FLATHEAD RAIL;barn find

Nice!!!!!!!! That thing looks mean.

 

not realy. not at that size anyways... great find for sure...

 

Reworking the exhaust p***ages is a flathead race trick that has been done for many decades. We used to call them "quick way" exhausts. The idea is that you could end up with a much better flow by NOT trying to use the stock exhaust p***ages that went through the block. Lots of guys have done these mods over the years . . . especially when blocks were a dime a dozen. As you can imagine, you can invest LOTS of time and work on one of these blocks -- only to end up with a fatal crack, drop the cam . . . start all over again.

The most extensive block work I've ever seen was on Ron Main's 'FlatFire' streamliner -- he spent a TON of money reworking his block (I heard that he had over 100 hours of welding alone). **** Landy did the block work and I heard that they had way North of $100K in it. Of course he went 300 mph at Bonneville with a flathead . . . one amazing feat!

Anyway - you flathead guys should checkout this link:

http://www.flatfire.com/flatfire2.htm

 

real cool rail
later
RC

 

Great link....thanks.

 

That is one the best scores I've seen on here

 

size wize

 

Four Solex's eh? Pilot?

Mart.

 

better

 

couple more

 

Given the tach that is in it - must have been ran sometime in the last couple decades. I noticed what looks like an adjustable timing cable - on the front . . . simple and effective.

Any idea the last time it was fired?

 

And he made it into the 7's with that thing! One of the most amazing feats in flathead history . . . wish I had seen him run.

 

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Gotta love that high tech dist clamp.

 

We think it last ran in the late 70's. The pistons and rods are out of it and they have had some work carried out on them. It is supposed to have run 10's

 

killer would love to here it / drive it !

 

thats insane......ive seen the exhaust uot the top but never out the front and back............

you need to get that running and post a video........PLEASE

 

It don't sound like a Flathead! Sounds like an angry flathead! I'll post a vid with noise soon.

 

I was just reading about Bradley in a circa 1960 little book...his carbureted flathead was running times faster than some blown hemi slingshots inthe same mag...
Flatheads in general had lost out to the hemi in dragsters by then...I think '55 or '56 was last flathead top eliminator at national drags, but here was Bradley...

 

From what we gather, this car has an incredibly interesting history.

Here's what we know so far:

Built in 1969 by Allan Herridge for Pete 'Snoopy' Bennett and called 'The Red Baron' - it was camapaigned in 1970 - pictures suggest it had an injected sbc at that time

Then went to Bruce Brown and was renamed 'Age Machine' - not sure what motor it had at that time

It then became John Wright and John Suttons well known'Rainmaker' and we believe had an injected Rat Motor in it at this time

In 1973 Dave and Roz Prior got the car - still with the Rat Motor, it proved to be a little on the tight side for Dave so it was Roz that raced it and it became a very popular car with her at the wheel!

Pete Hollingsworths obtained the car - we're not quite sure if that was directly from the Priors - Pete built the car with a heavily modified Flathead and we believe it was called The Grenadier then - this name is still on the car!

Pete then sold it to a guy in Farnham who used it a couple of times as Pig Pen

We originally bought it from this guy and sold it to our friend John Parkes Route 66 museum in Northern Ireland. After Johns p***ing it reamined with a family friend of theirs until we bought it back a month or so ago.

We are trying to piece the cars history together and it clearly has been built and raced by some very prominent and important people in the early years of UK Drag Racing.

If anybody has any pictures of the car in any of the guises mentioned or can add (or of course refute) any of the information we have then please let us know.

There are some old pics shown on the thread mentioned above.

This is proving to be an incredibly interesting research and any help is much appreciated!

 

For the record

Allan Herridge was one of the first inductees to the British Drag Racing hall of fame. Roz prior was the first lady of British drag racing.............

 

will upate as more info surfaces

 

cool find!

 

thank you

 

any update on this beast

 

Really a nice car and lucky to have been able to get a lot of history on it. I would love to hear that flatty fired up. I bet it has a very unique sound.