SIAM Chassis
H Modified
Introduction
Builder: Students at Purdue University for a class project
Engine: Crosley
Current Owner: Larry Haynes
Bill Mays writes, "At the first race [of 1954], the guys from Purdue were talking about how the "H" cars didn’t have any real engineers designing the cars so
Purdue was going to show everyone how to really design and race cars. The first race, they ran dead last in a field of 20 "H" cars. They went back to the drawing
boards."
Running Gear
The car's frame, built by the Purdue engineering students, is a sturdy ladder, that mounts a widened Crosley front suspension with drum brakes in front, with a Fiat Topolino
rear axle and Fiat drum brakes in the rear. The 4-speed transmission is from a Triumph Standard model 10 sedan. The Crosley engine was set up by Bruce Townsend in Bloomington, who
also built Crosley specials. Removing the steel plate between the block and crankcase raised the compression. The engine has a billet crank with a special cam ground by Weber to
specs provided by Isaacson.
The body is a Fibersport, a fiberglass body built by Bill Mays. It was modified to have a rear boot. Seat appears to be an aircraft seat and the wheels are steel.
The SIAM name
According to family members, when the car was completed the builders wanted a name for it. They went to the dump and found an emblem on a Canadian washing machine (or
refrigerator, they weren’t sure) called the SIAM.
Past Owners/Drivers
People that raced the car include
The car was raced by Frank Isaacson at Wilmont, Lawrenceville, and other tracks. Wilmont, Rolla-Missouri and Lawrenceville were all "a weekend apart".
Hawxhurst raced the car until 1962 including a class win at the Milwaukee State Fair in 1961 and also ran Meadowlake (near Elgin, Illinois).
Wisniewski ran the car until 1964 when it was stored.
An additional owner of the car was Warren Meyer, who kept the car at Sandy McArthur’s garage.
Now
Larry Haynes is seeking any info on this vehicle as it undergoes a total restoration. Plans are to race in New Mexico in the spring of 2005. Larry can be reached at lhaynes@hughes.net
or 505-670-3949.
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