The Roaring Season

by **fullnoise68** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:09 am

For those of you looking for odd ball size slicks or treaded race tyres, check out http://www.metcalfracing.com and if they haven`t got your size, they probably can get them in for you. A friend of mine in the US deals with them and reckons they are very helpful.
Have a look at some of the Historic Race Cars they have got for sale, buy them now while the US dollar is up!

by **Parnelli** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:38 am

[quote="Kiwiboss"]No Dave, i was talking about diameter!! Hoosier make a historic tyre in a 165/70-10 which i presume will fit a Mini?

Hey Dale, the comment about sizing was "tonge in cheek" , but I still doubt that Goodyear do any Blue Streaks in 10" diameter.

by **Kiwiboss** » Mon Mar 11, 2013 12:03 am

John McKechnie wrote:Now that would be real Formula Ford racing, Dale would love a grid like you are talking about Jac Mac.

You are quite correct John, I(like others) would absolutely luv to see these old girls back out on the track in there original guiss!! and although others have gotten "off track" on this original posting the idea that Steve(Holmes) posted up here is a damn good one. Lets hope that one day this will happen, certainly would be worth watching at a "proper" historic race event!!

Dale M

by **Jac Mac** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 11:52 pm

[color="#0000CD"]You reckon, he would be crying bucketfuls thinking of cutting out the wheel archs to put on some of those flare designs , I suppose if we hung around the pits after an HMC meet we might get a few cosmeticly damaged front / rear guards for a crate of speights rather than cut up the pristine ones, you know....when you fellas 'inadvertently' bump into one another.... [/color]

by **Kiwiboss** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:26 pm

Parnelli wrote:Yeh, but Dale was talking about tire width, not diameter

No Dave, i was talking about diameter!! Hoosier make a historic tyre in a 165/70-10 which i presume will fit a Mini?

Also, you must remember there is a HUGE difference between a "radial"(modern) slick and a "Bias"(old) slick, all pre 12/77 Historic and Classic racers should be on a bias as this was mostly what was used back in the day, otherwise, yes its a DOT road tyre you must use so nothing wrong with that rule. BUT, cars like your Escort(Jaydee) we will allow to use/and should be on a Historic bias tyre in historic and classic racing such as the Festival of Motor Racing. Wether a Goodyear BS or Hoosier Historic range these tyres are avaliable 365 days of the year and that helps solve the supply problem, and thats the idea for HMC. If your tyre range is what is used in American historic racing this makes life easier and the Yanks generaly haven't changed tyre manufacturing over the years like other DOT road/race manufacturers do, the Blue Streak has been made continues since the 70's.

Dale M

by **John McKechnie** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:57 pm

Now that would be real Formula Ford racing, Dale would love a grid like you are talking about Jac Mac.

by **Jac Mac** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:03 pm

[color="#0000CD"]Rod, It was also painted in the same colour theme that the Mustang II has been currently been restored to, this was the period that Dave & then Graeme Baker ran it with Boss 302 power in the OSCA series~1976/1978.

Been thru a lot the old girl- w/shop fire, at least two major prangs as you mention above. like I mentioned earlier I would like to see replicas of each evolution with regard to body changes etc, just look thru the pics you have posted...we have cologne type flares-MK1 escort type flares- no flares, side scoops-no scoops, centerlock wheels-5stud wheels... Hell you could have a PDL Mustang replica series race on its own merits with seven or more cars. That type of thinking applies to a lot of cars... The Fahey Capri, gosh under Inkys ownership alone that car also had about 5 colour schemes & various front/rear spoiler/wing combos [/color]

by **Rod Grimwood** » Sun Mar 10, 2013 8:04 am

Found it Jac, pink. also got photo somewhere of it this colour parked backwards up bank at Mainfield by Mr Baker.
Think it may have been this colour when Leo biffed the bank at Puke as well.

Think dark blue was one of last colours before the light blue.

by **Steve Holmes** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:08 am

AMCO72 wrote:I was looking at the Goodyear Bluestreak tyres fitted to the HMC cars at the festival. They have a VERY fine tread pattern, not chunky at all. And of course after a few skids there is 5/8th's of f-all tread left, which turns them nicely into a slick!!!!!!
They are good tyres though, and Dale tells me that he thinks they make them in a 10 inch size. Will have to check it out.

Bernie Hines did a lot of checking in |America before settling on the American Racers, so I'm puzzled as to why he didnt try the Goodyears. Maybe there was a big price difference, as the American racers are designed for dirt tracks, so their life on tarseal is very short. Their main problem is that they heat up too much, and then just fly to pieces. You can hear chunks of rubber hitting the inner guards.

Gerald, you should investigate the Hoosier as well. Seems a lot of guys are moving across to that because its quite a lot cheaper than the Goodyear equivalent. I think for any car that races in US vintage events there is usually a suitable cross-ply tyre for it because there is a such a big market, and that should include the Mini.

by **AMCO72** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:39 am

Yeh. The FIRST thing you HAVE to do after a race is to get the car up on jacks and rub all the stones off the tread with a pair of leather gardening gloves, while the tyres are hot, otherwise they just get stuck and you are in big trouble.

Things were a bit better this year, but there always seems to be stones on the concrete. A good broom is essential kit for the garage area.

I remember Ruapuna was bad for this with a lot of the pit area littered with stones, sharp ones, and what is more these seem to get carried from the dummy grid out onto the track at the end of the front straight. First couple of laps into a race, whammo, chips on the windscreen.
Think Teretonga was the best with all it's grassy areas. Lovely track, pity it is so far away.

by **Parnelli** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:21 am

Yeh, but Dale was talking about tire width, not diameter ! LOL Don't be in too much of a rush to buy Blue Streak's until they fix the " pits " at Hampton. Everyone that ran Bluestreak's at the BMW festival, drove stones from the pits , straight thru the case of the tires. This year all but one car ran Hossier's and that car changed to another brand of tire after the first race. ( or should I say after the first return to the pits ) Probably not an inditment on the tires, rather the state of the .......

by **AMCO72** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:41 am

I was looking at the Goodyear Bluestreak tyres fitted to the HMC cars at the festival. They have a VERY fine tread pattern, not chunky at all. And of course after a few skids there is 5/8th's of f-all tread left, which turns them nicely into a slick!!!!!!
They are good tyres though, and Dale tells me that he thinks they make them in a 10 inch size. Will have to check it out.

Bernie Hines did a lot of checking in |America before settling on the American Racers, so I'm puzzled as to why he didnt try the Goodyears. Maybe there was a big price difference, as the American racers are designed for dirt tracks, so their life on tarseal is very short. Their main problem is that they heat up too much, and then just fly to pieces. You can hear chunks of rubber hitting the inner guards.

by **Jaydee** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:28 am

Yes, Steve is right of course and I should have said that non DoT treaded tyres, are also avaiable that fit cars like mine, and I'd be happy to run those as well.

Also to say that I wasn't thinking of Ray and his Arrows/ERC series in the tyre debate, only of those events and series where true historics are sought for the grid (and then told they have run modern tyres that don't fit the car...).

by **ERC** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:24 am

fullnoise68 wrote:Well put Gerald, my father in law is in the process of whittling down his quite large collection of assorted cars and motorbikes - 22 of his motorbikes are going through Webbs Auctions this Sunday.

The Velo & Vincent on offer are almost enough to drag me back to 2 wheels...

by **fullnoise68** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:37 am

Well put Gerald, my father in law is in the process of whittling down his quite large collection of assorted cars and motorbikes - 22 of his motorbikes are going through Webbs Auctions this Sunday - and many of his cars haven`t seen the light of day for 20 odd years. He has a few favourites that he gets about in, but as much as he has enjoyed `owning' them, the next owner is no doubt going to enjoy `driving them.' This scenario is relevant to the various views on this thread.

by **AMCO72** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 12:18 am

There has been a lot of talk on this thread about restored race cars, where, how, and even IF they should be 'raced'. Everyone has their opinion, and they have a right to that opinion, but fortunately there are still a lot of restorers out there who are happy, some very happy to give their precious machines a good workout on the track, in the company of others.

I think this is the time and place to quote Mr Justice Otton, the presiding judge in the 'Old Number One Bentley' court case...........

'Continuous history is the basis for evaluating a classic car; the car has a life of it's own that transcends the sum of it's parts, and this is surely how it should be.

A motor car is not a painting or a piece of antique furniture that you put in your house. It is a functional piece of machinery to be driven and enjoyed, and then repaired when it breaks, and driven again.

The motor car is a product of the machine age, not the craft age. The obsession in certain quarters with 'all matching numbers', is to loose the sense of what a motor car is, and risk consigning them to mothballs and museums. The thought upper most in your mind when out driving should NOT be that the car is loosing value if you break the engine'.

Amen to that.........

by **mrmeat** » Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:25 am

John Weston in Tauranga a bit of a rascal

by **Steve Holmes** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:13 pm

I only suggested DOT or period correct cross-plies because I'd originally suggested a 1973 cut-off date, and most of the cars I'd listed would have been built and raced in period on treaded tyres. Then again, in period, what actually constituted a slick tyre? Was any racing-only tyre that was not for road use considered a slick? Or did it have to be completed free of any tread to be considered a slick?

Here is a photo of Allan Moffats Mustang at Pukekohe in 1972. Note the tyre next to the car. This is a Goodyear Bluestreak tyre, which is still being produced today for historic racing. This tyre has always labelled for competition use only, therefore, its not a DOT tyre. This was the ultimate in racing tyres at the time. Was this considered a slick tyre in 1972? This seems to be what most cars were fitted with at the time, hence my suggestion tyres by either period correct cross-plies such as this, or DOT tyres.

Then again, if as Bruce suggested, you're opening the cut-off date right up to allow '70s and '80s Sports Sedans, OSCA, ShellSport etc which were all built for and raced on slicks, then obviously anyone who wants to fit slicks, could do.

by **Rod Grimwood** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:32 am

I better get this thing in the garage together so John can come and run around with me. The more I read the more I wonder were I will run it. 1 roll cage ?. 2 slicks, never had anything else. 3 it has no inside except alloy panels. 4 only glass in windscreen, plastic elsewhere. 5 no muffler. 6 no radio. 7 no heater. 8 owner has no money but has a trailer.

by **John McKechnie** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:18 am

fullnoise68 wrote:John, who are you referring to when you say 'not an impulse buy just to be a big noter'?

There was no implied reference to anyone at all.

The Roaring Season

NZ Historic Racing Saloons Group

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