Wasn't Clary's car the "Thunder Mugg" with Hugh Leadfoot Randall ran mostly asphalt. Could it have been Ralph Clary you are thinking of?
---------- Post added at 11:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:45 AM ----------
Bill Clary's shop was Clary's Customotive. My dad owned Motorite here in louisville. Al Davis would wittle out a crosley crank, dad would grind it then they took it to Clary's to balance it. That was way befor "Scat".
Originally Posted by rwbeavers:
Cecil was my uncle. As I recall the events that you are referring to Cecil bringing his car late in the season to Bloomington was because Steve Kinser who was leading the points championship had mechanical failure on his race car (believe it was owned by a guy named Shields). Cecil's car had been rebuilt since Calvins fatal crash in July but had not been raced. Cecil offered to go home (Bedford) and bring the car back for Steve to drive so he would have a car for the feature event. As you stated, he started on the tail of the feature and ended up winning the race. This was before Steve started driving for Karl. Steve ran Cecil's black #57 several more times before the end of the 76 year. In addition, let me share this, the car that Calvin got killed in and Steve later drove was a brand new Hill chassis out of Tennesse which was a prelude to what became Gambler Chassis Company. At least that is what I have been told as far as the Gambler Chassis. The car had an engine built by O'Clarey Automotive out of Louiseville, KY. Cecil had over $10,000 invested in that car he told me. This was a lot of money in 1976 for a locally run sprint car. It had the best of anything Cecil could buy for the car. It is mistakenly believed that Calvin was killed in Cecil's old sprint car which was not the case. This was a brand new car for the 1976 season.
Earl Balmer ran a ranger back in the 50's seems to me they came out of the airplane upside down to start with and the car guys had to stand them up the right way I think they also had a hard time keeping rear axils under them. I'm too young to remember them up close this is just the old bull I heard as a kid sitting around the garage. Is any of that true?
Originally Posted by DAD:
Earl Balmer ran a ranger back in the 50's seems to me they came out of the airplane upside down to start with and the car guys had to stand them up the right way I think they also had a hard time keeping rear axils under them. I'm too young to remember them up close this is just the old bull I heard as a kid sitting around the garage. Is any of that true?
It ain't bull, DAD, I had 2 of them myself, never ran them in a race car tho, didn't have one then, but the engines were cheap, a C note would put a new one in it's original crate, on your doorstep, and for another C note, you could have a V12 Allison 1710, originally built for a P51 Mustang. Some did mount them "upside down", as they had a dry sump oil system in the airplane, but some did fab oil pans for them, and run them with the crankshaft lower in the chassis. When they were "right", they rattled like hell, and if they started to get quiet, they were about to holler "NEXT". Bob!
"Being old, isn't half as much fun, as getting there"! Ole Robert I!
the f-800 car is a very special memory for me because after my uncle danny bowlen's fiery crash @ bunker hill in 1967, i was 10 then!!! after a long recovery i think maybe 1970 bill fleetwood let him drive his beautiful car... what a great day that was seeing him in that ride after what he went thru..
Wasn't Clary's car the "Thunder Mugg" with Hugh Leadfoot Randall ran mostly asphalt. Could it have been Ralph Clary you are thinking of?
"Copper Cat"... Bill and Marie Clary...Clary Customotive... Ralph was of no relation... Price Baird worked for Bill and had restored at the time of his passing Wayne McGuires Pontiac powered modified... Randy Baker at Hoosier Parts , was Heavy Brooks` stepson who damn near lost both legs when a harmonic balancer exploded while he stood straddle of it rappin`the throttle... Must have been a hell of a lot more races back then... Calvin was one of my Dad`s best friends and as a kid I was devastated that one of my invincible "Superman" heroes was gone... Big Bob is one of the funniest cat`s you will ever meet... Wish we could still race like those guys got to do it...
