In case you haven't heard, Corky really, really likes vintage motorcycles. About a year ago he picked up an unrestored 1917 Harley Davidson with sidecar. It was basically all there but the sheetmetal on the sidecar was pretty rough so our guys, Richard Marter and Delton Scott, completely built a new sidecar body using the bones as patterns. These guys can do anything! The knucklehead sittin in the sidecar is our main man Hal Everett. He is a dang good mechanic...not to be confused though with a dang good sheet metal man...that title still rests on Delton and Richards shoulders! Maybe you saw Hal on our Barn Finds episode of Hot Rod TV recently. Hal's a mess and a fun part of HCG! The bike? It's at Dudes getting the restoration completed. It'll be Dude-ified, restored, finished and shown in 2012.
In case you haven't heard, we recreated the infamous Marmon Wasp, which was the winner car at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 back in 1911. It was driven by Ray Harroun, and it was the first racecar of its kind--it had a single seat, and a rear view mirror, as opposed to other cars at the time, which had a ride-along mechanic. This lighter design, in combination with strict guidelines from the engineers at Firestone tires regarding speed and possible tire failure, gave Ray Harroun the win with an average speed of nearly 75mph. By the way, the Firestone representatives allegedly stated that speeds over 75mph would result in tire failure...
Ya know, the funnest part of building an old car is driving it for the first time. Anybody that has taken the time to build an old hot rod or vintage race car knows the first drive is always the most exciting, even if the car is barely hanging together. In fact, the less complete the car is, the more fun it is to drive! We've definitely taken a few drives around the block with unfinished cars, and this one was extra special. If you recall, we drove the Marmon Wasp quite a bit in its earlier configuration, but with the new engine and drive train, it's a whole new animal.
[caption id="attachment_1459" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="It drives!!! "][/caption]
That's right! All of the hard work by the guys at Honest Charley Garage is paying off because the rumble of the massive T-Head engine is filling the shop! Hal and Delton teamed up and installed all of the necessary components to fire this thing up, and boy does it sound awesome! We're really getting pumped, as the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500 draws closer and closer! At the same time, we know there's a lot of work left to do on the Marmon Wasp, so we're really leaning on our guys at HCG to get the job done.
[caption id="attachment_1444" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="YES, that is fire coming out of the cylinders! Hal is over there controlling the throttle, while we soaked up the exhaust fumes and enjoyed the fireworks display!"][/caption]
As you probably know by now, the Marmon Wasp replica built by Honest Charley Garage has actually been semi-complete for a year or so. However, it's never seen an ounce of paint, so it's time to get with the program and blast some yellow on this beast! Richard aka the "Car Carpenter" did an awesome job on the metal work, getting it ready for Zane to prep the panels and lay down some paint.
[caption id="attachment_1381" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Zane lays down the base color, which has been professionally matched to the original Marmon Wasp."][/caption]
The guys at Honest Charley Garage are still hammering away (literally) at the Marmon Wasp rebuild. Lots of metal work happening right now, with the chassis nearing completion, but Zane is also hitting it hard in the body shop. We're going to be providing daily updates of the car's progress, and show you guys its debut at the 100th anniversary Indy 500, which is just a few weeks away. We're counting on the guys at HCG to get the job done in time, so follow take a look at some of our latest photos to see exactly what these guys are capable of...
[caption id="attachment_1357" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Delton Scott making a bracket for the revamped Marmon Wasp chassis."][/caption]
Click to see lots more cool photos of the fabrication process!