Hi folks, recently received a copy of Dick Martin's reprints of the CT
News 1946-48 which was mentioned on this list. CT(California Timing)
News was serving in effect as the SCTA activities newsletter, but also
scantily covering track roadsters, midgets and "Big Car"/Indy news.
There is much of interest here. I note that Wally Parks was serving as
President of SCTA in '46, and dry lakes racing was booming pretty quick
after the war. Even so WP published a stiff letter to the racers that
big-mouth agitators who contributed nothing were trying to destroy the
leadership. So there are always club politics. Wally must have had 'a
certain something' about him, to have made such a distinguished career
for himself. He's still with us now, over 90. My late friend Clem
TeBow said of him, "Bill, the world would be a better place if Wally
Parks would live forever!"
The May '47 number of CTN has something of special interest to Ardun
fans. Grancor Automotive Specialties (Granatelli Bros of later Indy and
STP fame) of Chicago had a full page ad announcing aluminum ohv
conversion heads for 24 stud Flatheads designed by the Duntov Brothers
at a cost of $25K. The word "Ardun" is not mentioned. Grancor was
looking for ten people to put down $100 deposits for sets, against an
estimated price of $750, with delivery promised in six to eight weeks.
The Grancor ad has quite a bit of interesting detail as well as sales
pitch. It is stated that the heads on a 221 inch Flathead with 67
octane gas, stock mufflers and water pumps, stock pistons and camshaft,
gave 165 HP 5200 rpm and 205 foot pounds of torque at 2200 rpm(55 foot
pounds over stock). On a 239 inch Flathead, 175/5200 and 230/2500.
I have no idea what the above Grancor ad produced, but in any event,
this is the earliest Ardun publicity I have seen. The next item I know
of appeared in the August 18, 1947 New York Times, p. 25, col. 2,
entitled "New Truck Engine Nears Production". It is filed in the NYT
archives under "Ardun Mechanical Corp". Bill Hoddinott
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