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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2014 11:41:22 GMT -5
This may be too far fetched but does anyone have info on Indy roadsters that were later converted to supermodifieds? I remember a story in Open Wheel magazine from the '80s about the 1964 #77 Dayton Disc Brake restoration that said it was a supermodified before it was junked and then restored to it's former glory. There's some pictures on the Retro Rockets supermod website but no data that traces chassis from Indy to later racing.
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Post by kip on Oct 15, 2014 17:32:39 GMT -5
In the Jim Robbins thread, Gwstexas provided some info on the 1962 Jim Robbins Spl. and how it was converted to a supermodified. His info is presented here:
"The Robbins car started life in 1958 in A.J. Watson's shop in California. A.J. intended to sell it at the Speedway, so he entered it as the Watson Spl. Watson's employer, Jack Zink, was none too happy about the arrangement, and would become even less happy before the end of May.
The car sat in the Zink garage until a few days before Pole Day, when Dick Rathmann, recently fired by the Sumar team, asked his bar-hopping buddy Lee Elkins to buy it for him. Elkins agreed to buy it, but he didn't have the cash. Eventually, Elkins borrowed the money from his mechanic, Floyd Trevis. After about three days practice, Rathmann put the car, now called the McNamara Spl. on the pole, which further pissed off Jack Zink, who didn't like being beaten at anything, especially not by a car he thought should be his.
In the 500, Rathmann tangled with Ed Elisian (in one of Zink's cars) on the first lap and virtually destroyed the McNamara car. Trevis rebuilt the car from the ground up over the winter, using what he could salvage from the original car and fabricating the rest. Elkins entered the car in the 1959 500 as the McNamara Chiropractic Spl.
After the 1959 500, Elkins and Trevis parted company, but Elkins had never gotten around to re-paying the money Trevis had loaned him to buy the car in the first place, so Trevis took over the car. Trevis sold the car to Jim Robbins. One of Robbins' suppliers was the Wyandotte Tool Company and, in 1962, Robbins agreed to transfer the car to Wyandotte in payment for some work. The deal never worked out and the car was turned over to a lawyer in Indianapolis in sort of an escrow agreement. He entered the car in the 1962 500 as the Jim Robbins Spl. but the Wyandotte logo, the Indian head drawing that appeared on the oil tank was still place.
Robbins stored the car in a warehouse until 1970, when he sold it to a supermodified driver named Jack Conley, who converted it for supermodified racing in Ohio. Conley never got to drive the car. He was injured in a crash just as the car was completed and he parked it until 1981.
Jack Layton, a noted car collector and restorer found the car in Conley's garage and, seeing the Indian head logo, knew he had found the 1958 McNamara Spl. Layton restored the car as Floyd Trevis had re-built it and kept it for several years before selling it to an Indianapolis car dealer named Lowell Blossom.
Floyd Trevis was forever angry that the car was listed in Speedway documents as a Watson chassis. He insisted that the car was a Trevis chassis built with some Watson leftovers.
As an interesting footnote, Elkins named his cars for the McNamara Trucking Co., which he owned. There was no McNamara. The name had no significance whatever, the eccentric Elkins just liked the sound of it."
Gary wrote a book entitled "The Watson Years: when Roadsters Ruled the Speedway," which apparently chronicles the history of each of the Watson roadsters . I ordered a copy from Pitstop Books and can't wait to see it. Its due to arrive tomorrow.
kip
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Post by oldphotos on Oct 15, 2014 18:54:20 GMT -5
Gary's book The Watson Years is a nice book that trace the history of the 23 Watson car that A J Watson built.
If your into Watson roadster history FIND A COPY!
It doesn't cover any of the Watson copies or Kurtis chassis.
What happen to most of the roadster is a never ending question, Most of the roadsters that have been restored
the owners have the history of there car.
If your looking for info about a car drop me a note and I'll see what I can find out for you.
Oldphotos
Walt
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Post by billj on Oct 15, 2014 20:39:35 GMT -5
You guys never fail to fascinate me with your knowledge. I love the pre-70's history, so many stories and so many cars from the days of the real "month of May". Thank you for sharing the history.
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Post by jamesharvey on Oct 16, 2014 13:41:29 GMT -5
I am and have used Gary Wayne's book "The Watson Years" as a resource toward the goal of building models of all of the Watson cars. His book details what happened to each of the cars that Watson built.
To that end, I built chassis #4, the 1958 McNamara Spl. #97 driven by Dick Rathmann. Indycals decals for that car include the Indian Head logo but I could not find a photo from qualifications or race day that showed the location. I understand that it might have been on the right side in the white panel beside the hood. Does anyone know for sure? I would appreciate any help about its proper location.
Thanks,
Jim
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Post by billj on Oct 16, 2014 13:57:36 GMT -5
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Post by oldphotos on Oct 16, 2014 14:51:49 GMT -5
James a PM was sent to you since I have to many problems posting photos here
Oldphotos
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2014 19:24:33 GMT -5
Get "The Indy Roadsters" by Gary Littleton.
Excellent book with most of the cars heritage, linage whatever you want to call it. I see very few disputing the work.
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Post by oldphotos on Oct 16, 2014 20:40:43 GMT -5
"The Indy Roadsters" by Greg Littleton Is a Great book but It's out of print and they say they are not going to print anymore. you might find one on eBay or amazon good luck.
Oldphotos
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