History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

Evans Denver steering box

 

...here are another two ''midgets'' that have turned up here in the UK....all look to have been changed a lot.....

 

I like "Old Smokey"!

 

I'm back after several computer crashes and a major move. I agree that the only decent rides Crocky ever had were in your cars. He is among the many folks I miss a lot.

 

A pic of my Checkboard and one of a model of it

 

My Henderson 1934

 

Slobitz ; That Henderson 'front-drive' ; It would sure be nice to have a write-up about this car, with close-up pictures & history! I ask because about 30 yrs ago there was a similar (front-drive also) Henderson midget at a vintage(WRA , BCRA & local) event at Petaluma speedway in CA. The only quick difference that I notice is the one out here was white, & I'd never heard of a 'front-drive' midget before that, but now that I see yours, also Henderson powered, I want to know more. Does anybody have any info about how many of these were made, or how well they did, or any other info??

 

There was a series of how to articles in a thirties Mechanix Illustrated. ..or similar mag. Found them and donated to the E M M R, as they had Stan's car. ...maybe they'll copy for you....

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Late June at the rained out vintage Friday meet we salvaged a nice Saturday to display the car alongside the pit "shack" and chat with some drivers and crews as well as fans readying for the Saturday night show.

 

At the last AARA event after 42 years, Van Wert, OH July 2015

 

That looks like Harry Hespell's 4 car midget trailer.

 

This just became available, from July 2nd at Van Wert, Ohio on the Fairgrounds 1/2 mile trotter track. The unpainted #6 is my Studebaker powered Hillegass, the red #7 is also a Studebaker and the maroon #47 is a also a 6 cyl flathead but a Continental and the camera car, unseen is a #27 Studebaker with the red #2 the only V8-60.

http://www.antiqueautoracing.com/vw2015vid.htm

When was the last time you saw a Vintage midget event with four six cylinder flatheads?

The two other Studebakers and the Continental all owned and driven by the Bradel family descendants of "Pop" Bradel who also had their Kurtis Offy in the Offy heats, and their Hudson powered big car at home in Pennsylvania.

 

First post over here on the Midget side. I can't say I know a lot about the pre cage midgets as they are before my time, but I just love the looks of these cars and try and to get to as many vintage meets as I can.

I believe this is a 1948 Kurtis Midget. It's just coming out of the Cork Screw at Laguna Seca.

 

This is my checkerboard midget

 

Yes, there are late 40's Kurtis Kraft midgets that nice. This is Chassis #275 we bought from Stan Lobitz in '87. When Yellow Freight delivered it, it did NOT look like this! I ran it 5 years with the WRA, and had a blast. Problem was, there were too many guys that always loved midgets, and now have the money to own one. Trouble is, most of them don't have a clue about open wheel racing, and become moving chicanes on the track. After nearly getting stuffed into the fence twice, I sold this car to Ron Leslie. Ron painted it like the K&L Continental Airlines V8-60, and it resides in his office in Denver.

 

Here's one from Latimore WGOT 2013.

I don't have any details on the car though.

 

Another from Latimore.

 

I heard George Benson passed away last night.

 

George from 1968.

 

Can anyone help identify the maker and approx year of this midget?
I'm helping a friend with some work on this midget. He says he bought it at Hershey about 15 years ago. It had been running. He took it apart had lots of stuff chromed, painted the all aluminum body, ran it a few times at vintage events and parked it. We started to clean it up and do some needed repairs and the verbal history he was told does not make a lot of sense to me. He was told it's a Solar from Teterboro, NJ and a 1937.

Ambler gear box, wishbone end hairpins, tube frame with slugs welded thru at each stud attaching point, Model A rear with live axle bells. 4 wheel hydraulic brakes, 6 pin knock off wheels. V8-60 which may not be what the car was orig. built with as there are indentations in fire wall that don't match the V8. Really nicely done aluminum body with riveted on reinforcements and flanges. The whole car is very nicely constructed and well built. No evidence of ever even having a hoop behind the driver. Seat is part of tail. Cowl and firewall is one unit attached to frame by 3 studs and nuts on each side.

Thanks, Frank

 

Solar midgets were not produced until after the war. They were a stainless steel rail frame, never a tube.

Tube frames on midgets before the war were rare, Reichenbach, Neilsen and Marchese all in the Chicago/Milwaukee area were the best known.

A picture of the body would be a logical request. My guess is that it was made for a rail frame and has angle sills that bolt to the studs that appear on the top of the frame tubes.

Hydraulic brakes were mainly post war also and front brakes later yet.

Nothing on these two pictures is unique and identifiable as to a specific manufacturer.

Hydraulic brakes were mainly post war also and front brakes later yet.

 

28dreyer, Thank you so much for the quick reply.
Please disregard the driver's bones! This is all I could find. I did take a couple more before we took it apart, but I can't find them right now. And until we started looking close there was no reason to think it wasn't what the owner thought it was.

One unique feature is a vertical aluminum firewall, right behind the engine and the dash is competly on the driver's side. Unlike the pictures I see of other cars with the firewall having an angle at the top. There is also a leather piece sewed to the bottom of the firewall to seal the engine to the firewall even tho the driver's feet poke thru and the gas pedal is along side the oil pan.

Also the hood sides apear to be not orig. There is evidence of a 1/2 side of a piano hinge vertical on each side of the firewall that looks like it would have it;s mating 1/2 on the hood sides. You would pull the pin out to remove hood sides. right now the hood sides go all the way to the tail where they fit into a slot to retain them.

Does using what looks to be Model T wishbone ends as the hairpin end mounts help date it?

thanks again !!, Frank

 

Greetings all of you midget lovers!...do any of you folks have any pictures of a midget racer from southern newjersey named Mark Sooey?...he is according to local legend the first guy on the east coast to put a v8-60 in a midget...

 

From Bill Hill's book, "Decades of Daring, Midget Racing in the Rocky Mountain west". My mom went to school with this dude from !st grade all the way thru hi-school, he still hangs around midget races. Great guy.

 

1969 Lakeside Speedway, Denver CO. Colorado legend Eddie Jackson in #5 the ex- Lloyd Axel Kurtis Kraft, the 3rd car Kurtis built after WWII ( a book could be written about this cars history) and Grier Manning #69 from Colorado Springs, CO in a typical battle from that era. I was a nine year old fan watching in total amazement!!

 

Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association champ Jim LaManna in Harry Conklin's Offy, 1965 winning the trophy dash at Lakeside Speedway, in Denver, CO.

 

Screen shot from Facebook sprint car page....before I was kicked off...have no info.

 

1967 USAC National Midgets make their yearly trip to Colorado, first night in Denver next in Colorado Springs, rain makes them run the Friday show at Lakeside Speedway, on Saturday around noon. As the "Night Before the Hill Climb" race is set for Saturday night in the Springs. Only about 20 spectators showed up for the Saturday mid day show.

 

Bob Young in his own #88, Burt Foland in the Lloyd Del Nero #7, John Hallonsworth in the Arizona Hard Chrome #24, Jimmy Caruthers in the #27, Grier Manning in #42, and Bill Vukovich II in Doug Caruthers #2.

 

Per post 4708, yah Gene is hanging around the midgets. I took these photos of him sitting in my car at the Norton, KS Vintage races in 2014.

He was driving Sid Blandford's rare (Clyde Adams?) rail framed, Kurtis re-bodied Offy that weekend.

I did pass him once in hot laps...he was on the main straight ahead of me and the green flag came out for me and I got him. LOL