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Post by memaerobilia on Jul 14, 2010 17:56:00 GMT 1
Here is another pre-WWII J.A.P. powered racer that we restored. This was an original body, frame, engine/running gear. It is painted as "J.A.P. Special" on the request of the owner, who we restored it for. There were no markings on the body cowl, when we obtained it as a complete car that had sat in storage for many years. It MAY have come from former midget pre-war Champion Babe Bower. I seem to recall picking this car up at his Pennsylvania barn. (I Certainly remember finding all the parts of a completely dismantled RARE 1919 Curtiss C-6 aeroplane engine scattered about the dirt floor, and taking THAT home and restoring it! It is shown on my website.) Bower was one of the few early drivers to retire at the top, while he was still Champion, and before getting seriously injured (or worse) First photo shows it with a contemporary Ritter #23 Elto outboard. Ritter was a frequent winner with the 23 Elto at the famous Nutley Velodrome and other Northeastern U.S. tracks. He was very small in size (like a jockey) and the car weighed very little. To run these Eltos at the races, it was not uncommon to have a SPARE engine in the parking lot, in the trunk (boot) of his car. One person could easily carry the engine and replace it in a relatively short time. The other photos show the J.A.P.in and out of the car, during the restoration. It was Always nice working with the J.A.P.s and Eltos, because we could fit the engine into the car, by ourselves, with no help and no crane,to make brackets, mounts, couplings etc.    |
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Post by haflinger121 on Jul 14, 2010 20:05:55 GMT 1
That's a really interesting car that I certainly never knew even existed. Even more interesting that it appears to be a machine built entirely for US racing, rather than in the UK, despite the origins of the engine. So is that a JTOR, KTOR or what? Also (and this is probably a really dumb question, I know), I presume it isn't front wheel drive, so how did it get the power to the back wheels - something like that drive converter you showed in some of your other excellent pix?
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Post by rodpashley on Jul 14, 2010 20:43:41 GMT 1
Presumably chain drive, to the rear, like a Skirrow??
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Post by haflinger121 on Jul 14, 2010 22:02:00 GMT 1
Actually Rod, now you say that, I reckon I can see a sprocket on the rhs of that crankcase. Well, I said it was probably a dumb question!
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Post by memaerobilia on Jul 14, 2010 22:04:26 GMT 1
 JAP magside  |
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Post by rodpashley on Jul 14, 2010 23:39:13 GMT 1
Curiously, my Dad went for an "in line" configuration on Belle Vue's cars when he installed JAPs in them, and used a conventional prop shaft, with the crankshaft for and aft.....sideways protruding cylinder heads didn't do much for the looks of the cars though........
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Post by rodpashley on Jul 14, 2010 23:52:58 GMT 1
Strangely, My Dad went for an "in line" JAP installation, with a propshaft. This particular engine was last heard of in a speedboat of some sort, for some kind of class record, about fifteen years ago.... Attachments:
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Post by memaerobilia on Jul 15, 2010 3:59:44 GMT 1
Hi Rod;
Do you have any photos of your Dad's car wih a top hood and side panels on? Or did he just run it open, like that photo. I have seen a few photos of midgets with JAPS and Harleys mounted like that, that have LARGE bulges in the side panels or just cout outs for the cyls..JAP engines were not uncomoon in the pre-war U.S. days. My Dad had cars with all kinds of oddball engines from the usual Ford V-8/60 to Van Blercks, Daimler, even the front half of a straight eight Small Bugatti engine that had been cut in half. He went "halves" on the engine, with the famous owner/builder, Mike Caruso, who had an auto junkyard with all kinds of exotic cars to try engines & parts from. My Dad ALWAYS complained (for 50 years) about getting the lousy half, the front half. Caruso got the rear half and it was a LOT easier to make and hook up a drive shaft and other key parts. We actually FOUND my Dad's "half-of-a-Bugatti" engine in the mid 70s and resold it to someone again. It might have been to Bob Swanson (the Current race car parts collector/dealer, NOT the famous pre-war midget driver)
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Post by ezwalk43 on Jul 15, 2010 18:46:37 GMT 1
Was thinking of putting a Harley engine into one of my old midgets in place of the current Chevy2 but having only seen photos of veetwins mounted transversely and not wanting to cut the bodywork gave up on the idea - the 2.5 V8 Daimler hemi does appeal though...
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Post by memaerobilia on Jul 15, 2010 20:25:59 GMT 1
the 2.5 V8 Daimler hemi does appeal though... Hi ezwalk 43; * A word of caution... My Dad thought the Daimler would be a GREAT engine in the midget. But he said the Daimler had Serious cooling problems no matter what they tried..He did not leave it in very long. Some of the Ford V8/60s had some cooling problems too, but there were lots of different, succesful remedies for that one. |
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Post by rodpashley on Jul 15, 2010 20:55:07 GMT 1
Ez, does that mean you still have some OLD Midgets then??
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Post by rodpashley on Jul 15, 2010 21:40:49 GMT 1
Memearobilia, three pics for you of my Dads car. here is number one Attachments:
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Post by rodpashley on Jul 15, 2010 21:42:03 GMT 1
Number 2 photo Attachments:
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Post by rodpashley on Jul 15, 2010 21:43:18 GMT 1
Number three photo Attachments:
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Post by rodpashley on Jul 15, 2010 21:49:37 GMT 1
Number four photo, I have no idea what engine is fitted in this photo, if anybody can tell me I would be delighted to hear. I have been looking at these photos (and more) since I was about seven years old, and only recently discovered this one is different. You see what you see, and dont see anything different until it is pointed out to you  Attachments:
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