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

Marty Himes of the Himes Museum of Auto Racing Nostalgia, here on Long Island, NY tells me that he has the original nose (and it's mold), the original upholsery and the tail (body) section from this Frank Curtis "Built at home in the shed" rear engine Indy car.

 

To add to that Ken,it looks like McConnell has the last Curtis Indy car in his unrestored area of his collection.

I think he built it around 1971 or so. Jerry drove it a time or two-it was a dog.

 

Did Frank Curtis build more than one rear engine Indy car?

Marty Himes has the parts I mentioned .. but if there's more than one car, I don't know which one?

 

Yes,there were at least two, the first around 1968 and the second one in 71-72.

The last one was really odd looking kind of like a door stop. It was sponsored by Steed.

 

Harold Seaman told me about this site.
http://racersreunion.ning.com/

In the OPEN WHEEL section, mixed among pictures of open wheel modified stock cars are many pictures of Indy roadsters, RE Indy cars, upright Indy cars, sprint cars (even one that was converted into a drag car) and midgets.

 

Ken here is the car of Curtis the #37 on the rt of photo. I was wrong again, Josh found it in the McConnell collection but it is restored after all.

It only shows part of the car.


http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=905253&d=1266715847

 

Ahhhh, OK!!

I always seem to learn something that I didn't know, from Tony's (Buildy's) vast knowledge. THANKS Tony!!!

I don't know which car the parts that Marty has are from, but next time I talk to him I'll try to find out.

 

Yeah ,but I have trouble keeping it all straight. I look at literally thousands of photos per week.

The last Curtis car looks more odd if you could see a photo of the whole car.

 

Ken,

Champcar stats has Jerry Sneva in that Curtis in 1975 at Indy. It had to be at least 3 yrs old by then. Did not qualify.

Looks like that is the way McConnell has the car painted now-the 1975 version.

5/25/1975 Indianapolis PO USAC 37 Curtis Auto Center Curtis Offy TC -- -- -- Did not qualify

I can`t find record of Jerry Karl driving it,but I know he tried it out,probably Pocono,maybe Trenton,he said it was really bad.


I`ll bet Marty has parts from the 1968 car???

 

Buildy, wasn't Jerry Sneva one of or the last to be bumped in '75 from Indy?

 

Sorry I don`t know. Could be.

I know he was the one who cheated in 1981 and almost knocked my uncle out of the race.

They jammned a bolt in the pop off valve and all of a sudden that old Offy went 4 MPH faster.
They were caught trying to pull the bolt back out down in T 4 after the run.

It was a real mess Vollstedt tried every trick in the book to keep Jerry Karl out of the race,but we won the hearings and BS including Vollestedt having JK arrested on some trumped up charge just as he was getting ready for Carb Day.Two troopers went in and Jerry threw both of them back out the garage,they came back in with guns drawn!
Harkey had to run the car for us in Carbs..... Good times I tell ya.

 

WOW, I remember the story of him being arrested, never heard why. I had friends that went every year for the month, then came home to watch the race on TV. They had some good stories, but they're both gone now. They used to know everybody and chrash all the parties. The way I remember Jerry Sneva being bumped in '75 was my wife and I went to sprint car race at the fairgrounds friday before the 500. Some people with Indy pit credentials sat behind us and we talked before the race. Being a kid, I bragged how a local would be one to watch if his car stayed together, that being Toby Tobias. After he won I found out I was bragging on him to Sneva's parents.

 

It was some BS faked up deal. It was thrown out of court and Jerry Karl was back,but missed Carb Day.

It was crazy,we didn`t know if we were in or out of the race for quite awhile. Vollstedt had pull with USAC, and it looked like they might get away with the cheating.



JK ended up in the 11th row with Tim Richmond and Mario Andretti.

JK finished the race,but the car was slow,only got 15th,but better than being screwed out of the race,at least.

 

Wasn't Jerry Karl from Lebanon, In.? My wife's family is from there.

 

No Jerry Lived in Wellsville PA for Many years,before that Manchester,PA.

Originally we lived on Long Island. My dad and Jerry moved us to PA to be closer to the racing they were doing,back in 1968.Close to Hershey,Reading,Grove,etc. By the next year they started Indy car racing.

I think Mel Kenyon is from Lebanon Ind.

 

Too much info swirling in my head. Who am I thinking of from Lebanon,In.?Ok, I see you said Mel Kenyon. I knew it was someone that ran at Hershey with the midgets. Thanks.

 

Mel Kenyon. He drove Indy cars too,along with being probably one of the best Midget car drivers ever.

Jerry Karl was considered a Central PA driver. He is in the York county racing hall of fame and the York county Sports HOF as well.

 

Can anyone identify the chap in this picture?

I copied the picture from this site ..
http://openwheelracersreunion.ning.com/

 

I believe that is our buddy Roy Caruthers!

 

Old Bill, it was an egg yoke yellow, number was black with red accent.

 

Thanks Jim. That one has been eluding me for a long time!

 

recent barn find it is at pburg mall show

 

That is Roy Caruthers (racer5c) in the #8 midget.

 

Somebody got very lucky!
Why not me? lol.

 

A few years ago there was a guy somewhere in the Dakotas who said he had one of the Curtis cars.

 

IIRC Curtis(Not Kurtis) built a Roadster or two back in the day.

Back in the late 40s into the 50s Frank Curtis had some fast Midgets and Sprints and some pretty good drivers behind the wheel. Ted Tappet, Wally Campbell to name two off hand.There were more.

Doing some checking, he built at least one Indy roadster that DNQ at Indy in 58

Dempsey Wilson 71 Hall-Mar Curtis Offy -- DNS, too slow

Made the 500 in 59 got 15th place.

15 21 Chuck Arnold 71 Hall-Mar Curtis Offy 200 3:49:09.05 130.918

DNQ again in 60 and 61.

 

Hey guys! Does anybody out there know anything or anybody who can help set up a winged 410 sprint dirt car to run on pavement? John S.

 

Just a guess,maybe try over on the Indiana Open Wheel board?


Maybe Roy C on here would have some ideas,too.

 

Hi guys , thanks for all the info and banter on "The Other " Frank Curtis as the poor fellow was always referred to as.
The car I have is the '67 car and it came from Rich Hadley in Lansing Michigan .I was very kindly put on to it by fellow poster "Blackie Suede" who sent me his phone number after I had seen a Halibrand poking out in one corner of a picture he posted here.
If anyone is interested , PM me as Rich is getting on and has 18 cars ,many of which he will sell.
Carroll(Blackie Suede" got a fine midget from him and my mate Jim also had a Benny Rapp sprinter from him.
The '67 Curtis had a sum total of 670 racing miles in the ownership of Frank , was flagged more often than not and was involved in the Ronnie Duman tragedy after the suspension failed on the Brown car in front of Duman and Bay Darnell.
I will try to post a photo of it.
Once again ,many thanks Greg

 

You might want to call your chassis builder and see what they recomend. But the basics of running asphalt are a low C/G, left side weight and a low and consistant roll center. Drop the car as much as you can, lower the motor in the chassis, if you can, swap the jacobs ladder to the left side or use a panhard bar. There's a bunch more you can do but I guess it all really depends on how $erious you want to get.