Super Modified

[74datsun620]

I am restoring a Super Modified that my father owned! She was the first west coast super modified with a working dry sump, fuel cell, fire system and the last state championship super modified too win on gas! Plus she was the 1976 Madera Speedway track champion, 1978 San Jose track champion, won the last race at the San Jose pavement Speedway, the first at the San Jose dirt track and the 1978 state champion! The driver's list that drover her I will post later (I don't want to get the list wrong), it is like a West coast who was great list! Her last night she ended up on her lid in two different wrecks, but still won the state championship with Davie Pombo!

 

This is what I will be starting with for the restoration! The cage needs too be cut off and replaced so that I can race the vintage races with her, it was twisted and kinked her last night.

[74datsun620]

[74datsun620]

Please help me figure out what Ford wish bone's I have, the light grey one?

I will make a set if I have too, but the goal is to keep her as close to the way she was raced.

[74datsun620]

The black one is a different angle and end's up at the top of the torque tube not the bottom like the original.

[]2eDeYe]

Vintage racecars are awesome. This one certainly has a pedigree. Thanks for sharing this build with us.   :cool: 

[74datsun620]

Vintage racecars are awesome. This one certainly has a pedigree. Thanks for sharing this build with us. :cool:

Your welcome, I have a few other vintage racecar's that I need to give up and share some pictures. A 1932 Hudson Essex rail midget with a aluminum body and Willie's motor was my current project, but that is on hold until the super modified is done! I was not supported to get the super modified but my family letting my Dad know they were only going to sell it gave me the chance to have her!

[74datsun620]

 

[q-tip]

Neat.

[74datsun620]

Ug the body doesn't fit great, so I have some cutting too do.

 

Got to love the non production quick steer Dodge trans am manual steering box!

 

Four racecar's in one garage, I never need any more projects lol! Modern midget got kicked outside and tarped.

Old school style gasets!

[74datsun620]

The super modified was built by Arnold Chaves and got it's first win with Burton Foland driving! It was a reverse rotation Ford and had a carburetor.

 

 

The cage tubing I cut off was almost .120 wall, I used .120 dom tubing for the new cage! The frame rail on the left was thicker then the right side rail. Plus the cage tube went though the rail and was welded top and bottom.

[74datsun620]

[Jester]

Pretty cool to be able to re build your dads old racer. Thanks for sharing all the old pics. Keep em coming please. 

[74datsun620]

 

The dry sump on the left is from a airplane and my Dad made the other one!

 

[74datsun620]

Plastic motor time!!!

[74datsun620]

 

The seat is home made bye my Dad out of 3/8" thicky aluminum and my mom sowed the padding! It has a in and out box made bye Arnold Chaves plus it also had a clutch and starter!

1962 corvette radiator and filler!

[74datsun620]

Pretty cool to be able to re build your dads old racer. Thanks for sharing all the old pics. Keep em coming please.

I will!!! I have wanted this racecar for as long as I can remember!

[74datsun620]

Well I decided too make one change from the way she was originally raced, I added rear motor mounts to the chassis. I added them because I will be putting the motor in bye my self and I don't see how I could do that while lining up the torch tube too the in and out box as you install the motor.

I also finished the mounts for the dry sump tank!

[74datsun620]

Put new padding and cover on the steering wheel, lol you can still see the fire damage on the stokes a little bit! But the fire is part of her history and I want to use as many original parts as I can!

The vintage rules say I need to add a modern knock off, lol the old one exploded when I tried taking it off!

[74datsun620]

Delivered race gas today for the Monterey Historic races to my corvette customer, bought two N.O.S. master cylinder and a 1962 corvette radiator so I have two! The reason I want to have two is if I decide to take her dirt racing I can have one for pavement and one for the dirt! Also dropped both radiators, dry sump and the breather for the in & out box/ quick change/ dry sump off at the radiator shop to be cleaned and pressure checked.

 

Plus I picked two 20' sticks of d.o.m. tubing for the front bumper, rear bumper and nerf bars! I am using d.o.m. tube because these will get chromed and cheap steel cost more too chrome in labor. Also bought some square tube for the fuel cell mount!

[74datsun620]

Got the rear bumper done, I think it came out looking great!

 

 

Does fiberglass shrink over time? The original body kept in San Jose not on the super modified does not fit, but the spare body kept on the super modified in Groveland does fit. Both bodies where built from the same mold on the same day in 1972.

 

I started a parts missing list of things I am not making.

-wing

-wish bones

-fuel cell/has to be modern to race

-enough steel braided fuel line to go from cell to motor three times

-vintage coil

-right side door

 

I am pretty sure this list will only get bigger as I go.

[datsunrides]

Wow, this brings back memories. Growing up the old San Jose speedway was practically in my backyard as my mom (still) lives behind Reid-Hillview. I remember the roar of the engines every race night until they shut it down. Did Arnold Chaves run a machine shop for a bit? I recall having a Chaves build a couple RB Mopars for me like 30 years ago. Also, a guy I worked for for a number of years (George Yoshihara) did a lot of crew work during the heydays. I remember him telling me about the guys trying the reverse rotation motors. I only have vague recollection of the actual races, but the name like Sargent, Rescino, Kaeding, Ringo, Rose, etc are names I remember from the mid-last 70's.

[74datsun620]

Wow, this brings back memories. Growing up the old San Jose speedway was practically in my backyard as my mom (still) lives behind Reid-Hillview. I remember the roar of the engines every race night until they shut it down. Did Arnold Chaves run a machine shop for a bit? I recall having a Chaves build a couple RB Mopars for me like 30 years ago. Also, a guy I worked for for a number of years (George Yoshihara) did a lot of crew work during the heydays. I remember him telling me about the guys trying the reverse rotation motors. I only have vague recollection of the actual races, but the name like Sargent, Rescino, Kaeding, Ringo, Rose, etc are names I remember from the mid-last 70's.

Arnold is still building motor's, lol he is still the only west coast guy pushing Fords in sprintcars. His son Mark runs the machine shop, I don't think Arnold has anything to do with the shop anymore.

 

I only missed races at the San Jose dirt track when I raced at a different track. My Dad owns Jim Bowman Racing, so I grow up at the races!

[74datsun620]

All Chaves super modified's like most other vintage racecar's of the time had a front bumper design that would let you know who built the racecar! So I wanted the bumper to look like it did when she was new. My tubing bender would not give me the look I wanted ug, so I bought a Harbor Freight roller that lol I might never use again.

[74datsun620]

[74datsun620]

Well I decided to make the shock mount removable, which will make it easier to get chromed! It was originally chromed then welded to the bumper bracket. I decided to make a new shock mount because the original was dented, bent bad (bent down so far the nose would not fit) and too rusted to waste money having it rechrome.