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

I did look up the pics on pg 109. Thanks.

On my replica Ford powered champ car I'm using a C4 auto trans. I'd like to come up with a locking torque converter so I can "lock it" in one of the lower gears and simulate the effect of running the in/out/UD boxes, while still keeping it drivable sans a push-off truck.

 

Did any of these cars have driveshaft guard tunnels? Were driveline failures rare?

 

The tail piece casting of the in/out boxes was set up to accept the Ford torque tube, no guard needed.

 

Did they shorten the torque tube? Isn't it tapered? Did the rear end drive the car through the I/O box?

 

My V8-60 had the Ambler Box and the torque tube actually did not locate the rear axle, the rear cross spring in conjunction with the radius rods did that. The torque tube was not only shortened but made to telescope with the front half sliding over the rear half so you could attempt to change gears as described on the page 109 referenced above.

Not sure I understand your last question but with both style boxes the power went from the front input shaft to the output shaft which was never on the same axis except with the Ambler style internal ring gear box when running the1:1 blocker gear.

 

This is very informative, thanks. I realized that the output shaft would be on a lower axis than the crankshaft but hadn't considered the 1:1 scenario. I assume your V8-60 had rather tall 16" tires? What differential gear ratio did you run?

 

This is what the shortened Ford Torque Tube looks like!

 

All early midgets ran on 12” tires, 13” came on around 1950 give or take, and continues to this day.

The ring and pinion were a 4.11 to one.

 

1965 I believe. Colby Scroggin with trophy girl and his team, Jay (my Dad), Ed and Bobby (my uncle). The white jackets were borrowed for the picture. Blair's Speed Shop car running a little DeSoto Hemi.

 

A newspaper article from early 1963 thinks the Pendleton Builders Spl. was a Pfrommer car. The owner was Ben Moskal and he changed the Offy engine to Chevy.

 

Hi, I was just given my Grandfathers family photo album from many years in storage. In it I found a photo marked George 1937 Indianapolis Indiana. Has anyone have an idea who this might be?? Thanks.

 

See it a bit better

 

Thank you! Computer not my forte. Found three names associated with the first name George for 1937 Indy roster. 2 entrants and one relief driver. Possibly someone recognizes his face!

 

Nice photo, based on the size of the car and that bolt on wheel on the car behind it, it isn't at the Brickyard, maybe a Sprint Car track in town. Bob

 

Thanks I agree. Looking at cars entered in 1937 this sprinter was outclassed for sure so assume a track near Indy. Saw the other cars hub cap so assumed as you did. Do not know what other dirt tracks were close to Indy in 1937. My book on American speedways show few tracks in Indy per say. I have 2 shopping bags of photos from that time period to look over. Some have names so might get lucky matching up face to this one. My 90 year old uncle just died this week and I was going to sit down with him to ask about these photos as soon as he was able to come home out of nursing facility! He was the only family member on this side left. I was given the photos just last week and my uncle passed a few days later!! Thanks to all on the help.

 

Sorry for the loss of your Uncle, post some more photos, we'll try to ID the cars and maybe the drivers. Bob

 

Thank you. Getting back to normal! I will dig thru more photos and separate race cars from the family photos next week. Chasing a lead on who "George" was by a family member. Slim but will investigate. I did see a photo of a George Barringer. He looks close to the George in the photo but!!!

 

O.K. Sat down and found more photos. Combination of sprint cars and midgets. Soo do I post them all on vintage sprint car site or split them between vintage midget thread and sprint car thread? Do not want to piss off folks!! 42 Photos. Some very evident sprinters other shots difficult to determine for me. Somebody like race cars!! Please let me know, Thanks.

 

I for one would vote to post the collection en masse on either or both sites. You can always post the caveat that not all cars are necessarily relevant to each site.

 

O.K. Do not want to violate rules. I will wait to hear back from majority or moderator? Again not trying to offend!!

 

O.K. Here we go. Picking most obvious photos of sprinters first! If I goof up no problem correcting me!! Please be patient as I will post three photos at a time but glad to share with forum. Have to keep track of photos and any info on them.Enjoy. Hope to get info on these,thanks.

 

If you would could you select the button that says FULL IMAGE, and use the post ALL images NOT the one that says thumbnail. The photos come large size and the readers don't have to click to blow them up.

 

Hope I did this correctly. If not correct I will resend photos. Thanks.

 

Those are easy enough: 1) is Lou Meyer in his own Meyer/Miller, the 1936 Speedway winner. Picture could be from Indianapolis, but I think it's more likely from Roby June 7, where he ran in a match race against Babe Stapp (Pirrung/Offenhauser), two-out-of-three, Meyer won both 5-mile heats.

2) is Doc MacKenzie in the Petillo/Offenhauser at Indy in '36; that's Kelly Petillo with the tie standing next to the car. Partially visible are the #38 Marks/Miller with George Connor up, and the #42 Duray/Miller of Cliff Bergere.

3) is a later picture, could be Indiana State Fairgrounds September 14, 1941 - Mauri Rose in the 1939 Moore/Offenhauser. I think that's Lou Moore at the front of the car.

All three cars were Indy 500 winners (1935, '36 and '41).

 

George Barringer was from Texas, and his dirt track racing days were pretty much over by 1937, although he did race the Judson/Miller at Roby in 1936. Sadly, you can't see much of the car so it's difficult to ID.

George Bauer and George Hildebrand were two Chicago area drivers who raced in Indiana during 1937. Don't know how they looked, though.

 

O.K. Great. You are fantastic at this. I will write data on photos and post 3 more. As far as the Georges I will jot the names down for record keeping at this point. Still working on why my Grandfather would have these. He did travel to Chicago back then buying livestock and shipping them home here so possibly he met racing people there!

 

Hi, Here are three more. 1st photo is clear. Second and third photos assume taken at the same time as there is a mark on the back of the last 2

 

#24 is Duke Nalon in the Strupp/Miller, a very famous car from New Jersey (Johnny Hannon won the 1934 Eastern title in it) - it had a marine Miller engine, not the 16-valve Offy precursor. The Duke ran the car for a few weeks after Indy in 1937, I have him 3rd at Union/NJ (Jun 6), 4th at Mineola/NY (Jun 12), 7th at Langhorne/PA (Jun 19), 7th again at Ho-Ho-Kus/NJ (Jun 20), and not qualifying for the main at both Union (Jun 24) and Ho-Ho-Kus (Jul 4) after which he was fired and Tommy Hinnershitz took over for 3rd at Altamont/NY (July 5). Built in 1933, the car was getting a little long in the tooth, but it still had a few good years in it with drivers like Roy Lake, Walt Brown and Henry Guerand before the Zarka brothers of Pennsylvania bought it in 1939.

The other two pictures are post-WW2, and yes, likely from the same event. It looks like Langhorne Speedway to me, which would make it June 22 in 1947. I recognize a few cars: #44 is the "Tucker Partner Special" of Joe Lencki from Chicago - actually the 1938 Lyons/Miller, now with an Offy engine by the looks of it (Lencki had two cars, and also his own 6-cylinder engine which he often switched from one car to the other). Directly ahead #41 is the 1940 Schoof/Offenhauser from Milwaukee. #14 is the 1946 Walsh/Offenhauser from Missouri, a car which still had some of the "DNA" of a 1932 4wd Miller in it, but by now was a pretty ordinary 2wd ladder-frame dirt car. The car ahead of it in the half shadow may be the 1936 Shaw/Offenhauser, but the pic's a bit too dark to be sure.

In the other picture, #34 is the "Tattersfield Special", which started out as a 1935 Grand Prix Alfa Romeo! By this time, both engine and chassis/bodywork had been modified right out of recognition. In front of it, slightly to the left (no number visible) is the 1947 Horn/Offenhauser, Ted Horn's championship ride that year - another car with a famous "DNA", leading back to Ascot Speedway in 1932 and Wilbur Shaw. And yet another one with "DNA", #37 is the 1938 Brisko (now fitted with an Offy engine, I think) which incorporated many parts of the 1932 Sparks-Weirick/Miller, the famous "Catfish".

 

Bigger, brighter

 

Wow O.K. Guys. Will mark down details and attach the info to the photos. Been super busy but will post new photos hopefully tomorrow night. Again thanks for all the help. Much indebted to you all!!