​​#6 Voboril Brothers

   ​Brothers Frank and Ed Voboril were from the town of Dwight, NE, about 50 miles northwest of Lincoln.  They built this car, which was based on a 1919 Model T chassis, and raced it from 1923 into the early 1930s.
The car's Model T-based engine features many innovative ideas for the time:

• Has a cut down flywheel with paddles attached that kick the oil into a funnel which distributes the oil to the engine.  There are four paddles, two of which oppose each other and push the oil one way; the other two push the oil the other way.  This allows the oil to flow to the cylinder side of the engine.  The Voborils incorporated various early and late Model T transmission gears into their transmission to help balance the engine. 
• There was 70-thousandths of an inch clearance between the piston and the cylinder wall but there was no knocking because of piston slap. The engine pumped oil through the side of the block which cushioned the cylinder walls.  Even though one might assume the engine would smoke noticeably because of this unusually large amount of clearance, apparently there was no smoking at all. 
• The crankshaft was a Shuremike, much heavier than a stock crank; undoubtedly this crank was designed for racing only. 

   This car has a Type C Racing Head designed by Robert Roof.  Roof was the Chief Engineer and Vice-President of Laurel Motors Corporation at the time this head was being manufactured.

• The head features 1¼ inch intake ports and 2¼ inch exhaust ports, with 16 valves (two intake and two exhaust per cylinder) of 1¾ inches in size.
• The rocker arm system is of the light aeroplane type and all oscillating parts are machined to great accuracy. The rocker arm shafts are hollow and filled with oil through Alemite oilers, giving positive and unfailing rocker arm shaft lubrication. The rocker arms and brackets are made from drop-forged steel and can be disassembled in five minutes. 
• In government tests, supervised by Roof himself, this head provided 64% more horsepower over a stock Ford configuration.  This car was capable of 85 mph + straightaway speeds. 
• The price for the Type C overhead-valve Roof head was $95 in 1918.

   The car features cross spring front and rear suspension of Model T Ford type.  The front cross member has been turned upside down from the original position, a technique commonly referred to as “under slung,” which lowered the center of gravity considerably. 

   The Voboril brothers often transported their racing equipment to the track via railroad flatcar.  Although this car was never a big winner on the dirt track circuits of the 1920s, it never-the-less remains a magnificent example of the ingenuity of racers of the day. 
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   Some of the competitors this car raced against included: Noel Bullock, Guy Duelin, Harry Gage, Johnny Gerber, P.C. Harrier, Lawrence Hughes, Leonard Kerbs, Johnny Mais, Troy Pigg, Albert Prietauer, King Rhiley, and Harold Roller.