60'-70's Vintage Oval Track Modifieds

The # 60 is Fred Harbach @ Martinsville in Jimmy Flowers Troyer Pinto. That car was one of if not the first Troyer car on LI. Fred ran well until the oil pump fell off....should have double checked the torque on that bolt!!!

Jimmy only drove it a few times and I do not remember if Harbach ended up buying.

 

Hi,

I have this modified race car and need an opion or two, three,or.....

Is this frame home built or pro built? The car raced in New Hampshire in 1977 in a sportsman class although it looks to be a modified. take a look!

It also has an x frame welded in. maybe thats it, an xframe! A friend of mine said that this car is a hand me down early modified entered into a Sportsman class because of different tracks have diffeent rules, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

 

awesome story on Harbach in the 60, I didnt know that!

 

Wow I remember Maynard fliping that day at Westboro,Ma. That was in Heat, Wrecked again After we fixed it in consi an Drove Armstorong's #1 in the Main

 

Notice how the rear part of the frame is made by welding 2 u shaped channels together but the front is rectangular tubing ? I suspect the rear part of the frame is some sort of factory frame with a fabricated front clip from a race shop. Very common way to build racecars and still done today. If you bend it you just cut it off at the firewall and weld on a new front clip as an assembly. NH huh ? Who's car was it and where did it race ?

 

I thought we solved that mystery on the last page?

 

My mistake. Didn't realize it was the same car when I read the question about the frame. Guess I got excited when I saw New Hampshire after looking at 200 pages of NY cars...

 

An easy question for most anyone here.
When did NASCAR mandate the 390 Carb and the smallblock?
I kind of lost track of the modified scene for about ten years starting around '85.

I will venture one opinion about the competition and NASCAR's interest. NASCAR doesn't really have any interest in investing into the modified series. I think this is viewed as a cash cow that will continue to bring in revenue with minimal involvement.
As an example, the official NASCAR website hides the link to their regional series page at the very bottom of the home page, and the pages do not display correctly in some browsers.

 

IMO, modifieds will always be the redheaded step-child of the NASCAR family.

NASCAR prefers cars with front fenders, simple as that.

They sanction the one touring series, but more or less ignore them past that.

SPEED does a lot more advertising for the modifieds than NASCAR does.

Maybe it's justified though. The last race I saw from New Hampshire was a great race, but the stands were damned near empty. They were only using two sections on the front straight, on either side of the start/finish line, and those seats weren't all full.

I dunno.

I love to watch them run, like a lot of guys here, but maybe there just aren't that many of us out there.

I know one thing for certain though, when you put them on the mile, they put on one hell of a show.

 

I didn't read where any mystery was solved .

As for the frame in question: It sure looks like a '56 Ford frame from the fabricated front rearward. Those are Ford upper control arms. I'm pretty sure Ford went to stamped steel ones, like a Chevy, in '57.

I think Lincolns also used the same style upper control arm.

If there's a factory X-member, it was probably a convertble frame.

I have a '56 Ford Victoria hardtop in the field and I don't remember there being an X in that 2-door frame.

I know Chevrolet put X-members in their '5-'6-'7 frames and were heavier than hell. The 2nd race car I built used parts from a donor '55 that was built using a convert frame. What a "tank" . I used the 2-dr frame to save weight.

The '56 Ford was "rear steer". It also used bottom control arm links that ran to a round, rust prone, front crossmember. Looks like your custom fabricated front was changed to run rearward. Common practice to get them away from the "crash zone".

 

Bullfather,
Is that color pic of the #36 coupe an old photo or recent? Do you know where raced/who drove, if it's old? Or perhaps it's a newer car made to look old. Either way, it's a great looking car!

 

I believe that Pat Wood was from Putney, VT and that the builder might have been Arnie Dixon from Hinsdale, NH. I owned a Modified built by Dixon in the late 70's that ran with Pat Wood at both Monadnock and Claremont Speedways.

 

First i would like to say "Thanks" to all for all this Great Info and Photos. A little hard to read back and get everyones Past History with these great racecars.
I am Located in Upstate NY, Saratoga Springs. Couple miles from "Albany/Saratoga" Speedway. Also near "Fonda" and "Lebanon Valley".
Was a kid in the Malta Nascar days. Loved traveling to "Stafford" for the early "Sizzlers" and big races.
I am asking for a few of you "Northeast" Mod guys to type a brief history of your involvement in racing. Very interesting stuff . Thanks

 

Not that I'm complaining, but there hasn't been one picture in the last ten posts!
We need more pictures...LOL...here...

 

That is some strange machine you got there. I don't think I ever saw a mod with Drum brakes and a rack and pinion steering. That rear is a classic piece too. I think you could part out the buick brake drums and the rear for a traditional Hot Rod. maybe retrorides by rich would be interested

 

Not that I'm complaining because I love to see the cars from the past, But I think we are starting to creep into the 80's with some of these pictures. I'm pretty sure the shot of the Bill Park Troyer car is an example.

 

ahhhhhhh quit your complaining!!!lol Mods are Mods!!! :O) Brings back memories for many and me.
Modifieds are going to have 10 races this season on Versus channel!!!

Think the car was restored.Mods

 

Thanks for all the info and Pics on the # 50 Pinto. Thanks Neil38 for the pics.

 

It's all good, I was kidding, but the not the memories!!! lol

 

maybe an ugly modified!?!?!

 

You know, I thought the same thing before I posted the pictures. Then I thought, "Holy $hit, it's 2010!" The '80s are the oldies. Damn, I'm gettin' old!

 

hey it says 60's 70's, i'm posting stuff from the 40's-50s lol

 

Dave,you don't need my story do you?

 

No Thanks Bud, i lived it