greggkishline

Just finished paint on this restoration of a Viking Craft 1/4 midget roadster.  Doug Caruthers built and sold these in the late 1950's.  Body was a badly damaged original, requiring full restoration - chassis is re-created from reference photos.   Lettering and upholstery are scheduled, in the works.

(1960 Offyette 400E pictured is an unrestored survivor, a fiberglass monocoque chassis with full suspension, adjustable shocks, hydraulic brakes, and rack & pinion steering.  The trailer is a purpose-built, scaled Burbank as used by owners of full-sized midgets, prior to cages on cars.  All three appeared at this year's Miller Meet in Milwaukee, much interest.) 

On 8/2/2010 at 11:36 PM, Midget 85 said:

Pacemakers

 

 

These two Pacemakers have been radically changed from their original production as to suspension and friction side shocks.

 

They are rare non the less and could use a lot of restoration work.

I bought these cars about 2011, cheap - these are the seller's photos (Beaver Dam, WI???)   Restored one (the green one was finished in yellow,  pictured below) - sold the other to a retired midget racer.  Finally discovered they're Pacemakers, and got to know Danny Ruth via emails.   Then Doug Schiller.  Both great guys.   I got hooked building new old cars - 1/4s and 1/2s ...  and some restoring.  This forum is new to me, so I'll toss in some pictures - hope they all load up.   

The two Kurtis 500 Supers and the Pacemaker are obviously commercial cars - I built the rest, including a Werner up-right car from plans.   Well in fairness,  AJ Watson built the full-size Sun City roadster ...

The scratchbuilts take 8 months - 2 yrs.  Restorations go quicker.  The current project started as a NOS Moss 1/2 midget body - 3rd Moss for me.   Rather than replicate the factory channel frame, I chose to go the Birdcage Maserati route with a space-frame and  independent front susp, inboard coil-overs thru bellcranks.   Buddy of mine found 50's diecast mag wheels, 8" diameter - which will really work well on the rear of the Moss.   They  were submerged in a pond for 15 yrs (!), but they're period-correct and savable.   Engines are heavy so I  display them separately.   

So many projects, so little time....