History Vintage "Cageless" Midget Picture Thread

Kris might be right .. in some ways the last five photos have details that are reminisent of Islip (NY) and midgets under the sanction of NASCAR certainly did run there (when Ed Hawkins was the promoter). .... but to me (in these photos) the track looks too big.
Next time I talk to someone who was there (Ed's daughter Ann & her husband Norman) I'll ask if the midgets ever pitted in the infield like that at Islip, with designated spots.

The other photos I haven't a clue what track that might have been.

Jim Nise beat me too it, blowing the photo up to 400% Raymer Ford is the name I ?guessed? was on the back of the pit crew's shirts.

 

If you're using Internet Explorer 8 or 9 try this.
Click on the Thumb Nail, as you usually would, to bring the photo up by itself and to a little larger size. .... Then double click on that & it should now open on it's own web page. In IE 8 on the bottom right you can choose what size you want (up to 400%) .. in IE 9 up on the top right, click on what looks like a gear .. choose "ZOOM" and again you can go up to 400%.

I hope that helps. ... Let us know if you recognize him.

 

Surfref. This is the best I could do. It loses resolution on the re-size. Hope it helps. Maybe Ken's method retains the detail.

 

Ooohhhh. Or is this the "mechanic" you were talking about?

 

I'm thinking maybe one of the Rockettes was moonlighting at a race shop? WOW!!

Yes Mike she's the "mechanic" I was referring to Thanks for the repost. A rescan in higher resolution would be about the only way to get a better look.

Here's the rest of the program minus a couple of ads and blank pages for autographs and results and stuff. I got to wondering what the results of that race were. All I could find was this http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=77807 No wonder my grandfather saved the program! Sometime in the late 1990's he was going to throw out all his old books and said if I wanted anything, to take it. Of course I took anything racing related. These programs were in that pile. I'm so glad I have them and I'm happy to share them with true racers like you folks.

 

OK surfref. Here's one more.

 

Unbelievable!!! Those sure are a fine pair of legs. Maybe that's another Rockette next to my "mechanic"? Thank you for posting sir!

ohh right, this must be cageless midget related. Anyone notice the nose, I think, of the #10 midget getting scratched up on the concrete?

 

Great picture of Tommy Copp Surfref32 must be around 1960 or so no?

 

surfref32, if you are talking about the panel behind the guy changing gears, it is a lower fuel tank panel. It went from nerf bar attachpoint to otherside attach point. Kind of an aero thing to close off the air pocket below the fuel tank.

 

From what I can recall, the 31 was almost like a metallic blue with some white up front and on the sides. The 41 was a lighter blue, with like a white nose, belly pan, bottom of tail and top part of tail (headrest part). I think the 41 was pretty close to the color of the blue on the Sugar Blues car - maybe a tad darker.

 

does anyone have a picture of the front of a rail framed midget with no nose/body on it? I am looking for front spring perch location in refference to the frame. I think the last guy who I purchased my project midget off of set the front sprng perch way to high & I think it need to be lower? so I figured I'd try to get some pics for idea's.
Paul

 

The program was published in 1961 so it's very possible that photo was taken in 1960.

That makes perfect sense, thank you Jim.


Last night I realized that I missed 3 pages in the 1961 program. Here they are...

 

^^^^^^^

Johnny Maguire, never heard of him and I was there for the races!

 

Hey guys, I was at the Belleville vintage gathering back in 1996 and took pictures of this Midget. From what I remember it was the front 1/2 of a 220 or 270 Offy.
Do any of you know who the owner / builder of this engine is ? Or where it is today ?

 

To the best of my memory, the engine was built by Lue (Luther) Holland from Iowa and I believe the car may have been owned by Shorty Jensen. Lue and Shorty collaborated on a number of vintage activities. I don't believe the car was running at Belleville but did run once I know about at Webster City, IA. Lue did admit to it being a shaker.

When Shorty died, most if not all of the large amount of stuff he had was sold to someone in Georgia I believe, including the #2 car.

More on Lue, he was inducted into the Knoxville Hall of Fame shortly before he passed away about 4 years ago. In the later years he was running 7 of his vintage cars at the meets in Knoxville, Oskaloosa, and Webster City. Most of his sprinters were Trostles and he had a Kurtis V8-60 that I drove when I was between my own cars, and also a Chevy II midget and a Opel powered midget and a Crosley TQ.

I'll attach some pictures of the group of his seven cars and drivers at Webster City when Lue was quite ill, Lue getting helped in the #21 (his son on the right and grandson on the left) when he took his last laps by himself and was still carrying the left front. The car shows the D&D name as is on the #2 two cylinder Offy, two of the cars in front of the church which was on the same block as his house, and finally some more of the cars in front of his shop, a block from the church. Notice the identically painted and numbered 21 sprinter, midget and TQ.

 

I was told, over on the Track Forum, that I should put a link to my latest photo article - an article about the Mike Caruso owned cars, from Midgets up to his stetched Midgets, so here it is: http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/ta/backintime11-1/pg1.htm

 

here's a pic of the midget frame I have. the previous owner cut off the old mount for the model a front front suspension & made his own to drop the nose. the problem i see is it looks to high, the steering drag link is almost hitting the bottom of the frame. the original set up on the car had torsion arms from the front axel to the frame but the last owner was seting up for stock (split) bones (which came with the car). with the axel where he set it up at the drag link runs through the area that the radious rods occupy?
I am not too familiar with model A suspensions so I wonder if this set up is wrong or missing something or should the spring perch be set alot lower closer tot he top of the frame?
Paul

 

Boy Mike that 2 popper Offy must have been a teeth rattler.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
two pictures from Madera,Calif 1993.<o></o>

 

Lumpy95, I never got to see it run. I have a bunch of junk 110 parts and thought it might be fun to build one up for a TQ. As you say it would be a shaker!!
Nice pictures of the two Benson Midgets. Boy we chased those two cars for a few years until my Dad finaly updated from the Kurtis to the LTC.
I dind't know Art ran the car in vintage exhibition. Is that Bod DeJong in the Sim Clark Chevy II ?
Here is one @ Fremont Tom Enea driving Sims car Harry Stryker jr in Stryker Offy I think it was 1973.

 

Yes that's Art in what I was told the only time he ran it and Bob Dejong
Bob told Mike the owner of #95 that he had a blast and wanted to run more
green flag laps that might be in the 1980s

 

Does anybody know when the arias chevy II heads first came out?

 

I am not a "A" expert either, but in the current location where do the hubs line up in relation to the back hubs and the ground? Would the frame sit level, raked, or nose up. I would mount it to give the frame a very slight rake and then bend the steering arms down to get the clearance. I have seen pictures of the rail cars with the tie rod very low to the ground.

 

Hello, I know a little bit about this, from talking to my friend Jim Etter. Jim had the car a few years ago. The car was split up. Jim Mann had the motor and sold it to Bill Smith of Speedway Motors. Jim Etter Sold the car to someone in the midwest. , The car and engine was built by Lou Meyers brother ,Harry?. He worked for Lou building Offy motors. The motor was built at Meyer-Drake, Hilborn buildt the injectors, Hope this helps you out .Deek

 

I'll bet that was a real smooth running powerplant!

 

Wow.......Two Benson midgets!!!

 

Striker...Good picture of Tom and Harry, looks like he's getting ready to overhaul him.

 

Thanks for that info Deek. That would explain the Meyer Offy on the hood.
Its to bad it got split up. I guess its just a sickness I have.

 

There's another photo article out. This time there are Sprint Cars, Midgets and Indy Cars from "Back in the day". Enjoy!

http://newenglandtractor.com/racereport/ta/backintime11-2/pg1.htm

 

Great pictures TommyA19, Thanks. Denny Z

 

someone asked about Ken Brenn's #20 a while ago...here's a couple pictures from my collection w/ driver Tommie Elliott...