History So all Stockcars were crudely built junk? You better think again!

Marcus, I think it was only a pavement car, and I really don't have any history other than another old friend Palmer Crowell drove it for Keith. I do have Palmer's s****book, covering racing from the 40's to the late 80's, maybe I should look closer.

 

Hershel McGriff had a pretty sanitary 39 coupe. He was voted one of NASACAR' S Top 50 drivers of the first 50 years. During that time, he retired from racing in 1954, and returned in 1968 or 9, quite a record, for taking 14 years off in the prime of his life, and a real gentleman.

 

This is my 36 Chevy dirt modified BBC that's been around for 50 years running mostly New York tracks , New Jersey and Pennsylvania tracks . Recent pic at Reading Fairgrounds Stock Car reunion. Soon it will have a Hilborn Injection fueling that Big Block !

 

Do you have a injector?

 

I had forgotten about this until last night when I was talking to my dad about this thread.

Sometime between 72-75 my dad's cousin wanted my dad to build him a racecar. The project never got beyond the parts collecting stage.

Let just say everyone want to be in victory lane with the checked flag and kissing the trophy girl but very few (his cousin) want to put in the work it take to get there.

My dad was going to use a 63-67 Corvette frame he had picked up two or three that had minor damage that he repaired.

The body was a 36 Ford Tudor the was given to my dad (dad told him what he was going to do him it) by an early Ford restorer.

It was a complete car the restorer only wanted the ch***is and fenders, the deal was if dad took the body and returned the ch***is fenders he could have it so that's what he did.

Dad said the guy had some kid of snobbery toward anything that wasn't a Coupe.

The funny thing is the ch***is with the fenders still bolted to it are still right where my father left them almost fifty years ago!

 

Hey, Marty;
Thank you for taking the time to look.
Marcus...

 

Robert, 50 years OUTSIDE ?
Stretch

 

And like most of the modifieds by the end of the coupe/coach era, look closely at the body. The roof and the rear deck (kind of) are all of the car that was used. And it was probably a pretty rusty body to start from. So in a sense the builder's use of that body gave it one more chance, and look, it's still on track 50 years later. What would its chances have been in the s****yard it came out of? Tin cans? Toyotas?

In my opinion I think that it was a good way to to preserve an old car. And most likely it also had old Ford front spindles with 3/4 ton spindle adapters.

 

Yes, sir right where my dad unloaded it from the trailer right in front of the barn. I have been temped to stop and ask about them several times.

 

Some more pics of my dirt modified from 50 years ago . Car went through body and frame changes over the years .

 

The "Twister" Super Mod Driver Hank Arnold

 

Can't say I have ever seen a blower on a dirt track car.

 

It was tried from time to time. I have always been told supercharged engines didn't work well in oval track racing because they are on and off the throttle so much.

Riiska's X 180 degree supercharged flathead, ran Lebanon Valley Speedway (West Leabon NY) between Albany NY and Pittsfield M***.

Supercharging seemed to work at The Valley because of high banking, high speed, almost full throttle. The track is banked over 30 degrees I thinks 36, 3 degrees higher then Bristol.

I am correct @Dave G in Gansevoort on the amount of bank?




Wide, Fast, High Banked, and a Boiler Plate Wall! Iron Men in Tin Cars!!!

 

It was pretty steep years ago, but I think it's lower now. According to Lew Boyd's book, "Modifieds of Lebanon Valley " the original banking was about 31 degrees.

It's the reason why a lot of cars had "windows " cut into the roof, so that the driver could see up out of the car in the corners on the banking.

I wasn't a driver, but I managed to get some laps in now and again. And I must say, it's a rush hurtling towards a corner, having the car take a set, and chasing the tail up towards the boiler plates. And not really knowing how to make the corners makes it real thrilling!

On the occasions when I took a joy ride as it were, we had to tell my mom that we had problems with the steering. Then to keep her from figuring it out, I'd have to pull the steering all apart to further the illusion.

Of course the problem with the steering was the bad connection between the seat and the steering wheel! But what fun!

 

Riiska's Xs and Jackie Whistling Wilson's turbocharged engine in the 70's. The Xs would jump off the corners if they could get traction. Wilson's turbocharged car was fast at the top end, but hard to get off the corners due to lazy acceleration.

And I think Bill Winn from Williamstown MA. had supercharged engines in the 60s. Don't quote me on that, I may be thinking about someone else.

 

That's a very famous NE modified. Built and driven by Fitchburg, M***achusetts’ Reino Tulonen.

 

I don't know how many non-oval track racers have ever noticed the use of 3/4 ton Floater hubs and latter "safety hubs" on the front.



In the early days they would cut the ends off a 3/4 rear and machine it to fit over the front spindle and machine a support.

Latter Frankland built bolt on spindles, but these still required some finishing, I used N.O.S. Franklands on my car machine work by Tim Cantelli

 

The #1 car in the above post is Charlie Jarzombek's "bug" built in 1962. The track is likely Riverhead. All of his cars were insanely antiseptically clean. Note the "pony" tire on the LF.

Some sanctioning bodies specified a safety hub on the RF. It was a natural progression to see the use spread to the rest of the car.

 

Another old stock car trick was to convert a Banjo rear to a floater.

This was done in the early days by would cutting of the bearing ends off the side bells and cutting off the spindle off a Timken floater 3/4 rear (used in Ford/Studebaker trucks) and machine them to bolt on t the which is what I did on my rear, using the 12 spline 3/4 axles and hubs sometime 8 lug but usually stock Wide 5s or Safety Race Engineering (S.R.E.) hubs.

The differential was replaced with an aftermarket 12 spline spool that bolted to the car ring gear


Gene Cole 43 replica note the stock banjo center section and 3/4 ton hubs
Built and owned by **** and Jeff Ackerman

Kerzon "Moose" Carye 34 Ford with V-8 or 6 splines as we oval tracker call it.
Owned by **** and Jeff Ackerman


This is the aftermarket Spool


12 spline axles


This is the way it is done, these photos are of my build.



Note- I am running a Champ (10 Spline in oval track terms) with V8 side plates.

The Ch***is is made of three Model A frames

 

They were innovative cars built by innovative people. They didn’t just race, they made a living out of it. Not just 34 Fords, but 36 Chevys, both coupe and coach, 37and 38 Fords coupes and flat backs,, are hard to come by because of it, but so what? Just makes them more desirable. Masons garage kept a bunch of 36 Chevy flat back coaches on hand, and let locals know that they bought them if they brought them to them.
I don’t know if the Studebaker drivers question was answered (couldn’t find it), but here’s what I know,
#3 Rene Charland,70 Leroy Yarbrough, 23 Bill Slater, 97 Red Farmer, 86 Frank Secrist, 68 Charland again, #45, either Perk Brown or Carl Burris, driving the Mason Garage car.

 

Did a double take when I saw the first photo. I have the model of the #54, same livery, even has the Schneider Cams decals on the hood. I'm looking at it right now. Built it over 50 years ago. Think it was made by Monogram but not sure. I'd wager I saw every Hot Rod Mag from this era but don't recall making the connection between the cover and the model. Feel like I just stepped into the Twilight Zone.

 

Hey, Radford46;
Thanks for that info on the Stude drivers.
Marcus...

 

And you knew that the accident was bad when you couldn't get that support spacer out of the 3/4 ton spindle adapter, and had to get a new spindle AND 3/4 ton spindle adapter. Not to mention the spider backing plate, brake shoes, king pins, axle, all the 4 bars and rod ends, tie rod, Koni coilover...

It's amazing how much those parts could take, bending all to $#!+, and not break.

 

Oh and bucks down racers would take stock floater axles and shorten them by cutting the flange off, boring a hole thru it that the axle would fit thru, but tight, as in hammer tight. Then put the axle in the rear, hammer the flange on making sure to get a little float, and then bolt the flange back to the hub. Now weld the axle stub sticking out to the flange. Yup, there were some crude parts, by today's standards, but not junk.

 

Scanned some 70's era pictures today of some modifieds of the era.
Sorry for the poor quality. This was taken 1974 at the Valley's 200 lapper. Gerald Chamberlain's Pinto with independent front suspension. Yes it's a little bit track weary, but it was late October. Nobody's cars looked fresh.
Rod Fifield's sportsman #25, 25 Chevy, at least that's what Uncle Art Stewart called it.

BTW the 76 had Falcon front spindles with Buick drums adapted to them. And the springs were inboard, acting thru bell cranks. The rear was a 9-inch Ford on similar springing and z link suspension long before the late model guys tried it.

 

The Don Rounds Sportsman out of R.I. built in the late 50/early 60s



This car has a rear 4 Link!
Stock split wishbones and adjustable upper links!

 

And a championship center section, open drive, Ford side bells probably modified just like Robert did for his current build. Goes to show, 4 links are hamb era legit, both race cars (look at the pictures...) and the Grabowski and Ivo t-buckets (4-link front suspension).

 

Marty Robbins Always claimed to be a Race car driver and not a singer. He said he only sang songs to support his racing habit.

 

Jokingly Richard Petty said something along the line of If Marty Robbins ever wanted to give up on his singing career, and get serious about racing he could really be good.