TRACO Fans

[Jon Mello]

Thanks for the info, Pigpen. It was just a simple curiosity on my part.

[Pigpen]

Jon,

Jim and Frank were almost perfect opposites, like being married. Jim was truly crabby and gruff, many times crude and rude, but had a soft heart. Frank came across smooth and nice, a good talker and friendly, but underneath he was the tough one of the two, the one you definitely did not want to get on the wrong side of.

If Jim ever had a family, he never mentioned it, I don't believe he did, he considered children a PITA. Frank had at least one son I know of, maybe more, he kept his family life separate from the unholy crew at the shop, can't say I blamed him, we were a pretty rowdy and raunchy bunch.

Pigpen

[Jon Mello]

Nice insight. Thanks, Pigpen.

[Jon Mello]

Courtesy of Mike K (Swede70), a photo of Peter Revson and Mark Donohue at Daytona in 1970. This is the Penske
team's first outing in the Javelin and we see that Jim "Crabby" Travers is on hand to lend whatever assistance might
be needed with regard to the engine. It is interesting to note that his Sunoco jacket says "Crabby" on it and not Jim.

[Pigpen]

Interesting, Jim wearing a "Crabby" labeled jacket. I wonder who set that up, Gordon was the usual instigator for that, but I don't think he was around then, perhaps Mark had a hand in it. I never heard Penske call him that, so I doubt it was him. Jim never would have used that label himself, it had to be a setup. Great photo!

[klvn8r]

I think there was a TRACO article in the July/Aug 2004 edition of Vintage Motorsport.  Travers said some pretty negative things in it about the AMC project, and I was persuaded to reply to the editor.  It showed up in the next edition.  :^)

[klvn8r]

Found it!!  http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/vintage_speed_call_us_traco/P1

[Jon Mello]

Great read! Thanks for posting, Craig.

[Jon Mello]

Traco developed "Gran Prix" Rocker kit ad from early 1969.

[Jon Mello]

Another Traco article, this one from Corvette News, Vol. 11 No. 2, courtesy of Robert Lodewyk.

[Pigpen]

While I was working in Japan some time back, I got a look at one possible automotive future, I signed an agreement so I can't say which company or specific details.

Picture a car with 4 electric motors, one mounted on each wheel roughly where the brake rotor is. A small battery which they're hoping to replace with the new Carbon Nano-Tube Capacitor (when it's ready). A small turbine geared directly to a generator or alternator, small like bread box size. The turbine is used only to run the generator. The generator puts out sufficient power to run the car, even if the battery is not charged. The turbine runs on any fuel over about 70 octane and automatically adjusts to the fuel. Emissions output is extremely low.
 
When you coast or use the brakes, the motors reverse current to help you stop and simultaneously recharge the battery.

4 wheel independent drive with smart traction control. No gears, direct drive.

They claimed it got 200+ MPG under normal conditions.

They had to put a governor (Smart traction control) system on to keep from burning the tires off the vehicle, as motors develop maximum torque just off zero RPM.

No discussion about price or when available, but I'm personally going to miss the sound of a well tuned engine.

Pigpen

[Jon Mello]

The technology's nice and we will need it to get off our dependence on imported oil.

I'm with you though, Pigpen. I will miss those glorious sounds. What I already miss is the lopey idle of a car with a performance cam in it. Some of these new cars are very fast but they're missing that element of the sound.

[Jon Mello]

1969 CP&A article on one-time Traco employee George Bolthoff. (Jon Mello Collection)

[Jon Mello]

A freshly completed Traco engine on the stand. The initials R. P. on the lid of the cross ram indicate it is for Roger Penske's Camaro team.

[Pigpen]

Jon; That Chevy on the stand must be an earlier one (or not finished yet) as the Choke Horns are not machined off the carbs.