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Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead


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Topic: Downtube Chassis Email this topic to a friend | Subscribe to this TopicReport this Topic to Moderator
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305 9A
March 27, 2011 at 04:25:30 PM
Joined: 05/03/2010
Posts: 156
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Anyone know who had the 1st downtube sprint car chassis and when?




Dhowe11164
March 27, 2011 at 04:36:56 PM
Joined: 07/18/2005
Posts: 1124
Reply
This message was edited on March 27, 2011 at 04:37:57 PM by Dhowe11164
Reply to:
Posted By: 305 9A on March 27 2011 at 04:25:30 PM

Anyone know who had the 1st downtube sprint car chassis and when?



modern day was Steve Kinser at WoO on the final night of a 3 day show at the San Jose fair grounds in fall of 86, i believe. It was a Gambler. He won with it the first night out.



Some Guy In Texas
March 27, 2011 at 05:00:10 PM
Joined: 08/09/2008
Posts: 500
Reply

That's a good way to answer it. Agreed.

Karl Kinser had that independent suspension one that seems to have run in Florida before that, I think it had downtubes, too. Didn't run it much.

USAC Silver Crown cars bolted on what amounted to downtubes in the 70's & 80's. Chuck Gurney had that really good looking 30 car that was written up in Open Wheel (the sprint car bible as far as I'm concerned).

There have been some pictures of cars in the early 70's/late 60s of true downtube cars. I don't recall the team/driver but it seems it was a solid white car.




MJSE
March 27, 2011 at 05:34:10 PM
Joined: 07/31/2005
Posts: 18
Reply
I may be wrong, but I remember Karl Kinser having bolt-on down tubes on an 86 Gambler at Santa Fe Speedway in Illinois July of 1986. Can anyone confirm? Mike Stefka

Grove
MyWebsite
March 27, 2011 at 06:27:06 PM
Joined: 01/28/2005
Posts: 332
Reply

DHowe is right on the money!

I spent that afternoon in the parking lot of the Peppertree Motel watching Karl and Steve put it together . .

swapping parts from the old car to the new. I did about a 45 minute video of it going together and some

of the conversations they had about it. He did win that night on the half mile track. The new hood only

had a small oval hole and it over heated . . . but he made it to the check amongst alot of steam.

 



bbqking
March 28, 2011 at 06:18:25 AM
Joined: 04/24/2010
Posts: 145
Reply
Reply to:
Posted By: 305 9A on March 27 2011 at 04:25:30 PM

Anyone know who had the 1st downtube sprint car chassis and when?



http://lqss.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=bftp&action=display&thread=1131

 

Hope the link works. While not technically a sprinter at the time, these local modifieds eventually morphed into the IRA sprints. Either way, its a nice pic from years gone by, and the racing world could use more of the likes of Carmen Manzardo.

 




flyingryan
March 28, 2011 at 06:58:23 AM
Joined: 11/30/2004
Posts: 67
Reply

The first production downtube car was the Gambler. I think the '87 model year was the first year it was offered to the public from Gambler. Not sure if Manzardo had the first one ever but that one off creation was definitely the first in our area.



number45
March 28, 2011 at 11:30:19 AM
Joined: 08/17/2010
Posts: 74
Reply

The first down tube car was a usac non wing car owned by Ben Leyba and wrenched by Jack Steck, late 70's early eighties

 



Sprint50
March 28, 2011 at 12:44:25 PM
Joined: 01/30/2008
Posts: 543
Reply

I agree with flyingryan. Pretty sure Charlie Fisher designed it for Gambler




nancespeedequipment1n
March 28, 2011 at 02:36:16 PM
Joined: 09/21/2008
Posts: 705
Reply

There was a guy that raced usac back in the 70`s that was from lafayette indiana that had a bolt on down tube.



tailtank
March 28, 2011 at 04:04:18 PM
Joined: 01/02/2005
Posts: 122
Reply

I recall seeing an old photo of a car from like the 30's or 40's that had downtubes? I'm trying to remember where I saw it and if it was a sprintcar or a midget....hmmm


Part time racefan, part time race photographer.

nancespeedequipment1n
March 28, 2011 at 04:53:35 PM
Joined: 09/21/2008
Posts: 705
Reply
Reply to:
Posted By: tailtank on March 28 2011 at 04:04:18 PM

I recall seeing an old photo of a car from like the 30's or 40's that had downtubes? I'm trying to remember where I saw it and if it was a sprintcar or a midget....hmmm



Tailtank i like the picture!




tailtank
March 29, 2011 at 09:10:42 AM
Joined: 01/02/2005
Posts: 122
Reply

Thanks, it's actually mine. I bought an old Nance tailtank off Ebay several years ago and a buddy of mine is paiting it up to resemble the Nance house car which were my favorite.


Part time racefan, part time race photographer.

racer5c
October 27, 2012 at 12:15:17 PM
Joined: 08/21/2010
Posts: 2
Reply
This message was edited on October 27, 2012 at 12:18:08 PM by racer5c

Vince Conze built and owned the first down tube sprint car



cmpvideo2go
MyWebsite
October 27, 2012 at 03:33:29 PM
Joined: 01/20/2005
Posts: 1483
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This message was edited on October 27, 2012 at 03:33:51 PM by cmpvideo2go

Chuck Gurney in The Louis Seymour Silver Crown Car









SDLuck
October 27, 2012 at 06:04:44 PM
Joined: 12/14/2005
Posts: 27
Reply

Tailtank is right,the was a picture in open wheel(I think) of a downtube car at williams grove in the 30s or 40s

 



sprintcar67
October 27, 2012 at 08:59:25 PM
Joined: 09/16/2008
Posts: 37
Reply
Reply to:
Posted By: 305 9A on March 27 2011 at 04:25:30 PM

Anyone know who had the 1st downtube sprint car chassis and when?



Ralph Parkinson had bolt on downtubes on a spring front Edmunds in 1975 and 1976



bbqking
October 27, 2012 at 11:19:22 PM
Joined: 04/24/2010
Posts: 145
Reply
Always nice to see Carmen Manzardo's name appear. I thought Lightning had the downtubes before Gambler, but a man my ages forgets things. FWIW, I think Gene Gennetten had the first midget with downtubes, but again, not sure.


HamSign
MyWebsite
October 28, 2012 at 08:40:50 AM
Joined: 07/05/2012
Posts: 5
Reply
Reply to:
Posted By: number45 on March 28 2011 at 11:30:19 AM

The first down tube car was a usac non wing car owned by Ben Leyba and wrenched by Jack Steck, late 70's early eighties

 



I remember Jack tecks cars having bolt on down tubes in 1974





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