Projects NEW BUILD-OTIE'S AUTOMOTIVE B/A FIAT TOPOLINO TRIBUTE

Sorry to hear he is gone, but 94 is a great number to achieve.
Thanks for sharing that information with us.

 

Hey guys I just put the photos of the original up in the altered thread with a link to this thread. Couldn't let this one pass us by.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-altered-thread.1010937/page-7

 

really great to see another tribute car being built! hope to see it at one of the reunions.

 

great project - hope to see you make a pass. now you need to find a '59 chev elcamino push car.

 

Thanks, I would love to do the Camino push car someday, It's definitely not in the budget this year.
This trucks a couple years to new, but I will be pushing and hauling it with my 65 F100. That's Bill Smith, Otie's son standing next to it. When I bought the truck and showed it to Bill he handed me the B&W picture and said "you need to paint it like this". That's what started all this madness!

 

cool build

 

These little Fiats sure fit nicely in the back of a pickup. have been enjoying your build thanks.

 

That's awesome, it almost looks like we went to the same place. Your welcome, glad you're enjoying it.

 

Great build. Will be following this.

 

Mockup day, making some some good progress now. Even Bill came down to check it out.
Front axle is about done, waiting for the 2nd spring to arrive before we weld the perches to the axle. The first spring I bought from the big box speed shop looks like someone made it in a cave by candle light. New springs coming from Detroit.
New goal, no cheap Import parts, learned my lesson on my first purchase.
Both rockers are done and a bunch of holes patched up. Need to finish the tail pan, roof, wheel wells, door latches and body mounts and it'll be time for body work.
Figured out the frame layout today. Getting the roll bar bent up next week and we'll be getting it on the welding table.

 

Started selling 8 x 10 photos on eBay to help fund this project. Have some great 50's and early 60's hot rod and early drag racing color photos for sale. Most of them were taken by an Akron Cam Jammers car club member or Otie Smith with a color camera purchased by the club. Most of these have not been seen in 50-60 years and include color photos of the first NHRA organized races on the right coast, the first NHRA Nationals, Art Arfons and his Green Monsters and early 60's Pomona and Bakersfield photos from Otie's trips to the left coast.

http://stores.ebay.com/Otie-s-Automotive-Nostalgia

 

Found one more photo of the original for your collection. But sorry it's NOT the fiat.

 

I've been looking for that car for 20 years. That's the 65 car, Otie's last gas altered and the last car he drove himself. The best looking car they built, Dragmaster chassis with a Cal Automotive body. That photo is from the cover of August,1965 Speed and Custom. It was also featured in August, 1965 Hot Rod Magazine. It was later sold to Stan Bowman who won AA/Altered at Indy in 66 with it, he beat the King Kong Anglia in the final.
After that car was sold they built a Woody Gilmore Top Gas Dragster and Bill and Larry Pettit took over the driving duties. Larry moved back to Ohio and brought the chassis with him. It would become the first of 3 Woody cars they raced until the class was eliminated.
I've been looking for one of the dragsters for 20 years also.

 

Will be watching this

 

Great build up of a significant racer. Good luck with the project, you seem to have all the bases covered to get it on the go again.

Well done.

 

Fantastic build and a ton of good history there. I am following this one. Also that is a creative way to raise money for the build and there are some great pictures in there. I found a previously unpublished photo of a friends car that I have to get for him.

 

The first dragster, November, 66

 

Found one more. If anybody would know where to find any photos of the dragster off the top of his head Dean Lowe may be the one you need to contact.

 

Some great history here. Thanks for documenting the recreation!

 

Found one more of the Roadster in motion this time.

 

That ones the cover of December, 1960 Hot Rod magazine at the 1960 Detroit Nationals. Otie won class that year, but did not repeat his Middle Eliminator victory from the 59 Nationals. That is the Chassis Research car. It eventually was replaced with a new T that used the chassis from the Fiat.

 

Found a few more

Fiat B/A





The Roadster





Roadster again, almost but not the same shot as in older posts

 

Front spring finally showed up, axle is almost done., just need to weld the spring perches.

 

Slight deviation from the original car, made some custom suicide door latches. The stock ones just don't look very secure for racing.

 

Did a final mock up and figured out the spring perch height, time to finally start welding the chassis together.

 

Right on, great progress.

 

It's on the jig!
Hope to have the perimeter done by the end of next weekend.

 

It looks great so far !!!

Altereds RULE !

 

This is from the 1965 Dragmaster car.