Page 8 - Nitro Madness Magazine Fall 2017

and help with the build. We set up, had to be custom fabricated “Brendan Murry at Performance
then contacted well-known and at the Rooman shop. Motorsports in California helped
respected chassis builder Keith supply many of the other retro
Burgan of Rooman Motorsports in As construction of the chassis parts we needed. These again
Brownsburg, Indiana to recreate began in early summer of 2016, the all closely matched as much as
the 1967 chassis as close to the formidable search was underway possible the original components
original as possible.” for period correct parts and used on our 1967 car. Fortunately,
pieces that were similar to what now we didn’t have to buy our
Photos of the original car were the team had originally used. GMC 6:71 supercharger out of a
collected and, along with personal Becchetti recalls the search: “We junkyard, shop in Army surplus
recollections of the chassis details, found a pair of Halibrand 16 x10 stores for parts and machine
Burgan began the task of putting magnesium wheels on the west adapters and other components
together a virtually identical coast together with an early Olds on a lathe or Bridgeport mill as we
version of the old BFK AA/ narrowed 4.11 rear end, axles and once did!”
FD. Becchetti was insistent on
this point to racers: “Take many magnesium Mickey Thompson With the rear end and third
pictures of your car, racing and third member. Trips to the Hot member delivered to Rooman
otherwise…we didn’t! Several Rod Reunion at Bowling Green Motor Sports, 4130 chrome moly
times we had to scale some of the and later at Bakersfield resulted in tubing and a 392 block went on
photos and use known valve cover acquiring front wheels, retro M&H their jig and the BFK recreation
or wheel dimensions to get the car slicks and a Schiefer magneto. was underway. One slight
dimensions as they did not conform We sent the Halibrand mags to variation on “ver.2” was that the
exactly to those of the original Shaun Dill, also in Brownsburg, for cockpit was made slightly wider
Woody Gilmore car we had copied.” cleaning and application of Dow to accommodate the
This of course meant that many 7 treatment to match the look of slightly larger
of the chassis components, such the original rear wheels and the “girth” of the
as the VW type front torsion bar Schiefer mag went to Cirello for partners.
suspension, bell-crank and steering refurbishing.

Side view of chassis at Stanke Motorsports
for initial fitting of components.

8 Nitro Madness Magazine Fall 2017