Features Vintage Altereds

Anybody still running these as they were built up in the 60's and 70's?? Mine is still running without suspension and front brakes. All the other older altereds I see at the local track here are modified and or running slow times. They made thousands of these in the heyday and they were fast!!. What happened to all of them??

 

Ran this one at Ubly a few years ago..
built in 1965

Rick

 

this one also ran in Michigan a bunch of years ago.

Rick

 

yep that picture above was taken at Ubly last month. It's a fairly smooth track which is really appreciated if you don't have a suspension. Topolino's are cool but you almost never see them anymore.

 

Mostly, I believe that type of car has been pretty much outlawed. I had a Fiberglass trends Fiat body until just recently that I wanted to build as a '63 era car, but I would not be able to run it anywhere in my local area. Sad, but I think that's the deal. I can tell you that back about 1970 or so, the rise of funny cars is what pretty much killed the Altered class. Love them though...

 

I still run one. No suspension, no front brakes, rear drums. You can run that set up anywhere if your safety stuff is up to spec.

 

we ran fuel altereds up to the time we found out what nhra stands for

no hot rods allowed

 

I've been wondering about that.........is it now legal to run a solidly mounted rear end and no front brakes? I had a Bantam altered lots of years ago with a solid rear , no front brakes, and a hand brake and would love to put a simple bracket altered together along the same lines.

I realize that coil overs and discs would make the thing handle and stop so much better but for a lot of reasons I want to duplicate the one I had. I figure with a mild 355 Chevy it should run in the 10's and be a cheap, fun ride.

Don

 

Most new style AA/FA's are slow funny cars,transformers.There are a few however , Bradford's Fiat ,Nanook , Pure Hell,Pure Heaven and my fave The Winged Express. ANRA still allows altereds on alcohol in NE 1-2 ,same with the hertage series.

 

Yep,still has to pass tech based on the ET of the car..regardless
There's a lot to be said for safety and rules..

You can still run a solid rear end and no front brakes and be competetive..
The red Fiat in my post is a good example..runs 9;10's consistantly.

Hog Mountain..I LIKE your car !!!,and you run it like ya stole it.

Rick
=====================================

 

As far as I know it's always been legal to run a solid mounted rear and no front brakes in an altered. Even the fuel altereds like the Rat Trap today run without front brakes. I don't know how many run a solid rear, but I expect most do. It's certainly legal.

 

Check out an nhra rule book under econo altered. Solid rear, rear only brakes, mild steel tube. Looks like a back yard build!

 

Made the jump to Hilborn and alcohol. Ran 9.65 before the injection on gas. Hoping to test this weekend weather permitting.

 

Hope it runs as good as it looks!

 

Really?? Built in the back yard? Is this why we're encouraged to post our stuff so others can publicly cut it down and try to embarrass us? I hadn't read this thread in awhile and just noticed this. Personally I never try to make anybody's car they're proud of look bad in front of others. If I had built this in my back yard my thread would have been captioned "Hey look at the cool altered I just built in my back yard!" I would have been proud to state that none the less!

 

I dig the car, a lot, but does it certify? With that cage (which again, looks rad) I would think it wouldn't. Also, I believe Buzzard was talking about the econo altered's in the rule book, not your car.

 

Me too and I got a t-shirt!

 

No I agree. It wouldn't pass tech at a big track. The tracks I run here in Michigan are independent and non-sanctioned so I've been able to get by with it up until now.

 

I think that Bantam looks bad ass. Hilborn stacks are sexy and look perfect on there. Have fun and share some wheelie pics.

 

Funny, I did not take the same meaning from his post as you did. Unless I missed something, and that is possible, I thought he was referring to being able to do a back yard build on this type of car. In other words it did not have to be a big bucks car but perhaps more traditional in respect to the build.

Not trying to create an issue it is just how I took his post.

Nice car by the way.

 

Thanks for the complement. Maybe I took his statement wrong! Things get misinterpreted in e mails very easily.

 

I'll post some times after I test it a bit.

 

i have watched a few races at UBLY
my brother in law owns a nusery and sister runs the hearing clinic in bad ax
i wouldnt take offense to the "back yard" build comment
my "back yard" is pretty well stocked with material and machines and i bet yours is too
we just built a solid mounted no front brake car last month. it is considered a gas roadster and will only tech to 10.00 @135 acording to NHRA
so judging from the pics of your cage i think you would have a hard time at NHRA tracks
cool car though
tk

 

I have one

S/W chassie, solid rear, torsion front, mid 70s. Virtually unchanged (i think) BBC now with injection and zoomies, newly installed have not tried it yet but it did run 8,76 with single holley and headers. Will run alcohol.

It has frontbrakes but they will be goin on a shelf when i find some nice spindle mount wheels.
Also, the radiator is gone and there is a Hunt magneto instead of the msd now.

 

Really nice altered. Occasionally we get one like this at the local track but the engines are usually milder. Seems like most people are reluctant to go fast than 10's I believe due to safety issues. Yours is about the same 70's vintage as mine. What's your wheelbase?

 

I have a old altered chassis and bantom body roller that they won't let me run anymore at our local track NHRA rules have f'ed me over was running 8.90.

 

Yeah eventually I think it's gonna happen to me too. I was running 9.60's before the injection and alcohol and was hoping to pick up 6-7 tenths. That might be the last straw to the owners of the local tracks.

 

Thanks! I think it is 108" It goes straight like a train!

 

nice car how big is the motor?

 

Do any of you Altered guys know what ever happened to Fred Sorenson's "Warlock' which ran out of Dixon, CA in the early 60s? Any info on Sorenson himself? I knew him way back then. Thanks for any info.