Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

I realize it's off topic, but, who built the old Challenger sprint car chassis?
I'm not savvy enough to start new topic.
Thanks for any help.
email wmay@twc.com

 

Ken Jenkins

 

Johnny Boyd Langhorne 1954.

 

Andy Linden Indy 1952.

 

Bobby Unser Ascot 1964.

 

Don Brown was the best! I worked with him a little in the early 90's and as usual he would turn up at the shop in the late afternoon and work through the night.

Roo
(as opposed to Rootie)

 

The rear nerf bar for champ cars was made mandatory for the 1960 season.

 

They didn't call him the prince of darkness for nothing. Wasn't he supposedly allergic to sun light?

 

In the 60's Don would spend the month of May at Indy, banging out the caved in alum bodys so they could run the next day

So Don had to get it done all nite long , no matter what it took and that is when they started to call him the ' Prince of Darkness '

That month of work would help him run his sprinter all summer on the Fairground tracks, then each winter back out here in so-cal Don would build 2-3 new cars

Don was going to teach me how to gas weld thin alum but never had the extra bucks for those trick goggles they used, boy I sure have kicked myself in the ass a few times for not learning that from such a pro as Don [ its amazing how clear one can see looking back ]

Then he moved to outside of Indy and in the winter he would catch colds cause it was so cold , and he would say I don't know how many more of the winters I can take

I sure do miss that boy R.I.P. Prince

 

Ed Elisian Williams Grove 1957.

 

Tony B. leads Sam Hanks Indy 53.

 

On the road Aggie style 1968.

 

Eventual winner Troy Ruttman and the starting lineup of the Raleigh 200 1952.

 

Johnny Matera, Flemington1955.

 

Pat O'Conner's and Johnny Boyd's cars lined up at Milwaukee 1957.

 

Off to the races 1966.

 

The trailered pics intrigue me. I just finished a two-wheel trailer for mine, but have yet to make a pair of tip-up ramps like those commonly shown. My question is how did the stabilizing strut rods that hold the ramps in the 'up' position work? Most seem to have a threaded end with a big spinner nut. Maybe with a big 'anti-rattle' spring on the front side? Did that keep the nut from working loose? Dunno. Any insight is appreciated. If this is off topic too much I appologise.

 

No anti rattle springs, the tire provided enough shock absorbing damper.

On the Troy Ruttman picture, look at the front end suspension on the car behind the 98. Probably Pat Clancy's car.

 

thanks Jim

 

In my opinion, that style ramp securing design is a PITA. You end up with a lot of turns of the "knob nuts".

Consider drilling a series of about six or eight 7/16" holes about 2" apart down the outer edge of both ramps from near the ends. Then using a 1" wide by 1/4" thick length of steel bar stock, pivot it from the side of the trailer channel just behind the fender using a bolt and double nut.

Determine the proper length of the bar stock to reach the middle of the series of drilled holes. Drill a 7/16" hole in the end and weld a 1" long bolt to the bar pointing outward. Acquire a pair of 7/16 "handle nuts" from an old-time hardware store that knows what they are or make your own by welding about a 4" piece of 1/4" round stock perpendicular to the face of one of the flats of the nut.

Variations in the way the cars is loaded on the trailer and tire sizes are negated by choosing the appropriate hole and a slight push of the ramp against the tire to align to the bolt. When unloading, pivoting the bars forward against the fender keeps them conveniently out of the way.

 

Don Branson 1962 Hoosier 100

 

Me thinks Don Freeland's race is about to come to a sputtering end.

 

Bob Wente Reading 61

 

Hitting the highway in 1962.

 

That makes sense to me since one of the cars I plan to trailer has fenders. Thanks

 

Rootie, interesting thing about the picture of Bob Wente at Reading. He posed for that picture, my dad took one too. He went out in the heat race and barrel rolled coming off turn 2. From then on he would not pose for a pre race picture!

 

Notice that "One Arm Bandit" is lettered on the cowl in the photo. That's a reference to car owner/builder Walt Flynn. IIRC Walt had lost the use of an arm (or maybe the arm itself) in a childhood accident where he fell out of a tree. In spite of his disability Flynn was one of the best race car builders and machinists around running Enterprise Machine and had a reputation for turning out first class work.

Maybe someone here remembers more about Flynn.

 

Don't have anymore background on him but here's a picture of him.

 

He had a decent business doing upgrades on Ross manual steering units - several cars in the Indy area ran them. He also didn't like paying the Offenhauser price for replacement cylinder sleeves, so he made his own out of cast iron gas pipe on his centerless grinding equipment.

 

You bring up a good point about Flynn and the Offy engines. I seem to remember that he was also known for taking blown up turbo Offy crankcases and repairing them. He sometimes took two crankcase halves from junk engines and welded them back together to make one good one. I believe he even did this for Watson in later years.

I also remember that Walt had a roadster type sprint car at one point that he and Junior Dreyer had built. Jim Packard, among others, raced the car. Packard had gotten his start with Pop Dreyer and became almost like a family member to he and Junior.