Bobsy Formula Vee Registry

[David Fillman]

With some encouragement from the Bobsy Sports Racer Registry I decided to start a Bobsy Formula Vee Registry.
This is what I slapped together yesterday:

http://fillmanmachining.com/bobsy-fv-registry

I added a page to my machine shop website because I knew how to do it and it was quick. Once I get more organized I will have my wife do a dedicated website that is a bunch more professional.

I encourage anyone with information on Bobsy Formula Vees to contact me through my website. I will not give out personal information unless I have been given permission by the car's owners. Most of the info and pictures I got through Internet searches.

I have had some excellent additions already including pictures and information from John McCollister who built and drove these cars for the factory back in the day.

If anyone wants something deleted please let me know.

Thanks,
Dave Fillman

[djones]

Had a bobsy Vega that I bought from a kart racer in the early 90s . Think I sold it to a motorcycle guy here in
Ohio. If any of this sounds firmilar let me know. Would be cool to find out what happened to it

[David Fillman]

I am getting some great pictures and info from John McCollister who worked for the Bobsy factory building cars and driving back in the 1960s. He raced a Vega in the Grand Bahamas for the factory.

The first Vegas had steel inner and outer skins filled with high density foam. The SCCA banned a similar Zink car because they considered it semi monocoque so the Bobsy factory removed the inner skins and foam to get them legal for the SCCA after the Bahamas race. The Vegas were way ahead of their time back then. I can directly compare a Vega and a Vanguard since I have both. The bare Vega frame is 40 pounds lighter than the Vanguard. I had to run 90 pounds of ballast when I started racing my Vega back in the early 80s. I also had to drill out every other rivet to get the car homologated when I switched from EMRA to the SCCA in the late 80s.

The Vegas have a Firestone Race Safe fuel cell under the knees compared to a fiberglass tank mounted to the left of the driver in the Vanguards. The Vegas have a space frame using 1" square tubing and the Vanguards have a ladder frame using 2 1/2" square tubing. The Vegas have dual Lockheed master cylinders with a balance bar versus a stock bug master cylinder in the Vanguard. Hydraulic clutch in the Vega versus cable clutch in the Vanguard.

[Amon]

David,

Keep posting these great photo's from John McCollister! The photo you just posted appears to be from the Route 18
location that I visited several times in the early 80's. I hope to get my Vega looking that good in a few years and those
must be sportsracers on the stands based on the frame and rollbar width?

Mark

[David Fillman]

Hi Mark,

Those are Vega frames on the stands in the background.

Can you share more info about your Vega?

Dave

[Amon]

David,

I would say Vanguard frames due to the width and rollbar. We haven't picked ours up yet due to
the poor weather last weekend and this weekend looks worse so maybe in ten days??

Mark

[David Fillman]

I can say with absolute certainty that those are Vega frames in the background. I have been turning wrenches on Vanguards and Vegas for 37 years. The Vanguards have ladder frames with 2 1/2" square tubing.

[Amon]

Sounds good David. They just appear to be so big compared to the modern vee's my son and I race!

[David Fillman]

Ha ha, I can assure you they are not too big. I weighed 135 pounds when I bought my Vega and it was a tight fit. I bought my first Vanguard because I had gotten too fat to fit into my Vega. The Vanguard is a tank compared to the Vega.

I won MARRS with the Vega in 1988. Several other drivers told me that they had a hard time drafting the Vega since it was so skinny. I had no problem drafting them.

[Amon]

David,

My son and I probably won't fit since we're both over 6'1" tall and 200lbs. We might have to get
Ed Womer or someone to make some minor changes to the frame without hurting/butchering the
historical integrity of the Vega..

Mark

[David Fillman]

Mark,

The Vegas were built for 1960s males. The chart below explains a lot.

[Peter Olivola]

David,

My son and I probably won't fit since we're both over 6'1" tall and 200lbs. We might have to get
Ed Womer or someone to make some minor changes to the frame without hurting/butchering the
historical integrity of the Vega..

Mark

I crewed for co-owners of a Vega. Both over 6' tall. They said it was more comfortable than their previous Autodynamics. I'm 6'2" (or was, it was a long time ago) and fit it in comfortably. The only issue might be roll bar height.

[Amon]

Mark,

The Vegas were built for 1960s males. The chart below explains a lot.

David,

I haven't been in the 160's since 10th grade!

Mark

[David Fillman]

I have lost 30 pounds since my last attempt to get into it. I guess I should try again. I also added a SCCA legal front hoop that made it more difficult to get in and out of. Actually getting in was never the problem. Getting out was.

[Amon]

David,

You should see me get out of my current vee as it takes me longer than most with the Hans on etc...

Mark

[butch deer]

David;
I have never owned a Bobsy but I have twice owned the double deck trailer built by Jerry Mong to haul cars to the 1969 Brundage Cup race at Daytona. that trailer still exists in the hands of Mark Richardson of Pekin,IL

[David Fillman]

I remember seeing a double decker formula car trailer at Nelson Ledges many years ago. I also remember the top car getting away from the guys and them chasing it across the pits. No one got hurt.

[David Fillman]

David,

My son and I probably won't fit since we're both over 6'1" tall and 200lbs. We might have to get
Ed Womer or someone to make some minor changes to the frame without hurting/butchering the
historical integrity of the Vega..

Mark

The Vega frame required assembling the axles, tubes and brakes after the transaxle was installed in the car. That was not too bad but I was not able to figure out how to corkscrew a complete engine into the frame. I found myself assembling the jugs and cylinder heads in the car. Maybe 2 big guys could have horsed a complete engine in. I will ask John if he remembers how the factory did it.

The picture shows that the roll bar was kept low to fit under the fiberglass tail. I ran the original cable camber control for 2 years before I butchered the frame for a zero roll and much easier engine/transaxle installation.

The Vanguard is so much easier to work on. The engine and transaxle don't have to come apart to install them in the frame.

[David Fillman]

This picture is in front of a Speed Shop that sponsored me to some extent many years ago. The Vega is on a double snowmobile trailer equipped with tires that explode when you run them at highway speeds. The 1969 Barracuda tow vehicle has a 170 cubic inch slant six that I built in high school. It is equipped with an A833 4 speed overdrive, 4:10 posi rear, Weber carb, quadraphonic 8 track player and 4 wheel disk brakes from a 1976 Chrysler Imperial.

[Amon]

David,

Where do you locate the serial number on a Vega as I thought you mentioned finding it on your Vega?

Mark

[David Fillman]

I found it right under the shifter.

[Amon]

David,

Mine is NO longer there unfortunately.

Mark

[David Fillman]

Are the rivet holes there?

[David Fillman]

We are now up to 22 surviving Bobsy Vanguards and 7 Bobsy Vegas. I finally got my Vanguard out at a VRG vintage race. I had a blast but the car was not prepared as well as I had thought. The last time it was road raced was in 1984 at Bridgehampton.

[Robert J. Alder]

David,
Keep up the good work on the Bobsy FV Registry. Much needed. It's a lot of work, but very satisfying to do and a great help to the Bobsy FV community. I've put links to your FV registry on my Bobsy Sports Racer website.
Cheers,
Bob Alder, Keeper of the Bobsy Sports Racer registry, www.BobsyRegistry.com.

[David Fillman]

I was sad to read that Jerry has passed away.

http://www.medina-gazette.com/Obituaries/2019/08/13/Gerald-Jerry-Mong.html

[Amon]

David,

Do you know anyone who might have cowling and nose molds for the Vega?

Mark

[David Fillman]

David,

Do you know anyone who might have cowling and nose molds for the Vega?

Mark

I have nose and tail molds. The nose and cowling were originally one piece. I separated them to make the car easier to work on. I think I have a spare nose also.

[Amon]

David,

It's good to know this and my nose is also one piece with the cowling as part of it. If you ever want to sell
the extra nose, please let me know.

Thanks!

Mark

[Amon]

David,

I've completely stripped my frame down and actually located the ID Tag after using paint remover on it.
My ID tag indicates that my car is # 117 although I thought there were only 15-16 Vegas's made? Maybe
mine is the last one constructed but I'm not sure??

Mark