Moonshine '40 coupe moonshine handling

53F100Jeffie said:
I saw a 1940 Ford Shine runner at the AACA car show in Hershey last October. If memory serves, it had a Caddy V8 and a lot of spring help.
An interesting part of Americana, I guess this is where Junior Johnson got started driving, before NASCAR....

Jeff :D
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Here's my 39 Coupe with 1951 Cadillac power and a 37 LaSalle 3sp Trans - has a 40 sway bar up front and parallel springs in the rear
 

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YOU Sir, are beginning to get a handle on what it takes to put-together a unique, "top-shelf" automobile! Just DAMN.......another one knocked out'a the park, Peter. That early Caddy is the nuts! DD

270324
 
gajeepguy said:
I always heard that Lee Petty won the forst NASCAR race in a 1949 Plymouth. Not true?

RG
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"The very first NASCAR Strictly Stock race was held June 19 (1949) at Charlotte Speedway, a 3/4 mile dirt track in Charlotte, North Carolina owned by Carl C. Allison on Little Rock Rd.. Bob Flock won the pole. Glenn Dunaway was declared the original winner, although a post-race inspection revealed that his car was fitted with illegal springs, causing NASCAR to disqualify him."

Don't see a reference to the car!

"Roper heard about the first race at a three-quarter mile dirt track in Charlotte, NC by reading a note about it in Zack Mosley's The Adventures of Smilin' Jack comic strip in his local newspaper. Roper convinced local car dealer Millard Clothier to drive two of Clothier's Lincoln cars more than 1000 miles to Charlotte to compete on June 19, 1949. Roper finished in second to winner Glenn Dunaway, completing 197 of 200 laps. Chief NASCAR inspector Al Crisler disqualified Dunnaway's car because car owner Hubert Westmoreland had shored up the chassis by spreading the rear springs, a favorite bootlegger trick to improve traction and handling [1]. Roper was credited with the win in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock race. Westmoreland sued NASCAR, and the judge threw out the case. NASCAR tore down Roper's motor after the race, so he had to get a replacement motor to drive back to Kansas. Clothier kept the winner's trophy.

He used the same car to finish fifteenth in NASCAR's third race in his only other NASCAR start. He finished sixteenth in the 1949 final points standings."

The problem may be the definition of the "First NASCAR" race. Seems there may have been several depending of the rules being inforced!
 
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Peter,
You have a beautiful ride there. My father in law has a 40 Coupe with the original Flattie. He bought it at Hershey around 1988, came from an estate in Oklahoma. Had less than 20k on the clock. The car is still a Peach! In my opinion, the 40 is the most beautiful car Ford ever made. :)
The Shine runner at Hershey was a Rouge award candidate, except for the custom stuff. It had been rode hard and put away wet!

Jeff
 
I had heard years ago that a 49 Plymouth had won the first NASCAR race. It was not the fastest car on the track, but it was the most economical and was able to complete the race without stopping to refuel.
 
sidevalve8ba said:
There is an excellent article in the latest issue of Rodder's Journal about a '39 Ford Coupe that was a moonshine hauler in Alabama in the 40's and early 50's. It has been in storage since then and is equipped with a flathead built by Vic Edelbrock, Sr. Quite an article and lots of great photos.

Pretty ingenious how they used a modified Model T rear spring as an overload spring on the rear axle. 15" ambulance wheels and Firestone racing tires were an added feature.
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Agreed. One of the more enjoyable articles I've read in TRJ in some time. Love the unabashed "body work" to the nose in order to fit the oversized truck radiator and the turnbuckle lock system for the trunk. The paperwork from Edelbrock was also super cool and went into great detail about the "special" valve job.

Well done TRJ!
 
I had the pleasure of meeting the owner & spending quite some time with him at the Dawsonville Moonshine Festival last year.He is a super guy & this is one awesome car !
His scrapbook he has with this car & all its history = WOW !!! Truly a museum piece .
Cheers
Tony
 
That's what I would love to see also. Any photos of these original type modifications to suspensions, shocks, stretched springs ?, sway bars, etc. The attached photo of '40 deluxe with a Caddy was taken in red field at Hershey in 2013. Completely original and stock appearing inside and out except for radial tires, and the shift lever moved to the left side of the column, probably to clear the wider Caddy. The car was from Rhode Island, and was listed for sale for $29,000. Probably sold in the 1st few minutes.
 

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I am really impressed with your cars , just stunning love your taste ! Wish I knew what happened to the black 40 with the Caddy that was for sale at Hershey years ago .
 
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Heavy springs ,dual shocks on all four corners and truck tires with a heavy sidewall. My 40 was a hauler back in the day. Had a Caddy or Olds engine in it and extra shocks. Also has all the bracing cut out of the trunk area all the way up to the seat.
 

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By my calculations 132 gallons of Liquid is around 1050 pounds. That seems to be an awful lot of weight for any car to handle and still control.
 
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