Featured Hot Rods Top Banana Style Slingshot Dragster- Marty Strode-Chris Kopp.

I have been building this race car, on another of my threads for a couple months, but now it deserves it's own identity. The original Top Banana was built around 1957 in Hayward California. Hank Vincent was one of the owners, did the driving. The engine builder was George Santos, and it was kept at Hillary Govia's City Garage. The stylish body was done by one of the top metal men around, Jack Hagemann. Running Injected Nitro, it held many state records, ran over 175 in 1958. It was the sleekest of them all in it's time. I have been planning this build for at least 5 years, and one way or another it will run this year ! I am going to post a few pictures of the original then link to my other thread that shows the progress so far. And from now on the progress will be only shown on this thread. As the thread name notes, we are building it to resemble the original, but under the the @chriskopp aluminum body, will be a Certified, Legal to run at any track, chassis, limited to 1/4 mile at 7.50 seconds. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...strip-b-sr-build-marty-strode.1177811/page-40

 

Today, I got the front tubes trimmed off, and added the the 2 kidney bars in the the cage. When fitting and notching tube, I came up with a simple way to pick the desired placement, and angle. I shear a strip of sheet metal as wide as the diameter of the tubing I am fitting. Clamp it in place with the ends going past the joint, and simply mark the angles with a Sharpie. Cut off the excess metal and you have a perfect pattern, to lay in the tube notcher to set the angle for the hole saw.

 

Good looking project ya got there. I know you were thinking of a name and since the car you’re using as inspiration is orange I figured you could call it The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Hahaha.

 

Been following on the other thread and have picked up quite a few fabrication tricks along the way. Fantastic work as always and what a great project to undertake. Hopefully, we can get a similar level of detail on the body work.

 

Marty, you’re making a bunch of us look pretty stupid with these simple, yet very effective solutions.

 

It was red, must have faded to orange.

 

Larry, if it wasn't simple, I couldn't make it !

 

Tom, some of these methods can save material and time, glad to see you might have gained from any of it. Pretty sure Chris will show plenty of detail, we are both enthused about this project.

 

That looks like a fun project. If the original construction was good and not a cobbled mess, I would think replication with improvements would be simple.

 

Are you going to drop your tube axle like the original?

 

Subbed

 

The original chassis was very clean, but was built out of rectangular tube. Making it safe and getting it certified would not be easy. We are building this to race, so certification is a must.

 

Jeff, you like to make things difficult don’t you ! My eye told me there was something different there, but I have been focused on so many facets of this car, I didn’t want to believe it was dropped. There is only one person that I know could do the job, Greg at Anson Axles. I saw one he did, it was beautiful, but very expensive. I have a spare, just need time to think. Thanks for noticing!

 

Oh man.... another Marty Strode build. Subscribed. Old racecars rule.

 

Wow!

 

Just figured you’d want to iron that out before the spring mount was welded in.

 

I am making the front perch adjustable in 1/2" increments, so I think I can get the proper height. Just can't duplicate, this look from head on. However, I am looking into getting one dropped.

 

Nice build Marty. That front axle looks like it's laid back about 30 degrees?

 

It's only at 14. But it does look like more.

 

Definitely another fun build to follow along with

 

Only 14? Surely you jest?

 

Is that a Ford tube axle or something else? It looks like it is tapered and the ends look like they could transition to being more square.

Also, in the side shot it looks like the holes in the wishbones might have been eyeballed as they don't all appear to be on the centerline, equally spaced or consistent in their progressive diameter.
Some of this might be camera or optical illusion.
I'm sure your rendition will be even better than the original.

 

Mine is tilted to 14, the original was probably closer to 30, as Val noticed.

 

He’s not jesting and don’t call him Shirley!

 

Bruce, it is a Ford axle, the wishbones on the the car are Model A, and just to hold things in place. I will be using 33-34 wishbones as they are longer, and the clevises are at a more favorable angle. I will need to open up the clevises from 2" to 2.300 to fit the axle.

 

Something else has been on my mind, I can't bring myself to put a Powerglide trans in this car. Until perhaps the later 60's- early 70's, Dragsters ran 3 speeds, using 2nd and high, unless they ran Nitro or were Supercharged, then they were direct drive. In the early 70's the advent of the Econo Dragster, sprouted a class for outdated slingshots with a 4 barrel , collector headers and a Powerglide. I am not excited about spending $ 4,000.00 for a complete billet unit, and the maintenance of a convertor, that doesn't require shields, blankets and guards. The next thing is being in a confined, totally enclosed cockpit, with the possibility of being sprayed with hot transmission fluid, and not being able to see out of a fluid soaked Lexan windshield. I realize that the car will be perhaps a half second slower in the 1/4 mile, but I do Nostalgia, for Nostalgia's sake, not for the ET. Plus, the ability to push start the car, like the old days.
Just like this old car back in this1986 video.
https://www.google.com/search?sca_e...=919&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:7e915ba1,vid:x

 

Do my eyes deceive me or is there no actual brake backing plate? Looks like a wheel cylinder mount and some "ears" to keep the shoes in the drum and that's it? Maybe they were all built that way but I had never seen that before.

Lynn

 

It's Frankland Stock Car stuff, standard of the industry in the 60's.

 

This is going to be great!

 

Ah...that explains it. I was just a teenager in the 60's and probably paid even less attention to details then than I do now. I guess if you're shaving off ounces and looking for brake cooling I guess that would be a way to do it. Thanks!

Lynn