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Thread: Part 22 Walter Blankenstein January 1909 - 1977 (68)

  1. #11
    BoatRacingFacts VIP John Schubert T*A*R*T's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by John Schubert T*A*R*T View Post
    I also see Dick O'Dea, Jerry Simison, Henry Wagner & Joe Rome in the bottom picture.
    In the upper picture I see Hoppy, maybe Sutter & maybe Ron Anderson with the blue ball cap

  2. #12
    David Weaver David Weaver's Avatar
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    Wayne, I wonder if being air cooled (unless modified), if the engine just built-up too much heat quickly. That engine was a good indication of the future for 250cc!
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    Chris Hellsten Chris Hellsten's Avatar
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    Hi Wayne, I would like to add to a special story that I had when I first met Walt in 1977:

    When I was 10 years old my Dad built me a 125 Konig out of half of an FA. We came down from Long Island, NY and went testing at Lake Mattie in advance of the Lakeland race. The Orange Cup was going to be my first M Hydro (125) race. The first time the motor ran well but after my Dad pulled the cylinder head to check things and we discovered the top of the piston was 'cratered' and trying to burn a hole through.

    Bill Billiter was at the lake and suggested we take the cylinder head over to Walt 's shop and see if he would loosen up the cc's of the combustion chamber. Off we went.

    We arrived at the shop and as you might imagine Walt was busy on the Lathe. Bill my Dad and I walked in and he would not even acknowledge our presence. Bill patiently waited and then finally asked Walt if he had a minute. I was small and standing behind my Dad who was behind Bill and Walt barked back at him and said "I don't have time for either one of you two and get the hell out of his shop"......he had then turned his head and looked down and saw me standing there holding my cylinder head. He then stopped everything and turned the Lathe off and leaned over and asked me if I needed help. I remember telling him I had a problem with my engine.

    He took the head after looking at the piston and without words had me follow him to the lathe. He had me watch him turn my cylinder head on the lather to loosen up the squish volume. He set it up and seemed like he was done in 5 min. He then proceeded to give me a new piston to replace the one that was cratered and told my Dad and Bill to go away but the kid was welcome back anytime.

    At 10 years old I was mesmerized at watching the mannerisms in how he operated the machinery. Later in life I had the privilege of spending a little time with Gib Peterman and had flashbacks to the same feelings of watching Walt and thinking about the privilege I have had in watching these the two icons in there element in the shop.

    Later that weekend at the Orange cup somebody snapped the attached picture. That's the back of Walt's head watching a 10 year old kid from NY launching in his first M Hydro race. He passed away not long after that and I have been hearing these great stories about an icon in our sport for many years and I can vouch first hand that he did have a soft heart that I am thankful of having met and been touched with my own experience.


    Chris
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    Default CR 250 engine

    CR 250.honda came out with the CR 125 and 250 and changed mx racing.chromemoly frame instead of steel.i think a aluminum gas tank and trick keihen,(sic) carb.maybe mikuni carb.Gary may have one in the basement in Knoxville.he does or did have a excellent restored CR500,of course he did resto on it.Didnt Walt or Art do a honda cr 125 that Eric and Gary raced?somewhere on here or Pugh boatworks fb page are pics of it.

  5. #15
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
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    Default I Was "TICKED" Off with Pop Smith For Awhile

    Quote Originally Posted by DeanFHobart View Post
    Wayne, why did he get ticked off at Papa Smith... Papa Smith was the nicest man I ever met. Thanks, Dean.
    I got "TICKED OFF" with Pop Smith in 1963. I was sending props to Pop, and buying props. When I got to the Boston Nationals, every C Runabout except Joe Schulte, had a Smith Kamic, LIKE mine. (Each class was kind of lined up on the grass before the final heats). Then, D Runabout came out, there at least 8 DU Kamics like mine.

    I never said anything to Pop, but after that, I never told him which prop went where.

    Later, in 1977, he made me two blade blanks, that I made into three blades. Then I made molds. These were the first three blades, I'd send Pop three castings, he'd send me one finished prop back. This worked well for me, as I was teaching at the time and didn't have a ton of time. If someone called, I'd say, "Well, I don't have one of my props, but I have a NEW SMITH THREE BLADE. This worked well for me, til Pop died.

    Roy Miner ended up with a lot of Pop's stuff, maybe all actually. For many years Roy bought 6 casting a month, til he died.

    Now with our new 3D printer and software we can print one prop at a time.....this would be so cool if I was still racing.

    Left and right, printed exactly the same. Create a propeller like making a ham sandwich.
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    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    Dean, Walt was ticked off because the motor was legal. It was on the small side of the F class because it was a bored out D, but Papa kept insisting that it was not correctly marked. I have to admit that the x filed across the two D's was not a stand out, and Papa may not have seen it at first. But the new F designation was stamped on the motor and after these two things were pointed out, Papa still maintained it was not legal. That's what threw Walt into a tizzy and started the yelling. To Walt it was like a cop's partner explaining that the light really was still yellow but the cop that pulled the guy over said "Well I don't care, I'm still gonna give him a ticket."

    David, I think the real problem was the fact that the motor was ported too high, and the Honda could never get enough revs to get into the high horsepower band. They could do it on the bikes because they had gears. And because it was air cooled, I don't believe it could ever compete with a water cooled engine of the same displacement.



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