Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

little at a time, i'll get there.

Hey Rootie or anybody else that can help, i can buy a 1948 RILEY TWIN CAM HEMI FOR $2,500
ARE THEY WORTH THAT?
thanks, Rob

 

it is a 4 cyl 1948 Riley twin cam hemi head engine.
anybody know what it may be worth.

here is a cool picture speaking of RILEY'S

 

The whole engine? Complete?

Nah, theyre worthless, where did you say that was?

I have no idea what they're worth, but it sure sounds neat to me.

 

That is Wally Meskowski flipping him off

 

Thats priceless... The old "your number one sign" used on a regular basis in this neck of the wood's.. (only to our nieghbors north of the OHIO river..Damn Buckeye's...wink wink)

 

Seeing midgets and early sprints always puts me in my happy place, The first races my Dad took me to where midget races O.K.C. fairgrounds. You can see the pride in the eyes of these guys who still own and have restored these cars, my hat is off to you. My all time favorite driver is A.J.Foyt. M.T.M.

 

To be clear, I assume you are refering to the old British Riley engine and not the U.S. Riley cyl. head conversion.
For your purpose's I'd say no. It may very well worth that much to a Brit car restorer, but that is a very niche market, parts and info could be very hard to come by here in the U.S. (?)
You might check around with the vintage road race crowd and see if there's any interest and maybe flip it for some $. JMHO- you would be better off and further ahead spending the $2500 on vintage midget parts.

 

Oval track racing seems to bring out the best in drivers.

 

...

 

I don't know the context here, but there are several things going through my mind as to what it means.

 

That car is looking good.

 

I had a friend who lived nearby a number of years ago, who had a Champ Dirt Car.. He is dead now and i want to find some photos of his car.
His name was Dick Soubirou. His car number was 89 and both Mac McCl;ellan And Steve Cannon drove for him.
Mac took one unreal flip at Springfield one year. The car was painted silver. Is anybody familiar with it?

 

Spike, it's pretty hard to identify anything in this mess, but this is probably the crash you refer to. I'll look some more.

 

I'm sure this was the dialog between Chuck and Wally

Wally: You're doing just fine Chuck... you've got the car pointed in the right direction

Chuck: Thank you very much Wally, I appreciate your enthusiasm and encouragement.

PK

 

A couple more of, what appears to be, the same crash (?)

 

The single digit salute put's me to remembering the late Pee Wee Distarce. He was one of So Cal's more colorful midget drivers after the war. One night at Gilmore Pee Wee had comitted an error in judgement that put one of the favorites out of the heat race. During the pre main event driver intros, the crowd loudly booed Pee Wee, to which he proudly raised the single digit salute. It became his signature. Every time he was announced, or won a race, from that night on, he "saluted" the crowd. At one of the Gilmore Roars Again parties in the late 80's, the restored Eddie Meyer Kurtis Offy made it's debut. Being one of it's drivers, they lifted a wheelchair bound Pee Wee into the cockpit for a photo session. You guessed it. His ass was no sooner in the seat than the 90 something veteran "gave the salute". And as they say, "the crowd went wild"!

 

Lets see how well I can put this all together. My father hasn't been involved with auto racing since before my older brother was born, so it isn't like I was born at the track. But I'll do my best.

My dad, James Vetting, bought a midget right around the time he was finishing his apprenticeship at Manitowoc Engineering. He raced by himself for a few years before hooking up with John Eggers. Toghther they built the first car. They were both machinists so before long they were making parts they felt could be better than what existed at the time. Some where in this time Eugene Meyer came on the scene. My father felt Eugene was a very talented machinist and John had a good bussiness sense about him. The one item my dad thinks put them on the map was there first injection systems. I might have this wrong but I think they were either for the Chevy motors or the Int. scout motors. I'd have to ask him. My father sold his share in '69 or '70 shortly after getting married and starting a family. Eugene sold his share and moved to California where he started a pattern company and is still involved to some extent in racing. John continued with EVM making quite a bussiness for himself eventually working out of racing parts and towards production of fittings and the like for OEM suppliers I believe.

My dad hasn't strayed too far from the race scene but only as a spectator. After his retirement from teaching he became a "full time spectator". As kids he would take my brother and I to see all types of motorsports. We still go together once and a while.

It is only now that I am trying to put all the stories he would tell us. And he has been unearthing a lot of his past as of late. There is guy putting together an exhibit at the Manitowoc Historical Society about the history of racing in Manitowoc. The exhibit is due to open sometime this spring and will feature an interesting engine of his they ran for a short time. A 91 ci. six cyl offy clone. Which it all has kind of sparked my interest as of late in vintage midgets and the role he played.
I hope this is of interest.
Josh

 

Thanks Rootie.
I helped Dick sort it all out when he got home; there really was not much good left! One badly torn up car.

 

Thanks Brian26

I'm working on it slowly but i'll get it!
Thanks to you and all the others on the H.A.M.B. who have been very
helpful.


Wait till you see the sprint car and matching trailer i just bought tonight!!!!!
it is so cool!!!!!!
i'm really really excited about it.
i'll post pictures tommorrow!!!!!

let me know what you think when you see it.

Rob

 

i'm in the process of purchasing this 69ish sprint car. it's funny a month ago i didn't know anything about a sprint car or a midget (and i still don't).
but now i have 1 of each. i don't know what it is but they are just cool!!!!!
i'll have a bunch of history and info on the car in a week or so. i'll post that info when i get it.

if anybody has any information or comments please let me know.

thanks, Rob

 

Good find AF/X! I still need to contact you about copying that midget nose you have.

Neil

 

Roger Warren

 

any one here with pics of the Don edmonds black midget on his webb site .This car was banned after the copper classic year unsure . I think its # 99 or 98 cant tell ,i would like to build a street version of this car . im already working on a super for street use .any help is appreciated thanks .c

 

Rob.....................uh......................we've been friends now for............ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh, bout a week now. As your friend it is my obligation to let you know that FOUR OUT OF FIVE DOCTORS HAVE FOUND THAT OPEN WHEEL CARS CAN CAUSE INSANITY!

For your family, for yourself Rob, bring those cars to Oklahoma and we will forget this ever happened, dohkay!LOL

That sprinter has all the good stuff.

 

Thats what I was thinking..

JD

 

That's a good find. Period type trailer and all .

What's the story on the red COE Chevy car hauler in the background???????

 

The lines on that sprinter are spot on! It would be a shame to do anything other than to clean it up, get it running, and paint.

You'll be finding yourself thinking "hmmmmmmmmmmmm....................wonder where i could find a Hilborn injection unit?"................

 

My first car, called the Peters Offy and driven by Horn, Joie Chitwood, Hinnerschitz, Warke, and others, had a weird quick change center section which i had never seen before. It didnt last long; blew apart at Syracuse. We replaced it with a Halibrand.
The different part was that the quick change section was on an angle! It was kinda tilted with the top toward the right.
Does anybody know anything about this rear; were they any good, who built them?
I will put a pic of this car on here as soon as i figure out how to do it. lol.

 

Spike we'd like to see that one. It's interesting to see how many approaches were taken on quick-changes.