Custom Chassis?

[KTMLew]

Who remembers the Custom Chassis car that was on display at Pensboro back-in-the-day. Had wishbone links, open tube sprint car rear axle and was REALLY trick for that era? Anyone know who the builders were?

Man I miss when you were allowed to look at the cars to see the differences. Now that'll get you assaulted.

Was also a car with fiberglass torque arm and I think an in/out box/trans deal that moved the quick change gears to back of trans. Guys were trying everything.

[KTMLew]

Freddie drove some of their cars.

[KTMLew]

I seem to remember the car I'm thinking of was basically a sprint car with A-frame front suspension and a full body?

[KTMLew]

Apparently Bert has a trans with QC gears.

http://www.2040-parts.com/_content/items/images/20/244620/004.jpg

[ZERO25]

Freddie drove some of their cars.

Cool pic.......looks like history has repeated itself, again!!!

[KTMLew]

Cool pic.......looks like history has repeated itself, again!!!

This site has all the gremlins of vBulletin. I can't figure out how to add an image that doesn't end up as a link. After some thought, believe i asked this Custom Chassis question here before. Nobody seems to know who built those cars.

[fastford]

I still have a doug nash 2 speed with a quick change unit on the back of it ,

[Boomer2]

Frank McLendon was the builder/designer of Custom Chassis and they were located in Columbus, Georgia. Frank was a true Innovator when it came to racecars. He was always thinking of ways to make his cars faster. There was a big article in I believe it was Stock Car Racing Magazine on his 5th Coil Design, the Torque Arm. He had some cars with a solid bar type torque bar, fiberglass torque bars and even a solid pull link attached to an adjustable shock/spring setup. Some of the cars had the Open Tube Rearend's like the Sprint Cars run.

[KTMLew]

Frank McLendon was the builder/designer of Custom Chassis and they were located in Columbus, Georgia. Frank was a true Innovator when it came to racecars. He was always thinking of ways to make his cars faster. There was a big article in I believe it was Stock Car Racing Magazine on his 5th Coil Design, the Torque Arm. He had some cars with a solid bar type torque bar, fiberglass torque bars and even a solid pull link attached to an adjustable shock/spring setup. Some of the cars had the Open Tube Rearend's like the Sprint Cars run.

OK. I'd heard that name before. Only time I was near one of his cars was at early 80's Pennsboro. Things were changing REALLY fast back then.

[Punisher88]

Boomer beat me to it.

[Jim11h]

I've seen a bert with overdrive before

[KTMLew]

I've seen a bert with overdrive before

I'm thinking the one I saw had the original little mini-clutch with the tapered cone and a dog on other end? The "trans" was a in/out box with QC gear section on it.

What was that clutch called? They still make them? Was barely bigger than dia of crank flange.

[Raceready]

I'm thinking the one I saw had the original little mini-clutch with the tapered cone and a dog on other end? The "trans" was a in/out box with QC gear section on it.What was that clutch called? They still make them? Was barely bigger than dia of crank flange.Had it been a Brinn ?

[KTMLew]

Had it been a Brinn ?

Clutch was NOT in the transmission. Well? We talking about something I looked at 40ish years ago. My old brian says it was a MRE built "trans". Something like Midwest Racing Enterprise? Think they had a chassis with 5th coil laying down and a linkage?

Little surprised can't find pictures of this stuff.

[Boomer2]

The 5th Coil was the Shock and Spring on the Torque Arm.The Shock and Spring that was laying down was the Rear Cantilever Cars. The Cantilever hooked under the axle tube onto a bearing/bracket assembly similar to the brackets used for 4-Bars today. The top solid link went forward and the cantilever, which was a triangular shaped assembly went towards the rear of the car. The cantilever was mounted on a pivot point at the rear and the top of the triangular shaped cantilever is where the Shock/Spring assembly was attached. The other end of the Shock/Spring was attached to the Frame Rail near the Rear Bumper. The Shocks and Springs ran parallel to the Frame Rails.

[EvelB7]

My first late model was a TCB that we put a cantilever setup on (as you described, to the back, along with the famous bolt on front clip). Rayburn also built some cantilever cars that the coilover was forward (and mounted at an angle). I believe we also had dual reece bars on that car at one time, as well as the 'fishing poles' (fiberglass lift bars). On the Custom Chassis side, I remember a car at the World 100 (and I believe Ernie Irvan was driving it) that had fiberglass lower control arms and no springs. The control arms had different mounting locations that would change the spring rate. I took pictures, will have to see if I can find them....

[JM15]

I'm thinking the one I saw had the original little mini-clutch with the tapered cone and a dog on other end? The "trans" was a in/out box with QC gear section on it. What was that clutch called? They still make them? Was barely bigger than dia of crank flange. Ram coupler maybe? I had the opportunity to work with Frank McClendon for about a year during my high school days in 1989 era. He was working for James Finch at the time. Frank was building and maintaining dirt late models, asphalt late models and even an ARCA car that Jeff Purvis was driving at the time. I was 16 and had just started racing. I didn't realize it at the time because I was learning a lot but Frank McClendon was about 25 years ahead of his time. Absolute genious. I'm still involved with late models helping a couple of friends and some of the things we do now that are "new", I remember Frank talking about and trying to figure out back then. If Frank was still able to build cars with all the things we have now, he would be looked at like we look at guys like Kevin Rumley.

[lurker]

I'm thinking the one I saw had the original little mini-clutch with the tapered cone and a dog on other end? The "trans" was a in/out box with QC gear section on it.

What was that clutch called? They still make them? Was barely bigger than dia of crank flange.

I remember this as well. From back in the era of Blansit Dairy and Cattle cars, B1&B2, Harley Blansit and Tom Lassiter. Tri City Buggy chassis, fly weight wedge cars.

[Boomer2]

Frank did build some cars with Fiberglass Lower Control Arms. These cars probably had Torsion Bars on the Rear and the Fiberglass Lift Bar, a car with no Coil type spring.Willy Kraft from Lakefield, Minnesota drove a Custom Chassis for a lot of years. Willy and Frank were at a big paying race somewhere and Willy qualified on the pole for the race the next day. They were at there Hotel/Motel sleeping when they were woke up by a knocking on their door. The promotor's told them all of the other drivers got together and decided either Willy races by his self, or the rest of the field races. The promotor gave them the entry fee back and didn't let Willy race. They drove back to Columbus, the whole way Willy was asking Frank what are you going to come up with now? Frank was already working on something else instead of the Torsion Bars, because the Torsion Bars would start to give up on longer races. Frank took a Fiberglass Leaf Spring, cut it up and mounted it in the Torsion Bar location. Back on the road the next weekend to catch up with the series that had kicked them out the weekend before and Willy qualified on the pole and Scorched the field.

[KTMLew]

The 5th Coil was the Shock and Spring on the Torque Arm.The Shock and Spring that was laying down was the Rear Cantilever Cars. The Cantilever hooked under the axle tube onto a bearing/bracket assembly similar to the brackets used for 4-Bars today. The top solid link went forward and the cantilever, which was a triangular shaped assembly went towards the rear of the car. The cantilever was mounted on a pivot point at the rear and the top of the triangular shaped cantilever is where the Shock/Spring assembly was attached. The other end of the Shock/Spring was attached to the Frame Rail near the Rear Bumper. The Shocks and Springs ran parallel to the Frame Rails.

The 5th coil set-up I'm taking about WAS laying down. Had a 90* lever from arm to shock. I really couldn't see the benefit, weight lower in chassis, for a dirt car.

[KTMLew]

Ram coupler maybe? I had the opportunity to work with Frank McClendon for about a year during my high school days in 1989 era. He was working for James Finch at the time. Frank was building and maintaining dirt late models, asphalt late models and even an ARCA car that Jeff Purvis was driving at the time. I was 16 and had just started racing. I didn't realize it at the time because I was learning a lot but Frank McClendon was about 25 years ahead of his time. Absolute genious. I'm still involved with late models helping a couple of friends and some of the things we do now that are "new", I remember Frank talking about and trying to figure out back then. If Frank was still able to build cars with all the things we have now, he would be looked at like we look at guys like Kevin Rumley.

Ram Coupler it was!

[Boomer2]

The 5th coil set-up I'm taking about WAS laying down. Had a 90* lever from arm to shock. I really couldn't see the benefit, weight lower in chassis, for a dirt car.Frank was always trying to lower the "Spring Base" as he called it in the car.

[Boomer2]

Frank was always trying to lower the "Spring Base" as he called it in the car.Now that I think about it, he did have the 5th Coil laying down on some of his cars. I think that Jack Pennington drove a car with that design at Volusia one year for speed weeks. He said that he never spun the tires all week.

[KTMLew]

Now that I think about it, he did have the 5th Coil laying down on some of his cars. I think that Jack Pennington drove a car with that design at Volusia one year for speed weeks. He said that he never spun the tires all week.

I've tried asking the HTF guys about 5th coil adjustments. NOT specifics just do you adjust it AT ALL? Or are they now an assemble and never look at it part? They never answer a question about technical stuff.

Everything must remain a secret!!!

Have to believe there's speed there across the center.

[84wedge]

I've tried asking the HTF guys about 5th coil adjustments. They need to keep their secret for winning everything they enter locked down.

[Boomer2]

Back in the early days of Torque Arms and Lift Bars on heavy and rubbered up tracks, I've seen the front end be taken away while throttling up on corner exit, so much so that drivers would have to lift, reset the car and throttle up again. Some torque arms and chassis had multiple holes in order to move the 5th coil towards the front or the back of the car depending on the track conditions. The 5th coil that was laying down didn't have that problem with the way that it was mounted to the frame.The Pull Bar didn't have that front end taken away problem either.I'm just guessing that the current 4-Bar Cars don't have the front end problem because of the shock/spring packages that seal the front end/nose to the race track.

[KTMLew]

Back in the early days of Torque Arms and Lift Bars on heavy and rubbered up tracks, I've seen the front end be taken away while throttling up on corner exit, so much so that drivers would have to lift, reset the car and throttle up again. Some torque arms and chassis had multiple holes in order to move the 5th coil towards the front or the back of the car depending on the track conditions. The 5th coil that was laying down didn't have that problem with the way that it was mounted to the frame. The Pull Bar didn't have that front end taken away problem either. I'm just guessing that the current 4-Bar Cars don't have the front end problem because of the shock/spring packages that seal the front end/nose to the race track.

This is the discussion I'm here for. We all have opinions. There are no "facts" when it comes to X works & Y doesn't. Depends on driver/chassis/set-up/engine characteristics. Just discussing opinions and experiences.