History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

Check out 1955 midget Racing Annual on ebay, U.R.A., B.C.R.A, M.A.R., A.A.A. lots of good pictures shown on listing. Best

 

Here we are, minding our own business and another one falls off the turnip truck, right into our laps!

Why us???

 

WILL FORD OBIT.
by Bob Marlow / ATQMRA

Will Ford, the 1979 champion of the American TQ Midget Racing
Association, passed away last week. He was 72.

Ford, a native of Long Island, drove his own car to the 1979 TQ
championship without a single feature race victory, staying on top of
the points throughout the long ATQMRA season by virtue of consistent
up-front finishes. He then backed up his championship by winning the
first race of 1980, indoors at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall (now
Boardwalk Hall).

His championship season was punctuated by a flip during warmups at
Pine Brook which put him on the sidelines for that night’s racing, but he
was able to retain his grip on the point lead despite that setback.

It was Ford who coined the nickname “the Bad Guys” for the merry gang
of Long Island racers of which he was a part. Lamenting a string of
officiating decisions that displeased him, Ford asked, “What are we,
the bad guys?” Announcer Bob Marlow immediately began using the
ironic label tongue in cheek, and the group, unofficially led by car owner
Pete Petraitis, embraced it as their own.

Ford was 40 years of age when he won his championship, and he retired
from driving a few years later. During his racing career he also served
as crew chief for the Modified of Long Island racer Peggy Smith. In
recent years Ford had been a resident of Virginia.

Services are pending, but are to be private per the wishes of the family.

 

question, did you guys run stock style rubber engine mounts on the midgets back in the day or was it all solid mount? I need to know before I start making my front & mid mount plate.
Paul

 

Amen

 

Solid

 

Thanks for posting the links...that is great stuff.

 

Referring to e-bay listing #220987704860...

Can anyone shed some light on this engine? The description muddles about the Crosley Cobra which this is definitely not and sort of alludes to being something specially built.

Looks like an import derivation to me, maybe Alfa or Fiat or perhaps it was a purpose built special that I am ignorant of.

 

nifty little midget I RESTORED ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=16938&pictureid=178677

 

hey anyone of you guys have a 13"-14" flat 3 or 4 spoke steering wheel laying around that you may want to sell? I have been looking for awhile and either missing the ones that are for sale or finding larger ones. Please PM me if you can help or give me a lead on one.
also I just posted this in the "wanted" area but figgured I's share it with you guys too:

I am looking for a torque tube bell retainer to bolt to my in/out box for my midget racer. it is a four bolt mount like the ones shown in the pictures below. Please PM me with any info on one you may have for sale or leads you may know about that you can pass onto me.
thanks,
Paul

 

If you are looking for a four bolt torque bell retainer, look at a Chevy dealer. We used one from a 52-53 Chevy in several different race cars. They were still available as recently as mid 1990s. We used them rather than the magnesium and aluminum ones made for racing as we wanted the strength of steel for this critical part.

Doc

 

doc,
here's my problem, I am trying to figure out how to bolt up my cornis I/O to my existing T-tube that was in the midget originally. the rear t-ball retainer is 4 bolt to the box & to the t-tube but it does not match the t-tube sides retainer (see pics). I need to figure out if I need to change the retainer on the I/O or change the one on the t-tube side. and if so I need to find out what vehicale would I be able to match it up to. did chevy use a t-tube as weel, maybe I can just change the flange on the tube side. also it's one peice & not a 2 piece like most fords I have seen?
Paul

the t-tube side cover that I have (1 peice witha groove for gasket)

this is the back of the I/O box

here's the 2 together, they don't match but (bolt patterns)

Paul

 

What is the diameter of the ball and the bolt circle diameter. I have several flanges in my inventory and can help you out if you supply the dimensions.

Chuck Schultz
Winfield, Illinois

 

Chevy did, in fact use torque tubes up until, I think, the 1955 Chevy. I know it was in the 50s when they switched to Hotchkiss drive (open drive line). The Offy and Ambler in and outs we used all utilized a Chevy ball, which is a four bolt unit. I think Chuck's generous offer is probably going to be the easiest way to solve your problem, though.

Doc

 

chuck,
I measured the rear bell of the In/Out box and it was a 5.250" diameter with a 5.250" center to center bolt measurement across the top width & diagonaly, the center to center of the side bolts is 3.250" . the measurment from the outside of the bolt tabs is 6". I took some pics to help explain, I hope you have somehting to fit it!
Paul

 

I have a stamped steel piece that should work. 5.25" bolt circle with (4) eq. spaced holes. PM me with an address. It'll fit in a USPS flat rate box & be there in a few days. More trouble to collect the $5.35 shipping than it is worth. Pay it forward to someone else needing a part instead.

Chuck Schultz
Winfield, Illinois

PS: I was once told midgets used '36 Chevy torque balls & u-joints. 1954 was the last year Chevy used enclosed drivelines. 1955 had open driveline. Plenty of funny stories to explain why I remember that.

 

Thanks chuck! PM sent !

thats the power of the Hamb!!!

paul

 

I will be there with two midgets and one 3/4 midget and I will be looking forward to meeting some of you there.

 

Thanks for posting that info, Keith. I put it in my column for this week, due out on Thursday. Is there track time involved? Are visitors allowed to roam around?

 

Saw this little Kurtis in the Amelia Island show.......so cool.

 

Formula One Ferrari Frames in the late 1950's-early 1960's were brazed tubing.. .. John S.

 

Black Vette 59,
that midget looks like the lesovsky Harry Hespell owned and later became the Jolly Cholly car. That is all but the front nerf bar, which is a configuration i have never seen before.

 

Looks like the Snook Offy. Afriend of mine Dave
Clark sold it to a gent down south, I do not know who owns it now.

 

Using any F1 car of that era as an example is not exactly wonderful. Espcially the Ferraris of that era were pretty much the least safe race cars ever built.

Rules being what they are, there must be a reason. I've seen welds done by aircraft certified welders that failed when a car was run over a rough dirt track. I also have seen welds fail from the stresses of racing on very high speed ovals. Remember, brazing is using a filler metal to fill in between two pieces of stock. It is like using glue.

If Tradin' Walt Lovett would not run a brazed frame, it is probably not a good idea.

Doc

 

It is definitely the Snook Offy. I saw it run quite often. It was always a nice looking car, although I doubt it ever looked this good.

Doc

 

Speaking of nice looking cars, here is an article by Joe Scalzo that I came across while hunting for information on the Jimmy Davies "little car".http://www.joescalzowriter.com/PDF'S/Looks That Kill.pdf I think it is a very good read.

Doc

 

I spent today helping Gregg Kishline and some friends assemble a roller out of parts in a trailer purchased from the Hank Jeffries estate. The car is a bit OT for this forum [probabably a 1976/78 vintage Edmunds or Edmunds kit] but the question it brought to mind might find an answer here. When did Edmunds Autoresearch switch from U shaped belly pans to the flat style found in my 1980 coil car [LWM-393]?

Thanks,

Chuck Schultz
Winfield, Illinois

PS: We worked in the same shop where Harry Turner re-bodied a car for the 1946 Indy 500 and built many race winning midgets. A few feet away the famous Ernie Fredricks' midget roadster awaits a new header before starting its vintage career.

 

Spoke to the guy who now has the car,and he said it was originally owned by Cadilac Booth in 1948,in 1954 it was owned by Louis Snook,he changed the V8 60 for the Offy.Drivers included A J Foyt and Johnny Rutherford.......love the nose.....

 

I believe Wayne Ewing built that nose.

 

just a quick thanks to chuck (gearguy) for hooking me up with the right bell retainer, bolted right up...Awesome!!!
Paul