02-16-2022, 07:51 AM
(02-16-2022, 01:40 AM)Terry Bentley Wrote: When I was right out of high school is the same time 1-1/4 axles became the thing. I had just set up a gun drill machine to punch a hole in the one inch solid axles. Thought I found me a quick money maker. Unfortunately did not last long. I still have the gun drill machine. Been sitting rusting and collecting dust since then.
Where I worked at Webster Fluid Power in Racine, WI, we had a "back" building that had a couple of 40'+ long gun drills from WWII. They were still operational when I left Webster in 1993. I never found out what they used them for in those later days, but there was still a machinist back in that old building, doing whatever he did. Webster built hydraulic gear pumps, gear motors and multi function valves. I don't know what app they used the big drills for. My last race kart was my Black Widow. I had converted it to a 1-1'4" axle, but all my race days from '58 until I quit in the early nineties were with 1" axle karts-except my first two karts. Both were dead axle Bugs in '58 and '59. The second kart was a hot rod. I thought I was bad-a$$ with my dual E-65's when I was 14 or 15.