Shop Tour - Hardcore Drag Racing

         At Holley’s 2021 MoParty… Bill Rowe’s 1964 Dodge Polara 500 seemed like a nice restored classic… Until you see the supercharged 392 C.I. HEMI poking through the hood          Bill tends to lean towards much earlier iron, like his stunning 1934 Plymouth that was parked nearby, also HEMI powered. A group of Bill’s friends kept nagging him to build a 60’s or 70’s Muscle Car like a Charger or Challenger. But when Bill laid his eyes on this Polara, he knew he found his next build. Bill fell in love with the rounded fenders and unique front end that made it stand out in a sea of typical muscle cars.     Under the long hood, Bill started out with a Gen-1 392 Chrysler HEMI, the bottom end was built to handle boost from the polished 8-71 BDS supercharger, it’s mounted by a Hot Heads intake manifold. The fuel is mixed by a pair of Quick Fuel carburetors topped off with a BDS air scoop. Backing up the HEMI is a heavy-duty 727 Tor...

  In the 1960's there were racers that won races once in a while, then there were racers or should I say teams that were feared. The team of Ronnie Sox & Buddy Martin were the ones that dominated the Super-Stock category in the 1960's, and then in 1970 they dominated again in the early years of Pro-Stock.   They won more national events then any other team at the time. The only other person that was just as good at rowing a 4-speed at the time was Dandy-Dick Landy with his fleet of silver bullets.  These 68' Plymouth Cuda's started out as a basic shell or a body in white that was pulled from the assembly line and sent to Hurst Performance. Where they transformed from a boring compact car to fire-breathing strip  monster! The bodies were acid dipped and when they were done the sheet metal was as thin as a Lays potato chip. To save weight even further the front fenders were an aluminum stamping or acid dipped steel. The glass was replaced with Owens-Corning light-w...

    This is the Mr. Norm's Grand-Spaulding Dodge Super Challenger Funny Car, the same that raced in 1971 following the notorious string of Dodge Chargers and one of the final machines under Gary Dyer’s control.   That electric blue metal-flake paint can probably be seen from outer space,it definitely makes the car stand out up in the bleachers, but there's plenty more subtle detail from the blown and injected Hemi to the ultra clean cockpit complete with a Pistol Grip shifter.   Norm Kraus was more than a car owner, he was also the owner of the most famous Dodge dealership from the super-Car era, Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. Norm started his series of professional-grade funny cars in 1965 and were driven by Gary Dyer nationwide.  This time capsule began with a Romeo Palamides chassis, and it’s still equipped with some of the best speed equipment of the era.   The supercharged 426 CI Hemi V-8 engine hosts four-port Hilborn fuel injection and a ...

  Be the star at any car show with this eye catching 1974 Plymouth Cuda'.   On the Dyno the big 426 HEMI engine made at over 700HP and 670ft/lb torque at the crank. You can leave your competition in the dust with this combination.  The engine was built with the best parts money could buy, featuring Manley stainless steel  intake & exhaust valves, a big roller cam hits the valves, while  Comp valve springs with chrome molly valve springs and titanium retainers keep it all together. It's sealed up with Fel-Pro gaskets. The ignition is controlled by a MSD 6BTM box & Pro billet distributor with a blaster 3 coil making the spark. The HEMI inhales through a pair of  Holley 650 CFM. double pumper Carbs on top of a  Dyers 8/71 Blower that's set up to run  8 psi on the street.               The body mod's are endless , from the shaved door handles to the molded in front and rear bumpers. ...

  Rare Rides Quick Look !   This month's quick look is a 1 of 1 1971 HEMI Plymouth Barracuda convertible that was prepped by the legendary race shop of Ronnie Sox & Buddy Martin.  This a true Sox and Martin built Cuda'. The car was purchased new in Detroit and driven to Sox and Martin for preparation to run the NHRA Super Stock Class.    The Cud'a competed in 1973-1974 NHRA events, and was driven by "Mr. 4 -Speed" himself, Herb McCandless.  It's powered by a balanced and blueprinted 426 C.I. Hemi. Built by Sox and Martin, shifted by an A-833 4-speed the Hemi's torque is sent to a Dana-60 rear end filled with 4.56:1 gears and a spool. There is full documentation on the car and it was the only known convertible built by S&M. As it sits there is 33,307 miles on the clock and you will never find another example like this on the planet .

                                                      As far as the records show,Dodge only built  150 examples of the L023 Monsters !   Previously owned by Lou Mancini of Mancini Racing, and an Original Grand Spaulding car autographed by Mr. Norm. Possibly one of the most original LO23 Hemi Darts in existence with only 3,799 miles on the clock. Built at the Hamtramck, Michigan plant then sent to Hurst Performance for the final conversion with the under rated 426/425 HP race Hemi engine. Shipped from Chrysler’s Marine and Industrial Division,the unique 426 HEMI engines had been built offline by hand-picked technicians. The HEMI blocks were iron with a 4.250-inch bore and a 3.750-inch stroke,12.5:1 compression and aluminum heads. It features a magnesium Cross- Ram intake manifold with two big Holley Carb's,...

  Durring a ban from NASCAR during the 1965 season.  The  Plymouth AFX program was created to maximize the potential of the 426 Hemi engine in straight line acceleration competitions. The AFX class was  Factory Experimental , the A was the largest engine displacement class.  The Plymouth engineers found that if they could alter the weight distribution to create more traction for the powerful 426 Hemi engine, it would result in quicker elapsed times.  By the rules, there was no rule as to where the wheelbase needed to be located.  So the Plymouth and Dodge engineers moved or altered the wheelbase forward under the body for two reasons 1. to move the weight of the Hemi engine closer to the rear axle and 2 to put more weight over the rear tires. Smith was an Illinois racer who had a sponsor association with Learner’s Sales & Service, one of the largest Imperial sellers in America. That and his success in 1964 had gotten him one of ju...