HERO CAR

There are legends, heroes , and  people who inspired us to points in our lives. Imagine wearing Superman's cape or Batman giving you the Batmobile ,that is what this story is about. Jesse Callaway was a young man in the late '70's with leaded fuel in his veins . His older brother was into drag racing and had a 1969 Mach 1 , Jesse learned how to drive in that car . Since that time he has not been without a Mustang in his stable, but its the current pony  that is his pride.  Down the road from were he grew up , a guy named Frank owned a factory Big Block 67 Mustang . From the time he bought it new it served duty as a street racer , until a incident caused minor damage to the front end. At that time  he decided to dedicated it to a strip car, and the transformation began. Frank began building it in his garage near Jesse in Omaha NE, and a young Jesse watched in fascination as this once stock stallion became a Pro/Stock worthy ride. A 427 High Riser was backed by the tried and true Toploader 4-Speed,  while a 4 link locates the 9 inch  thus rounding out the drivetrain. Safety was managed with a owner built 10 point cage  and aftermarket safety harness .  A lacquer paint job  with panel insets as was the style of the time  ensured it looked as fast as it ran. At the track Jesse watched as the Mustang shook the earth and decimated those unlucky enough to draw the opposite lane . He was racing his own Mustang by this time and the inspiration from Franks car was etched in his memory. By 1982 Frank had placed the car in storage  and its racing days were put on hold. Jesse remained friends with Frank and kept track of the car over the years. Finally in '03 the time came for the car to change hands , when Frank called he headed out with a trailer, price was not a thought he had to have this car . A deal was struck and the car was purchased minus the Highriser and Toploader.  Once back home Jesse began resurrecting it back to its former glory. This time though a Shelby block stroked and poked to 510 cid  , and capped by a set of Carrol's own  heads served as the bases. Barry Robotnick of Survival Motorsports supplied the rotating assembly.  Setting majestically on top is a rare Dove mfg tunnel ram sporting venerable Holleys. Backing it up with David Keys   manufactured Toploader and  rowing the gears falls to a Mr. Gasket Z-Gate shifter supplying  vintage looks and functionality . All this power is applied to the ground though a set of 17.50-32-15 Mickey Thompson DOT  tires wrapped around Mickey Thompson Pro-5 retro wheels.  After deliberation a restoration of the original 70's paint was done , making this car a survivor and a glimpse into the old days. Although it has not logged a pass back down the strip Jesse is enjoying having a important piece of his past back. His best memory is watching the car do burnouts and launches when he was a kid and never would have dreamed he would have Superman's cape setting in his garage.