60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

Welcome JBULL

Looking foward to seeing the pic's you have collected....

Nothing like the "GOODOLEDAYS

 

welcome aboard, yeah this thread picks up steam from time to time, none of us want to it end! lol

 

Can anyone identify the year and make of this shell, I would like to use it for a modified project.

 

1940 Chevrolet Coupe.

 

Love the Freeport days. My dad worked on the Art Tappen crew from the late 70s-early thru the early 80s. Art build some of the nicest stuff around. Wondering if anybody had a picture the the "Flaming 14" modified from around 1979 or so at Islip. When I was a kid I sold programs and seat backs at the Freeport track, I have a couple of Freeport programs that I will try to get on soon. I did my hotrod with side pipes and short stack air cleaner to look like the old cars from the day! just re livin my youth! L I V I N

 

Thanks, soon to be seen on a (new) vintage modified near you.

 

Welcome JBull,

Nice to have another Islander on the thread. Get some of that stuff posted, we all need our nostalgic fix.

Bruce

 

chevsotolac or stan of stans-stainless writes to say that he believes that this Gremlin bodied car (from Ken Brenn's annual show in Warren, NJ this past September) originally ran the Reading (PA) Fairgrounds Speedway and that it was built by Kenny Weld.

It has also been shown at the Reading reunion show.

What I can make out in my pictures is .. WIECHECKI SPECIAL .. Driven by what seems to be BOBBY BRANTON and on the C pillar ??something?? POWER maybe?

 

Hey JBull

WELCOME !!!!!

Your mention of the various photographers makes me think to ask .. does anyone know what happened to the late Paul Okrent's (Huntington, NY) collection of both midget & stock car photo's? .. Paul at one time worked for ANSCO film and had the first color photo's of race cars that I remember seeing.

When color film, color processing & color printing was still super expensive .. he was able to get all free through ANSCO.

It also reminds me to go back and address a previous posting here about the Jarzombek coupe.

Again WELCOME !!!

 

The 1940 - '41 & '48 Chevy coupe bodies were pretty much the same.

I've included a picture of a 1940 Chevy Special Deluxe Coupe here.

BTW .. NICE FIND!!!

 

Car was owned by Frank Wiechecki and driven by Bobby Braxton, long time Reading regular and feature winner. The car was purchased from Walt Olsen who purchased all the molds and plans of the car from Kenny Weld. Among the approx 6 or 7 cars that Weld built from the original plans, they were sold to Statewide racing (one for Brightbill, and at least one for Horton), one for Olsen, one for Alan Johnson's (#14 New York) use, one for Weld, one that I beleive was the MK Foreign car parts yellow #11. There was also a car called the Sidewinder, very offset that Weld drove as well. Cagle eventually obtained one of the Weld design cars, as well as New Yorks Gary Ilug #56 and Delaware's Harold Bunting #19.

These Weld cars and the Grant King cars were the beginning of the end for those who would build as opposed to buy a dirt modified. In 1980 the Gary Balough / Weld / King Batmobile at Syracuse was the official end of dirt modifids as we knew them and the introduction of the Troyer Mud Buss that winter was proof that modified racing had just stopped as a hobby.

 

Written on the C pillar was "POLISH POWER", something that was on all Franks cars.

 

Ernie Gahan

 

great picture of ernie........remember him well. one of my favorite memorys is ernie`s #50 parked at longy`s garage on rantoul st in beverly ma. i used to pass there every day on my way to work down the street. at times the cars of freddie schultz and leo cleary were also parked in front of the garage right on the street.......

 

JBull, I'm the guy that collects program covers. Thanx...

 

IDK how many of you see my posts on the regular forum but we still run hardtops out here in Calimexico on a semi regular basis. I will get the thread I had going and post it. Next year I will just incorporate the posts into one thread instead of multiple threads.-Weeks

Video of a race earlier this year.
http://golivestream.com/Player.aspx?VID=696

The thread I started.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=414893

 

I found these on a file

 

I somewhat disagree with the Weld and King cars starting a trend to home built cars.

It happened well before that. Probably in the late 60's and early 70's. That's when Tobias introduced his store built 2"x 4" chassis. You could also buy them in an unassembled kit. Profile introduced a similar product shortly after Tobias. Then numerous chassis builders appeared on the scene. Show Car, Harraka, Schwining, etc..

I even pumped out a few chassis for some local guys.

In 1973 NASCAR changed their rules and started to allow 2"x 3" and 2"x 4" fabricated tube chassis. Up until that time, is was mandated that a OE manufactured car frame be used. I remember that because Fonda Speedway had a NASCAR scantion at that time and the car I was building was outdated by the rule change before it was done. I built off a '53 Chevy frame. My next car was 2"x 4".

What the Weld and King cars did was effectively raise the bar higher, both technically and cost wise. I remember in 1976 going to Syracuse in a half-assed attempt to make the show. Balough in the King built #73 shows up and it was "Like WOW". They had more invested in the cylinder heads and injection system than I had in my car, truck, trailer and spare parts.

That sent the signal to me that the era of a backyard racing operation, like mine, was coming to a close. 1977 was my last year to race, and then just a few times, as I had moved to South Carolina during the winter.

1975 & '76, even without sponsorship, I made a small profit racing. I paid the house mortgage, other household bills and had money left over. I finished 6th or 7th in that '76 Syracuse non-qualifiers race. They took the top 3. Not so bad, considering they started 53 cars in the 100 outa' the 125+ cars that were trying to get in the show.

My exit from racing to getting a "real" job was triggered by the entry of those $high-buck$ race teams that were spending money like a drunken sailor. The party was over!!!

So, that's the reason why I only somewhat agree with what you said. Big money that went to high dollar car builders like Weld and King changed the face of racing. The "affordable" commercially built chassis didn't do it, as a matter of fact, they opened the door for more folks to race that didn't have a fully equipped fab shop.

That's my first-hand account of what happened.

 

Fred DeSarro

 

...and I'm not a big fan of drag racing...but there's something about this H.A.M.B. thread (http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=233012) that I find interesting.Is it just me? If you have some time to spend, check it out...

 

I found it very interesting.

 

I would also say that I found alot of interest in that thread. Some how it was able to bridge the gap between oval track and drag racing, something I thought could never be accomplished.

 

Muffy/EEZI: Thanks for those pics!! Muffy: I love to see pics of guys who were never "stars", but loved racing, and we loved them. My brother has raced for many years, and never won a race. But he loves it, is under funded, and wicked independent. We need those guys on our local tracks!! Hope all are enjoying the Holidays!! Neal

 

One of the things which was bantered around while I was at IRP was the "crossover" or lack thereof between drag racing and oval racing fans. I noticed that a lot of fans were there for events on both sides of the hill.

Finally, one night we got Snake's team to bring their Top Fuel car to a sprint car race, and we displayed it behind the old tower. The response was absolutely amazing. The crew members with the car told me they were very impressed with how much these "oval" fans already knew about drag racing. As far as I was concerned, that proved that race fans are race fans.

 

Good points.

Maybe our difference of opinion in the terminology.

My definition of build includes buying a bare chassis from Tobias, Kreitz, etc. and doing everying else as opposed to buying a car race ready less engine which was introduced by Weld, then King, then Burnett,Profile, etc.

I consider Buy as it is today, as you buy the complete car minus engine and trans or also minus body and buy a body. All components for a Bicknell, teo, Troyer are basically the same. This was the case when you bought a Weld or King car. The King was $13,500 less engine and trans.

Granted owners spent more on everything in the late 70's, but at least a working man could build a car that could qualify and have some fun with! But the successful builders became buyers! Statewide, the 73 cars, Balough, etc.


As a computer programmer by trade in those days my cars also made a profit as I did not have any deposable income at all.

To justify my experience only:

As a car owner from 1971 through 1979 I purchased my first Tobias frame welded up from Toby for $500.00 in 1971. No mounting brackets, etc. Just the bare frame. Toby did not sell rollers, never any sheetmetal. That car is my Avatar. We bought a 1939 cadillac coupe body for $40.00, used leaf springs in the rear, trailer bars for the front suspension, and drum brakes. Bought my second Tobias chassis in 1974 as well as later two Harraka chassis and did the same thing. None of my cars complete with engine, etc. cost any where near $13,500.

The Harraka was considered a King copy and that car finished 20th at Syracuse in 1978 and 11th on the lead lap in 1979 when we were the Nazareth guranteed starter. THE CAR HAD DRUM BRAKES AND WAS BUILT FOR $9,000.00. Just as proof that it was competitive in 1979 we were 7th in Nazareth points, The driver was rookie of the year, we were top 5 in the short Reading fairgrounds season, and finished ninth in that years Tri Track point standings.

Also in 1979 we timed 32nd out of over 200 cars as well as in the top 30 in time in 1978 at Syracuse.

And there were still many many homebuilt cars ( Brightbill, Kozak, Coville, etc.) that were much more competitive than we were.

Except for Syracuse, back then motors were mostly not the main issue, as with that days suspenison you always had more motor than what you could get to the ground. Our motors were stock 467's with some head work and a cam. Todays three and 4 link set ups demand alot of power!


My final point is in the Late 70'S Profile, Burnett, Troyer, and many more started to sell rollers that eventually bacame the norm, and by the mid 80's all had the added sheet metal, torsion, offsets, etc. Much more expensive than just the bare frame, and you were locked into components, rods, etc. that fit that particular chassis.

In closing we probably passed each other in the pits at Syracuse, maybe even talked. In 1976 we blew the motor in timing and spent the next two days in the pits trying to rebuid it, to no avail!

In any event they were the best days I ever had. I could never afford to race today, and with the lack of fans, atmosphere and cars today down here in Florida I don't think I would want to even if I could. Vintage racing is much more fun!

 

Can any of you Long Islanders provide any information on the drivers pictured with the triple nickel car that I have posted on page 182. Any information is greatly appreciated. I doubt anyone would have any info on this coach.

Thanks, Barry

 

Pretty good resume!!!!! You spent more time at it than I did and were more successful.

Yeah, I agree, it's a terminology thing. Back then my idea of "build" was starting with a bare frame or uncut 20' long pieces of tubing. A '47 Ford front axle, Q/C, drum brakes, Chrysler rear springs rearched on an anvil, a Saginaw steering box and a stick welder.

I had a blueprint for a Tobias chassis, and used that and what I saw on other cars and drew my own. I still have the plans. John56H, who started this thread a long time ago, took my old hand drawn plans and ran them through a computer program. They came out looking Hi-Tech . I also still have what he did for me.

I agree, those were the good times.