altereds. But if they ARE altereds, then how are altereds defined?
Sounds like one of u guys need to sell me a car if yall aint runnin em, hehehe [emoji41] Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I guess in a nut shell it's simply a class based on weight per cubic inch. chevy454 scanned the rule books for 1958-1968 a couple of years ago. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nhra-rule-books-1958-present.870742/
There are a number of modifications that would put a full bodied car into the Altered class, and they varied somewhat depending on the time period. Removal of front end sheet metal, excessive engine setback, wheelbase changes, driver relocation, etc. Even something as simple as deleting the headlights can do it. Often times full-bodied cars that would normally be placed in a /Super Stock or /Gas class would make some subtle change to run in the Altered class if the Altered class records or indexes were more favorable. Or maybe a big shooter in the same class as you would show up at a race and be faster than you. You could change to an Altered class so you would not have to run him in class runoffs. Running as an Altered may also put you in an eliminator bracket that pays out more money, or has fewer entries. So when folks say they long for the old days of drag racing when the guy with the faster car wins, well, they really don't understand all the intricacies of what it took to field a competitive drag car. Juggling classes along the way was one tool the racer had to achieve success.
They are altereds because that is the class they are running. In both these case PROBABLY engine set back.
Although, technically I could see how they were accepted, if I were setting up a racing org it would have to be fender less. Otherwise, you would end up with a bunch of rat rod 4 door Plymouth Valiants with no front sheet metal.
Ron Ellis Instant T just the engine Russel & Rice Rapp Chevrolet Thunderation Vette running C/altered
Info I just heard about the vet ( The Rapp Chevrolet is from Thunder Valley Dragway in Marion, South Dakota. Glenn Rapp is still the owner and operator of the dragstrip. )
Then you would miss out on the early coupes with the motors under the cowl and the driver in the back as far as he could go (but still LHD).....the genesis of the class in my mind.....
I run in a Nostalgia Comp class at a few races during the year with my old Logghe altered, when my racing schedule for my Super Pro (avatar) altered has an open date. It is set up on an index basis - 10.50, 10.0, 9.50, 9,0...7.50 - and is open to all altered roadsters and front engined dragsters. The class only draws about six or eight cars usually. It has a $50 entry fee, and the promoter loses money at every race because his purse payout exceeds the entry fees. The purse encourages guys to spend the resources - time and money - to get the car to the track. In order to increase the car count and try to keep the track out of the red they are considering letting full bodied altered cars run this summer. I bring this up because I've seen how easy it is to so narrowly define the type of car that you are going to allow that you severely restrict the number of entries. This does not make for an exciting class nor a profitable one for the strip owners. An example of this would be the HAMB dragsters. While I think it is laudable to try to garner interest in a low cost, traditional type of drag car the rules are so narrowly structured that one almost has to build one from scratch to comply with them all. When was the last time you saw more than a few HAMB dragsters race at the same venue? So if you want to create a class / club / organization for trad altereds that will actually race each other down the track then think inclusive, not exclusive.
Actually, building it your self from scratch was the intended pathway to a HA/GR. So yes, it was self limiting in the long run, as very few folks capable of the work're content with a 12.00+ car (the targeted ET, for cost reasons). The SDRA & NWVD spin-offs're doing a bit better, as they're easier to build & drive, and are quicker. But they still suffer from the same problem, albeit slightly less so. It helps that they don't care about the work being done by a shop. And as others've noted, when the rules're loose enough, someone'll spend the money for even the most obscure win.
when the rules are to strict, the class eventually dies because both the racers and spectators lose interest. even anra with its open wheel class 10.00 or slower is used to prep the track and spectators don`t watch it any more than they watch the throttle stop cars at a national event. the best thing about anra`s open wheel is you don`t have to jump thru the certification hoops and it`s bracket racing which requires more out of the driver
Nice shot of Pure Heaven II at Cecil....i grew up there, raced that track many times Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I was fortunate to be asked to do all the Pinstriping and 23k gold leaf Lettering on the restored Mondello /Matsubara AA/FA a few years ago .. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Very cool....where is this car now that Joe is gone? Is there still a facility in Tennessee? Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
The Jalopy Journal
