Hot Rods Smoothing out the front ends of open wheel cars...

Gang,

I've been wondering why so may traditional land speed and drag racing style roadsters and coupes didn't spend a little more time installing small fairings or partial belly pans around the front suspension. I suppose the main reason was that it was probably illegal in "stock" classes, right?

As I see it, the terrible consequence (ha ha) is that not many fairings or aero tricks got trendy copies installed on street driven hot rods - at least in recent times anway. Or was it just the simple fact that adding more horsepower was easier than worrying about aero on a street car? Skills required? That the street cars were just too slow to worry about aero? Regardless, I think they look racy and would like to put some sort of small fairing / grille / belly pan deal on my next build.

I went thru Dean Lowe's comprehensive Bonneville thread yesterday and didn't see too many roadsters or coupes using them. And over the years, I think I've seen more examples in road racers than anywhere else. Does anyone have more photos of cars like these? I'd love to see more pix, a lot more. Thanx, Gary

<O</O<O</O<O</O

 

Kinda, stolen from the H.A.M.B yesterday:

 

Simple, rules. Depending on class of course. And rules change over time. Look back to the 90s and lots of roadsters and coupes had large vertical water tanks in front of their grills acting as an aero device. Now they are illegal.

 

I saw that thread, too. An interesting design. Gary

 

Gary,
I think with the salters it was a matter of class. Once you start putting on wings and farings you get moved into a streamliner class. I remember the ol' man talking about blocking the radiator on a fellas car with cardboard. He didn't think that it would move the car to a streamliner class but it sure enough did. problem being that he wasn't registered in streamliner class.

The fella was allowed to remove the cardboard but had to pass tech all over again. they were a little nit picky the second time around.

I think on the streets it was a matter of show or go. In our world everyone has an english wheel or a pull max, or a pan break. It wasnty anything that anyone had back in the era of the cars that you posted. Those were hammered out by had with a shot bag. Not something that everyone could do back then or even now.

So the average Joe had a choice, he could put it together stripped down and run it or he could try and meet someone with the skills or pay someone with the skills.

if I was building one today I would not give a second thought to throwing a faring on it.

 

Here are some other pix I've saved, including some back halves that look kinda cool, too. I think I'd want one as wide as possible, too... perhaps as far out as where the bones mount as long as it wouldn't interferre with the tires at full lock. Later, Gary

 

I plan on adding a splash apron of sorts to make the lower end of my grill shell a tad swoopier/streamlined.

 

love this one