Loopers with expansion chambers

[Heliarc]

Just thought I'd upload this picture of a C Looper from Region 3 back in the late 70's. There may have been a number of others, but I only ever saw one other Looper like that. A guy from Vermont showed up in 1976 at a Region 3 race at Norristown, PA with an A looper with expansion chambers. There was a full field of A's that weekend and he finished in the top four with it. Sorry the pic isn't that good of the engine. The original picture was supposed to be of the guy standing there, not the engine. That is the only closeup picture of that particular engine that I know of. The C Looper was owned by a guy from Pottstown, PA

Barry Rees

[Don Muncie]

I never got the chance to fire my 44F Looper, but I did fire my A. They just don't sound like Loopers with the chambers on them! I have them on bell megaphones and they sound like LOOPERS!

[Mike Schmidt]

The A looper from Vt. was Bob Grover. One of the cleanest rigs I have ever seen. Brand new Yale boat and one of the last A loopers built. Bob and his brother Fred races A and B hydro in Canada, as they lived near the border. Bob sold the rig to a part time racer, collector in Jersey. Bob still goes to some of the USTS races and is at Depue every year.

I think I finshed 2nd that day in the only Andrews built A boat.

Michael D-1

[Heliarc]

The A looper from Vt. was Bob Grover. One of the cleanest rigs I have ever seen. Brand new Yale boat and one of the last A loopers built. Bob and his brother Fred races A and B hydro in Canada, as they lived near the border. Bob sold the rig to a part time racer, collector in Jersey. Bob still goes to some of the USTS races and is at Depue every year.

I think I finshed 2nd that day in the only Andrews built A boat.

Michael D-1

Thanks for the post, Mike. I talked to Bob Grover that day about his A, but I just couldn't remember his name. (fading memory). I have always liked Loopers and had an opportunity recently to buy your old A looper from Bob R. I thought about it more and decided I better not buy it and stick to stuff I know (deflectors).

The expansion chambers on the C Looper pictured above did not slide. There were rings with holes in them mounted onto the chamber at the very beginning of the chamber right behind the exhaust elbow. The chamber also had holes in them at the ring location. When you pulled the slider, the rings turned and closed the holes in the chambers. Did Bob's A have sliding chambers or were they fixed also? I can't remember.

Barry

[Don Muncie]

Hey Barry

I haven't seen many Loopers with chambers, the ones I've seen, never were sliders, they did however use water injection which when I did it to a crossfloww 44 sure made that thing accelerate!

Don