Featured Hot Rods Preparations for the GREAT MEXICAN RACE!

All us Hot Rodders are geared alike… We all have had a moment of Hot Rod Heaven… It’s a Universal Experience for us… Out on the Open Road in the Treasured Hot Rod we have built with our Blood, Sweat and Tears… Sunny Skies above… The Wind in our Hair… The Rumble of Exhaust Note following us at Speed… Reveling in the JOY of this moment, our Minds go in similar ways…

Not wanting the ecstasy to end, we think; Let’s Drive all the Way to the Coast! Motor on until we hit Water! Rock on until we park in the Sand and enjoy the Salt Air!

Or…

My Rod is the GRUMPIEST Ride on Earth! Faster than them ALL! I’m Craving the Blood Sport of Racing! I want to Dominate! I want to RACE! I Desire VICTORY!

Am I right??? Have you been there???

Forgive me… I know it sounds GOOFY… This I describe happened to me! But it wasn’t for any Self-Pride or Personal Fulfillment… It was by Divine Mandate… I’m not a Blues Brother… But, like Jake and Elwood, I felt Called on a MISSION FROM GOD… In my Heart of Hearts, it was required of me to do the Carrera Pan Americana… The “GREAT MEXICAN ROAD RACE”… A Vintage Car Race hosted annually in Mexico that goes City by City… Border to Border… 8 different Cities in 7 Days… If no one objects, I would like to share my Story.

 

If you look closely, there is a 1920 Ford Model "T" Roadster under all the Roll Bar and Safety Cage. This Image is from the Souvenir Card our Racing Team gave away at the nightly Victory Fiestas during the Carrera Pan Americana. Ideally, I should have posted a "Build Thread" at the time the Jalopy was under construction. It was a High Stress Time building the Racer and preparing a Full Race Team to travel south of the Border. I was under difficult time constraints. No spare moment at the time allowed sitting in front of the Computer. In kind of retrospect, I'll share in a series of Photo Posts how the Mexican "T" came together. Listo Amigos?

 

That's pretty cool! So much history wrapped up in this race, good to see and hear from a participant!!

 

Waiting for pictures & details
of your build …

Jim

 

After finding and restoring the R&C Dream Truck, I had a ball, 'till I didn't have a ball......It was time to move on. That's when I Got together with Ak Miller to rebuild the "El Caballo" from the parts and pieces that he had left of the original. I gathered all the magazines that had articles about the racer and got together with Vern Tardell to through the critter together. The result was a racer that was dead nuts accurate (another ball reference) to the original. After I painted and detailed the old bugger, I took it to Ak for his touch. He and Ray Brock made sure it was safe, which was not exactly in Ak's wheelhouse.... Ak had been wary about my intentions, but after we got to know each other, we had a ball....Ak, Ray, my wife Nancy, and I went to Mexico, and I can't say it was all peaches and cream, but in the end we had a blast.... I vintage raced the "Cabong" as Ak lovingly referred to it, for many years, and when we moved to Idaho, I donated the racer to the NHRA museum.

 

I love road race cars

 

Check this out , definitely road race inspired build. My uncle built these in the Philippines probably early 60’s

 

In 1990 (91???) I participated in the Carrera Panamericana as part of a crew that took 4 cars down, including a Kurtis-Kraft 500KK with an Allied built coupe body. We also had a couple Porsche 356's and and early '50's Buick. If my memory is correct that is the year @cabong was there with El Caballo. It was quite an unforgettable experience. I believe @cabong's photo of the cars on the street has the overall winner, John Ward (back to camera) with his Kurtis in the foreground.

 

Thanx for your reply Cabong! Good to hear from another Carrera Crazy! APhoto above from AK Miller back when he ran the Great Mexican Race. AK and Caballo was an INSPIRATION for me!

 

Hey Mexican "T" !! Here is a picture of an original that Ak gave me back in 1990, of the photo you posted. There was a get together to remember the Carrera, held at the Peterson Museum. I took the El Caballo, and drove it into the parking garage, where Bob P. and his wife Margie greeted me before driving in to the banquet room. Margie asked if she could go for a ride. Absolutely, but you might get that pretty dress dirty. So what, she replied, and jumped in. What a smile that old bugger could put on any ladies lips !!!!! Meanwhile, inside the party, I had Ak, Doug, Ray, and Bob sign the photo, along with Rik, who actually took the picture........ I had jackets made that were similar to the ones in the photo, and Ak Miller wore his nearly every day until his passing. I loved that guy !!!!!

 

This is the jackets that I had made......

 

absolutely perfect 'picture to the past'--great story

 

Cabong - You are in possession of Auto History! You are a "Blessed" Individual! Congratulations!

 

This Thread was supposed to be about how I built the Mexican "T" Racer several years ago... Demands of Life have prevented me from updating/continuing well... I see that perhaps I should start another thread with Info from the Carrera's Past. Many noteworthy Hot Rodders and Racers participated during the Glory Years of 1950 thru 1954.

 

This is an early Pic of when it was just Frame and Suspension. I don't know why, but, It seems every new Roadster I build always begins with a Front Axle. This one was found long an overgrown fence line along a Country Road. The Farmer gave it to me for FREE! It had been welded at the Spindles to be used for a Trailer. At the time I researched it on the H.A.M.B. and learned that the weld could be cut carefully with a thin Cutting Wheel. Sure enough! I was able to salvage the Axle and it has served very well! Thank to all the H.A.M.B. Contributors that post such helpful Information!

 

Call me goofy, but, I LIKE SIX CYLINDERS! This the the Ford 300 Truck Six. The narrow inline design sits nicely between the Frame Rails. Tranny is a Top Loader 3-Speed - Truck Variety. The Truck Trannies have a Taller Second Gear; an advantage on steep twisting Mountain Roads.

 

This is how my Garage looked back in 2020 while the "T" was coming together. The Rear Buggy Spring and back Suspension had not been sleuthed out correctly at the time... It is 1936 Ford Radius Rods (Reinforced for extra durability) attached to a Ford 8.8 Axle.

 

So, will there be any more of the story? I’m hooked if yes…

 

Dave G in Gansevoort - You are MOST KIND! I have what you need Brother...

 

True Confessions... I am a Christian Missionary and have travelled throughout Mexico extensively. A Little Off-Topic, but , this is the 40+ year old Truck I used when I first began Mexico Missions. The Old Bugger worked very well EXCEPT WHEN I GOT IN THE MOUNTAINS. The Carburetor gasped and struggled badly at High-Altitude. This was a valuable lesson when building the "T" Racer!

 

Sooo... When the time came I installed a F.A.S.T.Electronic Fuel Injection. E.F.I. was one of the best decisions I made in the Racer's Construction. The Carrera began at Sea Level in Vera Cruz Mexico. Two days later I was topping Mountains at 7,500 feet going into Mexico City! The F.A.S.T. EFI worked flawlessly! The device is somewhat "Self Learning" and would adjust to any atmospheric condition encountered. Racing is especially punishing to vintage Vehicles... I had numerous components that required repairs over the course of the Event. The F.A.S.T. Unit however never Failed! I highly recommend them!

 

An additional detail about the Ford 300 Six Motor. The final editions made in the mid-1990's had Split Exhaust Manifolds. I sought out a pair so the "T" Racer could have Dual Exhaust. The Split Manifolds are in plain view in the above photo...

 

This is how the Dual Exhaust turned out... Twin Track Pipes with Smithy Mufflers... VERY TRADITIONAL! Am I right????

 

Good decision. We used a Predator carburetor on a hill climb car, as it works better than a Holley toilet tank valve, but Mt. Washington is only 6800 ft at the peak, I don’t remember what the start line elevation is, but we adjusted it to be slightly lean at the start, and it was pretty good overall up the mountain.

Actually we used 2 different ones but rules changes meant no more methanol. The methanol Predator ran good all the way up the mountain, requiring no significant tuning changes. It was the gasoline Predator that required the compromise tuning. We would have used a system like yours if it had been available…