56 Chevy Bomber, circa 1966

[Maineboy]

Just wanted to show this as a finished product and so you can see what the history of this car is. A friend and I built this the spring of 1966, near the end of high school. We raced it that summer and another one like it for 2 yrs after that. We learned a lot and it sure was great fun. And unlike today it did not cost much.2 kids with summer jobs could afford to do it back then. Oh has racing changed in the years since.

Original full size car in late spring of 1966.
56chevy1 by Nathan Pitts, on Flickr

[Maineboy]

Punched wrong button. More photos of model here.
DSCF0004 (3) by Nathan Pitts, on Flickr

DSCF0011 (6) by Nathan Pitts, on Flickr

More photos in the "under construction" thread.  Glad I can move on to something else now.

MB

[dirtmodwrench]

Nice job constructing your replica! Looks like the real deal. Congratulations on finishing it!

[Marty W]

Nice looking replica. I bet it was fun to race it.

[Maineboy]

Racing back then was indeed fun........and in classes like this one, it was cheap. Cars could be had for hauling them off.  We raced mostly at the newly built dirt track in Ellsworth. That dirt was so loose in the corners that you could have planted carrots in it. But everybody had to face the same conditions. They would grade it before the features and water it but the ruts came back instantly.

We raced for 3 seasons. The car pictured above was destroyed that first year, frame bent beyond recovery. We replaced it with another 56, which was already equipped with the cage and stuff and raced that for two more years.  We never invested much money in it, didn't need to. The car pictured here was our last version. Sheet metal was not a big issue as you can see here. That is a way too young looking me on the left, in the red hat, my trademark then. Hard to believe we were all that young  a ways back.

56chevy3 by Nathan Pitts, on Flickr

We tried it at Speedway 95, which is in Bangor, 30 miles away. That was an easy haul but a paved track. Safety hubs were required on the right front along with a very large and wide tire. The most competitive cars were running 3/4 ton rear axles with lower gears. Lord knows what was in the engines but we could see that already it was going to take more money than we had to be competitive there so we retired. Having a wife and young child puts a dent in your limited racing budget in any case.

I wish there could be our kind or racing again, where it was sort of a family thing, each car had it's loyal supporters who rooted loud and often. According to Ralph Nason, who owned Unity Raceway here in Maine for many years, there are way too many other things for people to do today and they don't flock to the racetracks like they did 40 yrs ago. Sad state of affairs but most race tracks that existed im Maine, in the 1970's are gone forever. Same story all over I suspect.

MB

[Michael F]

Very cool sedan !! 

Cool red cap as well !

The guy on the right has a kind smile, but a killing glance !!!

[Marty W]

That version would make a really interesting model.

[Marty W]

Racing back then was indeed fun........and in classes like this one, it was cheap. Cars could be had for hauling them off.  We raced mostly at the newly built dirt track in Ellsworth. That dirt was so loose in the corners that you could have planted carrots in it. But everybody had to face the same conditions. They would grade it before the features and water it but the ruts came back instantly.

We raced for 3 seasons. The car pictured above was destroyed that first year, frame bent beyond recovery. We replaced it with another 56, which was already equipped with the cage and stuff and raced that for two more years.  We never invested much money in it, didn't need to. The car pictured here was our last version. Sheet metal was not a big issue as you can see here. That is a way too young looking me on the left, in the red hat, my trademark then. Hard to believe we were all that young  a ways back.

56chevy3 by Nathan Pitts, on Flickr

We tried it at Speedway 95, which is in Bangor, 30 miles away. That was an easy haul but a paved track. Safety hubs were required on the right front along with a very large and wide tire. The most competitive cars were running 3/4 ton rear axles with lower gears. Lord knows what was in the engines but we could see that already it was going to take more money than we had to be competitive there so we retired. Having a wife and young child puts a dent in your limited racing budget in any case.

I wish there could be our kind or racing again, where it was sort of a family thing, each car had it's loyal supporters who rooted loud and often. According to Ralph Nason, who owned Unity Raceway here in Maine for many years, there are way too many other things for people to do today and they don't flock to the racetracks like they did 40 yrs ago. Sad state of affairs but most race tracks that existed im Maine, in the 1970's are gone forever. Same story all over I suspect.

MB

That is the way things shake out sometimes, isn't it? I used to race radio controlled 1/10 scale off road in the 80s, where we would often make our own custom racing parts. Then came the aftermarket parts makers. I stopped racing when the factory drivers got involved with unlimited funds for the hottest setups. It got too expensive to try and keep up with the latest new accessories, so I quit racing.

[Maineboy]

Some people always figure out that if you have enough money to spend you can be a top dog. I am deeply interested in the history of the Indy 500. Offenhauser engines dominated that race for nearly 50 yrs. The engine was well developed, under race conditions, and was constantly improved. Meanwhile Henry Ford II decided to go to Indy. Their first try with a modified stock small block Ford Engine did quite well. Soon they developed the fantastic DOHC Indy engine and eventually won with it.

Proof that money can win.

Even the bomber classes we raced in became dominated by a few who spent a lot of money at it. There were no financial incentives, just glory. And from being a backyard fun thing with junk cars, that was just tons of fun, even those classes became almost professional. I would not even know how to get started in racing today. I have given up on NASCAR and Indy car racing totally. Engines are all built by special companies, all cars look alike. I can't get psyched up for it at all. Individualism, which is what came out of the backyards and small town garages, is gone for good.

MB

[ARCA Guy]

Nice replica of that old beater!