History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Don't know whose car this is, but it's perfect. Body line follows the engine dump, cowl so low, it has to be a legs under car. Love it!

 

Looks familiar...let me know if its a repost and I'll kill it.

 

Dean, it is a bit short in the back (axle to shoulder hoop) to be a legs under, and the height of the butterfly indicates that the cowl must have been fairly high at least at the rear where the driver's knees would be. As you note the flow of the package is killer.

Roo

 

I never heard of a "legs under" car until the last few days. It seems to me that the driver would have to be even further back to get his legs under the axle. Must've been a chore to get in or out, especially in a hurry. Would love to see a picture with the body off to see that.

 

Is that you Don?

Roo

 

They were hard to get in and out of...some blame Denny Milani's death at Half Moon Bay to the "legs under" design, apparently because the rear end in the Gotelli car bent up and crushed him because his legs were not holding it down. But the reasons for dragster fatalities are complicated, and rarely is one thing like design responsible for the death. I imagine that the builders on this thread, including Roo, would know better than me.

 

Here is a shot of the legs under Freight Train to show how far back the driver was. In this case the car also had a quick change rear end with a live axle so putting the driver back was about the only way to package the deal. In a conventional layout the driver's "male equipment" would have been right up against the quickie and even then it would have been hard to get his legs over the axle to the pedals.

Also with the motors so far back there was not much room between the can and the rear end for a conventional pedal deal.


Roo

 

Seeing the "Moss Automotive" streamliner, reminded me of my old friend Ron Gorans car from 1960. Ron was from Longview, Wa. his was Olds powered.

 

I am pretty sure this car was a "legs under" RCS Chassis. The driver is Jim Barnard, some notables in the shot, Ed McCulloch, and the guy working on the injector is Sid Waterman. 1965

 

Thanks Marty, that photo give a better view of the length of the cockpit aft of the rear end and if Jim's arm is resting on his left leg (as it appears) it is definitely a legs under (or the pedals are mounted on top of the rear end).

Roo

 

1549 pages showing why we love drag racing. THANKS.

 

OVER/UNDER.
SIDE NOTE: I WAS THERE THE DAY MILANI WAS KILLED AT HMB. TERRIBLE.
WAS IN THE PIT SIDE STANDS. HE LAUNCHED FOR A TOP SPEED RECORD AND FOR SOME REASON THE CHUTE DIDN'T DEPLOY OR HE WAITED TO LONG TO DEPLOY, HIT THE BINDERS HARD ALL THE WAY OFF THE TRACK. FROM MY VANTAGE POINT THE CAR HIT A DITCH AND LAUNCHED AS HIGH AS A ONE STORY HOUSE'S ROOF TOP.
TRIED TO GET TO THE ACCIDENT SCENE BUT ANDY BRIZIO KEPT THIS YOUNG TEENAGER FROM GETTING THERE . HE WAS SCREAMING AT ME TO GET OUT, THEN I SAW TEARS RUNNING DOWN HIS CHEEK AND THE ANGUISH ON HIS FACE. IT WAS THEN I REALIZED THE ACCIDENT DIDN'T END WELL.
TOM

 

Rain for Rent

 

Yes it is...

 

Holy crap...

 

Goin' rounds in B/A, 1965