For obvious reasons it wasn?t widely publicized, but Parnelli Jones blew up the Marmon Wasp last year. Ray Harroun drove the car to victory at the Indy 500 in 1911 and for the 100th anniversary, IndyCar champ Jones was tapped for parade laps. Unfortunately, the Wasp apparently threw a rod through the side of the crankcase.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, which owns the car, found someone who attempted to repair the damage, but their welding attempts just made it worse ? thermal shock formed a spiderweb of cracks next to almost every weld.
After that, they turned to the court of last resort, Steve Babinsky?s famed Automotive Restorations in Lebanon, New Jersey (not to be confused with Kent Bain?s Automotive Restoration in Connecticut, another highly regarded facility). I visited Steve?s shop earlier this month, and took a look at the progress they were making. It had been held up over the summer while they competed three restorations for Pebble Beach, but they?re back on the job now.
Here?s the result of botched aluminum welding: A box full of scrap metal from an irreplaceable, century-old Indy 500 winner. Actually, it?s the result of metal fatigue in a century-old bearing cap (I?d guess), but the repair attempt didn?t help any. I forgot to ask what was going to happen to these pieces, but they?d make one heck of a gift shop item at Indy.
Steve points out, Magnante-style, how every weld is shadowed by a crack. You can see how that hairline extends off to the left in the 11 o?clock position. This meant that they had to cut out many very large sections.
When you throw a rod, the damage isn?t confined to the exterior: There?s damage inside and out. The big aluminum plate bolted onto the top is holding the crankcase together.
The shop has in-house forging and casting capabilities, and made these patch plates. They?re a little more substantial than the panels you?d use for your trunk floor.
Steve shows how the patch plates will be affixed. You can bet there will be a little more care in the welding this time around. I?d guess the museum will need some convincing before they let another hotshoe lap it on the oval again, too.
Parnelli Jones driving the Marmon Wasp at Indy, 2011. Jim?Donnelly?photo.
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