Features Modifieds only!!

I am glad Dick Spadaro was willing to give out info like that, he was a great guy. I am hoping you will pass on that info to those of us who want to do the same thing. Thanks, Jim Ford

 

Are those spring hangers clamp on?

 

Modifieds? Modifieds? Any new modifieds?

 

Working on mocking up a steering box in mine. Nothing exciting though.

 

I'm running brake lines and getting the suspension pieces metal finished to send for chrome plating.

 

Looks like what the early torsion bar setups on sprint cars called bird cages. Swivels on the axle to let the rear end move freely in a corner when the car leans. In this case, I'm thinking it's to keep the spring from twisting, but with such a small amount of suspension travel it's likely more for appearance. Does look cool.

 

Nice job on the Chassis oj, looks great and well thought out. Did the painter neglect to paint inside the cross member holes, or is that an illusion? Is that roll bar gonna cover yer noggin? You must be sitting really low.

 

Chassis looks great!

 

We're interested in the early "Lakes Modifieds"...not the late model race cars.
They're cool, but not really inside the timeline this traditional Hot Rod site.

 

Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate it. Yes the painter got inside all the holes and sleeves etc, just some places better than others. I expect it is hard to spray in there.
No the rollbar is below the noggin, kinda like back in the early days. Even still you sit very low. The seat pockets are in contact with those 1" tubes, you sit on a cushion below the top of the frame rail and able to look thru the chopped windshield.

 

Mock-up " The Spare Parts Special" winter project built with junk- note "Recycle" sticker on cowl. Sold and being built into a REAL car!

 

Made a little progress.
Still lots of work to do

 

Here's my 29 mocked up. I just listed it in the classifieds if anyone is interested.

 

Mine , you can see it here
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-29-a-modified.629304/

 

Cool

Jim

 

Probably posted already, but these two from decades apart, are still really cool.

 

Anyone know what frame Blackie used.....and what the wheelbase is?

Or any other info on it.

 

1934 Ford frame, there are a couple articles in early little pages. I will scan and post them later.

 

Thanks, that would be great!

 

One more pic.

 

@a boner Sorry for the delay, I had to find the mags again after I packed them away.
Shish-Kebab Special

R&C May '54


Car Craft Sept '54

 

Thanks! Those old magazines are the best. Guess things were a little wild back in the day.....getting T- boned in the pits at the dry lakes! Cool hot rod, cool story.

 

I guess modifieds are just in my blood I can't seem to warm up to anything else, so I'm cruising the craigslist ads last week and can't find anything so for kicks I search the "R" word and hit states I don't usually do and this pops up, I make an offer and here I go again. Before and after but still a ways to go.

 

From TROG 2016

 

How about a track T?

 

getting closer.

 

Jim, from Lions Hot Rods

 

At Bonneville 2003

 

Wow, I done good today. I've started gathering parts for a modified for the past few months. Bought a Frankland Champ Q/C middle of the summer at an auction for 185 bucks. Has the big Ford truck axle tubes with a wide five aluminum hub and drum brake on one side. Other side is just the bell and tube. Has a differential in it, that's good news. I saw on the Quick change thread that Bruce is getting ready to have some side bell adapters cast to mount early Ford passenger axle housings (trumpets) to Champ housings. Trouble is, he needs the money up front before he has them cast and I've just paid 10,000 bucks in property taxes, so my funding is pretty tight right now and I just can't come up with the dough. This morning I stopped by the shop of one of our local sprint car racers to do a bit of bench racing. I mentioned what I was doing and what I needed and he said "C'mon, follow me." We went down in his basement and he dug around in the shelves a bit. Then he pulled out a Halibrand Champ center housing with side bells for 6 bolt small flange axle tubes.

He said, "Will this antique junk do what you want?" It had the flanges cast on for the early V-8 axle housings and only needs the holes tapped for studs.

I said, "Hell Yes, that's just what I need."

Then he said, "What you got for a steering box?"

My answer was "Nothing yet."

So he dug around a bit more and said, "How about this old manual Schroeder box?"

I said, "Oh man, yeah."

He said, "Well, get this old junk outta here before I decide to charge you a box of beer for it."

I'll tell you what, I had it loaded in my pickup before he could get turned around and turn out the lights, ha,ha.


I headed straight for the beer store and got him a suitcase even though he wasn't asking for it. Boy, it pays to have friends, huh?

Then while we drank a couple of them we did a bit of brainstorming on the West Coast Modified he's rebuilding in his spare time for a grudge race with his son the sprint driver. He bet his son a hundred bucks that if the wing was taken off his modern sprint car he could keep ahead of him for 5 laps in the old Modified.

As I recall he said it was a 73 Nance chassis.

 

Nice score and yes, it does pay to have friends.