Shop Tour - Hardcore Drag Racing

       Drag Fest 2024!  

  This cool looking Gasser is based on a 1962 Mercury Comet. The Ford-Lincoln-Mercury exec’s were looking for a catchy name and they found one ! The NASA space-race was on everyone's mind at the time, so they named it after NASA’s mission “Mercury”, added in Comet for an extra nod to the space-race and you have a winner. The body was painted a classic matte-black. Throw in some old-school lettering and some period looking decals and you have a classic race car for the street.     The body was customized with the typical racer tricks of the day, the front bumper was removed & the grill was worked over by removing the inner headlights.   Poking through the fiberglass hood sits a transplanted Chevrolet 454 big-block, topped off with a tunnel ram and dual quad Holley carburetors. The motor was hopped-up with a solid roller cam and roller rocker arms.  Backing up the big-block is the heavy duty TH-400 with a high stall converter and manual valve body, the transmission shifts at

      In the 1960’s the Chevrolet Nova was sold as an economy car. Most of them were built with tiny 4-cylinder engines or with the larger boat anchor inline six. They were compact and lightweight and the racers of the day took notice.       Like this example here, the owner built his idea of what the Gasser’s and A-F/X cars of the day looked like. The inline six is long gone and in its place is a fresh Merlin big-block packing 496 cubes and an original Hilborn mechanical stack fuel injection system feeds all those thirsty cubes.  For street-ability the injection system was converted to electronic and it’s controlled by a FAST ecu. Other goodies include ported aluminum L88 cylinder heads with stainless valves and Crane roller rockers. An MSD ignition system including a Pro-Billet distributor and Blaster-3 coil light the fire. For a little pizzazz period correct polished and finned valve covers top off the heads.       Backing up the powerhouse under hood is a 4-speed manual trans

Chevrolet introduced the compact Nova for the 1962 model year. They were available in 2-door coupes with hard tops & with post's, a wagon was also offered . If you wanted to show off there was a convertible option . They were a big hit with Hot Rodder's ,stuffing hot small blocks under the hood were the norm . For all out Drag Racing you could find Gasser's with injected 327's or the new big block 427's with superchargers and mechanical fuel injection . This freshly restored 63' Nova known as SNAFU is all steel and fitted with a hot small block. For power a 1968 Chevrolet  327 C.I.  block was bored .030' with 13.5:1 pistons was put into action.     It was capped off with a set of Dart cylinder heads and a Weiand intake manifold. The fuel system checks out with A 750 CFM. Holley double pumper carb., a Holley Blue fuel pump with braided lines run from the custom tank to the engine compartment. Te ignition system is by MSD, with a 6-AL Box and Blaster coil

  This bright yellow Chevy 210 has only gone about 800 miles since its restoration. The ionic elements like the grille and bumpers have a unique appearance with an airbrushed look.  But as a true Gasser, you also need the right elements . That means a fiberglass one-piece front end to reduce weight and the high solid front axle big engine and street slicks complete the look.                                                                This was built to be a full competition machine for the street  or strip so a full  8-point roll cage was installed along with Corbeau racing seats, and Corbeau racing harnesses .   Other features include  power windows and custom fabricated cup holders. There's a touch of vintage feel with the Bel Air-style steering wheel, but it's now a smaller diameter unit on a tilt column.   The dashboard is filled with one of the most comprehensive set of Autometer Sport-Comp gauges. The tach. w/shift light is mounted near the roof right next to

    The Wicked 1 is a 1948 Anglia two-door sedan owned by Gerard Milidantri from Suffern, New York.  He’s a general manager of an aerospace company that overhauls turbine engines and on the weekends he runs the Anglia at South East Gasser events.   The club brings back  Drag Racing from the late sixties and the cars must have period correct parts that you could buy up until 1967 and no later . No modern electronics , no automatics, no electronic fuel injection . Only open headers & a 4-speed , perfect for wheels up launches. We caught up with The Wicked 1 & Gerard at Island Dragway in Great Meadows , New Jersey.   This Anglia was hand-built in Pennsylvania in the late sixties by a fellow named GK Bernard. It was later purchased by SEGA emcee Quain Stott .   At a SEGA event in 2019 it was the first time Gerard had seen the Anglia, and it made such an impression that he sold the his Corvette and decided to pursue SEGA racing. In 2021 they struck a deal and bought the Angl

  This wicked Willy's is powered by a 1957 Chrysler 392 Hemi   stroked to 427 C.I. The induction system features a GMC style 6-71 blower with dual Holley Dominator's carburetors , mounted up top is a rare Don Garlits Street Catcher scoop , it's made in Australia  by Al's Blowers.  A set of vintage Top Fuel iron heads keep the combustion gasses flowing. The exhaust  fumes exit trough  stainless steel ceramic-coated headers. A high flow electric water pump and dual cooling fans keep things cool .   All the Hemi's horsepower is sent through a heavy-duty TH 400 with a billet case and 4000 RPM converter. Then it makes it way down to a Ford style 9-inch rear end filled with 4.30: gears and a  Detroit Locker differential. The interior is filled with classic bucket seats and a hand formed center console covered in black leather.  A billet Ididit polished column & wheel keeps the wheels pointed straight, modern touches include power locks & windows , and don't fo

  This blue flamed 1955 Chevrolet 150 Series two-door sedan has a vintage Drag Strip look, With its supercharged engine, racing suspension, and street slicks...    But it also has lights, mirrors, and wipers, that the owner says makes it street legal. The one-piece tilt front end is made of fiberglass for weight savings and easy engine access. The rest of the body is factory steel.  The engine is a 327cu.in. small block with a Weiand 6-71 Roots-style supercharger that’s topped by a pair of 500 cfm. Carter AFB four barrel carburetors. The fenderwell exit exhaust headers were made by Doug’s Headers. A Turbo 350 three-speed automatic transmission bangs the gears , and it’s equipped with a 3000 RPM converter which is controlled by a Hurst shifter . The nose ble ed front suspension was attained with parallel leaf springs and a tube axle, from Speedway . The brakes are Wilwood disc’s front & rear, and the 10 bolt rear end hangs on huge ladder bars supported by air shocks .   Th

    This 1962 Corvette Gasser was built to resemble the car Drag Racing legend Big John Mazmanian raced in the 60's. It was a four year no expense spared build,and features the best period correct parts that could be found or they were fabricated when they couldn't . The main attraction is the all aluminum 434 CID. Chevrolet small block . It's filled with a Lunati crank, CP Carillo connecting rods and swings Ross pistons. For the top end, a set of Bodix cylinder heads, which were fully ported and filled with Manley SS valves. For stellar performance , a Dyres 6-71 blower and a pair of 650 Holley double pumpers are mounted up top.   The owner stated that the combination is good for 650 Horsepower ! And it's street driven on 93 octane pump gas .   This is a factory 4-speed car,so it was natural to keep the manual transmission , the Corvette now features Hurst linkage and a Hurst shifter , power is applied through Lakewood-housing and Centerforce clutch . The interior feat