List,
Bert Munroe was a guy who demanded your respect. Many on this list have
no idea what it is like to have to manufacture your parts. Today we just
pay the money and bolt it together. When I entered this crazy scene
there was hotrod equipment available, but in limited venues, and in my
case too expensive in many cases for my budget.
In my case, I chose a Desoto which was not a popular engine in speed
equipment circles, and again cash was not plentiful, so I did of my own
fabrication, learning to weld as I went, I ported my own heads, bought a
intake manifold kit from Crower and put together a six "Stromberg 97"
carburetor induction system. The Desoto broke lots of rods, until I
raised enough money to buy a set of Don's Boxed Rods late in my Desoto
days. Fortunately, the Desoto rods generally broke close to the big end
so often it didn't do damage to the cylinders. However, when I retired
the Desoto, it had five sleeved cylinders and the last sleeve leaked
water, so that is why it was discarded. (After I got the boxed rods, it
became apparent what had been my problem. The fuel system was supplied
by pressure pumped up by hand, the carburetors leaked over, running fuel
into the cylinders, and when pushed off to start, it would bend the rod
and whip it out at rpm.
With all this junk...... we were still the fastest gas roadster in the
nation in our class for a couple of years. The morale of this story is
that you don't have to have deep pockets to have fun and succeed in this
sport.
I have related this story to help you understand how I identified with
Bert Munroe, though I don't claim to even approach his creativeness. His
usual comment was "make do". (Growing up on the farm in the Midwest, I
understood that phrase, that was how we lived most of my younger days.)
There were many stories he told.....Bert had an old Nash that he bought
to tow his motorcycle to the races. The transmission had some kind of a
problem and punched a hole in the case. He whittled a wooden plug and
drove it into the hole and continued on. He told the story of how he had
hollowed a hole in the ground and formed the streamlined body for his
motorcycle, (the likeness of a Dolphin) he said he collect some kind of
brush and at intervals he would take the bike frame and throw it on the
pile and burn the brush normalizing the metal in the frame. His Indian
motor used Ford V-8 60 pistons....etc.
I was working the nine mile post on his first record attempt. He came
down in the upper 170s, when he got off the bike he had salt in his face
and fuel on his leg. One of my jobs at the nine was to relate to each
contestant where they needed to be at speed on the return run, I told
him to take it easy for the first two miles on the return, but he laid
on it from the nine and it broke before he got to the mile he needed, so
no record on that attempt! He was truly "one of a kind". I feel
privileged to have known him.
Tom, Redding CA - #216 D/GCC
Dan wrote:
> List,
>
> I believe the person who casts his own pistons, etc. is Bert Munroe from down
> under, NZ? Bert was truly a one of a kind person. There are a million stories
> about him, doing strange things with Ford beam axles, that sort of stuff.
>
> His Indian motorcycle was restored and shown at various gatherings around the
> country. The restoring person's name escapes me for now but I do know he
> passed away a few years ago. I haven't seen the bike for sometime. It is still
> around as it has surfaced on the ballot for inclusion to the Dry Lakes Hall of
> Fame (Gas Up) for 2001.
>
> I may be able to find some more info in my junk, I mean collectibles, in the
> garage.
>
> Dan W
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