Since I got interested in the Regal Cadillac that Rex Law raced in Queensland a few years ago, I have been fascinated with the fact that it held the outright lap record at Lowood.
Why?
Well, because I don't believe any other car with a forty year-old chassis ever held such a record.
To fill you in, the car was built in 1933 on a 1911 Regal Underslung chassis, the construction being to shorten the chassis by about 9" and fit more modern engine etc from an Austin 20. By 1949 it had a 6-cyl Austin truck ohv engine, but it was dismal and a Caddy V8 went in - a wartime version, probably off a generator set.
The car had a variety of gearboxes and axles, depending on gearing needs and other things, the first 4-wheel brake fitment being in 1946 with a 1930 Dodge front axle.
Dennis David has a photo I emailed him in the 6-cyl form if he would care to post it for me.
But please rack your brains to think of any other car performing this feat...
Old chassis, anyone?
Started by
Ray Bell
, Feb 19 2000 22:00
4 replies to this topic
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#2
Ray Bell
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Posted 20 February 2000 - 18:08
See, here's the story, but is Dennis going to post the pic?
#3
Ray Bell
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Posted 22 June 2002 - 22:58
Seems he didn't get around to it... so here it is now:
And now I find I have another pic of the car, sitting on the grid at a later Leyburn meeting, obviously with a Ford rear end on it by this time... the rear wheels at least seem to be Ford wire wheels, so perhaps on this very fast circuit old Rex ran the Studebaker gearbox with overdrive behind the Caddy engine.
And now I find I have another pic of the car, sitting on the grid at a later Leyburn meeting, obviously with a Ford rear end on it by this time... the rear wheels at least seem to be Ford wire wheels, so perhaps on this very fast circuit old Rex ran the Studebaker gearbox with overdrive behind the Caddy engine.
#4
dbw
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Posted 24 June 2002 - 20:47
it sounds to me like you are talking about a set of early frame rails that provided the basis for a car that was changed and developed over time......here in the US it was not uncommon for an early dirt car to be based on ford T rails[ identical-1909-1927] and raced well into the fifties....especially midgets that may have started with a 4 cyl motorcycle engine, moved up to a v8-60 and then perhaps an offy....there were some very fast "rail" midgets well onto the kurtis [tube frame]era... this does remind me of the 1913 mitchell chassis with a curtiss OX-5 that was run by the art garage in japan at tamagawa in 1936....the car survived and as a young mr. honda was involved, the car was restored and now resides in the honda museum...
#5
Ray Bell
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Posted 25 June 2002 - 00:38
Very interesting, dbw...
In fact it was the whole chassis, and I think I might have been misled initially when I thought the chassis had been shortened. There was a shorter wheelbase and this car had it.
The only change to the chassis was the anchoring of the front of the rear springs to a rod that was attached across the top of the main rails, rather than having moving shackles at each end of them. This was necessary because the torque tube was eliminated when the Austin 20 bits went in.
You can see the rod in this pic, circa 1933...
And you can see a hint of it here too...
In fact it was the whole chassis, and I think I might have been misled initially when I thought the chassis had been shortened. There was a shorter wheelbase and this car had it.
The only change to the chassis was the anchoring of the front of the rear springs to a rod that was attached across the top of the main rails, rather than having moving shackles at each end of them. This was necessary because the torque tube was eliminated when the Austin 20 bits went in.
You can see the rod in this pic, circa 1933...
And you can see a hint of it here too...
