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1965 Six Flags Arrow Car

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Recent activity118536 of 2379001948 Packard Convertible Monte Carlo editionHand Painted Miniature Portrait/MOP & Faux Ivory/Celluloid Panel Frame Thrift Shop Find 1 Euro ($1.07)
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    Posted 11 years ago

    cardinalsfan
    (11 items)

    this car is a 1965 Arrow Turnpike car, used from 1971 until 1979 at Six Flags St. Louis. this was made by Arrow Development Company in response to Walter Disney coming to them wanting a kids car ride. i picked this up having zero knowledge of what it was. i later found some connections, and we have been helping each other back and forth. It is extremely overbuilt for its purpose. it has front leaf springs, tie rod, tie rod ends, rack and pinion steering, and ball bearings on the front. it has one pedal controlling the gas and brake. pushing in pulls the throttle cable releasing the brake, and letting go engages the drum brake. it uses a 1964 ford falcon master cylinder. the body is 100% fiberglass and 100% intact. it has a solid axle in the back(bumpy ride). it came with the original 7hp kohler k161 engine, but i replaced it with a k181 8hp kohler with electric start. the headlights were just for looks, so i wired them up to a switch and they now work.the ignition is now in the 'cab' next to the bench seat, so it will be a turn key start instead of a pull rope. i was able to salvage the original 5 gallon gas tank, and that 5 gallons will run this thing all week. i was able to find someone that has a replacement axle assembly and we traded straight up. the origina tires still have the nipples on them, and i was able to use them. it has a drum brake attached perpendicularly to the rear differential,and that drum has 2 pulleys that run the car from the engine. i painted the body with hand and brush giving it a very sharp look. i power washed the body(the gentle setting ofcourse) and it came out clean. finding parts for this has been unbelievable because the part numbers are outdate, and the car is a random match of old car parts. this is the coolest project ive ever done, im 19 years old and will have this forever. my number is 1618 791 9451, feel free to call me with any info you may have on this, whereas i am nowhere near an expert on these.

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    Comments

    1. blunderbuss2 blunderbuss2, 11 years ago
      Love your project. Suggest you get rid of the Falcon brake parts. Don't kill yourself in this, OK.
    2. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      thanks! but the brake drum and wheel cylinder came from a 1963 dodge dart
    3. walksoftly walksoftly, 11 years ago
      That is a unique car, are you adding a roll bar & seat belt?
      Keep us posted.
    4. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      @walksoftly, no the roll bar would not fit into the cool factor and the vintage theme. it is 4 and a half feet wide so its plenty wide enough to keep from rolling
    5. walksoftly walksoftly, 11 years ago
      I was just kidding with you, playing off what blunderbuss said.
      Have fun with it!
    6. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      haha i appreciate the interest though. tonight i had the "local expert" on these cars come over and we found some problems. although to my delight, i had spliced the electric start wires(3 wires) and lengthened them, and ran the ignition into where it would be on a normal car, and i recieved the starter in the mail today, and hooked everything up, and CRANK! the "expert" or bill as i call him brought over the original 5 gallon gas tank painted to match the red on the body, absolutely beautiful work. the brake hose is flared...the twist in spot into the wheel cylinder is flat, so their is no seal there and fluid is going everywhere. any ideas on how to attach them? maybe is there an adapter that has a flare female and then a male flat? then the engine sits on a mount that swivels and the starter inhibits it from swiveling to the right, and the engine is as far to the left as possible, and the clutch is rubbing the drum brake. <<<<bad news<<<.
    7. walksoftly walksoftly, 11 years ago
      I think an adapter should be available or swap out the brake line.
      The engine problem sounds more difficult, if I got this correct the starter is hitting the frame.
      Is the swivel to tighten the belts?
      How much room do you need, can you modify the frame?

      David
    8. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      swapping out the brake line isnt easy because you have to know which car the line came from. and yes, the far swiveling boundaries are the clutch rubbing the drum and the starter rubbing the frame. there is one part of the original coil spring from the bumper that is welded to the frame, and that can be ground down to allow for about a quarter inch of play. i need about a half inch maybe more maybe less ill have to see tomorrow. all the components are there, its just a matter of buttoning things up and adjusting some things
    9. walksoftly walksoftly, 11 years ago
      Keep me posted, I've been in the repair & mfg. business for 30 years, trouble shooting is something I've always enjoyed.

      David
    10. walksoftly walksoftly, 11 years ago
      I'll give you my email adress if you want to send more pictures.

      David
    11. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      dear lord, if its not one thing, its the next with this car. i get the car started, its going great, then the tires stop spinning...i take apart the rear differential, and the rear diff cross shaft is snapped in 2, there is no oil at all in the diff, and the wheel bearings are rusty. luckily, to my delight, when i got the car, it included a bbucket of extra parts, and it has all the parts to rebuild the diff, except the part i need. im looking for a rear diff cross shaft, but im thinking i could use just a simple metal rod that is the same dimensions. and @david, id be glad to send you more detailed pictures of progress, pictures not yet listed, and any help i may need. when i took off the backing plate to the diff, the 4 spider gears and the broken shaft were laying in a pile at the bottom.
    12. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      recent progress made: i got back the original gas tank, it was cleaned, painted and installed. the body was hand painted by me, and the engine now starts by turning the key
    13. walksoftly walksoftly, 11 years ago
      I take it you got the engine mounted?
    14. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      the engine was always mounted, but i had the problem of the clutch rubbing the drum drake. i ground part of the frame that was not needed to make it fit right, and it seemed to do the trick. my concern also was the wiring situation, because i wasnt sure which wires could touch what or where they needed to be grounded but everything worked out great.
    15. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      right now im in need of a new body paint job, any takers?
    16. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      got the rear diff reassembled, waiting on the axles to be taken apart so i can put them together. the engine runs beautifully, idles like an electric motor, really quiet. yet roars at the push of the pedal, the 8 horses are waiting to be released and ran wild. id give it a week before the car is running. i cant wait. today i made and attached a battery holder, because the car was originally a pull start. that was my first time ever wiring DC current, and i was able to wire up headlights to the ignition, then through a secondary switch that can turn the lights off without killing the engine. i will email pictures of all the mods ive done, i just need email addresses.
    17. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      Hey david I emailed you
    18. porkie13, 11 years ago
      Hey cardinalsfan, i was crusining the web and happened to come across your page and thought your six flags project car is one of the coolest i've seen. I live in Los Angeles, California and i was wondering if you knew where i could possibly get my hands on one of those carts or if they had more for sell where you got yours. Thank you, and once again very cool cart.
    19. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      now im having one problem before i can get it driving. the wheel cylinder has 3/16" 24 threaded bubble flare and i can not find a brass attachment that has that as a male and a 3/16 iso female. nothing is matching up and its frustrating. and porkie13, im about ready to sell mine honestly, its getting to the point where it wont even drive.
    20. walksoftly walksoftly, 11 years ago
      Please delete comment # 17 as asked.
    21. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 11 years ago
      sorry it took so long @walksoftly, my laptop was broken. okay guys im back with a little bit of updating on the car. well im about done with it, not in the good way. the wheel cylinder threads arent matching any kind of brass fitting i can find, or any of the metal brake lines. any ideas on a different brake system i could install? or anyone interested in buying the car can call 1618 791 9451, its 99% done, the only thing not completed is the brakes.
    22. GSuffa, 10 years ago
      I thought I would post the website for my car. Haven't made it over to help Cardinalsfan lately. Maybe this spring.

      http://www.arrowturnpike.com
    23. slicknick13, 10 years ago
      I've got two of these I'm working on right now. All of my brakes are '67 International Scout parts. Front stuff off a 4WD truck.

      I do have two new backing plates with brand new hardware and drums, but it looks like a retrofit from a forklift or something. I can't get a rebuild kit for the dry rotted wheel cylinder, so I'm using the old Scout parts.

      On my car, the brake line comes off of a tee and uses regular brake hose to the wheel cylinder. The other half of the tee goes to a hydraulic pin that pushes the throttle to idle. So, really, get the brake hose off of the car that your wheel cylinder came from.

      On a side note, since this is a brake hose off a of car, mine has a little male to male nipple to thread into the tee.

      We should make a facebook group or something, there's a lot of these cars out there, and very little info. Heck, I have the original manuals and they're even useless for sourcing parts.

      I need dimensions or a source for two fuel tanks if anyone has any ideas.
    24. cardinalsfan cardinalsfan, 10 years ago
      I ended up bypassing that tee hydraulic feature, instead just making it a brake line, and used a go cart throttle cable that is affixed to the gas pedal and it manually pulls the throttle, and it happened to move the exact distance to allow me to go 100% pedal power and not stretch the wire or butterfly valve on the carb. I have the original gas tank and could give you dimensions as needed but its hard to even get to, pretty crammed in the engine bay. its atleast a 5 gallon tank
    25. slicknick13, 10 years ago
      I need to figure out the brakes on me second one. I want a gas and a brake pedal, but I'm going to have to flip the master cylinder around to make the brake push to engage. I'm keeping one original. What a mess figuring out the little throttle kicker.

      I know you ripped the tee off, and in your photos it looks like you're using a rubber line, so I don't know why you're having problems sealing the hose to the wheel cylinder. Or am I not understanding right?

      I think I'm just going to mount a plastic gas tank or something.

      Any more pictures? I'm going to have to start taking a bunch of pics of mine.
    26. Mytoz, 9 years ago
      I have a complete turnpike car if u need pics of anything?
    27. GSuffa, 9 years ago
      Yes, please send me some pictures to me. There is a link on http://www.arrowturnpike.com

      I am especially interested in seeing an original engine bay.
    28. GSuffa, 9 years ago
      Cedar Point eliminating their Turnpike cars.

      https://www.cedarpoint.com/rides/Family-Rides/Turnpike-Cars

      http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20150225/cedar-point-details-changes-for-2015

      http://www.cleveland.com/travel/index.ssf/2015/02/cedar_point_continues_to_clear.html

      http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/features/2015/02/25/cedar-point-to-remove-two-rides/23985887/
    29. slicknick13, 9 years ago
      I'd love to see more photos, just for the sake of having more documentation available out there.
    30. Mytoz, 9 years ago
      I sent three pics I had stored on my phone . When I get home from work I will take more pics.
    31. shelby350, 9 years ago
      Hello, I need a complete front axle assemble, all steering parts, with box, front leaf springs, really from the front wheels in . I could use a manual if some one has one. I could send pics of a original engine bay.. Do all the bodys interchange? thanks
    32. Mytoz, 9 years ago
      I posted some pics Under general , 1965 turn pike car by arrow
    33. shelby350, 9 years ago
      how do I get to them?
    34. Mytoz, 9 years ago
      Goto search ,type in turnpike car
    35. Squirreland, 9 years ago
      If anyone here has information on where to find full cars or parts please contact me. I have a frame and a fiberglass body.
    36. Mytoz, 9 years ago
      Yes I still have car. I have what's in pics ? Not sure about guides? I'm not sure of value on these cars as I only seen a few on here.
    37. FordGT2005, 8 years ago
      See my project posted. Original poster provided me information but looking for any others that have same before restoration.

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