BoneShaker - The Story So Far...

Up until the end of last year, Simon and Jeff had been working on putting together a Plymouth Roadrunner drag car. Simon found the car back in 2005 and the plans slowly evolved to building the car up for drag racing. It went off to Hauser Race Cars near Santa Pod for a full rear clip to take 15x15 wheels and tyres, the engine was stripped, bored out and rebuilt by Dave Milam at She Devil Racing and work began on stripping and repairing the body. As work progressed it soon became apparent that the car needed a huge amount more money pouring into it to give it even a half-chance at getting to the strip. After a lot of thought, discussion with people and number crunching, we decided to look for another project.

At the beginning of this year an offer almost too good to be true arose. Simon received an email offering him a rolling altered dragster freshly imported from the 'States. After a lot of thought and discussion, we decided that this was the way forward and the money lost in the Roadrunner project would be more than made up for by the fact that we had everything to put this car together. So followed the trip from Kent to Crewe to collect the car and bring it back to its new home.

And the catch? The car had been built for someone about 5'6". For anyone taller to drive it would mean major roll-cage and internal adjustments. Luckily Simon happens to be 5'6" and fits the car perfectly!

Once the Altered was home and dry, so followed the task of getting the car together and how we wanted it. One of the first things we discussed was the fact that the car needed a name. Something we feel has been lost in the more modern drag racing scene is the lack of naming of peoples' cars, and although the Altered is relatively new, being built in the early '90's, we felt that it really needed a name. We knew how we wanted the car to look and after trying on a few names and combinations, we finally arrived at one we both liked, and The BoneShaker was born.

Being a bodyshop, naturally the first thing that was done was the body removed, repaired where necessary and primed up. We decided on a base coat of solid black, followed by airbrush artwork undertaken by Geoff Sims Designs. Simon instructed the design and look of the car, and with his love of all things gothic there was only one way this car was going to look. Grim Reapers, Skulls, Lightning and Flames. After a week of work on the airbrushing, Simon finished the job with 3 coats of lacquer and remounted the body on the chassis. One of the most stressful jobs Simon has is lacquering Geoff's Artwork - one mistake and its all written off. No pressure then!

Onto the mechanical side of things. BoneShaker was originally running an 1800bhp Hemi motor through a Powerglide 'box to a narrowed nine-inch rear axle. The engine originally built for the Roadrunner, a 500ci Chrysler wedge motor, fits perfectly on the motor plates already there, and marries to the still existing Powerglide 'box. A new flex plate was ordered from Robinson Race Cars, with replacement bolts ordered and machined down to fit by Hauser Race Cars. This was collected at the Main Event at Santa Pod at the end of May, and work is now apace to get the dragster together in time for the South East Custom and Classic Show in June. It's touch and go as to whether it will be running, but we are confident the engine will be in place. Watch this space!

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