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

Big cars on the 1/2 mile; W/G 1956-1958.

#73 Andy Linden
#81 Geo. Amick
#86 Buzz Barton
#26 Don Freeland #44 Eddie Sachs
#29 A.J.
#48 Len Sutton #86 Barton

 

Rootie-
You have outdone yourself again! Thanks much for the pics. To me they are a treasure!
Since i dont get around much anymore, these pics really make my days!
You have got to be a real hard core racing guy!

 

You're welcome, Spike. Yeah, I've been pretty much obssesed with this racing stuff for the last 47 years(yikes! its been that long? ) since about the age of 11.

 

Right you are, this is obviously Rutt in the 98 in 52. Looks as though they expanded the grandstands quite a bit for 52 too.

Correction; this, I believe, is Dayton and not Salem but 1952 none the less.

 

There was also one called Ambler. Not a quick change when at least It wasnt in the car we bought, lots of work to change the gear in the one I am familier with. You had to take loose the rear end and move it back to allow room to change the gear. We later found out the Drive shaft was to long so had it cut back, that allowed for enough room to change the gear without moving the rear end back. but still in a needed quick change it was dam hot stuff there!!
aXe

 

On a car with zero Ackerman the spindle tierod end line would intersect quite a ways behind the rear end centerline if at all? Am I reading that right? It seems then that a dirttrack sprinter or modified alternateing between dirt and asphalt would need two sets of steering arms. Was there a method of adjusting for this like pos 2 sets of tierod holes? OB

 

With zero (anti ackerman) ackerman the tierod attachment is parallel to the C/L and doesn't intersect at all:

 

Thanks Rootie. It sure doesn't take long to get an answer here. Looks like I need a set of arms with a lot more offset than what I have. OB

 

Rootie...

I passed that photo on to the oldtimers' brain trust at daytonspeedwaylives.com, and they came up with a consensus that it was taken at Winchester.

 

I can only speak from my own experiance, but a lot of combo cars (dirt/tar) just use a ackerman setup and some builders use it on dirt only cars. Here's a couple of pics to illustrate, a coil midget (Edmunds it appears) and a dirt sprinter.

 

I'll certainly take their word for it, it looks like the grandstands were all built with the same blueprints back then.

 

Joe Leonard in the #7 Vita Fresh champ car Springfield 1966. Certainly, one of the prettiest champ cars, I'd love to see a color pic of this car again.

Pace lap at Sacto 1960- #56-Tingelstad #42-Weiler #52-Rounds #53-Drollinger #3-Herk #5-A.J.

#55-Tony B. #1-J. Bryan, Phoenix 1955

A.J. strapped in his Traco sprinter, waiting for a push, while 'Gordo' Johncock climbs in the Weinberger car in one of his early USAC rides- Allentown Pa. 1964.

 

Joe Leonard looking as at ease as he did on a KR Harley. From the look of the push truck, AJ must be hopeing his Chevy fires off.

 

Oddly enough, Leonard had very few starts on dirt in the champ cars, was more of a pavement specialist on 4 wheels.

 

Rootie, the guys aren't 100% sure about Winchester, but as you say it looks like Frank Funk built the grandstands from the same or similar blueprints. Here's a photo showing Dayton's grandstand as it appeared in 1953...

 

Between this pic of Salem in 1960 and Swiekert at Dayton it pretty much confirms it as Winchester. Thanks.

 

Actually, "ackerman" geometry is not very common in sprint/midget type stuff and, probably a waste of time. anyway.

The reason is that the asymmetric nature of sprint/midget suspension with regard to offset axles, offset wheels, and the rather vague and variable relationship of kingpins and front & rear axle centerlines makes it somewhat impractical, in real life.

Most sprint/midget cars use some manner of "ackerman" effect by setting the front wheels with a bit of tow out.

 

Spike,
you wanted to see the AJ Shepherd accident, go to this site, click on the midgets/sprints icon. about 30 seconds into the footage, right after Foyt pulls out to qualify at Indy Fairgrounds is Shepherds flip, oh and there are many other good clips in this

http://www.firstturnpro.com/

Lots of good pictures and vids

jn

 

Jim-
That wreck was far worse than it looked in the single shot i saw a long tiome ago! Almost reminds me of the Hugh Randall flip in the Vargo Champ Car at Langhorne! Only big difference is he dont have the height that Randall had.

 

Rootie-
hanks for more great ones; did you take notice of the extra wide left front wheel Bryan was running? And it dont look like a rib either.

 

Spike, here are two stills of some of AJ Shepherd's crash

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...rev=/images?q=A.+J.+Shepherd&gbv=2&hl=en&sa=G

Click on the image under the paragraph on AJ and another will come up.

 

I noticed the r/f on A.Js. car, looks like they borrowed a wheel off that push truck behind him.

BTW- here's another shot of Shepards "header" out of ISF.

(check out those guys 'shittin and gettin' in the back ground)

 

Is that fuel coming out of a punctured tank caused by the top rail of the fence?
PK

 

Yep, I believe it is.

 

Rootie, thanks for bearing with me on that Ruttman photo. And thanks for posting that photo of Salem. Unless I miss my guess, that's the pace lap for the Joe James-Pat O'Connor Memorial in 1960, with Parnelli on the pole and A.J. on the outside of the front row. I think I've previously posted a photo of them coming off the second turn.

 

Rootie, hope you like this. go to Post #3064, pg 154. you will see it in glorius color, Vita Fresh !!!!!! this car was in a museum in Allentown, Pa. last Nov. THe name is "America on Wheels" or "Wheels of America". they had a good representation of midgets, sprints & a replica of a Dean Van Lines roadster. other photo's are shown on the same site. ENJOY mlight9.

 

Racer 5c, got your PM, Will call him. I am curious as to his info. Will advise you. Thanks, mlight9.

 

Number 1 and 5 are National's, and No.2 would probably be Bert Dingley or Louis Disbrow in a 50 hp Pope Hartford

I am going to guess #4 is an Abbott Detroit...#3 will come to me...maybe a Marmon?

 

Seesh! this thread has got so massive, it's hard to remember, much less find, things anymore, Thanks mlight I appreciate it.

 

My wish would have been to find a good ride in a Champ DIRT Car in the middle 50s to late 60s. I did a little stooging for several teams when they raced back East here, but they always had drivers like Linder, Van Johnson; Farmer, etc.
I am gratefull for the knowledge i got just being around guys like that!