: Discovery Channel

MODEL T/DRAG RACER
Episode Guide Main »

MOTOR CITY MOTORS REVEALED: Go behind the scenes of the show with Dave and James Kaye, a.k.a the Detroit Brothers. Watch now!

DESCRIPTION: The team started out with a stock 1926 Model T four-door sedan, complete with a four-cylinder 20-horsepower motor, stock front hand crank and wooden wheels. The classic car was gutted and chopped -- 4 inches -- and transformed into a mid-'60s-style gasser drag racer.

BUILDER BIOS

* Dave and James Kaye, Detroit Brothers
* Jason Huyghe, formerly with the Navy, now works building maintenance for The Majestic, an old concert venue/bowling alley. He has a wide range of skills, from welding to electrical and carpentry.
* Bruce Kimmin owns Heads Up Racing, a race-car fab shop. A motor builder extraordinaire, Bruce is a fan of the phrase, "Who's your daddy?"
* Mike Plautz is a builder/fabricator for Giffin Industries, which manufactures paint finishing systems for many mainstream automakers. A Harley guy, Mike has been married to his wife for 14 years.
* Benjamin (Benny) Marshall III is a sheet-metal worker and musician. When not working, he plays bass for his heavy-metal band, "Brotherhood Recipe."
* Charles (Chuck) Mitchell is a Model T expert. He volunteers at the Greenfield Village Henry Ford Museum and is heavily involved in his car club, the "Casual Ts."

VEHICLE SPECS

VEHICLE NAME: Model-T Gasser
MAKE: Ford
MODEL: Model-T
YEAR: 1926

LENGTH: 8 feet, 9 inches
WIDTH: 6 feet
HEIGHT: 5 feet, 2 inches
GROUND CLEARANCE: 10 inches
WEIGHT: 2,200 pounds

MONSTER PARTS: 1,000-horsepower Ford 521-cubic-inch Holbrook motor topped off with an 871 Dyer blower and dual 750-cfm carbs
* C-6 transmission
* 15x4 ET drag wheels in front and 15x8 Coker steel drag wheels with cheater slicks in rear
* full custom roll cage
* louvered roof panels
* Kirkey aluminum racing seat
* straight front axle with disk brake conversion
* Ford 9-inch rear axle with ladder bar suspension

SPECIAL WELDS: The frame had to be TIG welded back together after being chopped.

BODY MODIFICATIONS: The roof was chopped 3 inches, the car was channeled, and a custom frame was built.

DESCRIPTION OF BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACED IN TRANSFORMATION: By far, the biggest challenge was to assemble all the engine components and make them run properly within the time allotted.

PAINT: Flat black with custom pin-striping