Vintage Stock Cars. Hows and Whys??

[nightride]

I'm in Tampa Fl. area. We still race at East Bay Race Way once a month.Jamie Frankland is still racing with us he is the present of our club. I raced up in Mass in the early 70s.Also check out
Click here: Norwood Arena Speedway: stock car racing, nascar tracks, modifieds Fredy ,Billy Schulz were my uncles.
Look on my page here and can see my cars. Check out photosat then
Go Fast Photos by Mike | Easbay 3.26.11
I'm still running the flatheads and I was taught a lot of tricks. Building a new 39 coupe on 48 frame ford. This is a great thread. Thanks guys. Rick

[Dick Webber]

In Iowa when I was about 12 a guy on my paper route started racing a 37 Ford slantback at Ottumwa Aces speedway. I used to hang around and watch him work. Not much to it that I could see, take out the glass, tie the hood, doors and trunk shut, water glass in the radiator to take care of the cracks in the block, water pipe roll cages and bumpers, and a hook welded on the dash to keep it in second! What a thrill to watch them run on that old motorcycle dirt track. I never got over that.

Dick

[Enbloc]

Originally Posted by SUHRsc

Great set of pictures, Zach. Thanks

I see you've got a set of all the different styles! The complete spindle has got to be the best. I don't think you could get it any shorter in length than that and its so neat and clever the way it screws onto the original spindle threads.

Now to find a pair. Ha!

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by Enbloc

Great set of pictures, Zach. Thanks

I see you've got a set of all the different styles! The complete spindle has got to be the best. I don't think you could get it any shorter in length than that and its so neat and clever the way it screws onto the original spindle threads.

Now to find a pair. Ha!

They were only used on the right side. (unless you were running on a track with only right hand turns )

[Enbloc]

Originally Posted by 51 MERC-CT

They were only used on the right side. (unless you were running on a track with only right hand turns )

Yes, as I've since learned they were. Theres no reason why the same set-up could be used on both spindles.

[FANTASYSPEEDWAY]

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Hi, My name is Ron Clark, and I am relatively new to the Ford Barn forum. Several of your members stopped by our dirt oval (Unity Plantation) on a trek through Maine a couple of years ago. The guys spent the afternoon driving our old race cars and getting a feel of the way it was back in the day. No fancy cars here, just original restorations, or copies built the old way. (See much more on our website - www.fantasyspeedway.me), and on youtube.com under "Fantasy Speedway, Unity Maine."

I see that this may be a somewhat "dead" thread as the responses are a few years old. There was a lot of good info provided at that time, and we don't know how our friend who started the thread made out with his then 'new' race car. Willing to assist anywhere we can on any early era stock car restorations, or "NEW" builds. That is what we do as a club...

However, for anyone who may spot this post, rest assured that the "olde" days are not quite dead yet ! There are a bunch of "Mainiacs" still pushing the throttles on flatheads (that includes V-8's, "H" model Ford sixes and Mopars), and some inline GMs as well. We are still feeding gas (albeit yucky gas) to first era "Bombers" or "Jalopies" in stock dress, and a smaller fleet of early era "Modifieds". My daughter (now 23) has run her 1933 Ford 5 window mod for years, this year being her tenth. Erica has been friends with Jamie Frankland, and of course her QUIKCHANGE is one of Jamie's Dad's inventions. We still occasionally have water problems with her 276 race prepped flatty V-8 (think we have nailed it to leaky sleeves - a replacement block is in the plan). I have offered to install our old 312 race engine, but she refuses to run the car without her flatty. Her uncle's '37 Nash coupe is nearly finished, and that '41 Buick 320 straight eight sounds really HOT with the factory two deuce setup (with Ford carbs !).

Anyway, we hope that there are still folks out there that appreciate true vintage racing with vintage powerplants and straight axles. We would love to enjoy another afternoon with some more nice folks from Ford Barn. Here to help with any olde race car questions, etc. or "bench racing" thru e-mail, or telephone !

e-mail is - [email protected]

phone is - 207-751-4002

[FL&WVMIKE]

There is an OLD saying, in Daytona, "If you ain't cheatin, you ain't trying !".
MIKE (mikeburch)

[Pete]

The vintage stock cars are indeed still alive and well, at least on the east coast.
SOBO Speedway 5-4-12.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55JFLUZ6OpE

[Fe26]

Originally Posted by PeterC

Gosh - now I know where all the Coupes went!

OUCH! I've seen a photo of a Stockcar race in Sydney, I think it was in the '60's where every car racing was a '34 Ford Coupe. No wonder they're scarce and valuable.

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

I was running bomber class in 65 with a 36 coupe, Couldn't afford a right front slick so welded 2 rims together and mounted 2 tires. When I pulled into the pits guys started biching like always, the inspecter looked at it, I told him it was welded all around inside and out side reinforced plates on the outside, he said there was no law about it, it looked alright to him. Next week there 2 other car that had it. Arrrr the good old days. Walt

[JM 35 Sedan]

FantasySpeedway, I was part of the group who visited your Speedway in 2012 and got to drive one of the stock cars around the track. That day was definitely one of the high points of our tour. We had a fantastic time there. Would love to do it again.

Here is one of several posts on that tour. Pictures of the stock cars are on page 5 of this post....

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ght=Maine+Tour

and here is another post on that tour with some youtube videos

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ght=Maine+Tour

[Enbloc]

Just going back over this old thread and hadn't realised it had been recently updated.

Nice to see some new guys like Fantasyspeedway chime in. Any info is always appreciated.

I'm still looking for the screw-on style spindle snouts as Zach posted below if anybody knows of any to allow me move on with fitting my hubs and brakes.

Thanks.

Originally Posted by SUHRsc

you can kinda see the stock spindle inside...

[HotRodmicky]

It would not too difficult to machine these adapters....
You just need dimensions

[mercman from oz]

Here is a 1937 Ford Fordor Sedan that has been rescued after too many Stock Car Races in Australia. It is very knocked around & rusty, but it still a crowd pleaser at shows when it is displayed. People are amazed that it still drives.
Notice the chain restraining the motor in an effort to prevent it punching the radiator in a head on accident.

[Gumpy]

Originally Posted by Pete

The vintage stock cars are indeed still alive and well, at least on the east coast.
SOBO Speedway 5-4-12.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55JFLUZ6OpE

Awesome footage flatheads are alive and fast!

[larry butcher]

I can recall a few of the "stock car" tracks around the Baltimore MD area
in 50's and early 60's . Westport track, south of Baltimore, Dorsey track,
at Dorsey Md. I was the "pit crew" for Chuck Talbert 's#49 Flathead
powered , Hilborn injected. I asked what can I do , and he replied- "take
this putty knife and scrape the mud off of the rear inside fenders". No lights
in the pits, I could hear him come in ,but could not see him! He ran it in
2nd gear the whole "heat" , so he welded a hook on the dash; to hook
the shifter in. This allowed both hands on the wheel. Another driver who
did real well was Pete Kantorsky. Saturday races were televised on a local
television station, sponsored by " Gillet Razor Blades" ; this was about
1949- 1951.Westport was , I think 1/8 mile on a baseball diamond! Those
guys would get 3 laps in, crash, stop, fight, pull apart , start again, repeat
the same thing! What memories! Larry

[Peterooster]

Here is one from Old bridge Stadium in NJ,37 chevy

[Ford46]

When I was in High school my next door neighbor raced at the old Norwood Arena in Norwood, MA, in the "Novice" class. The cars were either 6 cylinders or Flathead V8's. The first car was a 1937 Coupe, flathead of course. The wheels were early centers installed in a 15 inch Buick rim that was widened by adding several inches to the stock rim. Tires had to be street tires, but any size could be run. The spring were reworked to 4-1/2 bow and reversed spring eyes. Each corner of the car was double shocked with Houdaille shocks, checked so one worked best in each direction. The ears were cut off the water pumps and the front mount was a homemade arrangement that bolted to the water pumps and the motor mount location (similar to an engine plate today).

Stagger was achieved with tire size and pressure as Ol' Ron has noted. Handling was assisted by shims which were sawed off spring ends inserted between the front right cross member and spring. Later a side jack bolt with made to run from the frame to the center bolt in the spring with removable inserts to add or remove "Wedge" today a nut is welded the cross member with a jack bolt, easier to use and it stays there! Also, used shims in the left rear when necessary. We never had the money or the horsepower to need safety hubs.

This car and the next raced against Pete Hamilton who went on to win Dayton for Petty and Don MacTavish who died in an accident at Dayton Speedway in 1969. the First car won the Championship and the second car was sold after a few races the next year, that on had a Holman and Moody equipped flathead in it! Ralph moody grew up locally and his nephew hung out with the owner.

Brings back a lot of memories from when I was a "kid". Seeing drivers like Ed Flemke, Bugs Stevens, Fats Caruso, Hop Harrington, Fred Desaro, Ernie Gahan, Bill Slater, Russ and Red Foote all raced at Norwood one time or another, just to name a few. these guys weren't the "novice class" they were the big kids in the earlier version of the NASCAR Modifieds.

The old Norwood Arena is now a industrial park! Most of the old tracks are gone, Westboro Speedway, Lonsdale Speedway to mention a few.

[49r]

Originally Posted by mercman from oz

Here is a 1937 Ford Fordor Sedan that has been rescued after too many Stock Car Races in Australia. It is very knocked around & rusty, but it still a crowd pleaser at shows when it is displayed. People are amazed that it still drives.
Notice the chain restraining the motor in an effort to prevent it punching the radiator in a head on accident.

As a kid in the 60's my parents whould take us to the stock car races at Palmerston North. I always wondered why they had the chains around the V8 engines - that explains it.

[Mart]

Thanks for the great old stories, fellas.

Mart.