Ranger aircraft engine?
 

Anybody ran across any or any parts for one lately, I've had 3 over the years, let them all get away from me. I just recently bought the 4th one, and although it looks pretty complete, I have an idea I'll be looking for something, like to get one in a race car while I still feel like it. Bob

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

Id imagine it has to be installed in a winged car otherwise the idea would never take off.:D

Oh it took off okay, late 40's, early 60's, bad mammy jammers, Google it, get surprised! Hilborn built 15 sets of injections for them, and the first 3 sets went to Diz Wilson.

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

if you are on facebook I can get you in contact with a friend of mine that has one in a vintage race car

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

https://www.vintagesprintcars.com/20...d-sprint-cars/

I assume you've seen this article.

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

I remember seeing someone run a sprint with a ranger engine at the old Mitchell speedway in Mitchell Indiana a very long time ago. I was very young and mostly just remember the different sound. An earlier poster mentioned Dizz Wilson who was from Mitchell. I don't remember if the car was school bus yellow or not.

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

If it wasn't school bus yellow, it was probably school bus orange. I think Dizz had a supplier inside the plant in Mitchell that built them. :6:

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

I've got a complete crankcase with crank/ rods. Keep me in mind. Not wanting to get rid of it now but that can change hourly. But can be persuaded with midget parts

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

No, but I have now, thanks for posting it. There is also a book out, on line, was called Quarter Monthly I think, out of business of course now, but it was a hard back really nice book, that had lots of info on just old cars, lots of good pictures, really worth looking up, friend of mine put me on it, a friend of his from Bedford wrote for them, and in one issue, he has several pages about the Ranger, Dizz Wilson, lots of pictures, I got mine off eBay, then he wanted one, so I found him one, if you are interested, I can give you the name to look for on eBay. Dizz had 3 of them, according to this writer, it was an inexpensive way to go racing, and beat the Offies, back in the day. According to the fact sheet, when Fairchild quit building in 1945, I think, the engine count for the 6-440- was just under 6k, how much longer will they be able to be found. They also built a 770 cu in V12, there are a lot of videos about them on the internet, one gentleman built several really nice ones, with the engine laying almost flat on it's side, in fact, in real time, he was given credit for designing the first Indy car, with the engine flat, and the chassis offset. Fun reading, history if fascinating, if you'll take the time to look for it! Bob

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

Thanks, I don't have a lot of midget parts left, but if you'll PM me, maybe we can both benefit. Thanks! Bob

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

Very cool stuff. That's what I miss in todays racing. When I was on a modified crew in the early seventies we took a engine straight from a dragster and gave it a shot. I think they built a pan and had to modify the frame some. The injector stacks were so tall the driver couldn't see going down the straight. It was insane and of course it didn't work. No lack of hp though. You could do anything and run anything.

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

I think they were rated at around 250hp as they sat in the trainer PT19, but could easily be bumped to over 400, but the torque was unreal, with an over square bore and stroke, bore just over 4" and stroke well over 5", they were awesome in those days, and cheap, Army Surplus prices were as low as $35.00 ea, Dizz was rumored to have gone to Ft Hood, and bought 5, NOS at one time, brought 2 home with him, in his car, and had the other 3 shipped to Mitchel, so it was a very cheap HP deal, and, according to some sources , very dependable, one owner said he raced one for 3 years, with really only minor maint. My reason for doing this, goes back many years, when I was growing up, still am, a neighbor had bought a surplus PT19, and was out one day, showing off for his sweetheart, who lived in Hartsville, In, the irony of this story is, at one time, there had been a College in Hartsville, called Hartsville College, it had burned down, but the connection was, the Wright brother's father had been a Professor there, well, ole Royce parked that PT19 in a big blue spruce tree that was still there, no big deal, but the sudden stop shot the engine out over the hill, and into a cemetery, the FAA came and went, but after things cooled down a bit, I borrowed Dad's car and trailer, and a couple of us loaded up the engine, that was my first one, but it got away, so did the second and third, now I have bought a 4th, and hopefully it will get put in a race car, just because I've always wanted to. I'd bet the Hurst Bros could add to the Ranger story, Brewer is gone, but I don't think he ever ran one, or his Dad, but they ran a lot of Cadillacs! That's why they called it run what ya brung, and no substitute for Cubic Inches! Bob

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

lol, the dragster engine was also out of a caddy. I remember when they started it for the first time. The garage was tiny and when they started the engine there must have been excess alcohol (prob. both in engine and mechanics) and the engine started to rev a bit with the throttle off. It scared the **** out of me I believe if that engine blew it might have killed someone.
If you want to talk about unique midgets the two my auntie owned were the likely winners in the category. Neither ran but were hauled by my uncle from Scranton to atlantic city often. They had the biggest tanks you could stuff in them filled with alcohol, the kind you drink.

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

I've had a few bikes in my time also, most of them I should have kept, like an almost new, 1937 Indian Chief, 80 incher, think what that would bring today, or a 21in Ariel single, a square 4, Whizzers, Cushman's, BSA's, can't keep everything, I'd be like them places The Pickers go, had my head under the gas tank on that 21, when the rod let go, but I was winnin, not much else mattered, that bike was fairly new then, maybe a 53-54.

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

Yep, I miss "run whatcha brung" too....

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

I have a photo of one saved on my computer from the little museum in Terre Haute, but can't figure out how to post it here. But i found this video. Ranger race car appears at 0:54 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBF0RApA60E

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

How many cubic inches did they have? I thought there were restrictions on cubes....

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

6-440-2-3-4, 6 cylinder, 440 cubic inch, turn about 6k with some help, wasn't a big engine by any means, weight of 340lbs, it was that long stroke that made them hurry. That roadster in the video is what I'd like to end up with, I have enough moly to build the chassis, in the airplane, they were upside down, and backwards, so you need to just flip one over backwards, and hook er up, and watch er go, they were dry sump, so the engine didn't know any thing was different, one of the reasons they were built that way, was so the prop was higher up, to keep from mowing the grass!

Re: Ranger aircraft engine?
 

Never seen one run… There was a fellow here in Salem who had one. Bill Pennington. Bill’s father (Wacker) ran the Dodge and Desoto dealership. Bill had a TQ sometime in his life also. The trailer he towed the midget on had the front axle out of his sprint car along with the Dayton wheels. He was stopped at the stop light in Salem once and a guy spied the wheels on the trailer. The guy chased him down and gave him 600 dollars apiece for the wheels.
The only story I can remember about the sprint car and the Ranger was… There was an old track east of Salem called the American Legion Speedway. They raced there in the 20`s and 30`s. Bill and his driver (He said but it didn`t stick) had been having oiling issues with the Ranger. Bill had polished and shimmed the relief spring in the pump as a repair. As Bill told it they were two laps from the end and his driver held up three fingers as he passed by. Bill said, (Please read this in a gravely tenor voice with a King Edward cigar burning in the background) “I knew right what he meant.” “He had 300 pounds of oil pressure.” Now I don`t know what was a normal pressure, but 300 pounds might have been overkill. I wish I would have been more attentive to the history lesson I was getting, but Bill was also known to embellish a little to make the story more palatable.

Dan, there were several over the years that ran at the 25th Street fairgrounds, and yes, I can't think of anything that needs that much oil pressure, I think the ID plate reads 60psi at some RPM, which is normal. Evidently they ran more on the left coast, than in this area, although if the stories about Dizz are true, he at least was successful using them, I spent quite a bit of time with Watson, and some of his recreation's, especially the pat Clancy special, which you and Jerry might have ended up with parts from it in your early days, thanks for your input.