Jonnie Lindberg And Richie Crampton’s Drag Week MONSTER! TAFC Combo In Chevy Wagon

Let’s say, hypothetically speaking, that you’re an NHRA top fuel driver and you and a buddy, who just happens to be a funny car driver and top alcohol funny car owner and tuner, decide to build a drag week car. I won’t say you have unlimited funds, but you do have a pile of cash, a badass ’57 Chevy station wagon, and access to the engine, clutch and transmission combination out of an actual running, competitive top alcohol funny car. I think you know where this is going…

In the video below, you’re looking at the maiden voyage of top fuel driver Richie Crampton and nitro funny car driver Jonnie Lindberg’s absolutely mind blowing 1957 Chevy wagon. The car itself is all steel, retaining the factory body work, right down to the massive bumpers, including the rust and patina that would make just about anybody write the car off as a fixer-upper at best, at least until they see what’s under that iconic body.

The body has been carefully draped over a full tube chassis that should help keep the car from flexing too badly because flex causes all kinds of problems, especially when you’re trying to harness some estimated 5,000 horsepower. Where in the world did I come up with that number, you ask? Well just take a look at what’s stuffed into the engine bay and you’ll understand.

That, my friends, is a legitimate top alcohol funny car engine. This is not some old junk that Crampton and Lindberg had laying around, this engine and drivetrain was pulled straight out of Lindberg’s shop, where it has been waiting as a backup for his world-record holding TAFC! The Noonan block is water-jacketed, so it can be plumbed to the radiator to keep things cool while driving from track to track, but that’s the only significant difference in the combo.

When it comes time to drive from track to track, which is where many of these cars fall short, the blower can be disconnected and the engine fed through a throttle body that’s been bolted in place of the burst panel on the front of the intake, converting it into a marginally-milder street drivable hotrod to get them to the next track.

No matter how you slice it, this is one cool ride! I can’t wait to see what kind of numbers it puts up once they’re able to turn up the wick!