"Frosty Acres/Winston Sales" can only be Bob Fletcher's car from 1979. Interesting that it still has the 1978 Budweiser Lightning bolts.Originally Posted by cbreez99
"Frosty Acres/Winston Sales" can only be Bob Fletcher's car from 1979. Interesting that it still has the 1978 Budweiser Lightning bolts.
The Ayn Rand of Indycar
No one had to badge the Offy.
Show car or not, I'd LOVE to park it in MY garage!
ZOOOM
"Doc, just set them fingers sose I can hold the wheel"
James Hurtubise, June, 1964
I was amazed at how they hung the turbo way out the back...a very busy area.
Ignorant men marvel at extraordinary things. Intelligent men admire simple things.
The entire engine, not just the turbo, was uncovered and hanging out back then. The turbo Offy put out a lot of heat and the McLarens and Eagles (among others) all put the engines out in the open where the air going past could help to cool them. If today's engines put out the same horsepower they would have to move more air as well in one way or another.
McLarens had engine cowls.
Yes, but they didn't have Wayne Leary's eagle horsepower!
ZOOOM
yes, the '73 and later McLarens had engine cowls but there wasn't much covering the '72 and earlier versions
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"Charging a man with murder here was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500."- Capt. Willard, Apocolypse Now
"Ain't nuthin' like a piece of p***y, 'cept maybe the Indy 500."- Bunny, Platoon
"To alcohol! The cause of- and solution to- all of life's problems."- Homer J. Simpson
Now, THAT'S a trimmed out rear wing!!!yes, the '73 and later McLarens had engine cowls but there wasn't much covering the '72 and earlier versions
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I make no claims to even being close to being an engineer, nor have I ever stayed in a Holiday Inn Express, but I reckon a pretty good argument that the wings in these snaps might be a bit more trimmed out.
And considerably smaller in square footage too.....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4668198...7623324227456/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4668198...7623324227456/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4668198...7623324227456/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4668198...7623324227456/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4668198...7623324227456/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4668198...7623324227456/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4668198...7623324227456/
OK, I gotta know. Why didn't those '85 cars need much downforce from the rear wing? Wasn't ground effects quite restricted by that time?
Although the ground effects may have been "restricted" the folks at March in particular were getting very good results from the underbody, especially on the high speed ovals.
I just finished reading Alan Henry's book on the March F1 and Indy cars. The explanation in there is much better than anything I could attempt here.
I highly recommend it...and not just because I have a fair number of pics in it.
Also note, in the Al Unser 1985 photo which is a side view, the distance from the wing to the axle centerline. Yes, Donohue's wing is bigger but I think it is closer to the centerline. A longer distance means that the downforce that the wing developes is working at a longer moment arm.
This is from The Milwaukee Mile 1966. Kodak 110 Instamatic!
I posted this to illustrate the front straightaway safety of the times. A 2 1/2ft wall and flat fence. The spectators were brave back in those days too!
Looks better than what we had at Toledo Speedway in the early 60's! That was some of the rustiest stuff...This is from The Milwaukee Mile 1966. Kodak 110 Instamatic!
I posted this to illustrate the front straightaway safety of the times. A 2 1/2ft wall and flat fence. The spectators were brave back in those days too!
This was the race where a plane crash sidelined Lloyd Ruby(and a few USAC people) and Foyt was burned in practice the previous day. I can remember the disappointment of no AJ after watching a wild 500 the week before...
.....'And A.J. Foyt's transformation from his obsolete Coyote-Ford DOHC V8 to the Parnelli-Cosworth.
All photo credits: Dennis Torres/Dick Wallen
so this transformation was front wings, paint and brake ducts?...and that's it?
1985 Pole Position - Pancho unfortunately completed only 2 laps...oiling problem.
Too bad they didn't replace that engine before the race...
I had heard that it was a scavaging type problem where the engine was drowning in oil.
Last edited by cbreez99; 08-01-2010 at 08:07 PM.
As I understood it, there was a suspected problem that popped up no long before the race (Carburetion Day?). They debated about changing the engine, but I'm guessing that would have forced them to start from the back of the field. Anyway, it was decided not to change the engine. As it turned out, that was a bad decision. Anyway, I don't remember what the suspected problem was.
I don't believe there was a rule about changing anything, except the tub, between carb day and the race.
I was just speculating as to who they didn't change the engine. Would have been a simple thing. "If I knew Than what I know Now..."
From what I understand it was the opposite. The engine was starved of oil and done blowed up or would have.
As for changing the engine before the race, no one ever went to the back because of an engine change. Teams had been putting in their left in reserve, not used for the month, race motor after Carb day for decades.
There was an interview with Pancho Carter a few years back and he talked about what happened. They elected not to change the engine, but he knew on the parade lap that it wasn't the right decision. The Buick was soft and didn't have any power...
Considering how reliable the engine was, had they made the change it would have blowed up on lap 20 instead of lap 2...not that it would have been any consolation.
wouldn't it be cool for the Centennial if IMS had groups of people dressed up as crew members, drivers, and spectators in period clothes from the 10s, 20s, 30s, etc. and had them mingle in the pits and front straight area on Q weekends and race day
get me a Mobile T-shirt with a pack of smokes in the sleeve, some white cotton pants, bowling shoes and a Cromwell helmet in hand and I'd be set!!
Last edited by Stick500; 09-07-2010 at 11:26 AM.
Sign me up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great idea.
wouldn't it be cool for the Centennial if IMS had groups of people dressed up as crew members, drivers, and spectators in period clothes from the 10s, 20s, 30s, etc. and had them mingle in the pits and front straight area on Q weekends and race day
get me a Mobile T-shirt with a pack of smokes in the sleeve, some white cotton pants, bowling shoes and a Bromwell helmet in hand and I'd be set!!
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