Messages

4141

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: April 18, 2011, 09:30:37 PM »

Ken Stoddard's '69 loses a rear wheel at the 1971 Bryar Trans-Am.

4142

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: April 18, 2011, 08:34:56 PM »

Jerry Lagod's Camaro circa 1971. This car began life as a '68 Camaro but was reskinned into a '69 after a wreck.

4143

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Wheels used on Trans-Am Camaros

« on: April 18, 2011, 05:10:07 PM »

Troy,  Thanks for the clarification. I agree that American never made the '60's era D-spoke in aluminum that were wider than 7". I've never seen or heard of any. Phil Schmidt of PS Engineering can make new copies of them in aluminum in widths wider than 7". Here is one of a pair I had Phil make me in a 15 x 8" size. There are many guys using these in Historic Trans-Am racing. Phil also makes these in a 2-piece style, which is not authentic to the era but the look is similar and they don't cost quite as much.

4144

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Scattershields

« on: April 18, 2011, 05:01:23 PM »

Here's a couple of photos of an old RC scattershield I have.

4145

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1966-1972 Trans-Am race memorabilia [dash plaques, patches, passes, etc]

« on: April 17, 2011, 04:08:33 PM »

Mike, most of it is but not all. The Riverside poster was not mine and the Watkins Glen dash plaque is not mine. Anything else posted by me, is mine.

4146

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Wheels used on Trans-Am Camaros

« on: April 17, 2011, 04:05:39 PM »

Troy,  Great stuff on the Motor Wheel Spyders. Thanks for posting that. The Torq-Thrusts were made in aluminum in 8 1/2" width. The SCCA, which ran the Trans-Am series was not allowing wheels wider than 8" in the years prior to 1973, even though we have shown a cheater version in a 9" width. A legal wheel had to be manufactured in 8" width or less and they definitely did make them in 8". An 8 1/2" D-spoke American in magnesium... I've never heard or seen such an animal. I'll have to get some photos of a real 8" one and post them.

4147

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 1966-1972 Trans-Am race memorabilia [dash plaques, patches, passes, etc]

« on: April 17, 2011, 03:34:43 PM »

From the 1971 Watkins Glen Trans-Am...

4148

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: 302 Chevy engine building articles [late '60 - early '70s]

« on: April 17, 2011, 03:32:16 PM »

One of my engine building heroes, Bob Joehnck, showing how they prepared racing heads back in the day.
Besides doing the engines in his own Washburn Chevrolet sponsored '67 Z-28 driven by Tony Settember,
Bob built engines for Roy Woods' '69 Camaros and others. Bob's engines were every bit the equal of the
Traco and Bartz engines of the day.

4149

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Wheels used on Trans-Am Camaros

« on: April 16, 2011, 03:50:47 PM »

Here's a photo of the Dick Hoffman Camaro with a set of Motor Wheel Spyders on it

Camicia

Mike, besides the Milt Minter Firebird, the Hoffman Camaro was the other one I had remembered using the Spyder wheels. Others may have used them but those are two cars I remember using them for sure.

4150

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Wheels used on Trans-Am Camaros

« on: April 16, 2011, 03:42:01 PM »

Jon, the other supplier of the "D" spoke wheel was Appliance. It was almost identical to the American TTD except for two areas: the machined lip as you have shown, and the lug nut washer recess. The Appliance wheels were machined deeper than the Americans.  Both of these wheels were only manufactured in two sizes: 15 x 6 and 15 x 7, no 8" D-spokes were made in aluminum originally. Excluding the one wheel shown above I have only seen one other 8-1/2" TTD in magnesium. The 6" wheels each had different backspacing: American was 3-1/4" and the Appliance was 3-1/8". The 7" wheels from both manufacturers had 4-1/4" backspacing...............................RatPack...............

Thanks for the info, Troy. I will look for the backspace and machining differences on my pile of mags. I know for sure that they made an 8" wide magnesium D-spoke wheel as I owned one with a '67 or '68 date stamp on it and made the measurements personally. I had such a hard time finding even one more that I ended up selling the wheel to Chad. Hey Chad, do you still own that wheel?

4151

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: April 16, 2011, 03:34:14 PM »

Driver Jim Murphy with the Heishman Camaro at the '68 Lime Rock Trans-Am.


Photo by Michael Booth

4152

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Original T/A racing photographs, late 60's & early 70's

« on: April 16, 2011, 03:29:52 PM »

Vince Piggins in the blue baseball cap talks with car owner Hugh Heishman in the red shirt as driver
Jim Murphy stands nearby. This is at the '68 Lime Rock Trans-Am.


Photo by Michael Booth

4153

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Wheels used on Trans-Am Camaros

« on: April 15, 2011, 10:40:43 PM »

Chad,  You know, I don't know that for a fact about the "TA 70" wheel being prone to breakage. That's what I thought I remembered hearing about them but I may in fact be remembering the problems with the 200-S. Both wheels were made by American so that contributed to me making the declaration in the first place.

Mike,  I do remember the Cragars on the Dart and the Mustang so I agree they did actually get run in the T/A series by a small number of cars.

4154

General Discussion / Re: Z28 Stripe

« on: April 15, 2011, 03:24:46 PM »

Yes, that's what I'm trying to point out. There is not just one factory applied rear stripe pattern for the '69 Z/28. There are actually three different versions. The one that extends onto the rear "tulip" panel about an inch or two is the least understood in terms of when it was done but it is a factory applied, legitimate stripe pattern and my opinion is an owner of one of these cars should not be docked points at a judged car show event because the judges are not aware of it.

4155

Trans-Am Camaros / Re: Wheels used on Trans-Am Camaros

« on: April 15, 2011, 12:52:10 PM »

The Motor Wheel Spyder was one I had planned to put up. I'm not sure what year that
first became available but I don't recall seeing them on Trans-Am cars until about 1971.

Here's a super rare wheel, seen on the Vick Campbell Camaro at Sebring in 1967. It was
manufacturered by Creitz, who also made other performance equipment such as intake
manifolds.


Photo by Craig Fisher