History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

I had a request to submit a picture of the unusual friction shock setup on the front of the "Speed Age Spl."

 

Like has been suggested in another post a lot of interesting things were used for fuel tanks in earlier times. We had a Trevis 3/4 midget that came with a tank originally used for R22 refrigerant. We replaced that with a Kurtis tank from a full midget. It fit, was safer and we could get a bladder for it.

If I were restoring this car with no intention of ever running it, I would go with a replacement of the original. If you might ever want to run it again, it would be wise to consider a proper metal tank and bladder. It may not be period, but it will not show and it would be safe.

Fire is the one thing that really scares me in a race car. Of course I knew Mel Kenyon and Norm Brown and have seen their fire damaged hands.

Doc

 

If it really hasn't been run since 1971 I'd say it's about time to fire that little baby up and put some laps on her!

 

hey that similar to the suspension on a guys pre-war midget (bill holland from philly) near my home, i thought it was odd when I saw it I guess he maybe copied it from others as well? he ran the midegt till 191 then parked it, and it has sat ever since.
Paul

 

Doc,
I will most likely set it up the way it was supposed to be originally. money & time is tight so I will go as far as I can for now. i have the car up for sale but continue to work on it, I hate to let it go...it's not like you find old midgets or any pre-1950's race cars just laying around anymore, but I could use the money if it did sell!
thanks for the input, us young guys need to hear how it was done from those of you that lived it so we can carry on the torch!
Paul

 

That may be the answer of basically how those shocks were anchored on the Wetteroth car. If you blow up the side view photo on post #3145 it looks like the rigidly mounted lower weldment of the shock also carried the pivot bushing for the front torsion bar way down low and the mounting boss for the front bumper in the middle.

Both cars attached the shock link to the top of the kingpin for best shock effort.

A possible reason for these "home brewed" friction shocks might have been to avoid the high cost of the Hartford brand friction shox that were sometimes used.

 

Monkaz, I believe this car was one of 4 in Harry Hespell's team(late 50's early 60's), then when Harry pared down to 2 cars it became the Jolly Cholly #65.

 

Duane Carter's "Speed Age Spl." built by Emil Deidt and Curly Wetteroth had a long storied career.
After Carter's ownership the car went through the hands of Tony Caccia, Harry Hespell, "Jolly Cholly" Hoff, the Holt Bros, John Hajduk, Doug Craig and Steve Howard.
Bobby Grimm in the John Hajduk Offy

 

Here is the Gerhardt Offy at Pomona. The car was built by Emil Deidt and Lujie Lesovsky. Since Emil Deidt and Curly Wetteroth built the "Speed Age Spl." it is safe to assume that the guiding force behind the front shock configuration was Emil Deidt.Perhaps this photo will reveal more details of the Hartford friction shock setup.
Johnnie Parsons sits on the right rear of Bill Vukovich's Gerhardt Offy as Fred Agabashian stands next to Vuky and the ill fated Gordon Reid leans on the hood.

 

I remember this car running for Hajduk. It was always one of the best looking cars in the field. I seem to remember Tom Bigelow driving it a lot.

Doc

 

DocF,

You are absolutely right. Tom Bigelow drove the Hajduk car.

 

I have to admit. I remember Stevie Howard driving the car but, not Doug Craig. For some reason, I thought Ken Howard bought the car from Ed Darrell. But, if anyone has any pics of Doug driving the car, I know Jane, Steve and Allen would love to see them. Last I had heard from Allen, Jane was still wheelchair bound but working hard not to be.

What happened to the car after the Howards had it?

Bruce J

 

Bruce J,
Here is the list of the owners of the Emil Deidt/Curly Wetteroth built "Speed Age Spl": Duane Carter, Tony Caccia, Harry Hespell, Cholly Hoff, Boyce Holt, John Hajduk, Danny Frye Sr., Doug Craig, Steve Howard, Mike McLaughlin and finally the Moore brothers of Moline IL who had it in unrestored condition as of 1996.
By the way my source, regarding Doug Craig's ownership, was Danny Frye Sr.

 

Midget racing history from Bridgeport, Danbury and West Haven CT, along with Dutch Schaefer wins - want them? e-mail me at: [email protected]

 

Cool...I wasn't doubting you. I just didn't know. The Craigs lived about a five minute bicycle ride from us in Levittown. Doug and my dad left the TQ's about the same time around 70-71 , Doug to race in midgets and my dad went to sprints. By about 75 my dad was racing in Bob Abernathy's midget,Doug had the roadster that was just posted on here, and Stevie (who also lived nearby) was driving the car as the 25. If I remember correctly, Steve drove the car to at least one feature win and was always up near the front with it. Helluva a car and a helluva driver.

It kinda weird. When ever I write about Doug I wanna write "Uncle Doug" and Steve is always "Stevie".

 

monkaz,
When Boyce Holt owned the car Sonny Ates was the one who drove it most of the time. When Hajduk owned it Iraced against it with Tom driving it. I always thought it was one of the prettiest? cars around. It had a different style nose and hood on it. Itwas a great car.
Jim Graybeal

 

got any vintage midget pic's from those tracks?

 

Best I can do on the above:

http://thistlegroup.net/whvn/midgets/ptsn/index.htm

Found it on the Internet.

I have some photos (a few) from Danbury that have been out on the Interent, too - from the late 40's.

 

Some sad news:

Brian Caruso informed me today that Louis "Biff" Caruso, son of legendary racecar owner Mike Caruso, passed away yesterday, at the age of 82, the same age that Mike was when he passed. Hopefully I'll have more information coming soon. They are out in Las Vegas.

 

TommyA19 and the Shadow,

Midget action! The great Bill Schindler in the Caruso Offy makes his move on the outside as he edges by Al Keller in Cecil Turner's "Stardust" Offy at Cherry Park in Avon CT. 1947.

 

Classic! Love the body english of the drivers, we can't see that with the new style cars.

 

You are so right! I shoot modern open wheel. This photo is for making an illustration of your point. You can`t see Brad Sweet sawing at the wheel unless you have an in car camera.

I miss seeing those slashing arms working the wheel.

 

Gerhardt midget now. Doug Craig midget is off to paint next Wed.

 

This car is a reproduction of the famous Gerhardt Offy. Fred Gerhardt sold his famous Deidt and Lesovsky built car to Gay Van Berckelaer.
In the 1960s Van Berckelaer had Don Edmunds replace the chassis - severing its historical connection to the famous Gerhardt Offy. At the same time Van Berckelaer replaced the aluminum nose and hood with fiberglass facsimilies.
In the 1990s the car came into the possession of Ken Hillberg who replaced the second chassis. Hillberg also had, Jim Allen, a talented aluminum fabricator from Fresno replace the body.
The reproduction is very nicely done but it is not the car Bill Vukovich drove to the 1950 A.A.A. National Midget Championship!

 

Wasn't that # 17 that Keller was in the Turner Offy? Metallic Blue in color?

 

On Saturday morning, John DaDalt sent me more Midget results from:
Dorney Park, ARDC's "Southern" tour, Bay State (I broke it down to two parts), Middletown and Menands in NY.
e-mail me if you want those results.
[email protected]

 

Tommy, you ought to post those over on the emmr site.

Just a suggestion.

happy new year

 

Tommy A19.

Here is a picture of Cecil Turner's Stardust Offy in 1948; yes it was blue and silver.

 

Jim, I posted it on their Facebook page.

 

Interesting info on the Hillberg Gerhardt car. When we were running with WRA in the late 80's Ken brought the car to one of the events. It was representes at that time as the original Vuky driven car.