And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Look up Smokey's car in the Indy museum. Driver sits beside the motor in a side car attached to the chassis. Wild! He was one neck of an engineer! Last time I saw the Best Damn Garage sign it was on display at the Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville, Tn. Bubbarust
Those are new tires. They are directional, being half slick and half tread. They would last the entire 500 mile race where the tread would almost be gone at the end of the race.
Watson roadster with 220 C.I. Offy circa 1955? Offset driver and driveline for left turning ovals. These cars were the first to turn 150 mph laps at Indy. Note that the driver was on the outside and hit the wall first. The tires are worn that way due to the chassis set up and cornering forces at speed. It was not uncommon to run the whole 500 miles on one set of tires. And yes it has solid axles.
I worked at a father/son shop in south NJ in the early 70's. The son told me his father had built an Indi 500 racer mostly from scratch years earlier. A four cylinder block with a LaSalle 8 cyl crank, dual overhead cams, said the cam chain stretched 12 feet in length. Said the exhaust manifold was cherry red and the intake was covered in ice when it came into the pits. Running a truck rear axle, and I think may have been running dualies for traction. Original driver broke an arm before the race, and they grabbed a driver that had broken a car in practice, and he went racing with no experience in the car. Running top three placement when it sheared an axle and tossed the drive wheel into the stands, killing or injuring spectators. No idea how to research this story. Builder's name was Righter.
Drake Offenhauser
ReplyDeletelive axle
DeleteWatch out where you lay your arm when you're cruisin though.
ReplyDeleteI see there's a reference to Smokey Yunich's Best Damn Garage in Town.
ReplyDeleteLook up Smokey's car in the Indy museum. Driver sits beside the motor
Deletein a side car attached to the chassis.
Wild! He was one neck of an engineer!
Last time I saw the Best Damn Garage
sign it was on display at the Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville, Tn.
Bubbarust
Better let me get some new shoes first. Them's slick.
ReplyDeleteThose are new tires. They are directional, being half slick and half tread. They would last the entire 500 mile race where the tread would almost be gone at the end of the race.
DeleteWatson roadster with 220 C.I. Offy circa 1955? Offset driver and driveline for left turning ovals. These cars were the first to turn 150 mph laps at Indy. Note that the driver was on the outside and hit the wall first. The tires are worn that way due to the chassis set up and cornering forces at speed. It was not uncommon to run the whole 500 miles on one set of tires. And yes it has solid axles.
ReplyDeleteSpin Drift
I worked at a father/son shop in south NJ in the early 70's. The son told me his father had built an Indi 500 racer mostly from scratch years earlier. A four cylinder block with a LaSalle 8 cyl crank, dual overhead cams, said the cam chain stretched 12 feet in length. Said the exhaust manifold was cherry red and the intake was covered in ice when it came into the pits. Running a truck rear axle, and I think may have been running dualies for traction. Original driver broke an arm before the race, and they grabbed a driver that had broken a car in practice, and he went racing with no experience in the car. Running top three placement when it sheared an axle and tossed the drive wheel into the stands, killing or injuring spectators. No idea how to research this story. Builder's name was Righter.
ReplyDelete