Diesel Race Car. Diesel Indy Car 1952. Cummins Diesel.

[Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] the problem was simple the solution would be difficult could a standard truck type diesel engine be extended to several times its normal horsepower and make obsolete the limits of speed commonly accepted for diesels the men who had built it knew the engine's record of outstanding power and economy in commercial fields but what were its full capabilities for speed that night in the office of the cummins engine company of columbus indiana three men stayed late the engine's performance had opened new avenues for research and engineers nev reiners joe miller and don cummings were eager to begin they talked of a project that would give every member of the company a sense of challenge and participation a project with a public deadline that would compress years of research into months of intensive work above all the project would have to test the combined qualities of lightness maximum power and speed in the end the men agreed on the most grueling test there is the indianapolis 500 mile race immediately there was the problem of a rugged diesel competing against high-speed gasoline engines especially designed and developed for the race but problems are the reason for research perhaps the engine could be modded horizontally to reduce the car's profile and make possible a lower center of gravity needed for the curves an idea began to take shape within a few days a sketch was developed for the company's executives they too were excited by the project but they knew that once committed there could be no turning back that even then the outcome was a gamble at last the decision came the car would be made the entire town was stirred by the announcement a columbus-built diesel in the world's fastest race word spread like wildfire even outlying farmers caught the fever but most enthusiastic of all were the hot rodders with their souped-up jalapenos indianapolis diesel race car holy cow back at the factory the work began first the engine was completely re-examined right down to the basic diesel principle during the diesel's intake stroke the piston travels downward drawing in air only then the intake valve closes and the piston starts the compression stroke forcing the air into one fifteenth the space it first occupied under such great pressure the air temperature rises to about one thousand degrees fahrenheit the injector forces diesel fuel into the cylinder where it is ignited by the hot air rather than by an electrical spark as in gasoline engines at the end of the power stroke the exhaust valve opens and the piston forces the burn gases out of the cylinder and so the cycle repeats intake compression power exhaust intake compression power exhaust [Music] test after test the engine proved sound now the job of modifying it for the race [Music] [Music] began [Music] in the foundry one of the first objectives was to reduce the weight of the engine yet in no way weaken its fundamental design the engineers were not afraid to be different experimental castings were made of light metals not generally used in cylinder blocks such as magnesium and aluminum and in the process new information of value to normal production came to life [Music] so [Music] a number of these experimental cylinder blocks were then taken into the plant to be built into finished engines first the rough castings were milled smooth [Music] each part was carefully machined with the same quality and precision that goes into every diesel on the line dimensions were held to the most rigid engineering standards under a powerful microscope the injector cup spray holes were drilled to the diameter of 65 10 thousandths of an inch the injector itself was constructed to amazingly close tolerances as the heart of the diesel each injector must meet the most exacting specifications or be flatly rejected but the engine's correct operation depends directly on a proper distribution of fuel when each part had been thoroughly checked then checked again the engine was assembled here too regular plant procedure was followed except for modifications for the race the car's engine was to remain basically the same as those produced day in and day out for normal commercial use at last the first of the horizontal trial engines was ready in the meantime an identical dummy engine had been made of metal and wood precious weeks for further development of the real engines were saved by flying the wooden dummy to the curtis craft company in los angeles california where the race car chassis was being [Music] built the bare skeleton of what was to become a high-powered race car was ready and waiting when the dummy engine arrived from indiana now the engine would be set in place and the body built around it for here again the designers were not afraid to be different this was to be a new kind of car with a new kind of shape that incorporated the latest engineering advances and each step of the assembly was carefully observed by don commons and freddie aguibation the man who had been selected to drive it mounting the engine on its side was just one of many innovations time and again the same question came to mind will it work aggravation commons and frank curtis the race car designer were eager to try radical ideas one of these was to place both the drive shaft and the differential to the left side of the driver's seat not under it as in conventional models this would permit the car to ride lower and hug the road for greater stability [Applause] to construct a radically different car in time for the race called for imagination daring and above all speed the pressure was terrific but by working day and night the men of curtis craft rushed the first assembly to completion arrangements had already been made to ship the car halfway across the country this time to the wind tunnel at the university of wichita in kansas for the first time in the history of the indianapolis race a car streamlining would be studied at simulated track speeds and aerodynamics would be checked not only by instruments but also by the man who would drive in the actual race [Music] so when the car had been taken back to california design changes based on the tunnel tests were made then the finished body was assembled piece by piece the car took on a form of its own a number a name a distinctive identity there would be nothing like it in indianapolis [Music] few would ever know the care and planning and painstaking skill that had gone into the engineering of this car or how it felt to see an idea grow from penciled lines in a notebook into an intricate machine for speed for freddie aguibatian this moment had a personal meaning here was the car he would drive in the race [Music] when that time came the work of the many different people who had contributed to this project would be ended the car and the man would be on their own [Music] number 28 then began its journey home back to the cummins factory where trial engines were still being built and tested torn apart and built again a crew of regular cummins mechanics immediately took the car in hand thane hauser mike fellowes joe butler bill doubt each of these men knew what lay ahead endless hours of grinding work nights away from home mounting tension still each had stepped forward and volunteered for the project as had others throughout the entire [Music] organization with only 90 days until the qualification runs the impossible would somehow have to get done number 28 was completely dismantled and the men went over her inch by inch eliminating excess weight even after holes had been drilled to lighten the frame the truck type diesel engine would make the car about one third heavier than its competitors a disadvantage in any race then each part was carefully adjusted and the chassis made ready for the final engine whose aluminum cylinder block was now being poured the precision of every component part was measured on delicate gauges [Music] number 28 had to stand up under the worst punishment a car could possibly be given no detail was too small to be left unchecked even then there was no way of calculating what might happen under the intense pressure of the race or to enter a completely experimental car at indianapolis is to take a very long chance a thousand things can go wrong week after week the men pushed themselves to the limit racked their brains to solve each new problem as it arose continued their craftsmanship even in the face of a deadline eight sandwiches slept on benches then went back to work again until at last the car was ready for trial runs but first number 28 was put on display for the people of columbus who had already adopted her as their own [Music] with only a few weeks until qualifications number 28 was rushed to indianapolis for her first shakedown run until now the car had never moved under her own power there was no way of knowing how she would perform [Music] in only a few laps at 129 miles per hour freddie knew she would handle like a charm skimming the track with only four inches clearance banking the curves of near perfect balance number 28 had a feel of her own the idea of a horizontal engine was sound and she had speed speed that was further increased by our tunnel tested design number 28's trial run was more than satisfactory but there was still much work to be done handling characteristics would have to be improved and other detailed problems worked out for even greater speeds the pressure would continue right up to qualification day itself when each car must take the track alone and race against the clock in an effort to win a starting position in the 500-mile grind may 17th the first day of qualifying began [Music] minute by minute the excitement mounted for the warm-ups showed clearly that this would be the fastest field in history with 70 entries and starting positions for only 33 each driver would have to bear down with everything his car had [Music] at last the warm-ups were ended the time trial is about to begin the competition would be fierce here were the world's fastest cars with the world's fastest drivers each determined to win a position in the race [Music] from the first number 28 attracted the crowd's attention although other commons diesels had competed at indianapolis before here was a completely new kind of car powered by a modified commercial diesel engine burning a commercial grade of fuel oil could she meet the speeds it would take to qualify for the race speeds that the experts were predicting would carry on the record-breaking tradition of men like barney oldfield ralph de palma wilbur shaw louis meyer maury rose and wolf faulkner from the pagoda the judges gave the signal and the first car started its four timed laps around the [Applause] [Music] track [Music] [Music] [Music] by late afternoon every qualifying record had been shattered there had never been anything like it in indianapolis before and now number 28's turn was coming up suddenly the long months of research and toil and anxiety were a part of the past all that mattered was what freddie and number 28 would do in the few minutes that lay ahead [Music] first there was one lap to get up speed and feed the car into the straightaway where the timer's watches were ready to start ticking [Music] then this was it [Music] freddy poured it on giving her all the speed the car could take and still hold the trial [Music] the first lap at a record smashing 139.104 miles per hour the first car ever to average over 139 for a full lap and she was a diesel but there were still three laps to go left number two at 138.206 the performance was fantastic but already the speed was taking its toll tires were being punished as never before the right front tire was grinding to shreds on the curves 137.931 could the tire last out the one lap that remain fans had called freddie half man half race car and now he proved it with the trip tearing loose he kept his foot on the floor he made it he made it new indianapolis qualifying record of 138.01 miles per hour number 28 had proved that a truck-type diesel engine can compete against the most highly developed gasoline racing engines on their own terms and break their records [Music] [Applause] [Music] tomorrow the headlines would give the statistics telling how a new and different diesel race car driven by freddie agribation had outperformed all others to set new qualifying records and win the coveted pole position in the memorial day race [Music] but there would be still another story behind those headlines the story of a driver who had staked everything on his car and it had come through indianapolis may 30th 4 am the crowd that has waited all night for the gates to open floods into the parking area in the center of the track 5 a.m lines of cars stretch back from the track for miles traffic can move in only one direction 6 a.m cars still scramble to get in 6 30 the garage area comes with activity 33 crews make careful checks and last minute preparations now there is little more that can be done 7 a.m the cars are rolled at the pits three hours remain until the start of the 36th indianapolis race 8 a.m the spectacle of indianapolis is in full swing homemade observation towers are quickly assembled the carnival spirit takes over [Music] 8 30 more and more people pour in by 10 o'clock there will be hundred thousand on hand nine am the pit is placed in perfect order the final touches are given number 28's crew is about ready 9 30 every car is set to go 9 35 in a few minutes the cars and drivers will be sent to the starting line 9 40. the cars are rolled onto the track to line up in position 9 in a moment balloons will go up and the pace lap begin 9 52 everything is ready over the loudspeakers the order is given [Music] gentlemen [Music] starters good luck and god be with you [Music] 9 55 the blue pace car moves out the big event is underway [Music] three wide and 11 deep the 33 drivers hold position behind the pace car for one slow turn around the track [Music] they're all here the best drivers in the business johnny parsons bill schindler chet miller tony bettenhausen alberto askari from italy bill vukovic troy rudman to name but a few with over two hundred thousand dollars in prizes they will shoot the works now they're in the north turn picking up speed for the straightaway the race car starts to pull off the track the race is on [Music] on the first turn the cars jammed together in a cloud of dust [Music] gradually the field breaks open mcgrath is off and running with a pack hot at his heels each driver has carefully calculated his race in advance some go for the lead at the outset others lie back to make their bids later on freddy is ninth but close behind the leaders he's saving rubber on the curves according to plan there is still a long way to go twelve laps brockman and vukovic are dueling for the lead freddy has moved up to sixth [Music] 20 laps 50 miles are gone old records are falling 28 is in fifth [Music] 34 laps number 55 drops out 40 laps the pace is beginning to tell cars are already coming in for tires and fuel [Music] number 28 is running smoothly now in fourth position eating up the most grueling miles a car can take so 47 laps it's time for a tire change [Music] as freddy slows for the pits the crew stands ready to go into action over many weeks they have drilled for this moment not a second can be lost every motion must count [Music] in one minute and 15 seconds freddie is back on the track picking up speed [Music] 55 laps having dropped back during the pit stop number 28 now begins to move up again gradually the gap is closing [Music] 60 laps linden ball ascari miller scott have all dropped out [Music] seventy laps vukovic hangs on to his blistering lead rutman is right behind [Music] aggravation is on the move [Music] but something is wrong number 28 is coming in the turbocharger is clogged with dust and rubber particles there has been no mechanical failure but the clogging of the turbocharger is starving the engine for air number 28 might still finish the race but it would have to be at reduced speeds the decision must be made the car is driven from the track out on the track 26 and 98 will fight it out lap after lap until vukovic's steering arm snaps and troy rutman goes on to win the trophy but for number 28 the day is over months of planning and work and hope and worry had gone into this project and now suddenly it was ended the period of study and evaluation began in the strict sense of winning the race number 28 had failed but failure is the price of research discovery its rewards number 28 had pushed back the boundaries of diesel research opening new concepts of lightness and economy combined with maximum power and speed number 28 had also drawn forward new ideas and techniques that would advance the design of diesel engines for years to come for number 28 engine was in no way exclusively a race car engine it had been designed and built to advance specifications of the same engines produced day in and day out for normal commercial use it had received the same tests for quality and precision it had been worked on by the same men and machines and it had been constructed to the same exacting standards of craftsmanship required for all production engines along with all the others following normal production procedure it had been assembled and tested then taken apart examined and built again [Music] it was from this factory that number 28 had come as part of a continuing search for new and more useful knowledge it was back to this factory that its discoveries returned improving still further engines to help man extend his limited physical power upon the earth to africa turkey brazil mexico the countries of the world day after day the engines go out to haul logs in oregon to drill oil wells in texas to move ore in minnesota to power ships at sea to break new land for cultivation to the distant places where hard and heavy work must go on far from the garage in columbus indiana where number 28 sits covered with dust her job well done you

Channel: Moviecraft Inc.

Views: 531,695

Keywords: diesel, racing, Indianapolis Speedway, Cummins diesel, 1952, speed record

Id: Ubmklx0WHK0

Length: 42min 54sec (2574 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 22 2021