Hi Folks -
Thanks for all your responses
Ill try and answer most of your questions and comments in 1 post.
I dont have much time during the day thats for sure. I am the chief
inventor, designer, drafter, engineer, problem solver makem go awayer, and
bottle washer for the electronics firm I work for. My title is Mechanical
Engineering Technician but that just means anything that wont electrocute
you, is my responsibility :-( I guess its nice to be wanted !
Anyway here goes, starting in no particular order;
TO BOB VAN KIRK;
~ Say Bob, I speak teabag as well as th next guy, some day ask me to tell
you about the time I learned to drive a 4 speed in a Morris Mini whilst
doing laps around the foreign car service I apprenticed to on weekends
near Albany NY back in the good ol daze I worked on, and burnt m
knuckles on the exhaust manifold of, the very first E Jaguar in Albany
County NY it was a black roadster.
~ Uniontown originally was a board track if Im not mistaken dont know
about Morgantown. I LOVE Dirt track racing. To me its THE best spectator
sport in the world -IF you are aware of, and enjoy the nuances of, the
changing track texture every lap and can appreciate what a truly great
mechanic (for set-up) and driver can accomplish.
~ the LSR Group likewise has an incredible amount of talent, many VERY high
speed record holders, -and can even boast a gen-u-ine (retired) NASA Rocket
Scientist!
~ Ive been to 3 or 4 labor day weekend vintage sportcar races at Lime Rock
park. Have helped m friend Gordon White a bit with his 110 Offy 1948
Kurtis Kraft Midget. The red & Black # 9 ex Tassis Vattis car He usually
runs with the MGs and such. Two years ago he placed 2nd to one HOT TD if
m memory serves correctly. Remember these things are push start only, have
NO gearbox, and just 1 speed. Not too shabby Id say on a road course. You
want to seeem in their element!
I entered m Hot Rod, Boogie Woogie, and placed 1st in class and Best
Overall for Rod & Customs in the 1997 Lime Rock Concours something of
which I am very proud since I had been there back in the 60s with my Dad.
Besides, Denise McCluggage, and John Fitch presented me with my awards. Not
bad for a dirt broke hot rodder who built his car with his bare hands and
his common sense in a crooked gravel driveway in Montana LOL
Yah I was proud that day.
~ Im not restoring an old sprinter, but gathering parts to re-create an
authentic circa 1950 track racing roadster like they raced in the old
C.R.A. in So-Cal for example.(C.R.A. was California Roadster Assn) These
cars were one of the primary the forebears of modern sprint car racing, and
the incubator for some of Americas greatest drivers; Dan Gurney, Rodger
Ward,& Phil Hill among them...-to name just a few. I loveem because they
are to me, the meeting of all the great disciplines in one nice and tidy
unit; that of free thinking, make do hot rodding, Land Speed racing, oval
track, AND road race technology all together in a very tasty gumbo.
Remember the ELIMINATOR T that Brock Yates owned for a while ? That race
car begain as a C.R.A. racing roadster. NO doubt about it. In or around
1954 or 5 Duffy Livingstone bought it, converted it a bit,and started racing
it, -and winning in west coast road races. He kicked some serious Ferrari
butt with it from time to time I understand... BTW, Duffy you will remember
invented a devise youre no doubt familiar with, -known as a Go-Kart :-)
Anyway thats a great example of the type of car I want to build! The
quintessential Track Roadster Dont know if I will, but I sure got to try
dont I ? I could use it for limited street, oval track, AND road racing fun
Yee-Haw !
~ one of the more serious racers on the LSR List (who presently runs a
record holding Camaro ) is in the designing stages of a LSR bugeye Sprite.
Thatll be something to behold. The rocket scientist is building his
version of a LSR Sunbeam Tiger. Sez he wants to beat all of Richard
Seagraves old LSR records. Dont laugh, He just might do it.
WOW this has become a monster. Getting mighty windy here huh boys ?
Well its certainly apparent thisll take some time to complete so it might
be a day or two before I can post it
not that it matters.
TO CHARLES CHRIST:
3 cylinder SAAB ? I remember -a 93 perhaps ? rinnnnggggg ringggggg,
ahaaaaaaa, ringggggg, ringggggg, smoke, smoke, and more smoke, (blue) and
off we go into the wild (blue) yonder!
-just kidding ! :-) (-OLD-) SAABs are cool
I live about four hours north of you Charles,-and just an hour and a half
east of Watkins Glen but have never made it there. Maybe some day. Id like
to. A good pal of mine has a shop in Saylorsburg, Pa which must be fairly
near your location...
TO HAROLD PACE, and JOHN ROWE in Australia on the flathead list;
My engine (complete, and resting on the floor of the garge is a 50
Mercury which as you know is the big block of Flattydom :-) at 255 cubic
inches.
Tell me (no, US all ) more about your old sprinter project. Would love to
own one of them as well. Many of m friends in the Eastern Museum of Motor
Racing have them in all flavors from circa 1925 to the more modern winged
variety which admittedly, ARE U.G.G.L.Y. but man do they go! I may know
whereabouts of some parts for ya.
John, the Flathead list I refer to must be brandy new, I just found out
about it a couple weeks ago and its hosted by the same person and server as
the vintage list... Im not really aware of the other one. But I like my
experience with this servers LSR list so thought Id try these other two
(Vintage & Flathead)
Whew, ! thats all for now folks!
Signin off its Dirt Track Doug
-who alas sez;
if its got a number on it and makes a lotta noise, its GROOVY!
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