AMC ALL THE WAY! Dick Maskin (DART) ran a very competitive NHRA Pro Stocker with a Rambler engine and now Indy Cylinder Head makes Hi-Zoot heads and I believe blocks for them.
I first came to the Salt in 1995 and as a burnt out long time Drag Racer I discovered Heaven on Earth. I walked the pits for three days and after looking at all the High Dollar vehicles (some famous, some not) I started round two by looking at all the obviously home built and oddball vehicles with even more oddball engines and it completely blew Me away. The old hunched over gentleman whom was working on a overhead valve injected Model B four cylinder and when I asked where He got the Head and Injectors replied "I made em' ". The blown KB hemi two cylinder that ran over 200 m.p.h., the chopped Stude with a 460 Ford sawed in half, the lakester running a snow mobile engine, it went on and on and on the flight home I said I am going to find and build a Studebaker and have FUN... expensive fun but what the Hell.
Be different and screw the records. Set Your personal record as a goal. Help keep LSR racing weird and interesting. AMC ALL THE WAY!
To the neigh sayers, I ran 219 with a injected Olds motor in a 4300# Studebaker. The Motor (and Myself) were designed in 1946 and if time on Earth and finances allow I plan on pushing that number up in a few Years. When I first ran the car in 1998 (50th Speedweek) The car/engine combo developed its own fan club of mostly old timers who would visit My pits every year. These were and are the kind of guys who walked up and would say things like "Jesus Christ Herb, its a fu*cking Early Olds!).
Same guys, every Year and when after seven years I put in a BBC a few of them were in near tears while mentioning things like "tar and feathers" and "lynching". I avoided either or both outcomes by swearing to them that as soon as I hit the 250 mark I would put the Olds back in it.
Why did I start out with a early Old's? I wanted to see if I could make one go 200 m.p.h. and it took a hell of a lot of work, research and trial and error modifications over seven years but it was a wonderful adventure and allowed Me to meet and talk Olds engines with the likes of Nick Arias Jr. (May He R.I.P.), Don Ratican, Ed Iskenderian, Jack Engle,Tom Cirello and others who worked on or with Early Olds (1949-1964) in their heyday.
Anyone can go fast with a Hemi or BBC but if You are crazy enough, bold enough, and thick skinned enough, and at least temporarirly wealthy enough, You need to build a Rambler, MG Midget (oop's, already done...) or Hudson or whatever isn't another Camaro or Studebaker (did I just say that?). Be a Manly Man. Being insane Helps.
One Run Bob Drury
#394 A/CFALT 53 Studebaker 238+ m.p.h. 496" BBC
B/CFALT " " 219+ m.p.h. 435" Early Olds