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Oxley's Hill Hillclimb - Bowral NSW


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#101 275 GTB-4

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Posted 29 October 2012 - 09:14

Refence to Posts #66 & 74 that show the list of entrants at Bowral Hill Climb I noted that there were quite a few Wollongong persons in attendance.
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Don Algie & the Wieland Special was nothing more than a Hot Rod but built by his brother Bobby for Hill Climbs & Sprints, the car was later owned by Ron Thorp.

Don & Bobby went on to be one of the first to race a Falcon in Australia with the motor running 6 Amal Carburetters, they also built a four wheel drive Mini prior to John Cooper in the UK. Don also drove a Studebaker in the Bathurst 500 races.

I believe both now are associated with Hogs Breath Cafe outlets.
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Hey Dan....is this the Algie machine? original or a recreation? (albeit with sidedraft "Amals"!)

Damn fine machine, either way...

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#102 Paul Hamilton

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Posted 29 October 2012 - 10:36

[quote name='275 GTB-4' date='Oct 29 2012, 20:14' post='5995382']
Hey Dan....is this the Algie machine? original or a recreation? (albeit with sidedraft "Amals"!)

Damn fine machine, either way...

Posted Image

This car was built recently by Paul Knott and is driven in group N historic touring car races by Lyn Brown.

#103 Ray Bell

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Posted 29 October 2012 - 14:15

Nice looking carby arrangement!

I guess it would get a nice pickup in torque from those long runners, something it would need if it's actually running the little engine it should be.

I'm sure Lyn is enjoying it...

#104 DanTra2858

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Posted 29 October 2012 - 19:08

To the best of what my memory will allow the Algie Falcon was converted back to a road car & sold on by the Algie's, what happened to all the race gear I do not know but they even made their own Mag wheels out of flat steel plate then fabricated spokes onto the plate, quite neat but very heavy by todays standards.

Is the bonnet of the pictured Falcon with all the cross bracing removed legal for Group N ?????

#105 Ray Bell

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Posted 29 October 2012 - 22:24

Originally posted by DanTra2858
.....but they even made their own Mag wheels out of flat steel plate then fabricated spokes onto the plate.....


Hardly worth calling 'mag wheels'?

Good question about the bracing!

#106 seldo

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Posted 30 October 2012 - 01:23

Nice looking carby arrangement!

I guess it would get a nice pickup in torque from those long runners, something it would need if it's actually running the little engine it should be.

I'm sure Lyn is enjoying it...

Without wanting to go too far OT, I was talking to Lyn recently and he said that by spending a day on the chassis dyno experimenting with temporary variable length rubber sleeves in the runners they picked up an enormous amount of extra power and torque, sufficient to give him another 700rpm down the straight in 3rd (top) gear at Eastern Creek and requiring a change in diff ratio.

Edited by seldo, 01 November 2012 - 00:30.


#107 DanTra2858

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Posted 30 October 2012 - 07:15

Hardly worth calling 'mag wheels'?

Good question about the bracing!


What you say is true concerning the wheels but remember the era of Appendix J in Australia you could not buy Mags as readily as you can today, the Algie wheels were a piece of art & not all that heavy, proving to be very safer.

#108 seldo

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Posted 30 October 2012 - 12:31

What you say is true concerning the wheels but remember the era of Appendix J in Australia you could not buy Mags as readily as you can today, the Algie wheels were a piece of art & not all that heavy, proving to be very safer.

Especially having regard to Algie's knowledge of Studebaker's known wheel weakness

#109 Ray Bell

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Posted 30 October 2012 - 18:31

Aided and abetted, no doubt by fears that the 4-stud wheels on a car of a size normally supported by 5-stud wheels was questionable...

Half-inch wheel studs notwithstanding.

#110 GMACKIE

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Posted 30 October 2012 - 20:18

At Silverdale in the mid '60s, I saw a large American car, [Dodge?] with fabricated ALLOY wheels. It was being driven by, I think [REALLY stretching the memory] by Bob Cutler?

The spokes - five I think - were welded to a 'hat' centre, and bolted to steel rims. They were very well made, and looked the part. I spoke to the owner about heat-treatment etc., and it was clear that he had researched and built the wheels correctly. He was an engineer, I think.

#111 Ray Bell

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Posted 31 October 2012 - 17:04

I'd certainly like to know more about that one...

Anyone who can produce information on it is very welcome to send something on to me.

#112 GMACKIE

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Posted 31 October 2012 - 21:52

Can't remember any more......except that it may have been Jim Cutler, rather than Bob.

Those 'alloy' wheels really looked good. As I was helping Arthur Garthon with srutineering at the time, the safety of the wheels was an issue. After the owner explained, in great detail, how the welding, stress-relieving, etc. was carried out, we were happy to let them pass.

#113 Catalina Park

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Posted 01 November 2012 - 06:48

Ray, it might be time to rerun those sheet metal wheels that Britto made.

#114 rms

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Posted 01 November 2012 - 07:03

Greg, is that the one that regularly used to haemorrhage the auto on the starting pad ?
Was it a Plymouth Barracuda ??
Cutler does ring a bell !

Erol


#115 Ray Bell

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Posted 01 November 2012 - 13:39

Originally posted by Catalina Park
Ray, it might be time to rerun those sheet metal wheels that Britto made.


Great wheels, time consuming to make...

But they also gave the cars that wore them a lot of extra deformable structure.

Erol, the old Torqueflites were pretty hard to damage, they were highly recommended for drag racing.

Edited by Ray Bell, 01 November 2012 - 15:24.


#116 terry mcgrath

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Posted 28 July 2013 - 04:45

there must be some more good info out there on Oxley Hillclimb?
or for that matter other hillclimb venues in the area
terry

#117 275 GTB-4

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Posted 28 July 2013 - 12:54

there must be some more good info out there on Oxley Hillclimb?
or for that matter other hillclimb venues in the area
terry


Sure there is Terry...I for one have more...but why would you bother with all the sniping, egotistical rants and point scoring pervading at the moment and getting in the way of a genuine celebration of days gone by :rolleyes: maybe these threads should be moved to the "non-fluff" folder...

#118 275 GTB-4

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Posted 12 February 2014 - 10:11

1959 Championship Round

(thanks to DanTra2858)

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Edited by 275 GTB-4, 12 February 2014 - 10:14.


#119 terry mcgrath

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Posted 11 January 2015 - 16:46

Looking through some of my records I find I have a copy of the Huntley Hill Climb programme for 16th March 1958 event.

The event was run by the Wollongong Sporting Car Club

terry



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#120 kombiracer

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Posted 14 January 2015 - 09:34

Hi Terry. Is there any chance of me getting a copy of that programme? Either electronic scan or photocopy?



#121 Lee Nicolle

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 03:30

[quote name='275 GTB-4' date='Oct 29 2012, 20:14' post='5995382']
Hey Dan....is this the Algie machine? original or a recreation? (albeit with sidedraft "Amals"!)

Damn fine machine, either way...

P1080083Ford.jpg

This car was built recently by Paul Knott and is driven in group N historic touring car races by Lyn Brown.

144 or 170 do you know? It looks like an XK though an XM or even XL should be legal for Nb. 

I think XL was the first of the 200s and for someone experienced [such as Paul Knott!!] should be a very good thing, even with a 170 it should be on the pace of the best EHs with a [marginally] better all sychro gearbox.

I just do not wish to have to check the rockers quickly on that engine!



#122 Lee Nicolle

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 03:34

To the best of what my memory will allow the Algie Falcon was converted back to a road car & sold on by the Algie's, what happened to all the race gear I do not know but they even made their own Mag wheels out of flat steel plate then fabricated spokes onto the plate, quite neat but very heavy by todays standards.

Is the bonnet of the pictured Falcon with all the cross bracing removed legal for Group N ?????

I agree. Though I suspect that intake and cabs may be an issue with the bracing in.



#123 DanTra2858

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 06:07

When I was making the Falcon Sprint glass panels back in the 1990,s I "HAD" to produce the Bonnet with the Inner Bracing panel as required for Appendix "J" by CAMS, so why should it be different now, why not remove all the inner Door & Boot lid panels as well & have a good fudge of the rules, just thinking.

#124 Ray Bell

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 06:55

Which XLs had an all-synchro box?

#125 DanTra2858

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 08:20

Which XLs had an all-synchro box?


Well there you go, can any one give me a good reason to build a Appendix J car or a car for any other class when the cars are not what the "RULES" say they should be, HOW SAD.

#126 275 GTB-4

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 09:42

Devils Advocate Comment: with the unusual inlet configuration that this car has, MAYBE, the original car, sought and was given a concession to run as we see it today



#127 Ray Bell

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 12:43

Huh?

I think you're saying that perhaps he's been given permission to break the rules that others have to live with. If so, that's ridiculous.

#128 GMACKIE

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 21:05

I remember looking at the Algie Falcon at Warwick Farm - early '60s - with its 6 Amal carbs.

 

There is absolutely no way that car would have been allowed to run [under the Appendix J rules] without the bonnet bracing. Cutting of the bodywork was forbidden, as was removing any parts. Bruce McPhee was made to run in 'GT', for converting the FE throttle linkage to hydraulic actuation. Even removing the ash tray was not allowed.



#129 275 GTB-4

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 21:29

what I was putting forward (but not in as a many words) was that just maybe this was an Improved Production car that MAY be getting invited to run with the Group N boys...I believe that the FoSC (for example) is likely to be amenable to this sort of thing... 



#130 GMACKIE

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Posted 15 January 2015 - 22:19

I know the bloke who started this thread will be getting annoyed, so this is my last 'Non-Oxley Hill' comment ! :blush:

 

What I was putting forward was that 'in the day' Appendix J rules were stictly adhered to.....'to-day' is a whole new can of worms.



#131 275 GTB-4

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Posted 22 July 2015 - 08:12

Terrific period photo (1955?) showing clearly that the Start/Finish was beyond the creek as previously thought. Lorraine Hill in the Doretti and maybe Jack Myers in the HWM?

1-circa%201955_zpsjfpgx7kv.jpg

Edited by 275 GTB-4, 22 July 2015 - 08:27.


#132 DanTra2858

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Posted 22 July 2015 - 10:19

Not sure if it is Myers the gill opening is too large & wrong design, reminds me of the Jagford?

#133 Ray Bell

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Posted 22 July 2015 - 13:37

I'm not totally sure, but I think in 1955 Jack Myers was still only running a Holden...

And Lex Davison still had the HWM, which Myers never had. He built his WM Holden in time for the 1958 AGP in October 1958.

#134 DanTra2858

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Posted 22 July 2015 - 23:41

Not sure if it is 1955, but looking at photos of the ex Prince Bira Osca F1 car that was purchased by Alf Harvey of Wollongong who was an avid Hill Climber, could the car in the photo be the OSCA?

#135 Ray Bell

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Posted 23 July 2015 - 02:54

Agreed, it does look like the OSCA...

I would have suggested it had I not thought it was a Melbourne car.

#136 john medley

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Posted 23 July 2015 - 23:00

The pic does not enlarge well but despite that I believe the red car is the Jagford. It is certainly not the OSCA. Perhaps someone has a programme?