Milwaukee Midget

[fordboy628]

Just stumbled across this one.  Syd Enever was the driving force behind the MGA and the MGB, and involved with the racing program with MG for years.

Either his son or his grandson came across this 8mm home movie of the 1957 Bonneville trip.  You'll see George Eyston, and I think that's Phil Hill's ice blue MGA pulling into the parking lot of the motel.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2BHtqKuRe0

Way cool!!

One of the guys around the team looks like Joe Huffaker Sr.     Is that possible?
 
F/B

[Milwaukee Midget]

Just stumbled across this one.  Syd Enever was the driving force behind the MGA and the MGB, and involved with the racing program with MG for years.

Either his son or his grandson came across this 8mm home movie of the 1957 Bonneville trip.  You'll see George Eyston, and I think that's Phil Hill's ice blue MGA pulling into the parking lot of the motel.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2BHtqKuRe0

Way cool!!

One of the guys around the team looks like Joe Huffaker Sr.     Is that possible?
 
F/B

He'd have been 29 in 1957, and had already built an AH special - might well be him. 

He'd developed a name for himself in the Bay area as a builder/racer to be reckoned with.  1957 was a joint effort with AH and MG.

They shared expenses and track prep costs, but made their own newsreels.

The EX 179 was the first A-Series engined car to take to the Salt Flats.  This was an early version of the 949, and ran under the "BMC" logo that year - early development for the Sprite that Healey wanted to keep tucked under his hat - thus, no AH designation. 

Roy Jackson-Moore was a field rep for BMC out of San Francisco - he knows Joe and co-drove with Shelby, Healey and Goodall in '54 in a 100.

None of this would surprise me.

[fordboy628]

Just stumbled across this one.  Syd Enever was the driving force behind the MGA and the MGB, and involved with the racing program with MG for years.

Either his son or his grandson came across this 8mm home movie of the 1957 Bonneville trip.  You'll see George Eyston, and I think that's Phil Hill's ice blue MGA pulling into the parking lot of the motel.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2BHtqKuRe0

Way cool!!

One of the guys around the team looks like Joe Huffaker Sr.     Is that possible?
 
F/B

He'd have been 29 in 1957, and had already built an AH special - might well be him. 

He'd developed a name for himself in the Bay area as a builder/racer to be reckoned with.  1957 was a joint effort with AH and MG.

They shared expenses and track prep costs, but made their own newsreels.

The EX 179 was the first A-Series engined car to take to the Salt Flats.  This was an early version of the 949, and ran under the "BMC" logo that year - early development for the Sprite that Healey wanted to keep tucked under his hat - thus, no AH designation. 

Roy Jackson-Moore was a field rep for BMC out of San Francisco - he knows Joe and co-drove with Shelby, Healey and Goodall in '54 in a 100.

None of this would surprise me.

http://www.sfrscca.org/content/view/8974

After reading this, I'm thinking Joe began his serious BMC association in either '58 or '59.     Hard to be sure though.

Hey, here's an idea!   Ask him!      http://www.huffakerengineering.com/contact.htm
 
F/B

[fordboy628]

Airflow testing porn!

midget,

New airflow toys, courtesy of the Polish Fabrication & Ale Testing Workshop, Woodworking Division . . . . . . . .






 
F/B

[fordboy628]

More toys!!



Courtesy of the Mini Maven, on loan for illicit purposes.

NOT FOR USE WITH A GARDEN GNOME!!

OR, WHILE PARTIALLY OR COMPLETELY INTOXICATED!!
 
Fordboy

[Milwaukee Midget]

Airflow testing porn!

midget,

New airflow toys, courtesy of the Polish Fabrication & Ale Testing Workshop, Woodworking Division . . . . . . . .

I'm glad they're made of wood - I've had no success welding steel . . . 

More toys!!




Fordboy

OOOOOOHH! A metal plate for my head.

Now the aliens won't know what I'm thinking . . .

I am NOT paranoid - they really ARE out to get me . . .

[Milwaukee Midget]

One I have not seen before.  It's about 20 minutes, so throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83AQiSCZvIg

[fordboy628]

More toys!!



Fordboy

OOOOOOHH! A metal plate for my head.

Now the aliens won't know what I'm thinking . . .

I am NOT paranoid - they really ARE out to get me . . .

I had not considered that this was your primary motivation . . . . . . . .

UUhhhhmmm, you don't think you can get the Milwaukee midget up to light speed, do you?    I'm all out of Mr. Fusion machines.

No more    for you!!
Realityboy

[Stan Back]

After about 1 minute of the video, it shows the main drag of Wendover, taken, I guess, from the hill behind the Western, looking west.  Check out the traffic jam.  That's with the fact that the Interstate was not there then.  It was the Interstate.  Sometime in the 70s, perhaps more than once, Inspection for Speed Week was held on the shoulder of the boulevard.

[jacksoni]

Fun stuff. Though I had always understood that Phil Hill's record 254+ set in 1959 with the Ex181 was in what would be G class by SCTA, I just found a reference saying it was 1506cc so would still have been H.  I spent a lot of time chasing that number (one of those went faster qualifying or the down run but never could back it up deals and ended at the 250+ record), which later was put up to 267_by AJ Foyt in the Olds Aerotech car. Had the opportunity to meet Phil Hill some time ago as he lived across the street from a guy I knew in LA, went over and had drinks with him. What a treat and nice guy.

[Milwaukee Midget]

It's a bit of a pity that the SCTA and FIA don't share common engine displacement classifications, but you are right - at 1506 cc in '59, and 1489 in '57, it would be considered an H motor by SCTA today.  Looks like the discrepancy is based on rounding off CI and CC to the nearest 1/2 liter.

The story is that Hill actually tested the car in '57 preparing for the celebrity drive by Moss, and that Hill had actually gone faster.  Given all the press that MG was counting on to promote the new Twin Cam MGA both in Europe and the United States, it wouldn't do to have some young upstart take the laurels from the venerated Sterling Moss.  

Never let the facts screw up a good story . . .

Moss' best speed in '57 was 245.64 in the flying kilo, 245.11 in the mile - Hill in '59, 254.91 in the kilo, 254.53 in the mile.

Two other significant differences - in '57, the car ran a fin and in '59, it was removed.  The other difference was that Moss ran in August - Hill in October.

Would have liked to have met Phil Hill.

By the way, Mark - I have an e-mail in to Huffaker with a link to the video.  Let's see if they get back to us.

UPDATE -

Just heard from Joe Jr.  Sr. is not in the clip.

[Ron Gibson]

The small building on the far side of the street, across from the motel, was the port of entry for trucks. Still in use in 77 that I know of because the interstate still wasn't done over the hill. PITA to run through there with triples but they required it.

Ron

[Milwaukee Midget]

The small building on the far side of the street, across from the motel, was the port of entry for trucks. Still in use in 77 that I know of because the interstate still wasn't done over the hill. PITA to run through there with triples but they required it.

Ron

Choo Choo trains on two lanes?  Ron, you're a braver man than I!   

[fordboy628]

More airflow testing porn!!

midget,

Haven't forgotten about you.      Some of the latest testing photos of your "Porta-Potty Green" cylinder head assembly.    Will post results graphs in a subsequent post.

     


     


     


     

Testing was supervised by the BMC Anti-Cruelty Society.    NO BMC PARTS WERE HARMED.    Only the psyche of the owner and the tester were called into question . . . . . . .
The testing supervisor suggests a different colour choice for the cylinder head.    Something less sinister, blob-like and "Porta-Potty"-ish . . . .   perhaps "Testa Rossa"?
 
Flowmonkey

[Milwaukee Midget]

The testing supervisor suggests a different colour choice for the cylinder head.    Something less sinister, blob-like and "Porta-Potty"-ish . . . .   perhaps "Testa Rossa"?
 
Flowmonkey

I don't speak Italian, and unless it has a trailer hitch, I've got no use for a Ferrari.  Simpletonian economics dictates BMCs and Mopars.