Author Topic: No INDY 500  (Read 6908 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline floydjer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4242
  • "There is no duck side of the moon..."
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #30 on: May 29, 2020, 02:32:56 PM »
And he used It for a tow vehicle
I`d never advocate drugs,alcohol,violence or insanity to anyone...But they work for me.

Offline floydjer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4242
  • "There is no duck side of the moon..."
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #31 on: May 29, 2020, 02:51:32 PM »
Mr. Bosley's final effort was somewhat lacking...Unless you like the idea of stretching the nose of a 250 TR and pasting it on an Avanti
I`d never advocate drugs,alcohol,violence or insanity to anyone...But they work for me.

Offline floydjer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4242
  • "There is no duck side of the moon..."
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #32 on: May 29, 2020, 03:49:07 PM »
Oops.forgot www.kellisoncars.com     they still.make them
I`d never advocate drugs,alcohol,violence or insanity to anyone...But they work for me.

Offline ski123

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 116
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #33 on: May 29, 2020, 04:50:45 PM »
My neighbor just got rid of his Bricklin SV-1.
Smooth like maple syrup.  Yum....

Offline Stan Back

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5879
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #34 on: May 29, 2020, 06:59:43 PM »
More like a wedge of cheese.
Past (Only) Member of the San Berdoo Roadsters -- "California's Most-Exclusive Roadster Club" -- 19 Years of Bonneville and/or El Mirage Street Roadster Records

Offline Lemming Motors

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 588
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #35 on: May 30, 2020, 03:18:27 AM »
Thankyou Mr Floydjer- that clears that up. I think I want a J5 Kellison now - perfect mix of GT and hotrod for my taste. I don't like the anteater version.
A Bonneville Lakester please barman.
Certainly sir; a lick of salt, a sip of gas and a twist of Lemming. More Lemming sir?
Just a squeeze.

A Squeeze of Lemming it is sir.

Offline ggl205

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 956
  • G/FL 218.282 since 1995. G/FL record since 1993.
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #36 on: May 30, 2020, 06:29:48 AM »
As an aside; Bill Burke Sr. built and raced a Kellison J4 Panther at Bonneville in the Mid 1960?s. I think Mel Chastain drove the car too. Bill Burke Jr. was my good friend at the time and remember a second J4 was built for street use. Of course, everything was painted purple.

John

Offline racefanwfo

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 428
  • jenks worlds fastest pitbull
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #37 on: May 30, 2020, 06:33:47 AM »
It was a strange day not watching the indy 500. One year a local walk in theater showed the 500 from a closed circuit broadcast i was 11 or 12 years old was very cool. I have never been to indy but i can say that i went to  ontario motor speedway for the first ever indy car race which was the first ever race at the track.
The speed that you wish to achieve is only limited by the depth of your wallet.

Offline Rex Schimmer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2626
  • Only time and money prevent completion!
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #38 on: May 30, 2020, 07:03:29 PM »
I spent the "Month of May" at Indy in 1983 with Danny Ongais and Interscope Racing. We started the month with an 83 March Indy car with a turbo V6 Chevy built by Ryan Falconer. The engine(s) decided they did not like their crank shafts very well and we got a lot of "practice" changing engines. Best we ran was 196 or 98 and the fast guys were going 206. Danny could see the hand writing  on the wall, you needed a March chassis but a Cosworth engine. We had several back at the shop in California so DO flew home and got a couplle shipped to us. At the same time our back up car was delivered from March it too had a Chevy V6 in it but DO had told March to include all of the parts to put a Cosworth in it when they shipped it. Every thing arrived on a Monday the week before qualifying. Myself, another crew guy, Alan Bricky and a young guy from March (can't remember his name) took every thing and our tool boxes to Grant Kings shop and spent the next 3 day(that is 72 hours pretty much non stop) getting everything together. Got the car to the track late Wednesday night and on Friday during "Happy Hour" we ran the fastest time of the week, 207.  The rest is another story.

Indy racing now is Formula Ford on steroids, all of the cars are the same only difference is you have an choice between a Honda or Chevrolet (Illmor) engine. When I was there although there were lots of Marchs and a few Lolas there were also some cars that were designed and built specifically for Indy, Penskys come to mind and I think that Foyt may have still been running his own cars. I always thought it was much more interesting seeing many different designs of cars for Indy instead of the "belly button" cars that are run today. That is why I love Bonneville.

Rex
Rex

Not much matters and the rest doesn't matter at all.

Offline floydjer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4242
  • "There is no duck side of the moon..."
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #39 on: May 30, 2020, 07:08:45 PM »
So Rex...Did Wayne Moecle  letter Danny's helmet and pit wall for you guys?
I`d never advocate drugs,alcohol,violence or insanity to anyone...But they work for me.

Offline Rex Schimmer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2626
  • Only time and money prevent completion!
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #40 on: May 31, 2020, 01:38:06 PM »
DO was not to big on having a "trick" lettered helmet and I dont remember anything about having the pit wall lettered although that may have happened while I was at Grant Kings helping with the race car rebuild.

Rex
Rex

Not much matters and the rest doesn't matter at all.

Offline Peter Jack

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3776
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #41 on: May 31, 2020, 07:49:41 PM »
In '79 I fueled our car during the race but during practice I changed a few right rear tires. There were two drivers who when they came into the pits you got a little closer to the car and held your butt cheeks firmly together and in. Danny Ongais and Bobby Unser always came into the pits faster and it seemed closer.

I picked up parts a few times over at Grant King's. I always thought that was a neat area with Grant King and A.J. Watson right next to each other. There was a lot of creative fabrication happened between those two houses.

Pete


Offline floydjer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4242
  • "There is no duck side of the moon..."
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #42 on: May 31, 2020, 08:23:22 PM »
I'm sure you were pre-occupied to notice the background goings-on Rex..Wayne would have left an impression..5' 5" and around 375 pounds of sign painter.
I`d never advocate drugs,alcohol,violence or insanity to anyone...But they work for me.

Offline datadoc

  • New folks
  • Posts: 22
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #43 on: June 03, 2020, 05:30:18 PM »
I remember listening to Sid Collins broadcasting the 500 when Bill Vukovich was killed. My first trip to Indy was in 1966 working on Jim Hurtubise front engine roadster.  Jim didn't drive the roadster, even though it was his car, he was driving for someone else. The roadster didn't qualify. But what a time hanging out with Herk. We were in his vett going to a party when he was pulled over for speeding and after talking to the cop awhile the next thing I know we have a police escort to the party. It seemed like everyone in Indy loved Jim. During practice there was a fatality and of all things the mortician came into Jim's garage and said if he ever needed his services, "here" while handing Jim his business card. Jim threw him out of the garage.
  In the early 70's I was building engines for Graham Mcrae's formula 5000 car and Graham went to Indy and drove for Andy Granatelli. While Graham was in line to qualify Andy walked up to the car with a speed handle and told Graham he was going to make him a star and then proceeded to wind down the waste gate adjustment. Graham told me the car was running nearly 700 rpm more down the straight than it had the whole month and then the gear box let go. This was the year where Swede Savage crashed and later died. One of the crew guys for Graham ran out to see, and was hit from behind and killed by a fire pickup truck that was going up the pit road the wrong way. Graham did win rookie of the year. That was my last trip to Indy for a few years until I went back to Indy with Graham when he had a ride in the backup car for Salt Walther. Graham had only a few practice laps in the car and was having trouble getting up to speed. He was told that the car wouldn't qualify if he used the brakes. I asked Graham if he was and he told me "he was standing on them" He did qualify but was bumped out in the last few minutes.
   When I drove a hydro for Circus Circus Rodger Ward was our team manager. Because there is so much down time in boat racing I got to spend many hours listening to Rodger's stories about Indy. Rodger had two unfortunate accidents where his car started of a series of events that took the life of two of his friends both Vukuovich and Clay Smith. Even though Rodger won Indy twice he had his share of bad luck that kept from winning a couple more times. The night before the 1964 race they turned his lean/rich valve around because Rodger complained the handle hit his leg. The only problem the crew didn't tell Rodger race morning. That was the year of crash of Sachs and MacDonald. Rodger said his car was getting terrible mileage but the gloom of the accident prevented anyone thinking about the valve being in the rich position. Rodger finished second that year to AJ but had to make more fuel stops because of the fuel settings but had in fact spent less time running the 500 miles.
   Many times Rodger would meet me at the airport and one time he picked up my luggage and started to walk off and I told him to wait a minute so I could savor the moment. I told him never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine someday Rodger Ward would carry my bags.

Offline John Burk

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 695
Re: No INDY 500
« Reply #44 on: June 03, 2020, 06:55:44 PM »
I knew Mike Hiss and handled the fuel hose for him at one race in 1972 . I wore my dragster fire suit and the crew from other cars came and asked about it . The crewmen  didn't wear helmets then , just a face shield . At that time the fuel man plugged in the fuel hose and then plugged in a cumbersome deal that vented the air . It looked like 2  half gallon milk cartons epoxied around a 2" plastic tube  on a rope you slung around your neck . Mike got rookie of the year at Indy and finished 7th I think and placed well for the season despite running the whole season with one used turbo Offy because of limited sponsorship .