THE CHEVELLE THAT ATE DRAG WEEK
> HOW FOUR AUSSIES CREATED ONE OF THE BIGGEST STIRS IN HOT ROD DRAG WEEK HISTORY
JUST finishing Hot Rod Drag Week in any half-fast car is a big ask. But to finish with an eight-second average in a ridiculous car you built in a week? Highly unlikely, but that is what Shepparton’s Harry Haig, along with tuner extraordinaire Terry Seng and mates Shannon Jennings and Ryan Jones achieved at this year’s event. We figure even the astronauts in the International Space Station would have caught up with their exploits, but we know some of you don’t internet, so here’s the Reader’s Digest version.
The car itself is a ’69 Chevelle SS that Harry found in a field and got up and running for last year’s event, complete with the 396 big-block and four-speed it was found with. They had a heap of adventures and made it through the whole week, although they were disqualified for straying from the route.
The Chevelle copped a few upgrades in the lead-up to this year’s Drag Week, including a rollcage and a nine-inch diff. But otherwise, it was essentially a bare shell when Harry and the boys arrived in Leavenworth, Kansas to prep the car for the event.
The lads didn’t bring much in the way of luggage, but they did have the twin-turbo 540ci big-block Chev that Terry and Robby Abbott built back in Australia. Luckily, the team had Dustin Gardner’s Kansas workshop at their disposal. It was a mad thrash to marry engine to car in just a few days, but with a lot of help from the locals and plenty of beer, the job was done and the car made it to scrutineering on time.
And they didn’t ‘just’ plug in the engine and wire it up. We’re talking a whole new fuel system from scratch (including Terry welding up a header tank and brackets), fabricating intercooler pipework, going right through the suspension and brakes, sourcing a tailshaft to suit, and a thousand other jobs.
And while Harry always intended for the 72mm turbos to sit through the bonnet for shock value, the oil pan they had for the car didn’t fit, which meant the engine had to be mounted higher, pushing the hairdryers even further out of the bonnet.
The outlandish result melted the internet, but it soon became clear the car was no joke, with a best of 9.06@153mph on Day One. While Harry was hoping to crack a seven-second pass on the last day, massive track temps and drag radials don’t play well together, and he had to be content with a 8.95sec average time for the event. Impressive stuff for any 3600lb car without a trailer, much less one that was built in a week.
And now? Word is the Chevelle will be back in 2017 and taken to the next level again. We can’t wait to see what that entails. In the meantime, you can check out our build videos of the car up on streetmachine.com.au.