I love Lepus' Thimbledrome, great workmanship. Here's a custom Thimbledrome I acquired a while back. Like Lepus, whoever built this car did a wonderful job. It's had the headrest removed, custom grille, front end, rear nerf bar, dash etc. Powered by a Fox 15. Mick
Only the left rear wheel is powered. The pictures don't do the car justice. I just wish I knew who built it so I could give them credit. It's really a neat little car. Mick
Congratulations! Did you take any photos of the meet or where you too busy racing. I would really like to get to one of the races. Mick
I started work on my frog. the first photo is the setup to mill the top surfaces of the bosses that the motor and axle mount will bolt to. Sometimes it takes an hour to set up a job that takes 3 minutes to cut measuring the mounting hole locations on the granite table The gage pin under the front of the car is there because the front is .08" narrower than the back. Also,an O&R sprite car I got at Hershey last week.
Not what I had hoped, but not an utter failure either. In a practice run the week before the race, it hit 100 mph. I wasn't present for that run. At the actual race, the first run was a failure, as the engine cut out just as it was gaining speed. The second run, the car would not accelerate past about 35 mph for what seemed like 6 or 8 laps. I wanted an official time sheet, so I went ahead and started the lap timer. You get 8 timed laps. After hitting the timer, the car began accelerating and achieved about 75 mph before the 8 laps ran out. I found out afterwards that the during the test run, the fuel cutoff didn't work and so the motor may have overheated and might need a rebuild. If I do it again, I'll be better prepared with all tools and parts needed to rebuild the engine at the race. It was a learning experience.
I am slowly getting work done on the Frog. The engine/axle mount is almost done. I got the bearings on Ebay from 2 different surplus dealers to save a little money. next I'll turn retaining ring grooves in the bearing holes, and then hone them to a nice snug fit. I made a new finned crank case cover for the engine to replace the original one that holds the small gas tank, since I will make a large tank for the car.
I've expanded my collection to include representation from the UK. I'm happy to have a M&E Wasp, straight out of London. I put a wanted ad in OnTheWire and a sympathetic gentleman offered to sell me the car seen below. It was complete, with the exception of the left front wheel. Fortunately, the owner happens to be a tool and die maker and he replicated a new wheel for it. I received it with some work needing to be done. The original seat back was there, but I had to make a matching seat bottom. The original color was red, as can be seen in the pictures, so I painted it a matching shade. Originally there would have been some spring clips to secure the hood, but these were long gone so I used a bit of leather strap. I wanted the original M&E decal, which had been stripped along with the paint by a past owner, so I found a company online that does custom waterslide decals. I think it came out pretty good!
Your M&E turned out great. Did you receive my e-mail a while back in reference to your Speed Chief? Mick
I've had this Dooling Mercury RWD for several years. Custom cast nose piece and professionally painted and lettered, it was in need of some spectacular wheels to match the quality of the paint job. I had Chris Garcia build a set of spoked wheels for me last year and I finally got them painted and installed before taking this car to the Sabbatini Collecto this year. The third pic is from the dinner show-and-tell the night before the collecto. You may notice I also brought the car in my profile pic.
An update on the Frog. The engine mount is done. I got a roll of .071 diameter music wire,and made springs for the front suspension. There is an extra spring, and the bending jig in the car. I got the hardened gears from Stock Drive Products. ($208) Next will be a curved exhaust pipe, to go out the opening in the bottom, a gas tank, a flywheel, and a plate to mount the batteries and coil.
I went to the big tether car, boat, and plane, real car, model engine, and hit or miss engine auction in Frederick, MD, last weekend. I didn't buy much (sticker shock). This was all owned by one guy.
Some more. The first photo is the actual engine that Bill Brown (of Brown Jr. engines) built in high school. I think it went for about $4,000. The last 2 cars were my favorites at the auction.
My small haul: a Brown Jr. engine, for when I make a 30s prototype style car, a Super Cyclone, a Hornet, a cut-away display Ohlson and Rice, 3 trophies, and a photo
Rick, sorry I don't remember, but the 1899 DeDion Bouton trike went for $137,000 plus 12% commission.
I finished the exhaust for the Frog. I machined the base from a scrap of stainless, and the sides are .025 stainless sheet. I made a mock-up with paper first, then cut the sheet on the waterjet, then curved the wider pieces over some round stock, and shaped the compound curves in the side pieces by hand to start, then with pliers. Then I cut the sides to thier final shapes, and a friend I work with tig welded it for me. It has an ess curve in it because the engine is off center in the car. I did the half-assed engine turning with a piece of round Cratex held in a drill press, and eye balling where to press the exhaust against it. Not much of it shows when it's in the car, so it's fine. I've started making dies to make the hubcaps ( I guess that's what they might be called). Mine are scraped and dented.
I made the dies for the hubcaps for the Frog. they are made of Vascomax 300 maraging steel. I need to get them hardened, then i will cut out disks of .025 thick stainless, and see how they work. If it works, I"ll probably make sets to sell. I'm also waiting for a Real McCoy mite car that I just bought at auction.
I made some more parts for the Frog. I made them to fit the mounting holes that are already in the body of the car. The gas tank is milled out of brass, with .03 thick walls and a small shoulder at the top that the lid will be silver soldered into. I'll drill holes for the supply line, and the filler tubes, and solder it all at once. I bought a small hardware cabinet at a yard sale that has some bearings that will come in handy for future projects, and 5 old electric switches, 2 of which work. They have a short lever with a knob on the end that catches the upright wire just right. The last photo is my new Real McCoy. If anyone knows where I can buy some new tires for it, please let me know. I plan on cleaning it up and running it.
The Jalopy Journal
