Dave- Actually, that shock set-up was on Mike Spina's car before aftermarket arms were allowed. By Bunderson. The second car like that was Bill Cannons. Ramsey had his done to the 2 seat car after Spina's showed it worked. 1984 was the correct year. You could order the front arms without shock mounts and un-heat treated from Wright, put on the mounts you wanted, and send them back for heat treat. They actually cost more this way! These cars were actually some of the first to push the sleeved bypass shocks (Bunderson/Fox) and Kevin also made big single shocks for the rear before anyone else was making them. Sleeves, bypass tubes, etc... We were one of the guinea pigs.
Kreisler Raceco's-where r they now?
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Pee Wee
Well-Known Member
I think I had the second car Bunderson made with the top arm shock.
It all started before you were allowed Wright aftermarket arms. We broke a few stockers before that.
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It all started before you were allowed Wright aftermarket arms. We broke a few stockers before that.
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offroadracer516
Well-Known Member
We have wright arms on the front of our 4 seater. They have yet to bend. Its a shame they stopped making them.
harleys dad
Well-Known Member
If other popular front arms could be 1/4 as good as writes were. The write arms on my 4 seat 1600 car date back to the original rule change and have been on 2 cars that were total losses including 1 car that hit a 4 foot brick wall. Totaled the front end of the car but the arms were still straight. I forgot about Mike Spinas car that happens to be my single seat car I own I believe. At least people have told me it was. I dont know but who ever had it after Mike changed a lot of things but I see things that show it might be his. The first car I saw was Ramseys and Dave talked me into it on my 3rd car. Some places it was great, others not so much and was hell on torsion leafs! Parts of the travel has very little to no shock working, you could grab the front wheel and move it threw a portion of the travel by hand, something you cant do on my front ends now. Working off the leafs didnt keep them very happy for very long, a set a race is what we were going threw with the progressive front end where my car goes years on them the way it is set up now. threw lots of turns it was fantastic, you could keep the car level with the wheels dancing with the terrain, big woops and holes forget it, we tried all sorts of things it would just blow threw the travel a lot more than a standard set up and the leafs would tap out and say no mas. a lot of pros and cons, Cam and I liked it a lot better the standard set up! but it did generate a lot of intrest at the first Mint we took it to because it was the first totally redesigned Race-co 1600 car. At that time there were all kinds of new cars each and every race/.
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Dave- Do you have a pic of the Bunderson Frame you have? I could help ID it. If you got it from Paul, it may have been a chassis I actually owned at one time. You are right about the front ends. The first time I drove the car, I thought the front wheels were going to fly off the car, they moved so quick in the lower and middle part of the travel, but the chassis didn't move. So different from what we were used to, front lifting and car raising over bumps, but the car would steer like no other.
Rory
Crayola Killer
Probably the BEST MAGAZINE ARTICLE EVER!!!!! Hahahhaha. Of course I only get that magazine for the articles......
Pee Wee, was that Jack Ramsey's 2 seat car originally? If it was, it got the laydown front shocks after the first 2 single seaters were built. Then Ramsey had the superlight single seater built after he won the championship with the 2 seater. Then he took it Varnes to have the suspension returned to a more traditional shock set-up and Spins beat him with the Bunderson single shock car. Although, I do have to say, I always thought those longback Bunderson single and 2 seat cars were very aesthetically pleasing. They just had the right dimensions to olease the eye, like the first gen Racecos did.
Pee Wee
Well-Known Member
We had that car built in about 85 if memory serves. Ramsay was racing a Bunderson and killing it back in the day so that's why we went that way. It was built with traditional towers but Kevin did the switch after a year or two. It was a great car but at 121 wb it was a bit much. I think Spina was the first to do the upper arm setup then probably us. Pretty sure Ramsay didn't retro his old car but built his second car with upper arm. Cool times in 1600 big races had 60 starters.
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harleys dad
Well-Known Member
I bought it off of craigs list, no idea who the lady was but she wanted it GONE! It was in the beumont area. I could see where 1 shock had been, but some one very ugly put 4 shocks on the back in a very ugly way. I changed a ton on the car when I got it.. I had to laugh, I weighed the car just like I got it just stuck a stock engine in it and it eas about 12.50. Back then weighing cars was far in between. I can see why it was so fast if it is really the car. I have had a few tell me it is but I dont know. I paid 2500 bucks for it with new spindles and arms up front 6 fox shocks fuel cell new yokos on new centerlines power steering twin air cleaner box wired rady to put a trans and motor in. I converted it to micro stubs a 2.5 4 tube by pass re did the front shock mounts. It now sits in my back yard under a tarp frame body fuel cell and seat. I took the parts off of it to put the Race-co back together. I put all the race-co parts to put the 51600 back together. My son raced it a couple times. With all my kids wanting in a car a single seat just doesnt fit with us anymore. My son Jeremy wants me to make a class 18 out of it, I have enough stuff to do it! I might sell the frame the way it sits. I dont know what I will do with it.
Ramsey_ElWardani
Ironman
If I remember correctly, this was an old Bob Ritchie (RCR Plumbing) car. This was a La Rana race in the earily 90's, don't remember the exact year, that I raced with John Holmes who owned the car. It was the first Class 1 car I raced. Had a 2.9L FAT motor and a Bus Box. Broke the R&P during this race. It seemed so fast to me back then but nothing like current cars. It had secondary rear suspension...
Kevin Reid should remember this car.
Freedogger
Well-Known Member
Here's a shot of my dad from 1990 in the Bunderson he bought from Mike Spina.
offroadracer516
Well-Known Member
Our Bunderson. Looks like the car Kenny posted.
Attachments
harleys dad
Well-Known Member
My bunderson had the back bars like Kennys picture when I got it as well as a back panel like that., as I said I changed the car big time front and back including rear bumper shock mounts. If you look at the back bars coming down you will see there are 2, the top bar was brought down and welded to the bottom one then I sleeved the rest to make it straight. The car was so darn lite I put 1 1.4 tubing inside most of the car just to get it closer to the weight limit. There are Rosette welds all over where the sleeves were put in. The reason most of these old single seat cars were so fast in the day was the fact they were so darn lite when scales were not in use. Mine is proof enough fo me.
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Freedogger
Well-Known Member
This is Kevin Colan in what I believe is the car Mike Spina had after the car he sold to my dad.
Then Mike had this Mirage
Here's the Bunderson my dad had (bought from Spina) after it went to Almberg
And here's a Raceco just to stay on topic.