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Post by ezwalk43 on Oct 4, 2010 1:33:53 GMT 1
Just back from a brilliant weekend at Prescott - Kurtis caused a lot of interest being the only American race car there. And yes you can put midgets on the road - about 6 years ago sold a V8-60 rail frame car to an old guy up in Yorkshire who took moulds off the body and built a copy for his brother then put the two of them on the street - now they tour the country taking in hot rod meets. Now despite what owner claims his car is not a Kurtis - for a start it was stretched to try and get into VSCC racing and was banned for being some sort of chopped up hot rod and a Kurtis has a round tube chassis not Model A chassis rails - the length of that car made it adaptable for a street car but no way would you want to sit in a genuine midget any longer than race distance - though the Elto fitted you Rod! Don't believe anyone has ever put an Elto on the street though - last time I saw a smokey exhaust like that it was probably back in the 60's following a Wartburg Knight...
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Post by rodpashley on Oct 4, 2010 6:22:47 GMT 1
I had a Knight, i used to blast itdown the motorway every saturday morning to clear it out, you couldnt see a thing iin the mirror for aabout five miles.......
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Post by hotroder37 on Oct 4, 2010 9:43:54 GMT 1
I'm Sorry I ask now. I will let all of you decide if it better to be lock away in a garage or having fun all summer driving one on the open roads, Of course it would be modfied!!!!!. I'm not a anorak as long as it got a V8 and look about right then thats O.K. with me. I will look for one on another site where the owner will answer my question and I d'not get stupid remarks. Thank you
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Post by rodpashley on Oct 4, 2010 11:35:34 GMT 1
Not stupid remarks, hotrod, its just that your talking to race enthusiasrs.. I thinkwe all likealternati e cars, just not at the expense of a valuable piece of history
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derek
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Post by derek on Oct 4, 2010 14:51:57 GMT 1
Are these the guys you helped with a "street legal" midget Attachments:
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derek
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Post by derek on Oct 4, 2010 14:53:24 GMT 1
here is the rest of the article (I hope!!!!!!) Attachments:
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derek
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Post by derek on Oct 4, 2010 14:53:51 GMT 1
page 3 Attachments:
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derek
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Post by derek on Oct 4, 2010 14:54:23 GMT 1
the last one Attachments:
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Post by ezwalk43 on Oct 4, 2010 22:33:34 GMT 1
While it is possible to put anything on the road with enough drastic surgery there is no way you could put a standard size V8 midget on the road without major work. The three speed gearbox is 3 times as big as an in-out box, midgets generally had one stamp down accelerator pedal, there is no room for three hence the outside handbrake, with a three speed in there is no room for the starter and of the number of people who sat in it over the weekend all confirmed it would be undriveable without major work. The car in the above photos works because it is no longer a midget being nearer sprint car size. It needed 15" wheels to make it look right in proportion while midgets ran 12". The VSCC banned it for being a stretched hot rod. If you want to lengthen a car big enough to fit a V8 I have an early seventies Dastle midget broadly similar in shape to the Kurtis, totally stripped down and ready for rebuild either as a bare body/chassis for £500 or a rolling chassis with modern formula single seater suspension and steering, ten inch wide alloys etc for £1250. fit any narrowed dropped beam front end and a narrowed Model A rearend and you are half way there. Last one of these I sold was taken off to Italy to be lengthened into a Formula Junior historic single seater but then that car wasn't a classic American midget.
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Post by rodpashley on Oct 4, 2010 23:02:53 GMT 1
Which one is that Ez?
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Post by haflinger121 on Oct 5, 2010 0:16:56 GMT 1
My apologies Ez, if I've just lost you the sale of that car. I'm not sorry it isn't going to get destroyed under the guise of street rodding it though!
Gosh, it's been a long time since I saw a Wartburg Knight, although a pal of mine used to have a DKW 1000 - another rorty and very smokey device.
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Post by rodpashley on Oct 5, 2010 1:06:20 GMT 1
Wartburg,DKW, Saab, all same engine.....smokin........
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Post by ezwalk43 on Oct 6, 2010 0:20:25 GMT 1
No worries Graham - looks like that black Anglia with yellow flames will have to wait until my pension kicks in (government permitting). Had a great time at Prescott - met a guy from Lincolnshire who reckoned about 50 years ago his mate imported six including an Elto and they used to race at the local motorcycle grasstrack meetings - never heard that one before.
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Post by haflinger121 on Oct 6, 2010 10:13:51 GMT 1
No, I haven't heard anything about that Lincs effort either, Ez - sounds interesting. Of course, the obvious next question is, where are they now? I wonder what might be lurking in a barn somewhere in Lincs....
Looks like you're planning a new career in Classic Hot Rods and a replica of that 43 car would be a great addition to the class. At least you won't have to worry about Incarace mixing up your money and ours (I was mechanic to Spedeworth's #43) at the National Championships - do you remember that?
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Post by ezwalk43 on Oct 6, 2010 18:46:04 GMT 1
Well my old Elto spent time in a Norwich driving school window along with a Parker and the midget above that was put on the road was also found in that part of the world - also as said on another thread am told of two Skirrows still over that way. Maybe we should all grab our metal detectors and head east! Was thinking of maybe a replica of my first hot rod and you've told me the start money story before - I used to get £1:50 and on a good day still made a profit!
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