That exactly right 11.49 and Quicker need roll bar in hard tops. !3.99 and Quicker in convertables need a roll bar. Pat
There are ways of installing a bar similar to the Cobra style bars but I guess it all depends on what you are actually trying to achieve. What are your plans for the car? Looks or racing? Both are not going to fly with this style bar. I am attaching a couple of pics of drag cars with similar bars and a pic of the 1959 Purple People Eater Corvette road racer with a similar style bar. If your intent is to go racing then of course these style bars will not pass any type of tech. Drag cars will require a more sophisticated and well built bar (probably 10 point). Road racers will also require more sophisticated hoops (I am not familiar enough to even hazard a real guess as to the extent). I for some time thought about building a car similar to the Purple People Eater for a fun car (street only) but it would need a bar similar to what you are describing or why even start on the project-installing an approved cage would defeat the purpose of the build-it would look like hell. If your heart is set on that style bar then it can be built and can be removable with a reasonable degree of strength. What must be kept in mind is to fabricate it in such a way that it has sufficient strength that if the bar was ever put to the test (God forbid), that it would not just fold up, hit you in the head and end up killing you in the first place. The other consideration is to make the hoop to the correct height for your head so you are not smacking your head on the bar/hoop every shift. If your heart is set on that style bar you could build a rectangular frame (let’s say 12” by 45”-for the sake of argument) that is removable that would set in the convertible top well and you could still use the stock gas tank. Of course you could not use your convertible top then. You could build four legs that are welded to the frame. There is room behind the tank on the corners that could have legs that are welded to the kickup area portion of the frame. The top of this leg could be fabricated to hold the removable rectangular frame.The front supports to hold the removable rectangular framework could tie into the six bolt holes (inner framework-three holes each side) behind the seats that hold the convertible top frame. You could build a support that goes down towards the outer frame although it could be a bit of a chore with the seat in the rear most position. I remember eyeballing an area where you could weld a support bar and not interfere with the seat but you would have to get used to the idea of cutting up some fiberglass etc. Then it is just a matter of making your small three point bar/hoop that goes through the lid to the rectangular frame (and feeding it through the lid would be easier said than done-although easier if done like the Purple People Eater with the down bar being bolted to the hoop). The decklid could still be hinged to keep it in the correct location. The three point hoop by necessity would have to fit into sleeves welded on the rectangular frame (the hoop could be attached or removed with the seat removed). If made strong enough it should not come apart but the only tech it would pass would be your own common sense and the degree of skill in the fabricator. It could be strong enough to stay together although I certainly would not want to test it on a series of barrel rolls. Like I said it would be for looks-aka fun car as opposed to a real track car. Some people say don’t run with scissors but I don’t pay too much attention to those magpies either.-Jim
Hi Jim D, The People Eater roll bar must have had a cross member installed for the vertical bars to connect to and that dealt with the drive shaft. The rear bar looks to have been attached to the shock mount, sheet metal (very weak) cross bar, as did many roll bars back in the day. A better choice would have been to go to the pass. side of the car and attach to the frame. Why I am so up to this stuff, I just spent 2 days installing 5 point belts in the two cars I had the roll bars installed last Fall. There is no where to attach inner belts that is strong without a lot of work. Jim
Funny or not Jim the car came out of "East Detroit" now East Pointe Michigan from my cousin. I bought it in 1977 and just put it away. He had stripped the entire car & pulled the body and just gave up. It is still untouched from 1977 or last driven in 1968. I got the complete car for $2400 with all new stainless and Al Knoch interior. So here it sits. I'm never going to restore it and want to make it an occasional strip car (100 mile drive to the nearest) but primarily a street car with a lot of torque. I've got the 31 Chev I-Beam and have sourced all of the pieces to put it in. I'm not afraid to cut the body and weld a structure for the Rollbar/cage and will include a driveshaft loop. The Red Standard Auto car has the shape of roll bar I'm looking for, the Purple People Eater is to narrow and tall. I used to shop at Standard Auto in the day. Thanks for the Photos. Movin/on
Just to be clear, I/We are not trying to bust balls or discourage you from your quest. Myself and others are champions of removing these great cars from the restoration shop to the track. I even started the "North Jersey Outlaws" racing association. Lets get to the bottom line. 1. How are you going to drive the car?? Answered above. 2. How fast do you expect to go?? 11.50 or higher, stock frame and suspension....Put in any roll bar you want, as it does not count. 11.49 or quicker, you need a legal bar or go home. Put in a modified suspension, like a tube/beam axle, a full cage would be required, I would think, and that would really ruin the car, not for me. I have lots of ways to race these cars and be reliable. Jim (Vetrod)
Had to do a double-take...looks like my dad sitting there, back in the day he was heavily into the Freemont Drags.
Hi Jim. As you know, the HAMB is probably the best nesting place for old Vette gassers. What better way to promote your vision for racing old Vettes than to seek national attention at the HAMB DRAGS? You hinted at racing another HAMB Vette there in one of your other posts. Chuck
Not 100% true. With NHRA, if you have a roll bar, whether it is required or not, it has to meet minimum specs. I have seen more than one car sent home for a non compliant roll bar, even though it didn't require one in the first place. Why? A bad roll bar can be more dangerous than none in many cases. I even saw this taken to an extreme where there was a 100% legal SCCA Road Race car, good for over 150 MPH and the track would not let it drag race even though it was only a 12 sec car. Why? 1.5" roll bar (full cage actually), specs said 1.625" or larger.
Corvettes always made great gasser's back in the day. Thanks for sharing the photo's and the memories. Jimbo
Thanks for the correction, I do not go to the track without being in compliance, if I can. It is a waste of $$ and time to get sent home and it sucks.
Hi Chuck, Yes that would be Crazy GrandPa. I/we in the NJO would like to race with him. By the looks of his car he should out run us, But who knows?????? Here are some pictures of our North Jersey Outlaws. Six Hot Rod vettes at the track, there were more but missed the picture Seven Hot Rod vettes before Conklin's Hot Rod party 2009 Eight Hot Rod vettes before Conklin's Hot Rod party 2010 A better view of Butch's car (the green 61) and Mike's car, the black 62, who cheats) from the picture above.
Hi Guys, I just love the picture of all the vettes at the hot rod party. Would also like to race with you guys this year. My fastest time last year was 10.21 in Pittsburgh. Crazy Grandpa
Jim, My father, Roger Davenport, used to be the driver of Prontito. He and George Foltz were partners for a number of years. Asked my mother recently what happened to it and she thought George sold it. You could Google George's son, Carl Foltz, to see if there is any contact info for him. I believe he owns CFE Racing Heads. If you know of anyone who has photos of Prontito, I would like to get copies. Prontito was a name they used on a black 55 or 56 chevy too, plus the black corvette which eventually they painted yellow. Here's a link to a photo of the black one with my dad in the driver's seat. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-...have-all-the-old-c1-and-2-drag-cars-gone.html . Pat
Pat thanks for the response. This car was always one of my favorites. Watched it run many times and the guys I ran with got beat by it on a few occasions. Car was hard to beat. I only have a few pics but would certainly like more myself. I spoke to the original owner who owned it prior to your father a couple of years ago. I will see what I can find Thanks again. Jim
Pat, thanks for the pics. The black picture brings back memories. I see it still had the Jomar stud girdle sticker on the side. The driver that drove for the prior owner helped develop TheJomar stud girdle (and he built the engine for our car. I believe that picture was 1968. I believe the Emerson picture was late summer 1969and the other yellow pictures were early 69 (and maybe late 68-my memory is maybe not perfect). Not only was the car an impressive piece but your dad was a hell of a driver. Thanks Jim
Jim, Thank you! He was devoted to the sport for years. If you run across an old car magazine where they are mentioned, please let me know. My parents got rid of their copy and I can't remember which magazine it was in. Pat
That is correct. I cut those lights into that car in 1967. I have the same tail lights in my red blown car. Here is a picture of the red car when it was blue. The lights must be installed upside down, reversed and bent to conform with the body lines.
The few 'Vettes above ran in the Gas Coupe/Sedan class, and those below ran as Altereds... http://georgeklass.net/gassers.html http://georgeklass.net/altereds.html
Oh man, they just released an all new 62 Vette Gasser kit last month, I bought 2 of them! Afte rlooking thru this thread I'm gonna need more of them. It comes with the D&M Glasses Gasser decals, this is gonna be fun! Got to send this thread to all my modeling buddies, lol!
Mid year Vettes make pretty good gassers too. I'm pretty sure this one never ran in a gasser class but it does have the gasser look. Pictures are from 1970 (green) and recent.
This is a Vette that's being worked on by someone who rents space at my buddy's shop. It supposedly was turned into a (mild) gasser back in the day by the original owner who just recently sold it. Sadly, the current owner is going to restore it to original and not preserve its racing heritage. Does anyone recognize this car or know anything about it? Here's the only pics I have:
Tommy that has been the fate of many old drag Vettes. I suppose the good news is that Baron is doing up a 57 with an up stance and drag theme. Also a friend in my car club bought a 57 Vette recently and he has put a 409 in it. Another friend is building a 57 with a big inch small block to run stack injection which he intends to vintage race. There are a few of us out there that are aware of the potential value, but we value hot rods a bit more than which bolt is cad plated and the proper way to clock the knockoff spinners on original hubcaps. Jim
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