How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Dragsters in the 1950’s and in the 1960’s were truly unique, as in, each one was somewhat different from all the others. We use to have front engine dragsters, rear engine dragsters, dual engine dragsters, three engine dragsters and even four engine dragsters. Some of the dragsters had four-wheel drive. Some of the multi-engine dragsters had engines mounted side-by-side, some mounted in-line. There were even some that were mounted sideways. Some had full bodies, some had partial bodies and some no bodies at all. As far as engines, we had dragsters with Ford engines, Chevy engines, Pontiac engines, Chrysler engines, Buick, DeSoto, Cadillac, Packard, Lincoln, GMC, Oldsmobile, you name it. I don’t think you could name an automotive engine that wasn’t mounted in a dragster at one time or the other. We even had dragsters with aircraft engines. In the early 1950’s when drag racing was still something new, the media called the dragsters “rail jobs”. This was because the early dragsters were not much more than a car with an engine mounted in frame rails. Get a car, remove the body, fenders pretty much everything else, and you had a “rail job”. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that before we had 18-wheeler “transporters” with tool cabinets that cost more than a house, we had single axle open trailers and a tool box we could carry with one hand. Our “transporter” was usually a trailer hitch on the of the family station wagon or pick-up truck. It was a different time, but it was our roots and it is our heritage.

Success claims many fathers. I want to say here and now. My stories are true as best as my 84 year old brain can muster. My still acute memory and the ability to prove what I tell may be the reason God delegated me to live this long. To tell true stories and try to set my drag racing history correct. THANK YOU GOD!  Let’s go back to 1986. My mountain motor days. My best friend and arch rival, Wild Bill Kuhlmann and I were jaded with our careers. We needed something new and with better pay. Bill and I set up a private meeting Dec of 86, at the Holiday Inn in Springfield, IL. That was midpoint distance for Bill and me. Bill was from Wentzville, Mo. Me Jim Feurer (Known better in drag racing as ANIMAL JIM.) from Lacon, Illinois.. Bill and I brought all our press clippings, resume etc. We decided we could not afford to run NHRA or IHRA Pro Stock. AHRA was long gone. So it was circuit race or match race for low budget professional drag racers. Bill and I even considered UDRA Funny Cars, and went to their annual UDRA Funny Car meeting. No way. Too much equipment changes. We needed more bookings and for more money. To achieve that we needed to orchestrate something new. We both decided it had to be with door cars. One big thing Bill and I had was an overload of PANACHE. (RECKLESS COURAGE) This was very infectious to fans, media and promotors and even sponsors. I have always believed, that overload of panache Bill and I shared was a natural born attribute. “How about 200 mph match race touring team of Pro Stock bookings?” Bill and I hit on that idea simultaneously. We then called around to various heavy duty promoters, race car journalist, and finally our own agent Duane Nickels’ of the famed Nickels and Associates. Duane thought our idea was great. But he said, “Before we advertise 200 mph Pro Stocks, someone has to do it first.” Then we realized no door car anywhere had ever hit 200 drag racing door slammers yet! OOPS! Some IHRA Mountain Motor guys had broken into the 190. mph mark. What an opportunity. To be the first to run 200 mph in a door car. After our meeting, I lost focus due to family matters, caring for my invalid old parents. I am not blaming them. It is what should be done. Linda’s mother was also failing. We lived 45 miles from each. My parents had no insurance. We finally tapped out. Their church even helped. I had forgotten all about a 200 mph touring team. Bill knew of my problems. So he did not bug me. My friend and former sponsor and owner of NOS (Nitrous Oxide Systems) Mike thermos did call me a couple times that winter offering to sponsor me again and was confident with my 675” Engine and the new NOS fogger nitrous system I could go 200 .Linda and I had so much family problems Mike’s offer fell on deaf ears. But Wild Bill Kuhlmann did not lose focus of our dream. Unknown to me Bill Kuhlmann was methodically transforming his current pro stock Camaro into a one purpose machine. It was to be the first door car to break 200 mph in a quarter mile. By the time February came, IHRA plus some fans and colleges asked if I was going to race Pro Stock at the IHRA Darlington Winter Nationals in March as usual. I told my wife Linda Lou. She said, “Send in your entry. This is business. That first race brings lot of promoters looking for match race talent. It always produces some bookings for us.” So I entered Pro Stock as usual. When my crew Al and Douglas Schmitt, and Ed Fogelsonger were sitting in line at Darlington with our rig waiting for the gate for professional entries to open, I looked over at the Top Sportsman pits. Low and behold. There in the grassy area sat the Wild Bill Kuhlmann 87 Camaro, sporting a huge rear spoiler, new huge hood scoop with Sonny Leonard decals. Plus huge NOS decals all over the body. Top Sportsman was only a high level bracket class. But Nitrous and other modifications were legal. It instantly it hit me. Bill was going to go 200 in Top Sportsmen. A lesser class. But with softer rules. Not Pro Stock rules. TS still is a door car class. Silly me. I never thought of that. Bill did not disappoint. He went 202+ March 14, 1987. And smoking the ties from mid track to finish. Talk about panache! WOW! As much as I admired Bill’s success, I got a sick feeling in my gut. Nitrous was legal in UDRA Pro Stock. I will have to run Bill in that venue and match races. I had no choice. I needed to conform. Hello NOS again! My next race was a month later. The annual UDRA Spring Nationals at Byron IL. Dragway. To some that event, the Outlaw Pro Stock final became legendary. Byron then was NHRA sanctioned and also hosting an NHRA Div. 3 Event. Which meant all racers and cars had to be inspected by NHRA tech. My car along with most Pro Stock cars needed a new even larger bar once again under the driver side rocker panel mandated by NHRA for 1987. I pointed out that last year we added a new size bigger bar alongside the excising one, so both bars creating a duplex would be stronger than that the new rule. The NHRA tech official did not buy that. I responded with “You best brush up with your physics and common sense!” I was so upset, I threatened to load up and leave. My friends UDRA Event director Ron Colson and Super Stock Magazine Editor Jeff Burk talked me into staying. The NHRA waved the new rule till next event. Those two friends went to bat for me. So I stayed. This would be my first time with nitrous on my Kaase 675” Monolith Engine. Bill and I made history qualifying. Both of us ran couple tenths quicker than rest of the field. Wild Bill and I qualified one and two swapping record setting numbers and went through that field of entries like poop through a goose. Bill ended number one qualifier and me a close number two. And we ended up facing each other in the finals. By this time I decided to use the nitrous sooner than hitting it in third gear. I planned to use it when shifting to second. I did feel I could win and perhaps go 200. We both did humongous long burnouts. While backing up I had a miss. I think I broke an exhaust rocker arm stand. (So much for trying to win.) Al backed me up and I stage anyway hoping Bll would red light , get loose, shake the tires, or break. Bill and I played no staging games. Bill made a perfect run. I followed trying the nitrous to no avail. Never the less. History was made that day. That final has become a legend. Pictures are all over face book. Bill and I went on be in 9 UDRA finals that season. We were always one and two swapping records and wins. This event was the start of something big. I don’t think anyone knew how big. Bill had kicked the door open breaking 200 at Darlington that March. The Pro Modified seed was planted. Part two I will tell about four of my Pro Mod rides. 1989 to 2001 and about the modifications and updates of Zeke, plus my three purpose built Pro Modified cars’. The modifications and updates of my 79 Pro Stock Zephyr we call Zeke were done by me and Rick Jones 1989/90. 2. The Rick Jones Amazing Psychotic Probe 90 and 91. 3. The fabulous Jerry Haas WunderBird Thunderbird Super Coupe 1992 to 1996. 4. The sleek chopped top Tim McCamis Ballistic Thunderbird Super Coupe. 1999 to 2002.

PHOTOS by RICHARD JAESCHKE WWW.HOTRODONLINE.COM

For 1984 , I switched from SB Nitrous Cleveland to a humongous 675 CI Mountain Motor we dubbed the “Monolith”. ( I have to explain hear and now, “Motor” is not the proper name. “Engine” is. But “Mountain Motor” has a better limerick cadence to it than “Mountain Engine”. Look up definition of “Motor” and “Engine”. Or how about “Elephant Engine”? Too clumsy! My engineer mentor Bob Olmsted would flip in his grave, if he read this. Never called an engine a motor around (Bob! ) RIP BOB! This 675 Jon Kaase Engine sported Allen Root special Aluminum Block 11.2 Deck Ht. Steel Chrome Mollie Sleeves with O rings. Bore was 4.635 , steel BRC crank ,Arias pistons and Venolia aluminum rods, with 5” stroke X 0.7854 x 8 =675. Had AR Aluminum Hemi Heads. Worked over by Jon. AR Tunnel Ram worked over with two Holley 1100 dominators and MSD Crank Trigger Ign. Dynoed 1150 HP @ 7,000 RPM. Jon called me all excited about the results. Winter of 83/84. Cost was $25,000! Remember-This was 40 years ago! That engine also included a special .800+lift cam and 2.500” diam. Intake and 2.00” exhaust valves. All 16 were Manley Titanium valves of course. Funny story: Shortly after Jon called, some dude called from Chicago area telling me he developed a Ford Cammer using Gilmer belts instead of timing chains. He wanted to team up with me putting his Cammer in Zeke. Then, before I could respond he insulted my persona telling me I would have to cleanup, starting with cutting my hair. Then!!! I responded. I told him about my Kaase 675 Boss Hemi, and Jon calling with results. I added, “As for my grooming .I would not cut my hair for my mother, let alone for you! You insulting joker!” And I hung up. I do not recall a name. Once I did trim my hair a bit. Promoters, media and fans did not like that. Especially the late great Bill Bader. And my little girl cried when she saw my hair trimmed. 2. First time out with the “Monolith” 675 was not successful. One problem was the new fiberglass doors. That big engine had so much torque it would twist Zeke out of shape launching the driver door. It would fly off. It happened twice in a row. I had orange duct tape, and had my crew chief Cliff Sturm tape me in next run. Door stayed put. But had to wait for Cliff to come untape me at top end. Tech would have had a cow if they knew. (At US 30, perhaps not) Another problem was starter was not strong enough for that engine. I could see some other matters would need looking after with that much power. So we loaded up and went home. I never experienced so much brute power. At my shop at home we cured the starter problem by connecting another battery and solenoid to create 24 volts just when cranking, and included a MSD retard with momentary toggle switch. And just a cheap rebuilt starter worked great. Until two years later and went to a dry sump system, and had to use a mini starter do to different pan. Amazingly that Hamburger mini starter and MSD retard and 12 volts worked fine. For the next three years, 1984,85,86 and first race in 87 we ran pure Mountain Motor Pro Stock , mostly in UDRA and Match Races . We did ok, winning several UDRA events, and went rounds at a couple IHRA Nationals. One of my most memorable IHRA Mountain Motor runs was Aug. of 85 at Norwalk, Oh. I had Bob Glidden first round. I took a shot at the tree and cut a spectacular .002 light. I was way ahead of Bob. Then by fourth gear I saw that Thunder Bird nose appear. We went through the traps side by side. Bob got the win light by .001. While waiting for our tow vehicles, Bob came over and asked if I had a pretty good run. I said it was good. When I got my time ticket I realized I had run a career best et. But, so did Bob. He had won by .001. However, during my 3 year pure Mountain Motor Pro Stock effort, as I told earlier, I won several UDRA , match, and special events. 3. One of my favorite wins was August 10th. 1986. I had the unbeatable Bob Olsen in the final. I was still driving my trusty Mercury Zephyr with the Monolith 675 engine. This event was The Annual Pro Stock/Funny Car Open at Byron, Il. Rules? Ha! It was “Run what you Brung! And you better Bring Enough!” I went to finals, caught a great light and beat that Steward and Olsen Pontiac by a fender. Then another big change happened. My friend, Wild Bill Kuhlmann, In March of 77 put A NOS Fogger System on his new Sonny 632 bb Chevy. Bill entered Top Sportsman. Nitrous was legal there. Bill’s motive was to be the first ever door car to go 200 ! Which I witnessed him doing so at IHRA Nationals at Darlington SC. OH! OH! Nitrous was also legal in UDRA, No one had ever taken advantage of it with a killer mountain motor till Bill. Bill Kuhlmann had gone ahead with his dream we both shared and discussed back in December. While I was side tracked with other matters. I had no choice. I had to go same direction to compete from then on. UDRA was my main arena. So hello NOS. My old friend. My Kaase/Allen Root, 675 Ford Boss Hemi loved it! It sure did! We estimated we went from 1200 hp to1700hp with just a basic single NOS Fogger system. And basic tune up. Just hitting the Nos during second gear on, would net 5 tenths quicker and 10 mph. It felt like a powerful passing gear. We won many races and the U DRA Outlaw Pro Stock Championships 88 and 89. I consider 87,88, and 89 , The formative days o Pro Modified. Wild Bill had kicked that door wade open! I ran our next car the same way. By then, we were running Pro Modified. The 90 Probe was one of the first cars purpose built for Pro Modified. Built and sponsored by Rick Jones. Officially it was the first Ford door car to go 200 mph. 4. I was still using old engines, the Kaase Monolith 675 Ford Boss hemi and the Jim Ehlen 666 we called Damian! And it ran high 6 second runs, still on a basic same Fogger system. But I was now hitting nitrous right after the launch. Better late than never, August of 91 we put a new Kaase 698” beast in the Probe. We won a third championship with Probe with the USSC. That made 5 championships for me altogether. In 92, came the fabulous Haas Thunderbird Super Coupe we named Wunder Bird! We set many records and won many races. With son in law Doug Fennell’s awesome design and paint job, it won IHRA Best Appearing/Engineering two years in a row. Which was unheard of. With this car we used nitrous on the launch, and a second system @ .5 second timer , producing 1800/2000 hp. Running 6 sec/200 +mph runs at will. Ronnie Sox, Wane Torkelson and I, swapped records of quickest Ford door slammers on the earth for several years. Well, it seems I am getting ahead of myself. My next chapter about my Pro Modified years will be my next article.  Written by ANIMAL JIM FEURER. MAY GOD KEEP YA ALL.

The year was 1961, and Don Hill bought the 1953 Studebaker as a parts car to his street 53 Studebaker. After pilfering all the parts Don needed off the Studebaker, one sunny summer day in 1963 Don and the family were having a picnic at their house in Ballwin Missouri. Don’s brother Jack Hill was there and the two of them were playing horseshoes and Jack made a bet with Don that if he threw the next horseshoe as a ringer Don would have to sell the Studebaker parts car for $25.00. Well Jack did just that and handed over the $25.00 to his older brother Don. You see Don and Jack Hill were not just brothers, they were also a team together as the Hill-Boys racing team out of the Midwest. After the second world war, the two of them started racing an open wheel stock car. The Hill-Boys were known coast to coast on dirt tracks and later, asphalt tracks as fierce competitors. It was their way of life. In 1963 by now they both were not racing open wheel cars anymore and Jack had the need to play around with the 1953 Studebaker that he had just bought from Don. Jack decided to put a 392 Chrysler Hemi with two four barrels, 727 torque flight transmission that all was put into the stock Studebaker chassis. Custom headers, Olds rear-end, ladder bars and a 4-point roll cage were added. The car was now ready to race, and the year was 1964. After a few runs the Studebaker took a back seat to work. Just a few years earlier Jack started a company called Precision Rebuilders which is still in operation today. In 1972 Jack gave the car to his son Mike Hill on his 16th birthday. The car sat around for a few years and in 1979 Don’s son Butch Hill and Mike became partners/owners in the Studebaker. In 1990 Butch decided to sell out to Mike to build a 1939 Ford Coupe so they could go racing together. In the late 80s during a race in Wentzville, Mo at MAR raceway, the Studebaker was having trouble creating real horsepower. Don Garlits was at this race and took a liking to the car and within one hour after sitting down with Big Daddy he spelled out all the tricks to make the Hemi perform like it should. In 1992 the car was chopped. Later in 92 Jack Hill lost his battle with cancer. In 1994 both Mike and Butch willed their cars to one another to make sure they stay in the Hill family. In 1995 Golden Hawk fins were added to the car. 1997 came along a new paint scheme from red to the Blue/Purple with flames. In 2006 the car was awarded Dupont’s paint of the year. In 2007 Don Hill lost his life to a stroke and in 2009 Mike Hill lost his 4-year battle with cancer. In 2012 Butch Hill willed the Studebaker to his children Cameron and Caitlin Hill to once again keep it in the family. Today Butch Hill is still racing the car in the Nostalgia Drag Racing League (NDRL). And the car is considered the World’s quickest all steel 1953 Studebaker. The car weighs 3,200 pounds and is still running a 392 Hemi. Although it does not run a steel block anymore, the aluminum Donovan motor from the 60s puts out 1,100 hp and 1,092-foot pounds of torque. Sitting on top of that Donovan is a 671 blower with a 4 port Hilborn injection running on alcohol. The car is still running a 727-torque flight, Ford 9” rear end with 4.10 gears and believe it or not, it is still running the same latter bars that were built in 1963.  No electronics other than a trans button. Even though this car looks like it is a fiberglass car going 250 mph setting still. This car is truly old school in its body and power plant. The body is original Studebaker steel even down to the door hinges and steel chrome bumpers. .

By this point of the 2024 season, you can rest assured a heated points battle will be underway and it will all conclude with a return for the CHAOS brand to Midstate Dragway, formally Central Illinois Dragway, in Havana, Illinois for the Nitro Chaos Championship Finals, September 20-21st. CID was one of the original host tracks for Funny Car Chaos dating back to 2018 and after recent ownership and management changes, is very excited to welcome the CHAOS back to Havana to crown the 2024 Nitro Chaos Champion! This will be the largest gathering of nitro burning drag racing machines in track history, we assure you that.

By Dan Ricks

Text and photos by Dan Ricks

Text and Photos by Dan Ricks