Model “T” Ford Speed and Racing Equipment Part I – The Early Pioneers

[t-head]

The photos seen here are from the first part in a series of articles we are featuring on The Old Motor covering the history of speed equipment for the Model "T". We have started with the Noonan 8-valve head and the three different variations of the Craig-Hunt 16-valve SOHC and you can learn all about them on The Old Motor.

 

[racen857]

Nice peice of history.

 

[johnoder]

Still hoping Dan 4 Banger will complete his DO Fronty kit for Model T so I can buy one

 

[t-head]

Still hoping Dan 4 Banger will complete his DO Fronty kit for Model T so I can buy one

That would be a very fun project to do if he succeeds, nothing like one of them. I was fortunate to pick up an S-R head and a Green racing engine with a Fronty crank recently.

 

[moonlight machine]

That would be a very fun project to do if he succeeds, nothing like one of them. I was fortunate to pick up an S-R head and a Green racing engine with a Fronty crank recently.

Well then, where are the photos?

 

[t-head]

Well then, where are the photos?

I will put photos of both in a future part of the Model “T” Ford Speed and Racing Equipment series.

 

[stephen thomas]

Here's one in the EMRM outside Gettysburg....

& a HAL

smt

 

[johnoder]

Just the top one. The HAL is Model A & B

 

[KB3AHE]

Ya know,
The vintage speed stuff for "T"s and "A"s was way kool and very advanced for it's time. Much of it was kinda "European" in flavor. But...................

There is something equally, if not maybe even a little more kool about a stock well tuned model T just ticking over at a super slow idle. Running so slow that you can hear (and distinguish) each individual cylinder fire.
I have seen some of those things idle so slow that you could actually count the fan blades going around. I bet it was well less than 100 RPM! And some of them were so quiet that you could even hear the buzz coils fire!

It's definitely a tough call which is neater, a stocker or a Fronty (or other OHV / OHC conversions). But I think I have a tendency to prefer a stocker just barely ticking over. It's a tough call!

Just my $.02

Frank

 

[KB3AHE]

Just the top one. The HAL is Model A & B

The HAL is definitely a bit Offenhauseresque..................

 

[stephen thomas]

The HAL is definitely a bit Offenhauseresque..................

Although the Miller boat engine that became the Offenhauser car race engine existed, my impression is that HAL's first DOHC pre-dated Fred's work. After Offenhauser bought out Miller/took over due to unpaid bankruptcy claims the Offenhauser and HAL versions probably developed concurrently and competitively. No doubt both were influenced by Miller & Miller/Goosen designs. (Fred of course advancing with Leo Goosen on staff!)

smt

 

[johnoder]

Fred O. went to work for Harry A. Miller in 1915, and one of the first things he worked on was the DOHC Peugeot "make over" for Bob Burman.

See The Miller Dynasty by Mark L. Dees

 

[stephen thomas]

Yes, but the "Offenhauser" 4cyl racing engine did not occur until F.O. needed a product after the Miller bankruptcy and developed Miller's small boat racing engine into the all conquering engine for land based speed contests.

Here's another "furrin' " engine design Miller & Offenhauser were exposed to ~ca 1917 when the war dept sent them to NY to develop carburators, water pumps and accessories for Deusenberg's ill fated attempt at producing the U16 Bugatti airplane engine.

(Maybe a very useful early education in several managerial/bureaucratic and technical "how not to do it's" ?)

smt

 

[t-head]

If any of you are interested we have good images of a complete 1929 Fronty Ford catalog were you can see the incredible selection of engine, parts and cars they had to offer on The Old Motor and a post on Briggs Cunningham's DOHC Fronty powered car.

 

[t-head]

The Kay Fleischmann Special – A Jewel-Like Early Supercharged Racing Car: This very interesting photo shows the Kay Fleischmann Special parked next to a Duesenberg straight eight apparently just before the start of a race. It appears that the Fleischmann Special was built by Green Engineering and it is equipped with one of their superchargers as seen out in front of the Miller-style radiator. This car had a Galivan dohc engine and we found out that it had had set a speed of 120 on a beach in N.J. All the details are on The Old Motor.

 

[t-head]

This post will show you a supercharged Miller Marine engine and you can here it run on the water.

The Sleek, Fast and Famous 1929 Miss Daytona Hydroplane: Learn the interesting story of the Miss Daytona, a 1929 stepped-hull hydroplane and hear her run at speed. The new caretaker of the boat is Bruce Meyer, the consummate vintage and racing car collector who had Morin Boats prep it for the interesting run. Don't miss hearing the supercharged Harry Miller built 151 cubic inch marine scream in an excellent video by Autoweek on The Old Motor.