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itsworn · 5 years

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Strange Tale: The Rear-Engined Hemi Chevelle Funny Car Resurfaces!

Visionary in design, Maynard Rupp’s 1966 Hemi-powered Chevelle Funny Car was recently reborn.

The 1960s were turbulent times in America. It was a decade fraught with war, civil unrest, and a cultural upheaval. It was also a decade that saw an explosion in technology in the racing world, and Car Craft was right there with its finger on the pulse of it all. From cover to cover, every issue was hands-on, hard-core tech and racing at all levels. Rail dragsters were all the rage, and the evolution of the Funny Car concept was in its nascent stages. When we cracked open the June 1966 issue of Car Craft, we were treated to in-depth stories on a twin-engine Olds Toronado, a fiberglass-bodied Mercury Cyclone, and an altered-wheelbase Barracuda, along with a number of drag-racing–related stories. The reason we went looking at that particular issue in the first place was to view that month’s centerfold car: Maynard Rupp’s “Chevoom,” a blown Chrysler-powered Chevelle. That’s right, that’s not a typo. Not only was it a Chevy with a Hemi, it was also rear-engined. We recently stumbled on this car fully restored at the US30 Indoor Dragfest show, and when we saw “Car Craft Project Car” painted on the trunk, we had to go digging in the archives.

Based on a two-door coupe, “Chevoom” rides on a custom tube frame that pushes the wheels out an additional 14 inches. At first glance, it’s difficult to figure out that the engine is in the back of the car. When it was constructed, the rear window and side windows were omitted to allow the engine to breathe.

What we found in that issue backs up the assertion that the Funny Car ranks were in a period of change, with a number of different directions taking place. Some of the efforts of the day had factory backing in terms of financial and technical support. There were also efforts like the one that Rupp had organized that had high-profile sponsors who were involved in all aspects of its creation. Rupp was no stranger to winning at the top level of the sport with an NHRA World Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1965 behind the wheel of his Prussian AA/FD rail dragster. To the surprise of many, he made the switch to the Funny Car ranks in 1966 and, when asked, was quoted as saying, “Chevy has a lot of fans that go to the ’strip, and we want to give them something to cheer for.” That year, flip-top Funny Cars started to emerge, with many at that point in their evolution already front-engined, tube-framed, and fiberglass-bodied to cut down on weight. Rupp’s vision was to build a rear-engined car with a full tube frame and a fixed fiberglass body. Partnered in that effort was Gratiot Auto Supply in Detroit. Dubbed as the world’s largest hot rod shop, it was a heavy hitter from the 1950s to the 1970s in everything from drag racing to Indy Cars.

The meticulous attention to detail on the exterior of Chevoom is evident in the fitment of all the stock trim. Every piece found on a production Chevelle was added to the car, including window moldings where no windows were installed.

Most of the guys building the one-piece, flip-top cars were on a quest for weight reduction. Chevoom defied that logic. Rupp was adamant that the Chevy needed to look as much like a street car as possible, to the point that it had to have opening doors, a removable hood, trunk, and fenders; along with all the exterior trim installed in its factory locations, it also went as far as having working headlights, turn signals, carpet, and even a dome light. While a large part of the fabrication and assembly on Chevoom took place at Chetah Engineering, a subsidiary of Gratiot Auto, some of the key components were sourced to other businesses. B&N Automotive in Dayton, Ohio, crafted the body, which was based on a 1966 Chevelle. That was accomplished with the aid of Shalla Chevrolet in Detroit, which was able to get a pre-production body-in-white from the factory for that purpose.

Once the molds were created and the body and panels duplicated, everything was shipped to The Carriage Shop in Detroit. Shop owner Bob Marianich was hired to do some of the metal fabrication and all the finish work on the fiberglass shell and panels. Because of its multi-piece construction, Marianich had to fit and finish all the panels onto the body like their production steel counterparts. He also created the instrument panel, engine cover, wheeltubs, and the aluminum bulkhead. The last step at the Carriage Shop was to lay down the Moon Eyes Yellow paint before it was sent to Detroit pinstriper Paul Hatton.

The foundation for Chevoom was its tube-frame chassis with the engine cradled in a detachable rear-mounted subframe. Built by Rupp at Gratiot, this design was a departure from the direction everyone else was taking the Funny Car concept. Rupp was a visionary with this mid-engine layout, especially in the area of driver safety. That concern was evident with the addition of a full rollcage installed by Kay Industries in Detroit. The engine choice originally planned for the Chevelle was a 396 Chevy big-block. Because construction of the car started very late in the year, and in order to have it ready for the 1966 season, Rupp scrapped the idea of a Chevy mill and switched to a familiar friend from his rail days: a 1956 Chrysler 354 Hemi punched out to 402 ci wearing a GMC 671 blower mated to a Weiand manifold. Backing the Hemi was an Art Carr modified Torqueflite that was linked to a 3.90-geared 8-3/4 Chrysler posi rear with a pair of Chrysler marine U-joints.

Chevy big-block. Easy access was the idea. With the switch to the Mopar mill, that easy access was lost. The wider dimensions of the 354 didn’t allow the subframe to easily drop out of the body. Another aspect of this installation resides in the use of the Chrysler 8-3/4 rear. The pumpkin is offset to the right, and with no driveshaft, the Hemi and Torqueflite sit slightly sideways in the subframe.

Before Chevoom ever made a pass down the ’strip, it racked up some serious silverware. It was entered at the 1966 Autorama, where it won the prestigious Ridler Award and also a trophy for Best Engineered Car in Show. When it finally hit the track, Rupp and his Chevelle were well-received, especially from the Chevy faithful, who didn’t seem to be too upset that it was sporting a Hemi. Throughout the 1966 season, he spent much of it match-racing and earned quite a large pile of cash, but the car was sold at the end of the year. Well before that took place, he was already building the STP-sponsored Cougar Country flip-top Funny Car that he would go on to campaign in 1967. It was pretty clear that the future of the Funny Car formula was set in stone with a tube-frame, front-engine, flip-top layout as the way forward. In the Jan. 1967 issue of Car Craft, Chevoom was listed as one of the “10 Best Rods of 1966.” After it was sold, it did some passes down the ’strip with the second owner for a very brief period of time until the Hemi called it quits. There was apparently no effort made to repair or replace the engine, so the car was parked and it quickly faded into obscurity. There isn’t much known about it until it was acquired by Ken Bigham in 1985.

The interior of the Chevelle does not reflect the direction that Funny Cars were going in 1966. The seat sits forward as a result of the massive engine cover. Also unlike other Funny Cars, this one was fully carpeted. The chute-release ring is attached to the steering-column support; the fuel shut-off pull rod sits on top of the engine cover.

When the Torqueflite was installed, the idea of using a pushbutton shifter didn’t sit well with Maynard Rupp, so Hurst created a one-off Yo-Yo shifter. When Ken Bigham acquired the car, it was no longer there. During the restoration, a Hurst shifter was modified to recreate the original and a cable from a 1965 Dodge van used.

His acquisition of the Chevelle took place as a result of pure coincidence. At the time, he was trying to flip a race-prepped 1937 Ford Coupe at the Fall Carlisle event. Hanging on the car was a sign stating, “Wanted: AFX or early Funny Car.” His goal was to find a 1963 Z11 Impala, but that was proving elusive because money was tight and prices were on the rise, so he was willing to entertain other options. While he was sitting there, a guy approached him, looked at the sign, and said, “I know where there is a car you’d be interested in.” He claimed it was an old rear-engined Chevelle Funny Car sitting under a carport that he drove by every day, and he would get the owner’s contact info. Bigham gave the guy a business card, and when he went home, he dug out his old issues of Car Craft and found Chevoom. He recalls, “When I saw it, I thought, Oh, man, that is just killer, but I wasn’t smart enough to get the guy’s name and address.”

A few months passed and he finally received a letter with the owner’s contact info and location. After a few phone calls, it became clear that the guy was willing to sell the car. He had moved and no longer had indoor space or money to restore the car. On that news, Bigham hitched the trailer and headed to Ohio. What he found was the chassis and bare body sitting there separated under the carport, while the rest of the panels were tucked away inside. The chassis was still complete and showed no signs of damage, but it was rusty and missing the drivetrain. Long gone were the Hemi, Torqueflite, headers, pumpkin, seat, and steering wheel. The body was still in one piece, but the years it sat outside, which he estimates to be only about two, had taken their toll. Much of the paint on the side that was exposed to the elements had faded away. The rest of the body panels were in excellent condition due to their sheltered storage.

“I questioned what I was getting myself into. This car was in pieces,” Bigham says. “When I pulled into my driveway, my wife was convinced I had lost my mind.” All the parts were unloaded into his barn, where they would sit for a few years because he wasn’t able to devote any time to the car.

The front compartment on Chevoom is empty, with only the suspension and Moon gas tank visible. The foot box with the steering box centrally placed was added to the firewall because of the forward seating position as a result of the engine cover.

It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that Bigham managed to start turning some wrenches on Chevoom. A friend had suggested that he button it all back up and get it out to some shows because there were plenty of photos of it floating around and someone could try and recreate it and pass it off as the real deal. That was sage advice that got the ball rolling, so he set out to reinstall all the body panels and put a drivetrain back in the car. Over the years, he had gathered a few parts, but key items like an engine and transmission were needed.

Since it was Hemi-powered, a 392 in place of the original 354 would do just fine. One was purchased, along with a shortened Art Carr Torqueflite and period-correct blower, which were all assembled and dropped into the subframe. None of it actually worked, but at least the car was displayable, even if everything looked tired. Essentially a roller at this point, it made it to a number of shows over the years. About a year prior to the 50th anniversary of the Ridler Award, Rupp called him and asked if he could bring the car back to Autorama, as they were trying to get as many former Ridler Award winners together as possible. The catch was that they wanted the car restored. His reply was, “Maynard, I am just not financially in a position where I can afford to do it right now.” That outing never materialized, but in late-2016, the scenario repeated itself again with another phone call with a similar request. This time it was from the organizers of the Concours d’Elegance of America in Plymouth, Michigan, asking if the car would be available for its display of non–flip-top Funny Cars in July 2017. That request gained some traction with Bigham, and he went all in on the restoration.

illustrated on items like the fiberglass hood. The underside bracing, which was formed in fiberglass, was made to look exactly like what you would find on a factory steel hood.

At the beginning of 2017, he took Chevoom to Greg Cook at Cooks Restorations in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for what would end up being a very tight restoration. The window of time was only six months from start to finish, and everything needed to be done on the car. For Cook, this restoration was not only a job to be done but also a visit with his past. In the mid-1960s, as a teen, the centerfold from the June 1966 issue of Car Craft with Chevoom was hung in his room. That car was just the coolest thing he had ever seen, and to be bringing it back to life was something special.

Going in, the upside was that the frame was undamaged and all of the original hardware was still in place. Cook handled all the mechanical aspects of the job, while his employee, Bob Foote, tackled the bodywork, paint, and graphics. Mechanically, the car was incomplete and locating the missing pieces fell on Bigham’s shoulders. The biggest issue he was facing was the 392 Hemi that was installed. He was content to go with that combination until he brought it to a machine shop, where they told him it was junk and he’d be better off finding something not as worn out.

With only a limited amount of time to locate the missing pieces, he purchased a 354 Hemi locally that was in excellent condition. The machine work on the new mill was performed by Morris Automotive Machine in Manchester, Maryland, while his friend, Larry “Bunk” Miller, did all the assembly. As that was unfolding, Foote was dealing with the rejuvenation of the fiberglass body. Overall, it was still in decent condition; having sat outside, however, some signs of delamination were present on the roof, and there was a hole on the C-pillar from some kind of mechanical failure, perhaps from when the original Hemi let go. He spent many hours restoring the body until it was again ready for a fresh coat of Moon Eyes Yellow.

While that was moving along, Bigham was still on a search for missing parts. Especially difficult to find were items like the Chrysler marine U-joints and the door panels. When it came time to do the lettering on the car, Foote’s task in being accurate was facilitated as a result of some foresight on Bigham’s part. Early on, tracings of all the artwork on the car were done by his son, Andy, and would prove to be a huge help in its completion. The car was wrapped up just in time for the show, where Rupp was reunited with it after 51 years apart. In 2018, Chevoom returned to the Detroit Autorama and Bigham was awarded the Preservation Award.

When Bob Marianich received all the raw panels, one of his many tasks was to make them all work. The hinging mechanism on this door was created at his shop, and the door functions in the same way as one found on a production Chevelle.

Greg Cook suggested that one panel should be left unmolested, with the trunklid being the obvious choice. Because it still had all of the painted text, it would help to further validate the car and also show the condition before it was restored.

If you’re wondering about the writing on the trunk, which initially sparked our interest, the answer is that Chevoom was never a Car Craft project car. Advertising and promotion was a completely different beast back in the 1960s, and magazines were the primary outlets for information. In exchange for the centerfold in the June 1966 issue of Car Craft, Rupp agreed to have the lettering placed on the trunklid. This arrangement carried over into 1967 on the side of the Cougar Funny Car and that made it onto the cover of the Aug. 1967 issue of Car Craft.

This is the centerfold from the June 1966 issue of Car Craft. In return for this photo, the addition of “Car Craft Project Car” was added on the trunklid. This was a deal cut between Rupp and the folks at Petersen Publishing Company.

TECH NOTES Who: Ken Bigham What: 1966 Chevrolet “Chevoom” Funny Car Where: Gettysburg, PA

Engine/Induction/Transmission Chevoom was originally powered by a 1956-vintage 354 Hemi stroked to 402 ci. When Bigham found the car, it was gone. As the restoration gained momentum, he ended up buying a used 354 Hemi to replace the tired 392 Hemi that he was using to display the car. Unlike the stroked original, he opted to keep it at 354 ci. It was treated to a full rebuild, which included the installation of Ross 9.5:1 racing pistons and Molnar Technologies billet connecting rods mounted on a stock forged crank. The heads are also stock, but received a full rebuild and are capped off with a set of Moon valve covers. Induction is handled via a Weiand manifold crowned by a Hampton blower and Hilborn Shotgun Injection. Shifting the gears is carried out by an Art Carr 727 Torqueflite. It is shortened and mates directly to the rear via a set of Chrysler Marine U-joints. The headers were custom-made from stainless tubing and are faithful reproductions of the original set.

Electronics: The 354 Hemi wears a vintage Mallory Super Mag Magneto 310 LA and a Mallory Super Mag transformer. It is pure old-school dragster hardware.

Rearend: The rear installed in Chevoom is a standard 1965 Chrysler 8-3/4 housing. It has a set of 3.90:1 gears and heavy-duty rear axles.

Chassis/Suspension: On a 1966 Chevelle, the stock wheelbase measures 115 inches. On Chevoom, that was stretched to 129 inches, with 12 inches added to the rear and 2 inches at the front. To achieve that custom wheelbase, Chevoom’s chassis was constructed from two widely spaced double rails that form a truss-like frame over the rear axle. They taper at the front, ending in a dual crossmember. At the rear, the subframe that holds the drivetrain in place was constructed out 2×4 square tubing and holds the engine, transmission, and rear axle together as one removable unit. It also holds the coilover shocks in place with cups welded at both ends. The entire unit is held in place by pins and can be quickly removed by disconnecting the rear shocks and brake lines. Bolts that can be moved to three different positions for wedging the suspension retain the top spring supports. Up front a straight tubular axle with wishbones on both sides, along with a transverse leaf spring and tubular shocks make up the front suspension. A Studebaker Ross steering box positioned on its side allows the pitman arm to work directly on a long drag link. Heim joints are used at all suspension and steering pivot points.

Brakes: Chevoom only carries drum brakes at the rear. They are vintage 1965 Chrysler units measuring 9×2.5 inches.

Wheels/Tires: Cragar S/S wheels are used at all four corners. The front set measure 15X7 and wear Goodyear Blue Streak 7.10X15 tires, while the rears are 15X10.5 wrapped in M&H Racemaster 11.50X15 slicks.

Paint/Body: The body is a one-piece fiberglass unit with separate fenders, doors, trunklid, and hood also molded in fiberglass. The only actual Chevelle body parts used consists of the cowl, windshield A-pillar posts, radiator support, hood inserts, and taillight housings. The front and rear bumpers are fiberglass pieces, while all the chrome trim is OE stock. The paint on the car has a Moon Eyes Yellow basecoat with graphics applied and then sealed with a clearcoat.

Interior: The interior on Chevoom is spartan, but it’s nothing like a traditional Funny Car. It has a full rollcage that Rupp had installed as a safety measure. The aluminum panels that cover the front of the engine are original and were crafted at The Carriage Shop. They are secured by Dzus fasteners for easy access to the Hemi. The seat and steering wheel were missing when Bigham found the car, so for the seat, a fiberglass replacement was added and secured to a chrome-moly frame that anchors directly to the framerails, while the steering wheel was picked up at a swap meet. The instrument panel is also original and was fashioned from sheet aluminum. It houses oil and water temperature gauges and an oil pressure gauge. These were still in place when he purchased the car but were in poor condition, so they were replaced during the restoration. The tach was also missing and replaced as well. As part of the restoration, Bigham had his high school buddy, “Shorty” Forsythe, stitch up the missing interior pieces, which included the carpet, rollbar padding, and the padded roof section.