Anybody who knows the history of hot rodding knows that the roots of the hobby are interwoven pretty tightly with the sport of drag racing. Long-time readers will remember that features on dragsters made up part of the editorial mix of ROD & CUSTOM back in our "little pages" days of the late '50s. Since then, the sport of drag racing has evolved from a pastime for grassroots rodders into a huge high-dollar industry. The top-end cars have morphed from homebuilt rods with tuned-up bangers and flatheads to scientifically engineered apparatuses powered by 8,000-plus-hp supercharged aluminum Hemis. Impressive machines all right, but we still like watching the old-time Gassers and Altereds, doorslammers, and front-engined rails. Evidently we're not alone, since events such as the Antique Nationals, the March Meet, and the Goodguys Nitro Nationals have become extremely popular.
One of the most popular dragsters hitting the nostalgia drag racing circuit as an exhibition car is "Flathead Jack" Schafer's injected twin-engined flathead dragster. You've seen racing photos of it in magazines and on Web sites and in full smokey burnout mode on the cover of the Flathead Jack catalog. We have too--but never had a good up-close look at the car until we saw it "in person" at the Goodguys March Meet in Bakersfield last winter.
At first impression, the dragster just looks stunning. Of course, tandem flatties with a squad of 16 chromed 11-inch Hilborn injector stacks rising out of a hand-formed body shot by Art Himsl is a pretty cool eyeful. Even more impressive, at second impression, is the mechanical engineering that went into making the twin-engine setup actually work. Yeah, it's a nostalgic car and, yeah, they're flathead engines, but there's nothing old-fashioned about the technology involved here or the car's 8-second e.t.'s.
If you didn't know, Flathead Jack is a leading dealer in high-performance flathead components. He started building and racing flatheads--and earned his nickname--as a teenager in Northern California in the '50s. After several years of racing flatheads, and a few racing Hemis and small-block Chevys, Jack left hot rodding in 1969. His participation and his nickname were revived about 10 years ago, when he and Bill Reasoner built his well-known flathead '49 Merc custom. That engine led to the beginning of a parts dealership that has grown into a booming business. Given Flathead Jack's background, the creation of this elaborate flathead dragster was inevitable. Take a good look at one of the best-looking, quickest, and coolest hot rods running on the West Coast. And go out and see it in action when the season starts up again.
 The frame's long enough, so...  The frame's long enough, so why not load it with tandem 8BA Ford flatheads, displacing 284 ci apiece and making something like 1,000 hp. Flathead wiz Tony Lloyd built this pair, using Ross pistons and Crower forged steel rods. The billet stroker cranks are right out of the Flathead Jack catalog, as are valvetrain components under Offy heads, controlled by custom-ground Potvin eliminator cams. Hilborn fuel injection feeds nitromethane fuel to the engines. The Lenco two-speed racing transmission is matched with a Hays double-disc slider clutch. The dual blocks had to be lined up perfectly. Machinist Gene Batteux created couplers to connect the rear flywheel flange of the front crankshaft to the snout of the rear crankshaft. Front to back, the length of the engines is 48 inches. |
 Next to the double flatheads,...  Next to the double flatheads, the most eye-catching thing about Flathead Jack's dragster is the great-looking body. Greg Westbury from Westbury Hot Rods in Concord, CA, handbuilt it from 0.040-inch aluminum. Westbury also did a lot of work on Jack's custom Merc, which can be seen on the Flathead Jack Web site. Once the sheetmetal work was done, legendary hot rod painter Art Himsl, also from Concord, stepped in to finish the body with the world's longest scallops. The lettering was hand-painted by Basil Platt and cleared. |
 The elaborate tube chassis...  The elaborate tube chassis was fabricated by chassis builder and racer Pete Ogden, who continued the theme of modern performance and old style. The components on the frame provide all necessary safety and performance components and still maintain a nostalgic style, including the long, narrow front end typical of the old slingshot-style rails. |
 The frontend was built with...  The frontend was built with parts from SPE Speed Products including Anglia-type spindles. The custom-built 9-inch rearend and rear brakes are from Strange Engineering. The drag parachute is a Simpson Crossform. In bare form, the chassis weighs 144 pounds. |
 The safety and styling combination...  The safety and styling combination extends into the cockpit, where the high-back seat is an improvement on the cars of the '60s. Style comes from the black Naugahyde, stitched up by Howdy Ledbetter from Fremont, CA, in a diamond pattern Flathead Jack says is reminiscent of early Tony Nancy cars. |
 The rear wheels are 15x10...  The rear wheels are 15x10 five-bolt Convo Pro/Drag Racing Centerlines, wearing 30-inch Goodyear Eagle slicks. Front wires from Spitzer Enterprises roll 22.0x2.5-17 Goodyear Top Fuel Front Runner Eagles. The wheelbase is 185 inches. |
 As a final touch, Art Himsl...  As a final touch, Art Himsl took his brush to the nose of the dragster to add the ominous Professor Fate skull and crossbones. |
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