THE RESTORATION OF VINTAGE MIDGET Q5
Vintage midget speedcar Q5 was built in Queensland, Australia by top Qld. driver Bill Goode in the 1960 - 61 Speedway season. It was the first midget to be built and raced in Australia with a 6 cyl Falcon engine. The car raced hard and with the best during it's career and Goode won 5 Feature races at the Exhibition Speedway, Brisbane as well as taking out 3rd place in the 1962 Golden Fleece Australian Grand Prix at the Sydney Showground in 1962 and took Pole position for the 1963 Golden Feece Australian Grand Prix, also at the Royale.
Q5 also ran second to Sydney's Jeff Freeman in a 100 lapper at the Ekka in 1963.
The car was fitted with a Repco Holden engine after about 12months as the Falcon power plant proved too unreliable and it ran the Repco then for the balance of it's career..Q5 was purchased and driven by Gus McClure and he ran the car in Maroon paintwork and numbered it Q27. It was later sold to Alex Walker of Bundaberg and it finished it's racing days at Carina Speedway, Bundaberg Qld. It was purchased as a heap of junk in 1995 by Brian Darby and restored as The Falcon. Restoration was finished in 1997. The following is a brief pictorial account of that restoration.
Q5 with Goode at the wheel on his way to 3rd place in the 1962 AGP at the Royale in Sydney. The car was running the Falcon 6 cyl engine.
Q5 as #1 at Carina Speedway Bundaberg Qld. This is how the car finished it's racing career, with a standard headed Holden 6.
This is how I found the car, in a suburban garage in Sydney in October 1995
Some of the panels and front axle.
The tired old chassis with the side panel still signwritten"The Carina Special" .It was quite an advanced chassis for it's day. Square sectioned tubular steel space frame.
Just a big pile of rusty and worn old midget parts, soon to be restored.
The Bill Goode Golden Fleece Falcon Special
ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS WERE THEN SANDBLASTED, PRIMED, INSPECTED AND REPAIRED
The first to be repaired, the diff assembly. A heavily modified early Ford diff. assy using a 1932 V8 crown wheel and pinion and featuring a Bill Goode home made quick change assembly with the 1st and 2nd gears out of an A model Ford gearbox.
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The chassis was then checked for straightness and all cracks were welded. The rear shock mountings were strengthened and any rust cut out.
The huge steel fuel tank, which was the shape of the tail, was cut in half , sandblasted, sealed and rewelded. It now holds about 35 - 40 litres.
The fully re bearinged and reset diff assembly is offered up to the repaired chassis. The rear shocks are tested, adjusted and fitted.
Click here to follow restoration on to page 2
14/4/01
