History Can someone explain turning racecars into street car?

The truth is any factory bodied race cars ( bodies being GM, Ford , Mopar etc. ) other than Indy , sprints ,FED’s , purpose built race cars were street cars first , so repurposed race cars made road worthy is just the circle of life and the best of both worlds. There is a little museum in North Carolina that has only one car out front . Wendell Scott’s coach dirt modified soaking up the sun and rain and collecting rust. Restored or put back on the road would be a positive improvement over what it is getting from its caretaker now.

 

Marty labeled himself as NASCAR's wall tester. His talent was way in arrears of his enthusiasm for the sport.

 

At one of the local dirt tracks around here last year, they were thrilled to have a total car count in the pits of 103 cars, but those 103 cars covered 6 classes. Of those 103 drivers, how many would you expect to honestly tell you they think they are as good as the NASCAR drivers? They may consider it at their own track in their own class, but to put them into a NASCAR car at a NASCAR track is a different story.
Back in Marty's day, things were different then they are today, you could show up at the track and with a little luck, run with the boys.

But Marty Robbin's driving ability has nothing to do with restoring his car(s), or not. Its about the person (in Marty's case, a music star), or the car, not necessarily the drivers ability. How about those race cars that may have been at the track the day the pictures of Marty's car were taken? Do they deserve to be restored because they were at the track when someone took pictures of Marty Robbin's race car? Would it defile one of those cars if someone put it on the street?

 

I think Marty ran pretty good in a few big races. Might not have won, but for a single car team with an owner/ driver, he did pretty respectable.

 

Thinking here in Wisconsin it's become more difficult to get a car project of this type registered/ plated for street driving. In years past several all out drag cars would show up driven to cruises/ shows, now trailered to close by. I've read where guys will modify a Sprint car, auto trans, add lights, turn signals, other equipment and get them registered/ plated, none in Wi. that I'm aware of. It's Kool to have some hard hitting race engine car show up, I love the music they make, definitely impractical, but "To each their own said the farmer as he hugged his cow" Sometimes in our great hobby there is no explanation and IMO that's what makes it so great.

 

Someone here had or has a '64 Ford Galaxie stock car they run on the street. Very nicely done.

 

Not a galaxy but dang this looks fun

 

Love the Fairlane!
For this fat old man, that driver's door better function, I'm not sure I could get my leg up high enough to get in or out of the door window, and I'm not so sure my belly would fit through it...

Having an opening door was the reason the roll cage was removed from my coupe, the top cage bar was below the roof line and I hit my head on that bar 3 times in one day. About 30 minutes after that 3rd hit, the cage was laying on the shop floor.

 

My last stock car was a Nova and it was real low. Super easy to step through the window, although now, I think my lower back would have something to say about it.

 

This is probably the opposite of what @Robert J. Palmer was talking about. Judging by the windows and trim, that's a street car made to resemble a race car...not a former race car adapted to the street...but it IS pretty cool

 

Hello,

There are two camps that seem to get their point across. For safety’s sake and DMV registration, any paper work will suffice to get registered. But, if an inspection of an old roll bar equipped, modified chassis, open wheeled race car was necessary, then good luck in passing any safety standards for that year car.

As strong as a full roll cage is concerned, they are good for racing, but not so good for the daily drives. Climbing over side crash bars daily is not the most appealing thing. But, putting a hinge or pins in to keep the side bars is not the safest thing to do and not approved by racing rules.

So, the dilemma is, you might be able to sneak a registration by the DMV sight unseen, but you are not doing anyone favors for safety on the roads and the daily driving commutes.

One camp is looking at stock cars listed as drag race cars in various modified configurations, including most stock car components. The Gas Coupes and Sedans also fall into the street legal category. Even the old street roadster classes with their modifications are street legal and could be full daily drivers.

But, to take a full roll bar equipped race car and think it is a safe car for daily driving… well that is some idea! Shades of OKC “street racers” calling their cars daily drivers and legal for the street… HA! “A quarter mile at a time is more like it.” And, on commercially rented streets.

Jnaki

Taking different models of race cars is a long process to completely pass all safety standards for driving. The old stock cars and gas coupes are typically hot rod builds. But as the old saying goes. “To each his own… good or bad..”

So, for those bumper-less 55 Chevy sedans raised up in front to the modified coupes with full roll bars and no bumpers/fenders, both styles having a gas tank sitting as a target is not the best thing for all concerned. The tank in front for safety reasons is never an accepted place other than at a dragstrip. Definitely not on the street.


Since the photo (Doyle Gammell 32 Ford) shows a Moon Tank in front of the 1932 coupe, (no one had the Moon Tanks in front other than FED race cars at the drags… An important drag race rule came into play to get all Moon Tanks out of the cab and placed in front or in the trunk in late August 1960) It was probably after September 1960 and the tall green Vincent Thomas Suspension Bridge nearby, that is now in place, started in 1960.

Jnaki

The tow bar was a nice addition and looks as if they are ready to go or just got back from nearby, Lion’s Dragstrip in late 1960 or beyond. A Gas Coupe Class would have been perfect for this nicely done, chopped 32 coupe.


The rear wheels were Inglewood 8.20-15 mounted on American Racing Torq-Thrust wheels. Up front it ran Firestone ribbed racing tires. Racecar favorites, but acceptable for the street.

 

I think the question you are asking is kind of like asking why someone would spend years building the car of their dreams and then paint it a color that makes it looks like crap?

These cars had the finest upholstery jobs and the workmanship on the car was First Class along with Pro build engine but then lay down some color that in my opinion just look wrong on the car.

I might add that when I asked other car guys looking at the same car what they thought of the color, they all agreed with me.

Just my opinion, and I understand that opinions are like toilet seats and everyone has a few!

Jimbo

 

Guess I should weigh in here. I'm the guy who bought a race car with history and put it on the street. Understand this was 1973 and I was young and full of energy. Could not wait to tell people that I now owned the very Willys that people would pay money to watch race across the USA. My friends said now what are you going to do with it? The engine was gone and it was no longer legal to run it's class or anything but brackets. Since I did not own a trailer I decided to make the car street worthy to show it off. So I did. Drag racers from all over said I screwed up and perhaps I did. What they didn't know was I had kept all the original race parts. Eventually after years of driving the car I decided to put it back as the race car it was. One fellow said by making it a street driver I actually saved it. I eventually restored it as it was in 1962. But the street driving is something I'll never regret. Hell, I put more miles on it than Doug Cook albeit not as fast.

 

I know that car. Its a replica of a car that used to run at Huntsville Speedway. Not a race car, per-say

 

Wether the race car is restored or modded back if that is the case, the most important aspect I think is that these cars are driven, and not stored in some museum or in someone’s garage collecting dust. Watching Duncan Pittaway drive and race his “Beast of Turin”, his vintage Bugatti, or his Chevy Cheetah is what it is all about. He is very clear about not letting them sit idle and hidden out of the way to “preserve” them.

 

Right on the money!
It's better that these cars are being driven, and out there for many people to appreciate, than to be sitting in a museum, or private collection where only a handful of people will see them. Adding some changes to make them street legal, or more driveable isn't ruining anything. It's simply making them better to allow them to put more miles on them.

 

Why would you be so upset about the color someone else paints their car? Just like the race car to steer car, original to hot rod, restored to leave alone…I try not to loose sleep over it.

 

Where is this museum at? I drive down to NC often and would like to visit it.

 

The only Wendell Scott dirt car I could find was recently bought by his family at an auction in Va. They plan to build a museum around it in Danville Va. his home town. Very cool that the family was able to bring it back home. One of his newer cars is on loan to the Henry Ford museum. Wendell was a big deal especially down south, amazing story.

 

Let me think. It’s in Mooresville on the main drag. White block building. A lot of race cars inside. Pics are on old phone They have the First Lady to race in NASCAR (Smith) her coupe in there. I know another old car museum near there. I will ask my Dad if he remembers. I know it wasn’t far from Rusty Wallace, Roush/Yates shop. I may have some literature, I will look for.”

 

I have to ask Dad. There is the North Carolina Race Car Hall of Fame

 

This was one of them but I swear it was a white non descriptive building and Wendell’s Coach body dirt car out front.

 

@41rodderz
Thanks for the reply. I do go to Winston Salem on occasion, not far from there. It’s kind of funny but I can’t watch todays NASCAR races but I enjoy the old stuff (Mid 70s back). The one the family bought was a 37 Ford #11 that he built in Danville.

 

Former racer on the street

 

Had plans to try that with this...Covid got in the way and now it's for sale...would have been cool with the center steering...

 

Doesn't even have reverse.
No radio. Not even AM.
Does have skirts, though.
Maybe lower it in the back a little. Some lace on the roof...

 

That would make a sweet street beast.