Projects Beebe Bros, Vinson, & Sixt "Cackle Car"

Cool build

 

Mock-Up time...

Hey Gang,

I want to toss this up on the JIG and just go for it but sometimes I need to see things on the floor before the cutting and slicing starts. Things tend to look a little different when they are 3 ft up in the air vs. sitting on the ground so I felt like burning a few hours taking a look at what will soon be... I'll work a bit more on the rear section next.

Here's some pics for y'all!

Setting up the motor at the proper distance away from the rear-end as well as being at the proper angle.


Then we put some pipe in place and have a few views:






Happy Trails,

Robert M.

 

Nice, using the Drag Racing magazine for reference. Looking good!

 

Very cool, the deuce roadster ain't bad either.

 

Thanks! Yeah the Deuce is just waiting it's turn until it gets finished... If my Wife had any say in the deal it would be done first, but I'm kinda stuck on the Dragster for now. I'll do more mock up work this week and then transfer to the JIG for the real shit next weekend.

Party On!

~Robert M.

 

For sure!! Thats the issue I have had since 12yrs old... Glad I kept it all these years and glad it's still kinda in one piece!

More news soon,

Robert M.

 

I like your zip tie mockup method... can't wait too see some of that pipe being welded up soon, gonna be a ton of fun

 

Here's a little messing around with the rear section of the car. I had to do a few things before heading into work today... This is precisely why I wanted to mock the car up on the floor. I'm trying to compare the elevations of the tubes vs. landmark items, "like the rear wheels," and making sure it looks the same. Once I feel 100% comfy on this I will measure and note all the important stuff and then transfer up to the JIG for welding. Take a look:







I will be picking up some more card stock this week to help with mocking up things like the seat, body, etc....

Cheers,

Robert

 

Compare....



It really depends on how you hold the camera as well.... So this will take a bit of playing around before it's dialed in....

Cheers,

Robert

 

If you can find a good side shot of the car and know the wheelbase you can do a quick layout of grid of say 1/2" squares then on a roll of plotter paper about 36"x15' and lay down a grid at 12" squares and have a good guide to what the chassis should be. Just measure tube angles within your half inch square and transfer those angles onto the 12"squares square and do each square till you have the idea. A good side shot will be the hardest to find. If you have a side picture I could do it for you, I used this technique in automotive design class.. works well... I can mail you the roll of paper, no charge!

 

Very true! I only have a few pics that would work in this case.. It's really hard with the angle of the camera. I have included the best pic I have for this example in this post. The biggest thing I have taken away from this is the angles of the various frame rails. I just draw right over the top of the pic and then measure things with the protractor. There's also some givens like tire Diameter, Basic ground clearance rules, How far the motor is out.



The motor was 30" out in the car after the rear end was moved back in 1967. Wheelbase was adjusted to 145". So this puts the original combo at 28" out and 143" WB. I kinda believe the 2" delta in rear end placement but I also think it might be closer to 3". This all boils down to the amount of distance consumed when adding the new upright for the rear end. "Like, can you do this and only shift things by 2" or is it more like 3"???" Not sure, but this is why we bust out the card board and make fake body panels. It's really splitting hairs at this point but I gotta give it my best shot.

More news soon,

Robert M.

 

Here's another great shot that I will be comparing to the pile of parts... Trying to verify the amount of DUMP angle on the motor. An article I have says that it's "less then the popular 6 degrees" and right now it's sitting at about 6 1/2 to 7. I'm thinking it's more around 5 to 5 1/2 but I'll keep sneaking up on it. You would be surprised at how much 1 degree moves everything! This is a great head on shot of the car and the key item here is how the valve covers look in relation to everything else.



Cheers,

Robert M.

 

And yet another great inside shot to look at frame rails vs. all the other stuff... This is very early in the cars life when it still have the Olds Rear-End in it. This was quickly changed out after repeated breakage... The 8 3/4" went in right away.

 

There's that brake lever right in the center, but where is the jewel armor?
Tom S.

 

Here's a few more comparison shots... The idea will be trying to stand in the exact same reference as the picture and then compare notes... Sure wish these didn't have the ChainLink fence going on.

 

Looks like the top frame rail is level with the tip of the rim

 

Kinda... Scroll back thru the thread and look at the pictures posted by Rooman while the car was in AUS. The frame rail intersects pretty much right thru the brake caliper. Which would be in the SLOT area of the Halibrand. The frame rails are really low in this car and remind me a bunch of the Fuller Style. Roger Lee's M&R car had very similar features in the back half of the chassis. The lower rail skirts right along the bottom of the rim and is angled up at about 5 degrees from the motor plate back.

I remember laying this out one day and measuring/scaling one of the photos. I thought to myself, There's no way this thing is this low to the ground!! But now that's it's starting to shape up it's damn near spot on from my early measurements.

~Robert

 

Hey Kev!!!

Yep, Isn't that the most Bitchin article? I found that just by accident one night via Rod McCarrel. He saw it on EBay and thought I should have a look??? JackPot! Lot's of data there for sure and I have been referring to it Big Time.

Here's a few Snappies from tonight after mocking up the body and seat.





The Business View.....



And some Bitchin Vintage Love....



Happy Trails!

Robert M.

 

Bill "MagiCar" Pitts sent me a few screen shots this morning from some old film he shot back in the day.... Take a look!! The one shot confirms the frame rail spacing for sure.. They were close up at the torsion bar!







Too Cool.....

 

GREAT THREAD!

Tim Beebe is a Good Friend of mine...and I have known him since I used to go by his Transmission Shop on my way home from school in the 70's!

He was always kind to any Snot-Nosed Kid who had a Love for anything mechanical!

Later in life I was able to help him build a couple of whatever it was he was interested in at the moment...Stock-Cars...Spint-Cars...Hell, even a Model T with a Hot-Rodded Stock Motor so Tim could beat the other people in the local Model T Club (Don't Ask...Like Tim says, "If it ain't specifically prohibited in the Rule Book...it's Legal!")

I have to say that I was probably a Bad Influence on him too! I made a mistake of telling him that I had found a 1970 Nova body...the next thing...he's tearing apart his 1938 Chevy Sedan to build a Hot-Rod Nova!

A year or two later, I drag home a 1948 Anglia! He told me he saw it, and purposely didn't come over to my house for two weeks! But when he did, he HAD to have it! Now it's Fighting Irish Green with a Blown V-6 and A.O.D.!

He moved to Montana a couple of years ago, but Snowbirds it back every year before the Holidays, and stays for Racing Season! There's never a shortage of things for him to do...and he's always helping at least 3 guys with their cars at any given time!

He is a Great Man, and my Life is better for knowing him!

Good Luck on your Build...it's certainly a car worth your effort!

Regards!

PS: Here's a Couple of Photos of Tim with Dave West at the CHHR!

 

Hey Greg,

That's awesome! I have met Tim before but it was a ways back, and at that time it was just general BS'ing in the pits. We have talked quite a bit however since this project started for me and it's been great! I also stay keep in touch with Richard, and Jerry Beebe keeping them up to speed on what's happening etc... Great family!!! Hard Core racers!

Cheers,

Robert M.

 

That magazine article is a damn gold mine for you!! motor out 30 1/4",exact wheel base the detailed photos,, everything.

Thanks for posting Kev so we all could see Roberts cheat sheet. ha,ha. Very cool.

 

I'm sorry I passed over this before... Wow too cool! Here's a shot of your Dad driving this very car! Not sure how many times he did but there's at least one time captured on film!



So Bitchin!!!

~Robert M.

 

Water necks are done....

 

Dialing in the "Look"

 

ok, i grew up where 4x4s ruled ) mountains of oregon ) anyhow, never really got into drag racing sure looks fun.. anyhow, iv seen a lot of these type of dragsters i thinking they go by digger, is that the proper nick name for them? if so why do they call them diggers, and one last thing.. with you sitting over the rear axle.. id be so afraid of something go wrong there. cant say iv seen one of these old one with any protection.. is there anything you do? or just hope luck is on your side.. thanks, and that magazine you dug up was a gold mind.. rock on dude.. the coup can wait, use it for the tow car? heh or push car whatever they call it.

chris.

 

Robert,
while I was at the NHRR at Bowling Green I purchased a couple of publications from Goyda. I threw them in my race gear bag and earlier this week I finally remembered them and dug them out. One was Mike Doherty's first Drag Racing Photo Greats book from 1968. I was flipping through it and guess what I found?



I did not know if you had this shot in your collection so here it is.

Roo

 

Bitchin Roo!!!

Didn't have that one! I'm heading out to the shop for one final tweak of the mock up this evening. I drew some lines on the paper today and confirmed some angles etc... Need to prove it out now.

Cheers,

Robert M.

 

This is such a bitchin build, just because i don't comment doesn't mean i'm not watching. Keep the updates comming. Todd.