Features VINTAGE SPRINT CAR PIC THREAD, 1965 and older only please.

Recently I found this neat magnesium center section at a local scrap yard. It was erroneously tossed into a bin of scrap aluminium castings and I was able to buy it for scrap (aluminum) value. What I would like to do is marry it to my 9" roundback rear end housing to give me the strength of a niner and the look of a quickie. Can anybody identify the manufacturer? I would like to find a used / used up rear end cover for it but I don't know whose to look for. The single most distinguishing feature to me is the absence of a twelvth hole on the axle flange near the change gear case. At one time there was an ID tag on the top, about 1" x 2" that was held in place with four rivet nails. If I have to I'll hog a rear end cover out of a billet of aluminum but the thought of a billet piece on a repro car makes me shudder.

Any ideas? Halibrand? Winters? Other?

 

Old Bill-I have a photo the Culp #4 at Trenton in 1955. Photo is by Walt Imlay.



I have it listed as Rex Records,but that is probably in error because I have another Imlay photo from 1955 Trenton that says Rex Records in the Sacks #18...

Maybe it was actually Buster Warke in the #4 that day?

 

Buildy: The only Trenton sprint car race in 1955 was on Oct. 2. At that one Records was in the Sacks Hal; Mike Magill was in the Culp Offy. I don't list Records in the Culp in any year. Probably it is Mike.

 

Thanks Bill! I am enjoying your contributions and knowledge very much!

Here is the photo by Imlay



I know you just got done posting a lot of the Culp Hillegass history,but would you happen to have anything of the Caruso sprints?

A friend and I are trying to figure out Mike Caruso`s history and it is very confusing with some people telling me this and others saying that.

We haven`t figured out exactly how many Midgets he stretched as of yet.

 

Here is a photo of My Favorite Hillegass at the Tommy Classic last Friday at WG.

 

FWIW-I came across a little more on John Vance Sr.
In the early 30s J. Vance Sr. campaigned a two car team with Mauri Rose and Bob Cary as drivers. One car was Fronty powered with Cary as the usual driver and the other, powered by a engine of Vances own design, and was usually driven by Rose. Don't know much about the Vance engine but it seems Cary had more success with the Fronty.

 

OldBill-
I believe the car was white and red when we bought it. I do remember now that he said Monson had run it last.
That list of past drivers is unreal! Somewhere there are most likely pics of my hero Jimmy Bryan driving it! Thanks again very much!

 

Anybody have any info or pics of Dick Kelm ?

 

The Caruso, supercharged Offy, streched midget, restored by Jim Frankland.
Mike Nazaruk up at W/G 1950.

 

Buildy-
Thanks for posting the Imlay pic; my memory is not quite 100% anymore, but i would be willing to bet thats Tommy in the Culp #4 at Trenton. The coveralls, the way he fixed his helmet, etc. But i could be wrong...

 

Spike-I agree that that looks like Tommy, but it's not. Tommy only drove the car three times, twice in 1951 when it was No. 7 and once in 1953 when it was No. 4, but with a maroon and white paint scheme. This photo is in 1955's pink paint. Compare it to my photo on Reply 5738-that photo is Magill at Trenton in 1955.

Buildy-I haven't been able to sort out the Caruso story to my satisfaction. I believe that Mike must have stretched two midgets, but have heard (second hand) from very good sources that he only stretched one. The first (originally the No. 2 midget) was very badly damaged when Charlie Ethier was killed at Salem on July 15, 1951. I've heard that it was rebuilt, but that damage was so severe that it seems likely that another frame was used. I have photos of the car after that crash, but they are pretty grim to post on this board. There's a remote possibility that he stretched another much later, in the early Sixties. I doubt that.

 

We found the car in Spartanburg SC, finally got it bought 1 1/2 years after we first saw it. The car had been in the same family for over 80 years, it was at the original homeplace. When we first found it, the car had been outside in the weather out of the barn for a couple years. When we finally got the car it came with the original plans to build a dirt track racer, mailed to Henry Watson in Spartanburg SC. The car had been passed down from several generations and no-one had done anything with it. We dissassembled the car repaired some rotten wood structure, went through the driveline. rebuilt the T engine (1918) It even had an external oiling system. The Block had his name drilled and chisled in the side... We repaired and did not cover up the body with cosmetics. We just wanted everyone to see how it really was. I will have more photos later.
racinman

 

"Buildy-I haven't been able to sort out the Caruso story to my satisfaction. I believe that Mike must have stretched two midgets, but have heard (second hand) from very good sources that he only stretched one. The first (originally the No. 2 midget) was very badly damaged when Charlie Ethier was killed at Salem on July 15, 1951. I've heard that it was rebuilt, but that damage was so severe that it seems likely that another frame was used. I have photos of the car after that crash, but they are pretty grim to post on this board. There's a remote possibility that he stretched another much later, in the early Sixties. I doubt that."









I am also of the opinion that he stretched at least 2,and maybe even three.

Several sources have told me,and I`ve read that Caruso Stretched the #3 midget that had been driven by Mike Nazaruk into the number #36 sprint car and ran it with the supercharged Offy midget engine.
This car was later numbered 3 by the mid fifties.
If this is wrong,and the #2 was the first one,and then stretched and demolished,then I would guess he stretched the #3 Midget.

Adding to the confusion is in the mid fifties Caruso had a Midget #22.
Sometime around 1960-61 the sprint is back as #36.
What puzzles me is Mike had a #3 OFFY sprintcar that he ran in URC up to around 1969,but supposedly the #36 was found in last raced condition. What happened to the #3 he kept running with URC.
What Caruso car was the stretched midget my uncle Jerry Karl ran in URC with a Chevy?
I` don`t think anyone has straightened out any of this.

One thing Uncle Jerry told me is Caruso had lots of cars not just one or two over there in Hicksville LI NY....



This is the mystery car-photo from 1965-in 1966 we got the car which was one of the Caruso cars,but which one nobody can say....

Here is the car in 1966.




The other thing I`ve had no success with is finding out who was driving and who owned the car in the 1965 photo at the USAC race at Allentown PA.... Car #39 in shoe polish on the tail.

 

Bill Van Dyke - Photos of Dick Kelm in 1966. Anybody know the colors?

 

OldBill-
Like i said, my memory is not what it once was, so im sure you are right about it being Magill.
The first race i won at Flemington in 1967, the car that finished 2nd belonged to Caruso. It was a stretched Midget powered by a Turbo Charged Offy. It was driven by Johnny Mann, a very good Midget driver back then. I just barely beat him to the flag; only because i had more low end power than that Turbo Offy did. Again, that was in 1967, a URC show.

 

Spike that is the same car I`m talking about.
Jerry Drove it once at Stafford or Thompson in 1967 or so,too. He said it handled good but didn`t have enough power to run with the chevies.
I`m not sure it had a turbo,though! Maybe it did-my memory is not so great either.

I have a photo of that car somewhere but I can`t find it at the moment.

I don`t see how that one and the # 36 could have been the same car.

Supposedly the #36 was found still in as last raced condition still numbered 36-the one Caruso kept the longest was number 3 in URC till at least 1969.

Caruso must have stretched at least two of them,maybe even 3 of them.


Spike or Bill: can either of you ID this car?

 

Spike - I remember Johnny Mann; he was very tough in midgets.

Buildy - The "mystery car" with the shoe polish numbers was Ron Lux on Aug. 7, 1965. I was there. He qualified 14th of 23, not bad in USAC, but was only sixth in the consy. On Aug. 11 they raced again at Allentown, but scratched before time trials.

Thought you might like these photos of Jerry Karl: Driver on the right is Buzz Gregory in the Ruppert No. 65.

 

Bill thank you very much for these photos of my Uncle Jerry. We just lost him last feb as you may know.

I am grateful for any photos anyone has of Jerry racing!

Bill,is that car our #15??? Jerry bought it from someone Upstate NY I think??

We were told it was a Caruso car. Do you have any ideas?

 

That T is beyond cool! The original Bosch plate distributir is worth a pretty penny. Mr. Watson sure wanted to let the exhaust breathe!! Thanks for posting the pics.

 

I took a bunch of photos of the car at the Stan Lobitz Movie Party in Nov.










Body work was made out of old advertising signs-IIRC the cowl had Quaker State lettering on the inside.

 

That 3rd pic of Jerry with the roll cage brings back memories for me. That is tha cage i bought from him, so that i would be legal to run the weekly shows in Central PA. I didnt want to run a cage, but the rules said so at Selinsgrove, and i loved that big, fast joint!

 

Spike didn`t you say that cage was conduit! I don`t remember them running with it,but they did! I guess WG or ????

I know my Dad and Jerry sweated every ounce on a race car,but wow. Imagine that happening these days.

Jerry hated the idea of roll cages,said anyone would be able to drive a race car once they put those on.

They ran 1/4 inch bolts on their TQ to save weight.

 

While on the topic of stretched Midgets what can you guys tell me about the Paul Weirick owned car that Bob Swanson drove in the Vanderbilt Cup Race. What happened to the car, is it still around?

 

Buildy, Those photos are GREAT! I really like the use of the Model T front engine mount for the steering box mount. I think the steering box is early Buick. Did the car always run the Model A Ford wire wheels?

 

Buildy - That 15 is your car, Jerry driving, racing Buzz Gregory. I have heard the rumor that it was a Caruso car; never could confirm that.

 

Hey Bill what I meant is do you think the Lux car and Jerry`s are the same car-They sure seem very similar to me.

Marty Himes says my Dad and Jerry put the Chevy in the car. I can`t remember,but Marty would know.

I think this car might be our 15-the only difference is the roll bar is further back on the 36.


Front Bolt on wheel,rear bumper,and front and rear radius rods match our car.

I can`t figure out this Caruso thing.
Jerry always said he was told his 15 was the Caruso Duece....


The body work in the fifties has a weird nose,then the 36 car seems to have a normal early KK nose again in the 60s like our 15 had.

The Lux 39 seems to have the rollbar where ours was,but different rear radius rods.....

 

Bill,another question-do you have any photos of Caruso`s #3 in URC in the later 1960s???

IIRC it had a weird roll bar on it and a white frame.

 

I love how the T wish bones were flatend and drilled to make the radius rods. That is about the coolest old T I've seen in a long time.

 

Buildy-Only a clipping, but best I can do. Lou Fray at Trenton 1966.

 

Thanks Old Bill..I'll pass this on to his stepson who is a partner with me in an ASCS sprint my daughter drives. Dick is now living in Tucson. thanks again. Bill