Y-BlocksForever Forum / Y-BlocksForever! Forums 2006 / Racing / #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK / Latest Posts

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:24:47 GMT

thought so, someone told me. or I read that you'd done radio in Detroit. I was originally from there. We're all really watching this, maybe one of the neatest projects concerning Y Blocks in a long, long time. I, personally can't wait to hear and see it run!

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:18:18 GMT

Yes,. I am originally from the Detroit area and have lived in Michigan all my life, I am a member of the MHRA, Road Knights. I have been into Hot Rods for a [b]lot[u][/u][/b] of years,... but this car (and a unfinished 57 T-Bird) is the only cars I have with a Y-Block.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:30:01 GMT

Are you originally from the Detroit area?

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:20:22 GMT

Hi everyone,....

Thanks again for all the interest, I have been sick for quite a while and haven't been on the computer for like 4 weeks,..... just a little update that I find hard to believe myself,... I might have stumbled across the original 312 that was bored and stroked out to 327 c.i.d.,..... I have yet to see it , but from what the guy tells me it sounds like it,... I have a couple clues to go by when I finally get to see it,..... this project just keeps getting wilder by the minute. :w00t:

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

kiwi y block fan — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 04:40:15 GMT

That is a very cool car and there aint nothing like an old race car with a history i loved reading about shady goings on on race cars i had heard about Big daddy crawling out of a crashed race car to cover something on the engine. I built alot of parts for my Brothers Blown inj Flathead powered Altered (i know not a y block but very cool car. T on model A chassis (9.47 @138mph on Alky) including solid billet heads. When we raced and had an audience in the pits we would start talking B/S about parts that didnt exist and whether we thought they were working on the last run or whether they needed tuning incase there were spys in the crowd it was a bit of a laugh. What configuration engine do you have planned are you going to keep it authentic to the origonal or go abit further? Good luck with the car. I plan to build a blown y for my 28 A tudor Should be fun Cheers from NZ

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Daniel Jessup — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:38:35 GMT

WOW!

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Unibodyguy — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:11:20 GMT

Harms Way,

I can't believe you came accross such a find. And to also have the jacket, trophys, and driver of the car all together, you are truely blessed. Anything about this project you post, I think we'll all read!! That is so cool.

Michael

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

yalincoln — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:25:46 GMT

say guys, is it my immagination or is that a y-block in the other car in the orriginal post. i'm getting old and my eyes are getting bad. have a nice day, wayne.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Ol Ford Guy — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:22:09 GMT

What a great story for everyone involved, thanks for sharing it, and the pictures with us. Keep us up to date on your progress with the "Blue Racer" project. It sure would make a neat show display with the jacket, patch and photo's.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:45:08 GMT

Harm, or whatever your real name is, I believe you have been officially HOOKED! :P welcome to the "dark Side"

:cool:

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

unibodyboy — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:13:02 GMT

That is quite possibly the coolest thing i've ever seen.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:22:49 GMT

I got a call last week from Loren McCombs (and his wife Pat) the owner/ driver of the B/SR "The Blue Racer" that I currently own and plan to start restoring in the spring,....They were in Michigan visiting some friends and wanted to stop by, It was the first time Loren had seen his old race car in 41 years, He got a big kick out of it, He was poking around and telling me a lot of stories about several parts and pieces on the car,... I don't know which one of us had the better time.

As things started to wind down Pat said here these are for you,...
It was Lorens 1964 NHRA Championship Jacket and the Plaque he got in the mail from NHRA along with a stereo album of the soundtrack from the 64 Nationals.

[img]http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=351391&d=1189215751[/img]

[img]http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=351392&d=1189215751[/img]

[img]http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=351393&d=1189215751[/img]

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Pete's Panel — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:12:50 GMT

Parts on the good table, is that better or worse than running them through the dishwasher!!!

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:14:35 GMT

Did you get the 312? Sounds like the pieces are starting to fall into place, now you have a PROJECT!! ;)

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

bird55 — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:34:37 GMT

WOW. looks like you got a gift!

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:13:19 GMT

Hot Rod Magazine contacted me early last summer and said they had seen it on both sights and would like to come take some pictures of it, it's in the current issue of Hot Rod under the "Barn Finds" article, Thats not really the big deal,...... but after the magazine came out I had a couple calls, one guy wanted to give me a 57 312 engine:D , than another guy called and asked if I still needed a Hilborn F.I. for it ! :w00t:,Well the F.I. is as rare as chicken lips,... so I jump on it,.......

The UPS truck just left, and this is what was in the box, a complete Hilborn F.I. set up, with all the pills, fittings, Valosity stacks, Magneto with F.I. pump, valley pan, all the fasteners and a extra cap. I was told this has all been sitting on a shelf in a basement sense 1962. This was the biggest hurtle I had to overcome,... well the parts collecting is going full steam, I hope to get started on this car in the Spring.

One more thing, the original owner Loren McCombs is in Mi. on vacation, and is going to stop by next week,... said he had a box of stuff for me.

[img]http://littlejoe.ejourney.com/~poncho/Hilborn.jpg[/img]

Yes, That is my wife's Oak kitchen table,... and No she didn't know I did that.:cool:

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 07:58:53 GMT

There you go, Save your pennies,

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

bird55 — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:54:07 GMT

My buddy still has the Hilborn setUp we've talked about and you've seen pictures of. He plans to bring it to Columbus, so it's still for sale. It sure would be the perfect crowning piece for your project.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 09:25:39 GMT

Get all the pictures you can from McCombs to help you restore it. Maybe you can get him to check out this site, might re-kindle some "Y block Fever"

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 09:23:17 GMT

That is my F code 300. Raced as a pure stocker, best of 13.83 @ 105.6 at Martin earlier this summer.

I just sold a Hilborn to Tom Kitchen in Fl. a couple of monthe ago. They aren't cheap. Hilborn still makes parts, does rebuilds and can convert them to electronic if you wish. But they're more expensive than a Holley. you might contact John Mummert in Ca to help you in the Y block rebuild or Ted Eaton, moderator this site. Both have pretty extensive credentials when it comes to Y's.

Frank

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 20:45:04 GMT

Thanks Frank,

Actually the tin work is something I can handle,... I learned hammer welding, pick & file, lead, and metal finishing years ago from a old friend,( hope I can still do it) what is scaring me is the Hilborn F.I.
unit, I have been able to find a couple but I am going to have to budget for one,.......

Is that your 57 Custom 300 ? in your avatar?,.... I have owned 3 in the last 40 years,... and I just found another (someone put in a 302/C-4), solid body but all the glass is gone,....

Thanks again for the reply,..... BTW I just got a call from Loren McCombs today, He is going to be in Michigan in a couple weeks and wants to stop by to see his old race car,.... I am looking forward to that.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 09:06:58 GMT

From the looks of the photos in Hot Chevys it seems the body will be the biggest issue. You have tapped into the "Mother Lode" of Y block parts and tech info here. If you are looking for Y Block help, I think we can offer that. I would not be surprised to see offers to help evolve as the project gets underway.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 23:07:53 GMT

I am still gathering the right parts, I just found a '56 Olds rear axle and a couple extra 312's,..... I want to have all the parts I need before starting on it,.... thanks for asking

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

pegleg — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:12:36 GMT

After seeing the photos in HRM, and being informed by one of the ah "experts" that it was weird even then, I am anything but bored.:) When do you start the restoration, and when will we get to see it at Columbus.?:w00t:

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Glen Henderson — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 20:19:19 GMT

I don't get Hot Rod anymore, but a buddy of mine brought his copy by this moring to show it to me. The roadster and Hubert Platt"s Falcon made that issue worth while, I might have to pick up a copy at Wally world. By the way I remember seeing the Georgia Shaker running a match race around 65 or 66, don't remember what he ran aganist, but that little car was bad quick.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 09:35:13 GMT

Hey Guys,......

Hope you aren't getting bored with this,... but thought you might get a kick out of "The Blue Racer" being in Hot Rod Magazine this month (Oct.) in the "Barn Find" article.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 22:01:06 GMT

[quote][b]aussiebill (5/27/2007)[/b][hr]Hi guys, can i add some interesting news from the past also about another y block racer told to me by a friend in NY, Joe S. He recalls it like this;

hi bill, funny i'm an old y-block guy myself had a friend back in the old
days that held b/street roadster and c/altered NHRA records using y-block power. his name was ron mindge it was a blue t-roadster all home built as were most hot rods.

.......don't think that true's about it being the only y-block to win a national event maybe the only 312 ci but. i'mpretty sure ron won a national event in the early 60s. his engine was a 292 or 272...my
old brain forgets stuff...but i remember pushing the roadster up to the
starting line and being a good-for . i guess i was in my early teens. this
was also another couple of our gang held national records in am/s don noyes and aa/a ron scott ( i ended up driving for ron scott in the late 70s) don noyes won indy in 1965 and held the national record. ron scott won a few national events and held the record on and off. i was with him when he set the national record at Englishtown...and he went thru the lights backwards at 182 mph. !!!!!!!!!!!!! it was wild and such fun in the day........that's when everyone built their own car and could build all kinds of "trick" parts. i remember when don gartlis would put a rag over a part of the engine...to hide a part...well what gartlis was doing was just shaking the others up a bit as he never had anything special/new under "the rag" . also when ron scott had the national record he'd put a metal part of some sort on the frame and hook it to the engine...it never did anything but sure got people wondering. sometimes to make weight ron would fill his frame up with water....now that was a "trick" all of us are/were from the albany,ny area, man the things i remember !!!!! End description.

This story may jog someone elses memory of racer Ron mindge and his y block racer. All the best! Regards aussiebill.

[/quote]

Thanks AussieBill,

Is there anyone that can varify this?,... I have been trying to get ahold of Dave Crain to see if this is in the record books, but he has been Ill,............ can any of you other guys varify this ? I would be very interested to see if this is true. Thanks

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

aussiebill — Sun, 27 May 2007 03:17:54 GMT

Hi guys, can i add some interesting news from the past also about another y block racer told to me by a friend in NY, Joe S. He recalls it like this;

This story may jog someone elses memory of racer Ron mindge and his y block racer. All the best! Regards aussiebill.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

PF Arcand — Sun, 20 May 2007 02:05:56 GMT

Harm: It certainly is great to hear about another major Ford Y-Block success story. Hopefully, you can do a resto on the car. There are many good people on this site that would be more than glad to help you out... Another similiar story, as I understand, it is this; In 1963, Ted Kramer was running a "B" Altered Roadster, powered by a Hilborn Injected Ford 312, in NHRA Div.3. In third place on the last day of racing, he came from behind to beat a bevy of mostly Chevy powered competitors, and win the Divisional Championship. Appropriately, his prize was a 427 Ford engine...

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Sat, 12 May 2007 08:34:03 GMT

I thought I would give you some details on the engine as was told to me by Mr. McCombs,

He bought the engine in 1961 from a junkyard, his machinist thought
it might be a truck engine, blueprinted, they shaved the heads .035, and decked .065 off the block, Forged high dome pistons,13.5 to 1 compression ratio, knurled crank, bored out to 327 c.i.d., Isky cam,Hilborn Fuel Injection, custom built headers. all built by Leo Gonzales.( He said he got the biggest, heaviest most powerful battery he could find and mounted it in the trunk )

The transmission was a Mercury 3 speed that he said "was really long"
He said the driveshaft was under two feet long.

The rear end might have been a 57 Ford or Olds.

He bought the car as a running Hot Rod in 1961 with a Gonzales Flathead (that he blew up), Zepher trans & 40 banjo rear end. It was light green and had done duty at Eckles Rd. and Motor City Dragway.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Ted — Sat, 12 May 2007 07:45:04 GMT

Welcome to the site Harms Way.

The Blue Racer came up on the old forums briefly and it's good to see that its history is being expounded on. Keep up with the information and any updates on its potential restoration or return to track duty.

Here's the link on the old forums.

http://www.y-blocksforever.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1650

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

LON — Sat, 12 May 2007 06:00:50 GMT

Hey mate , If you keep posting photos & "History lessons " like that first one ,we will keep reading them ???? That sure is a piece of " Drag Racing History "

KEEP ON POSTING .

Regards Lon

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Fri, 11 May 2007 23:36:01 GMT

*UP DATE*

Geez 4 posts on this thread and 3 of them are mine, Hope this is fitting in OK here, (Let me know if I am breaking any rules or something)

As it turns out I got a lead where Loren McCombs might be,... and hit pay dirt !,... I just got off the phone with him and he answered a lot of questions I had. But here is some cool stuff for those of you interested.

(1) Won B/SR Class at the 1964 U.S. Nationals Indy.

(2) Won B/SR Regionals at Dragway 42 Ohio 1965

(3) Was disqualified for B/SR 1965 at Bristol because this Model A
had a 106" wheelbase, was bumped to Altered class,... Loren
added a second front cross member at 103", both cross
members are still in the car.

(4) Went back to Bristol Spring Nationals in 1966 and Won B/SR
Class.

He still has the plaques and trophies and lots of pictures,.... and he just told me tonight he would like me to have them. I feel like I am on cloud 9 ,....

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Thu, 10 May 2007 22:41:38 GMT

Thanks Chuck,

I live about 150 miles north of the Detroit area now, the other thing I am trying to verify is that it set a class record in 64, I just got in touch with someone that thinks they can connect me with the original owner. I will keep you guys updated with what I find out if anyone is interested.

RE: #424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

MoonShadow — Thu, 10 May 2007 22:29:55 GMT

What a great old blast from the past! You have to bring it down to Columbus, Ohio in September. Lots of old racers and race cars there! You have got to get it running again! If the history is correct the scrub(GM) guys would like to see it disapear! There are a lot of folks out here than should be able to help you with the project. Chuck in NH

I'll be in Dearborn, hopefully for the Woodward cruise and then will be driving to Columbus from there. We have to get togather! Chuck

#424 B/SR The Blue Racer, 312 Y-BLOCK

Harms Way — Thu, 10 May 2007 22:00:43 GMT

Hi all,
I am new to this board, in fact I just found out about it,... Here is what I have,

This car is from the Dearborn / Detroit area. It's a ‘31 Model A roadster body channeled on a ‘32 Ford frame. It ran in the B/SR division as ‘424 The Blue Racer’ owned by Loren McCombs of Dearborn. It ran a 312 Y-block with a Hilborn fuel injection, but the most significant thing about this little roadster is that it Won the B/SR National Title at the 1964 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indy, and from what I have been told it is the only [u]modified[/u] to ever win a national title with a Y-block Ford ( is there any way to verify this ?). I recently acquired what was left of the car. A big ‘thank you’ goes to Dave Crain for reuniting this car with it's history.
I am looking for anything I can find, there was a picture in Popular Hot Rodding in Dec. 1964 of the trophy run, and a picture in the 64 Hot Rod Annual of Loren standing next to the car with the trophy,..... but that's all I know, any info you guy's can shed on this would be great.
[img]http://littlejoe.ejourney.com/~poncho/09.jpeg[/img]
The trophy run at the nats in 64

[img]http://littlejoe.ejourney.com/~poncho/10.jpeg[/img]
and how I brought it home