March 753-38 History

[mjaremko]

Hello,

I am new to the forum and Vintage Motorsport. I have just purchased March 753-38. I am told that the car started life in Europe as an F3 car, then in 1975 was brought to USA and converted to 75B Atlantic spec, it is in that spec today. I'm hoping someone can help with some history on this chassis

Thank you in advance

Mark Jaremko

[Chris Townsend]

Originally Posted by mjaremko

Hello,

I am new to the forum and Vintage Motorsport. I have just purchased March 753-38. I am told that the car started life in Europe as an F3 car, then in 1975 was brought to USA and converted to 75B Atlantic spec, it is in that spec today. I'm hoping someone can help with some history on this chassis

Thank you in advance

Mark Jaremko

Mark, hi. If that's the chassis number on the plate for your car then ignore it! March 753 production stopped at 22.
It might be the tub number that's been assumed to be the same identity as the chassis; check for a stamping on the tub surface underneath the roll hoop.

I think that what you have is the ex Richard Paul/James Wood car that Paul built up as an Atlantic in 1977. This had a tub stamp of 753-38.

It might have had a previous history in F3 in Europe in 1975-76, or it might simply have been an ex works spare tub built up outside the factory.

[mjaremko]

Chris,

Yes the chassis plate on the nose of the tub is 753-38

I will remove the fiberglass around the roll hoop and check for the correct numbers and post them here, thank you for the direction.



mj

[allenbrown]

You'll need to actually remove the rollhoop Mark; the number is stamped under it.

[mjaremko]

Thanks Allen,
Have not had a chance to remove the roll hoop yet but will here shortly.

Did contact Tim Fortner who restored this car back in 1999-2000, he was also curious about the chassis numbers and proceeded to do an in depth study of the cars history, here is what he found:


March 75B/38 History
Conflicting opinions on the chassis numbering system March employed in the 70’s are still being argued. Sequential chassis numbers were a Ralt norm, regardless of chassis class.
March numbering system appears to be a little of both sequential and chassis class proprietary.
March chassis number 753/38 was, almost certainly, a March Works Factory Formula 3 test chassis used in late 1974 or early 1975. This chassis was badly damaged in a testing crash at the Goodwood Race Circuit during that same time period.
Following the crash the car was taken back to the March factory then stripped of parts and rebuilt as a Formula 3 chassis once again. The original damaged monocoque was repaired by the March factory and placed in the spares inventory at the factory.
In early in 1975, the repaired monocoque was purchased by Richard Paul (Hollywood, California)(through his mechanic Chic Gladding) along with numerous suspension parts, spares, uprights, steering rack, wheels, etc., from March and shipped to the United States.
The chassis was then built by Gladding (an ex-March factory mechanic) as a March 75B (updated to Formula 2 spec.) with parts from both March and those fabricated by Gladding.
The sub frames/engine bays were fabricated by Gladding to copy the updated March Factory Works Formula 2 cars and were 3" longer than the stock/initial March chassis.
The oil tank was placed at the rear of the monocoque by Gladding for two reasons:
1. 1976 rules change regarding oil tanks behind the rear wheels,
-and -
2. Sloshing and aeration problems with the 1975 oil tank because of being mounted behind the rear wheels.
Two 1972 March 722 fuel cells were installed into the chassis by Gladding because he felt that, at the time, the 1975 fuel cell manufacturer did not make safe fuel cells and that the 1972 Marsten fuel cells were stronger and safer.
Bodywork was not purchased with the car and new and original bodywork was designed by Gladding and made out of aluminum. Three configurations of rear wings were also made at the same time as the bodywork.
Richard Paul ran the car for part of the 1975 season and all of the 1976 season in California Sports Car Club events (Regionals and Nationals) never finishing less than 3rd place in any of the events entered. The car also competed in several CASC Player’s Atlantic races in both 1975 and 1976 with unknown results.
Chassis #753/38 was sold after the 1976 season and went through several owners. At one point in time the car was converted to a Formula C car and the left hand fuel cell was removed to facilitate water tubes after a conversion to a front radiator car. The chassis ran in Formula B, Solo, and Formula C configurations for many years. Several variations in bodywork were installed to the car, none of it stock March except for March 76B nose.
At the time of purchase by Ken Stone, March 753/38 had no motor, gearbox, radiators, usable bodywork, and the cast aluminum front bulkhead was broken.
March 75B/38 (753/38) was restored (as close as possible) to 1975 F2/FB specifications (with the exception of the fuel cell and oil tank), including correct 1975 bodywork and rear wing.
Restoration began in March, 1999, and was completed in June, 2000, at the shop of Ken Stone, Redding, California.
Tim Fortner and Ken Stone completed the restoration.
Note:

[Chris Townsend]

Originally Posted by mjaremko

Thanks Allen,
Have not had a chance to remove the roll hoop yet but will here shortly.

Did contact Tim Fortner who restored this car back in 1999-2000, he was also curious about the chassis numbers and proceeded to do an in depth study of the cars history, here is what he found:


March 75B/38 History
Conflicting opinions on the chassis numbering system March employed in the 70’s are still being argued. Sequential chassis numbers were a Ralt norm, regardless of chassis class.
March numbering system appears to be a little of both sequential and chassis class proprietary.
March chassis number 753/38 was, almost certainly, a March Works Factory Formula 3 test chassis used in late 1974 or early 1975. This chassis was badly damaged in a testing crash at the Goodwood Race Circuit during that same time period.
Following the crash the car was taken back to the March factory then stripped of parts and rebuilt as a Formula 3 chassis once again. The original damaged monocoque was repaired by the March factory and placed in the spares inventory at the factory.
In early in 1975, the repaired monocoque was purchased by Richard Paul (Hollywood, California)(through his mechanic Chic Gladding) along with numerous suspension parts, spares, uprights, steering rack, wheels, etc., from March and shipped to the United States.
The chassis was then built by Gladding (an ex-March factory mechanic) as a March 75B (updated to Formula 2 spec.) with parts from both March and those fabricated by Gladding.
The sub frames/engine bays were fabricated by Gladding to copy the updated March Factory Works Formula 2 cars and were 3" longer than the stock/initial March chassis.
The oil tank was placed at the rear of the monocoque by Gladding for two reasons:
1. 1976 rules change regarding oil tanks behind the rear wheels,
-and -
2. Sloshing and aeration problems with the 1975 oil tank because of being mounted behind the rear wheels.
Two 1972 March 722 fuel cells were installed into the chassis by Gladding because he felt that, at the time, the 1975 fuel cell manufacturer did not make safe fuel cells and that the 1972 Marsten fuel cells were stronger and safer.
Bodywork was not purchased with the car and new and original bodywork was designed by Gladding and made out of aluminum. Three configurations of rear wings were also made at the same time as the bodywork.
Richard Paul ran the car for part of the 1975 season and all of the 1976 season in California Sports Car Club events (Regionals and Nationals) never finishing less than 3rd place in any of the events entered. The car also competed in several CASC Player’s Atlantic races in both 1975 and 1976 with unknown results.
Chassis #753/38 was sold after the 1976 season and went through several owners. At one point in time the car was converted to a Formula C car and the left hand fuel cell was removed to facilitate water tubes after a conversion to a front radiator car. The chassis ran in Formula B, Solo, and Formula C configurations for many years. Several variations in bodywork were installed to the car, none of it stock March except for March 76B nose.
At the time of purchase by Ken Stone, March 753/38 had no motor, gearbox, radiators, usable bodywork, and the cast aluminum front bulkhead was broken.
March 75B/38 (753/38) was restored (as close as possible) to 1975 F2/FB specifications (with the exception of the fuel cell and oil tank), including correct 1975 bodywork and rear wing.
Restoration began in March, 1999, and was completed in June, 2000, at the shop of Ken Stone, Redding, California.
Tim Fortner and Ken Stone completed the restoration.
Note:

Mark

Tim Fortner is a friend, so I will be tactful with my comments. Most of this history is spot on, as it pertains to Richard Paul's use. Except that...
I don't think that Paul builds this car as an Atlantic before 1976.
In 1975 he appears in at least three SCCA nationals in what gets called a March 74B or 742B, he also appears in one (and only one) Player's pro series round, Westwood, 1 June 1975. He qualifies 29th in 1'05.4", which puts him only in the qualifying race. He doesn't finish in the first six and therefore doesn't make the main event. This car is also called a 74/75B.
This "74B" appellation suggests to me that Paul is still using his March 74B from the previous year (this itself was probably a March 722 that he'd updated with newer bodywork, and which had at least one new tub)
I have extensive records on the Players' series and am pretty sure that Westwood was his only appearance in 75.
Paul does not appear in either the Players or IMSA series in 1976 so far as I know. (He may have made some qualifying races, but never got into the main race.)
The first race I have for him using a March 75B is Riverside 29 August 1976 when he places second in an SCCA regional.

I'm fairly certain that this was not the works test car. 753-38 can only refer to the Arch Motors tub number, not the factory assigned chassis number, since only 22 production cars were ever built. I have the 753 works records in front of me as I write. Tub numbers are only given for some of the later chassis numbers but interestingly the first of those is AM753-39 installed in 753-17 in late April 1975. This suggests to me that with 38 we are not looking at an early or pre season car. (There's no definite correlation of tub to chassis number however.)
Furthermore, in the works records 753-1 is identified as the works test car, completed on 11 November 1974, and subsequently sold to Chris Barnett for British F3 series 6 February 1975. Barnett's car was subsequently sold to Italy (I have a chassis plate observation in 1976) and was still there in 1977.
This was fairly normal practice for March. The development work would be done in the autumn of the previous year and the car would either then become an early production model, probably sold off cheap, or built up into a works team car.

Nor can your car have come from parts stripped from 753-1 when it was rebuilt for sale to Barnett.
The March records show these as going, with bits from the wrecked 753-U1 (the original works team car) into 753-U22, a new works team car used a few times by Gunnar Nilsson in 1975 before being sold to Giancarlo Regazzoni. This car was still in England in 1978.

I suspect that tub 753-38 never had a clear association with a particular chassis of 753. It may have been a replacement tub in works or customer car that was itself subsequently replaced - and thus sold off simply as a tub - or it may just have been spare at the factory at the end of the season.
The reason that I do not think that Paul bought a complete 753 into the USA is that in 1976 the whereabouts of almost all 753s is known for certain, and the number of 753 owners that we can't yet definitely associate to a chassis number actually matches the number of chassis where we don't know the owner. This correlation doesn't leave a lot of room for Paul to pick up a complete car, but given the way that certain teams, notably Rotel and the works, went through tubs in 1975 it does mean that there were a lot of spare, repaired tubs floating around at the end of the year. (One possibility is that it came from Ribeiro's works car, broken up at the end of 1975 with parts, but not the tub, being used in the construction of the 1976 works F3 cars.)

I'd add that building an Atlantic in 1976 on an F3 tub was a sensible thing to do, since by 1976 that's what March themselves were doing! The 76B and 763 share a common tub.

Chris

[mjaremko]

Chris,

Removed the roll hoop today, stamped on both sides on metal straps
that surrounds the back of each side of the tub is the number #38.

So this must mean its a F3 tub #38 ??

Thanks for the help

Mark

[allenbrown]

Mark, could you tell us exactly what it says? Or even post a picture? If it's the AM number there should be more there than just the digits 3 and 8.

[mjaremko]

Allen,

Shot some picks, will post tommorow.

I cant find any other #'s other than the ones stamped on the straps, there is nothing on the roll hoop brackets or anywhere else that I can find ?

mj

[mjaremko]

Ok, was looking at photos on the computer after I shot them and did notice a 2nd #38 under one of the roll hoop mounts, no AM # though.

Photos Attached.


mj

[allenbrown]

It's the number under the roll hoop that counts but I was expecting AM753 with a 38 underneath it. Maybe I'm thinking of a 1973 style. I'll check some other pictures.

[mjaremko]

In the middle of a mechanical restoration on the car, a few photos.


mj

[SAMD]

That is real sweet Mark

[mjaremko]

Thanks

mj

[CHEVRON MALTA]

URGENT I need a March 75/3 rear lower arms to Hewland Mk 9 G/box mounting bracket . new or 2nd hand as restoration cannot be completed as it's gone missing. Also measurements or drawings of the bracket will help