United Flathead Racing Association - UFRA

Hmmm, You know Carl, every time I look at that beautiful FED of yours, I imagine it going down the track in the fall, after B'ville, with my engine in it.....

 

Hummmm imagine that!!!!!

 

I have been!

 

Well Buddy probably couldn't do it because then we would be faster than 10 sec and the chassis won't cert..............but bet we could make a lot of tire smoke.......

 

Are UFRA considering going to the HAMB drags?

Big dream; Ship the "SIDEWINDER" to the US, store it in a barn in Arkansas, trail it up to Joplin!!!???

Br
Kjell

..............................
Taildragger&fenderless

 

I would love for the UFRA to go to the Hamb drags. We may have to if there are no more strips in so-cal

 

Uh D whats with the new addition??????????????

 

Alright Carl. Since you asked so nicely!

Well a couple weeks ago we went to the Big 3 swap meet in San Diego. Did we need anything? No. But we wanted to walk around, take in the San Diego weather, and find the things we HAD to have!

Well late in the day, about 20 min until it closed, I round the corner...

And oh man. The thing my dad and I have been talking about for as long as we can remember.

Another Chassis Research Te-440. Just like the Antique Doll dragster.

I am drooling over it. I am scared to ask the price.

So I finally get the price... and it's right in our limit. As in, if we buy this we have no more money. Gotta sell some stuff when I get home

So we strike a deal and I am now a proud owner of another Chassis Research Car! It included a shortened rear end, with brakes, the original Chassis Research steering wheel, and steering box.

I talk to the owner trying to get as much info as I can. It is early 58, it still has the biscuit front end on it, and besides a pair of tranny mounts that were cut out, the chassis is untouched from the factory, Never Raced.

Story is:

In 1958 a couple of kids got out of the Navy and wanted to go drag racing in so-cal. Well they bought the chassis new from Scotty Fenn. But when they started building it, they ended up having a BIG falling out. They argued on what kind of engine, what kind of tranny, and no one could make up their mind.

So it sat for about 25 years in one of the kids mothers garage. She then said this car needs to get out of here, scrap it or sell it. They sold it to the owner I bought it from.

He had the car sitting in a friends garage, when Hot Rod magazine was doing a story on another car their. They spotted the chassis and contact the NHRA museum.

They contacted the owner, and wanted the chassis in the museum and it was there for a short time, until the owner wanted to sell, and we bought it.

What is funny was we took a picture of the chassis at the museum years ago, and we always wondered where it went!


IMG_0983 by Dimitri Lazaris, on Flickr


IMG_0984 by Dimitri Lazaris, on Flickr


IMG_0986 by Dimitri Lazaris, on Flickr


IMG_0985 by Dimitri Lazaris, on Flickr


IMG_0987 by Dimitri Lazaris, on Flickr


IMG_1004 by Dimitri Lazaris, on Flickr


New chassis museum by Dimitri Lazaris, on Flickr

 

Man!! What a great find Dimitri, Glad to see someone get it who truly will do a good job finishing it, and not just stick in the garage and forget about it, Tim Jones

 

That is SO FREAKING COOL!!!! Congradulations D!

 

Awesome, That is my all time favorite chassis, love the biscuit front end and a never built car to work with. Too Cool! Looking forward to seeing the build come together.

 

WOW D that is cool!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks guys. Question is what engine? I'm leaning flathead. Because racing our two flathead Te-440 together would make a great show! But my dad is leaning towards sometime bigger.. potvin blown small block.

 

HMMMMM, I have a 341 Desoto

 

Shhh dont tell me that

 

Did they keep records? I was wondering about alltime fastest flatheads...

 

Well back in the UFRA days McKlosky and Jordan were doing about 150mph in the low 9's.

Today one of the orginal members Dave McCain has a rear engine blown flathead runnning on nitro that goes in the mid 7's.

 

If you want it D and you'll use it I'll GIVE it to you, but it is missing the cam, pistons and rods and misc. I'd love to build it but it's pretty pricey ;(

 

Damn D you shoulda said something about this earlier, I just got rid of a 283 complete that I woulda given ya. Had it in the classifieds.........can't keep secrets from us all
course now its probably better as you can go the flathead way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hekk D.

Can we make a list here?

1. "Slider" (Rick Shnell). ET 7.53
2. ....................
3. .....................

Br
Kjell

 

Thank you guys for the VERY generous offers! That is what hot rodding is all about! And with the UFRA that is my hope as well! Joining as racers for the pursuit of flathead speed!!!

And as for the dragster of ours. Who are we kidding... its going to be a flathead

 

That sounds like music to my ears D....................

 

It would be in bad taste for the head of the Flathead racers Asso, to run a motor with valvecovers, Right Carl

 

Haha that's true! I don't know what I was thinking!!

 

Uh whats going on with the UFRA???????

inquiring minds want to know before they are too old to move..............

 

Many many thanks for the pictures!! Awesome post...

 

We just finished up our first small newsletter. Basically it covers the history of the club. I will post the newsletter up here/

We got a lot of interest at the Antique Nationals.

We are planning for our first meeting. It will be an informal meet and greet, and lay out the plans of what we would like to accomplish and of course when and where we can race.

 

Sounds good D, let us know where and when..........

 

Thanks sharing those pictures. I sure like to see some of you guys come to Bowling Green, KY. at Beech Bend in conjunction with a swap meet & show.

 

this was a great thread to see, My dad(Les) and uncle Lee were part of the UFRA, The Watson Bros. up until oh about ten years ago I still had one of the original tshirts the club first came out with.
some of fondest and earliest memories growing up involve being at the track and in the pits on the weekends. I'll have to tell the old man about this, he'll get a kick out of it.