Author Topic: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro  (Read 25282 times)

VHX032

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #15 on: May 16, 2014, 02:42:16 AM »
Great photo additions. Thanks for posting those, Sig.

Do you recall who was driving the Corvette or the #4 Camaro? Of the tracks that you raced on, was Riverside your favorite? Did you have a favorite part of the course?

Below is your old trailer, still being put to good use.

Jon- thank so much for all the "flashes from the past" maybe if there is enough participation, we could start a section on SCCA Club Regional/National cars and move this from the Trans Am section.

Regarding favorite tracks, I would have to say Laguna Seca, and I still enjoy spectating at that track at every opportunity. Anyone who has not made it up for the "Historics" race weekend really should make a point to do that.

My first race weekend there made a pretty good story I think . First off I'll say that I have no pretense or ego about my driving abilities,  and have always felt our best stories in motorsports are when we can make fun of ourselves, so take this account that follows in that humorous context.

I did pretty well in qualifying, being on the pole position with a bunch of BP Corvettes and all of the A Sedans behind me on the grid. After Friday qualifying, we then had a Saturday "qualifying race". In that race, I had a pretty good start and then....heading up after the rise prior to the corkscrew my Camaro skewed sideways about 10 degress or more. At that point I had to correct and ease up on the braking, must have looked pretty bad since I remember seeing the corner workers at the top of the corkscrew running for cover. I was able to "sort of" straighten it out prior to entering the corkscrew but was then sideways in the other direction headed downhill. Somehow straightened it out, got back in control, and was thinking "wow not only did I bring it back but nobody hit me either" that relief was shortlived however as then in the fairly easy left hander after the corkscrew I dropped my right rear tire off and slid off the track in a huge cloud of dirt.....thank goodness everyone behind me made it through although I imagine they were all wondering just what the heck I was doing.....so at that point most sensible folks would have pulled into the pit lane which was conveniently just down the hill from where I slid off the track. But no, that was not to be, somehow I reasoned if the car was still running, I should still keep racing......Unfortunately a fuel pickup issue and a trunk mounted battery that had broken loose resulted in a dnf after one more lap.

Next day was race day, and it seemed that your finishing position in the qualifying race had no relevance to your grid position, which was simply your best lap time up to that point. So as a result., I was still on the pole for A sedan and I think about 3rd overall (combined BP A/S). I was concerned about how I would do on the first lap after the previous day's experience, however I think it was my brother who pointed out that as a result of what happened the day before a) nobody would risk passing me, and b) they would just "wait for me to crash again" (thanks). At any rate I managed to keep it on the track and finished first with a fun battle with a Mustang in second (although he spun off on the last lap which was a bummer).

69Z28-RS

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #16 on: May 16, 2014, 03:12:22 AM »
What was more fun, Sig?    Going thru that weekend?  Or reminiscing and telling us all about it now? :)
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Jon Mello

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #17 on: May 16, 2014, 03:53:34 AM »
Great story, Sig. Thanks for sharing it. I'm heading up to the Sonoma Historics tomorrow morning and I'll be at the Monterey Historics in August. Maybe I'll see you up at Laguna Seca.
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VHX032

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #18 on: May 16, 2014, 03:54:53 AM »
What was more fun, Sig?    Going thru that weekend?  Or reminiscing and telling us all about it now? :)

Gary-Tough call...well not really, being on the track was a lot of fun for sure but man it was a lot of work involved getting there wasn't it?

BTW notice you have some nice Corvettes. My frequent driver in the spring and summer is my 1964 StingRay which is a basic 327 but very original (in fact I have saved the original parts where I have replaced them).
Also drove it up to the Historics this last year for the Corvette 60th. All those older Corvettes are super easy to work on (just like the Camaros) and parts are reasonably priced too as I am sure you are aware.

70L34

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2014, 02:21:29 PM »
Great stories!! The Central Valley was/is a great place to be for car people.

69Z28-RS

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #20 on: May 19, 2014, 03:41:34 AM »
What was more fun, Sig?    Going thru that weekend?  Or reminiscing and telling us all about it now? :)

Gary-Tough call...well not really, being on the track was a lot of fun for sure but man it was a lot of work involved getting there wasn't it?

BTW notice you have some nice Corvettes. My frequent driver in the spring and summer is my 1964 StingRay which is a basic 327 but very original (in fact I have saved the original parts where I have replaced them).
Also drove it up to the Historics this last year for the Corvette 60th. All those older Corvettes are super easy to work on (just like the Camaros) and parts are reasonably priced too as I am sure you are aware.

TOO many corvettes..  and too many cars..  I need to sell some, but it's SO MUCH more fun buying than selling.. :)   My '60 model is referred to as the 'X model' in this area, due to it's construction in the early 60's from several wrecked cars.  It has parts from every year Corvette from '56 thru '62.. :)    including the floor, firewall and rear clip from a '57 FI race car - approprieatly modified for the '60 tail lights..   My nicest ones are the '69 convertible (44K miles) and the two 90 ZR1's.. low mileage.   I've rebuilt the '72 red coupe totally mechanically, but it is begging me for a nice paint job..  The other '72 is an old custom, with huge flares a wing some kind of large central traction device, staring headlights, and louvers in the fenders (not to mention A/C style restraints).  I had intended to make a slalom/autocross car out of it, but..  it 'sits'..  Does anyone of you need one?  :)

PS.  Noted that you attended Cal Tech.  I had an old USAF car bud who went there (Physics I think?).. Boyd Cochran.. who bought a new lime green 70 Challenger T/A, then swapped his 340 sixpak for a built up Hemi from a '66 Satellite... Gotta be the only T/A so modified, and I believe he moved back to the SoCal area after the USAF..  Any chance you know him?
09C 69Z28-RS, 72 B 720 cowl console rosewood tint
69 Corvette, '60 Corvette, '72 Corvette
90 ZR1 red/red #246, 90 ZR1 white/gray #2466
72 El Camino, '55-'56-'57 Nomads, '55-'57 B/A Sedan

VHX032

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #21 on: May 20, 2014, 03:36:05 PM »
A recent photo, hood installed and window clips back on.

Adding bumpers next to meet certain Australian T/A series rules (I guess).





Jon Mello

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #22 on: May 21, 2014, 01:27:19 PM »
Sig, the new owner is doing a nice job. It hasn't looked that good in a long time. Thanks for posting the photo. I look forward to seeing more.
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VHX032

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #24 on: May 23, 2014, 03:31:52 AM »
Got it (they went fast, so maybe he'll make more).

Thanks, that will be a fun surprise for him.

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #25 on: May 23, 2014, 04:22:46 AM »
Cool, glad you got that for him.
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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #26 on: March 27, 2016, 03:05:46 AM »
Below are pics courtesy of Carl Wassink. This is how the car looked while owned by second owner Jay Parsons back in the late '70s. The pictures were taken by Carl as it was being picked up in Arroyo Grande after being purchased by the third owner Tom McIntyre. Tom's friend Fred Galloway is the guy in the white shirt helping to get the car loaded up. Fred would later purchase one of the '69 Penske Camaros and vintage race it.





















Here are Jay's recollections after seeing the photos...

"Sig installed the Stahl headers when he owned the car, (and do I wish that they had never left my posession now). They were flawless when the car was sold. I had beadblasted and painted them that ostentatious VHT blue that was so attractive with the red. Much prettier when the car was actually Sig's yellow. The red was a 1980's Jay addition, which came about when I invested in, yes, 10,000 quarts of Porsche and Volkswagen leftover dealership colors. Oddly enough, the paint wasnt quite the hot mover, as my partner had intended, and a substantial number of my cars and trucks became various shades of Porsche/Volks reds with a virtual plethora of so many lacquers, and synthetics to choose from. No idea which color ended up on the A/S, but as you can tell from Carl's photos, not the anticipated beauty envisioned.

My friend Jim Hutcherson, who owned Vintage Auto Sales in Pismo, kinda brokered that big sale, as it was, the car was trailered to Pismo (Carls photos), where it sat in the Vintage glass showroom until (presumably) Tom took possession later. Carl is a photographer, presumably a friend of Tom, and may have been instrumental in it's sale, but he never owned or drove the car. If memory serves me correct, the sale price was $ 2,500.00, at least on my end.

Just for informational purposes, the rear axle was a 12 bolt as received from Sig with a Detroit Locker and 4.10 gears. The Detroit had no internal axle retention devices, but rather used a (presumably Detroit produced) small Torrington radial bearing as an outboard side thrust and axle retention, which were in shreds when I first discovered them upon routine inspection about 2 days before my first trip to Riverside. Quickly I assembled a Moroso HD 12 bolt posi, and got rid of the Locker and those crunchy axles, and returned to the Chevy internal "C" clip retainer system, which never gave me problems. It would be my personal opinion that the Moroso (drag racing) posi probably should not have been used for road racing. It would be my personal opinion that it was set up with extra plates, and extra tension for drag racing, and when entering corners, would sometimes unload, unpredictably, causing some truly unique of off- road excursions. This is my sole opinion, and certainly subject to review. The M-22 and Hurst SuperShifter, terribly reliable, and untouched, as were the JL-8 brakes all around.

The engine, however was, touched, that is. The first trip to Riverside, driver school, the lines, and apexes, braking, corner workers, flagman, hand signals, station wagon session, etc taught by Tom Douglass, if I recall, however I do not recall explicit instruction with regards to dubious throttle application, and sans rev-limiter, in those days. The unfortunate outcome of Sunday session was a very nasty dent in the top of the front crossmember, and very nice big hole thru that Z-28 oil pan, some very flatsided tires from the spin in the middle of 9. Cool how that worked, just going round and round, motor locked up, yet plenty of oil to cushion the spin to the infield. Poor bastards that followed me, sorry didnt expect that one. So back to the shop for a new bottom end. We were a bit short of 3 inch crankshafts, but had a really nice nitrided 3.5 with corresponding TRW pistons, so in she went with newish block, newish reworked rods and everything else bottom end, balanced, and buttoned back together, and back to Riverside for my second Driver Training  session. Donated Speedatron ignition replaced that funky mag pulse, and Speedatron had a rev limiter which was set at a conservative 7500 or so, as I recall.

I was, and still am, so honored to have had my second session piloted by the legendary Dick Guldstrand as my instructor. What a cool guy, and what an honor! Probably, by far, the most valuable training I received was from John Bauer, and he wasnt even at the track. Those days John kinda stopped by our shop occasionally, and at that time he drove and owned one of the ex Penske Javelins, which he ran in A/Sedan. John really could drive, and he knew Riverside, and he taught me more about how to drive Riverside at our machine shop in San Luis, without a station wagon even. I had no idea, not a clue, that a car could go thru the Esses that fast. You talk about PuckerTime. Of course there was turn 6, and that left front fender issue,... John's advice, good as it was, may not quite have taken into account that I was, say maybe 50 cubic inches over the 305 A/S limit he had been accustomed to running, hmm, maybe............Perhaps one should properly conclude that all those extra cubic inches probably was not the smartest way to learn how to drive a race car. John later went on to an IMSA Championship win driving German Auto Porsche, and I am forever indebted for that which he taught me.

And Sig, I am deeply indebted to you, those many years ago, for giving me a chance to do the most fun thing I ever did."
« Last Edit: March 28, 2016, 03:12:55 AM by Jon Mello »
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Trans Åm

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #27 on: March 27, 2016, 03:45:51 PM »
Wonderful update, really appreciate the insight on the good days!
Thanks to Carl, Jay, and Jon!
Nick

Jon Mello

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #28 on: March 28, 2016, 03:11:26 AM »
More pictures from Carl Wassink taken in Chuck Kendall's shop, dated Feb. 1982

Tom McIntyre had this to say...
"I did buy the car from Jim Hutcherson who was a long time college pal of mine.  Fred and I raced the red Camaro in 81-82-83. I won SCCA Solo 1 Championship in that car in 1981 I believe. Great fun car to drive. I ultimately sold the car to a Shelby enthusiast named Duane Karam."












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hubleyman

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Re: Sig Hansen A/Sedan '68 Camaro
« Reply #29 on: March 29, 2016, 02:34:07 AM »
The world famous “Sig” trailer just left my house, doing once again the same job it has always done, hauling a Camaro.  Sometimes old technology is just wonderful….  Charlie