Projects The Levee Leveler (A Single Seat Racer Circa 1934)

Great find! (I'm always looking for 'shapes', too; saves a LOT of hammering)

Good things about that one is:
1) You're going to leave the lower edge flat, to sit on a flat perimeter at the rail tops.
2) You can use it either way, (upside down would give you that 'Miller round-top' shape, so you have an excellent twofold choice)

Jeffrey's right...We're all excited with the project!
How long I planned on this very thing...
Then, as your posts increased, so many guys came forward that had been building early 'Sprints' and 'Big Cars' that I had a vision:
A whole 'field' of new racing cars: probably 33 in all. (Indy 2016?)

 

Ha! I love it! Get with the buildin'!!

 

That was a sign from the hot rod gods

 

Cactus your a very talented man...enjoyed looking through your thread. Whoever and that may be you...does the drawings is equally as gifted. Hey you should do a pic when you get done just like that ebay racer photo, age it a little but just try to look a little happier (maybe thats the race look dunno) and I'm sure you will be. Thanks for sharing. Your place had me thinking 'Green Acres' complete with the tune...Great stuff. Your car will be quite a bit more polished than this but I thought you might like it. Just a net hit and a cool one at that.

 

Well guys I went to take spy photos for you all today but wouldn't you know it he's got some sorta sonic vibration device that disabled every one of my cameras! Even the one hidden in my lapel pin that reads "I need a piecation"

Anyhow I can with firm authority say it is not as it seems in this post.

It is much cooler can't wait to see it take a rip down the levee!

 

WOWW oh WOW what a beauty... love it to death

 

So Cactus lever operated brake...man that sounds like one step up from the wagon transition. Is that typical vintage racing style or you just find foot pedals boring or is it room related?

 

I know right?! I hope I can make it work!

Ha! Those are my doodles. Thank you for the kind words on the project. And thanks for that pic! That thing is great and I love that by the looks of the tires it gets used!

Thanks Tim. Great seeing you and Sarah today. I wish the shop was heated so she was a little more comfortable, ha!

Yes from what I have gathered, the racers of this era only had a hand lever brake and it was only used at the end of the race. The rest of the time you are WFO baby!!!
I don't plan on this as being a street driven car so I want to try and make it as true to the era as I can. It should be a hand(s)ful to drive!

 

no doubt you will geter done . again , fun project !

 

Man! This lakester resembles the famous Stu Hilborn car! Just so tasty, for being so functional...grille could be replaced with one of ovalled mesh, but sooo cool!

 

one thing about building a "one off" race car is that there are no wrongs as you are the builder !

 

Mike there might have been one more view of that one. If I locate it again I will post it here as Cactus liked it too. I thought the rad/grill shell looked quite a bit like the one he is using.

 

This is so true! All of the cars I've looked at while similar, are all very unique in their approach. I love it! It was too early for there to be a formula per say.

Yes, please post them if you find them! I tried to search for it but came up empty!

 

Hi Guys Found it... No info on it just more pics. But remember this is The HAMB...Someone may chime in.

http://justacarguy.blogspot.ca/2011/05/el-mirage-attracts-some-cool-unusual.html



and a couple more (one literally)






pretty classy era.

 

I have a couple Allis Chalmers tractor Radiator grill shells if any one needs it for a speedster. Don in Indiana

 

Enjoying following the build - In my minds eye I can see that grille shell narrowed slightly and upside down.

Mart.

 

Like this image... the sporty rod is lower than the race car! Time will tell, eh? Gary

 

Love to find out what that low roadster is. I see parallel front springs and a starting crank. Anyone know?

 

Thanks for the pics! Man o man my other love is British sporty car's and that little roadster is the cat's P.J.s!

Thanks Mart! Yes, I can see it working? We shall see!

It's great isn't it?! Has the feel of an MG but the grille is wrong? I'm going to to have to do a little looking around for that one.

 

Crazy, too, that the sporty job looks to have larger diameter tires and still sits lower! Gary

 

Initially I thought Fraser Nash, but on reflection I think possibly HRG.

 

What is HRG? Explain?

 

English Sports Car 1935-1966... only about 250 made, very expensive but fast and reliable. There was one in NZ belonged to a guy I knew, since passed away and now owned by his son..
Three engineers who had worked at Fraser Nash , H R Godfrey , E A Halford and G H Robins, formed a company to build the best sports cars possible, used the name 'HRG' , from the first letters of each of their surnames.

The aim was to build a lightweight vintage-style sporting car endowed with the virtues of brisk acceleration and positive steering, and in this they succeeded brilliantly. With its sturdy yet flexible ladder-type frame, tubular front axle, ash-framed alloy coachwork and 1½-litre Meadows engine, the little HRG proved an instant success in competitions. The Meadows 4ED's 58bhp combined with an overall weight of less than 1,600lbs (approximately 727kgs) meant that 50mph came up in under 10 seconds with 85mph exceedable under favourable conditions, an excellent performance for a 1½-litre car of the period.

Known to owners and enthusiasts as 'Hurgs', HRGs embodied the principal virtues of the ideal sports car, being amenable to daily use yet capable of showing a decent turn of speed in weekend competitions: the 'Holy Grail' of the gentleman driver.
Sounds a lot like a hot rod to me!...not completely but in an English sort of way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HRG_Engineering_Company

 

Wow!!! A Designer ... Fabricator... Builder... Dirt Track Driver.. The Whole Package.. Great Build Don't get any better than this!! super Job ! Thanks for posting..

 

I don't thing HRG or Frazer Nash the front axle on both of those is way out front.

 

Oops forgot a pic of the HRG

 

Totally impressed with the thought and workmanship, I have a 6" narrowed front half of 27 tub in the garage that's calling my name even louder than before

 

Yes I agree , it is not the early Fraser Nash or HRG, the windscreen and the cut away doors also don't agree with that. I was looking more at the larger headlights and grill shape. I think it is a much more modern car than 1935, the pic may be staged, in which case it could be anything. The back of the body appears to be rounded , not angular as MGs and a lot of the early British cars were, however by the 40s were round shapes both ends.
I thought of at Aston Martin, Singer, Triumph ,SS , even Alfa Romeo and looked at a bunch of old pics but cannot see anything with that screen , fender and grille shape combined. Many English cars also had small lights on the wings/mudguards ( fenders) .
Maybe the OP can tell us more , like where it came from and if there was a caption???

 

I googled the pic and it was used in The Old Motor and is referred to as the Murphy roadster.
http://theoldmotor.com/?p=15506
Trying to end the sidetrack.

Mart.