Richie Crampton and Jonnie Lindberg Drive The TAFC-Powered ’57 Chevy Wagon On The Street

Each year during Hot Rod Magazine’s grueling Drag Week event, there’s a car that nobody saw coming that “breaks the internet”. Tom Bailey has had a couple of cars that really grabbed everybody’s attention, as has Jeff Lutz, both of whom are drag week legends. And of course, there was a huge buzz when another drag week legend, Larry Larson, debuted this S-10 a couple of years ago.

However, as badass as those guys rides have all been, I’m not sure any of them got the kind of attention that NHRA nitro drivers Richie Crampton and Jonnie Lindberg have gotten this year. The two teamed up to build one of the most unbelievably badass rides we’ve ever seen, and we clearly aren’t the only ones who are diggin’ it!

Officially dubbed the Shit Box of Doom, the car itself belongs to Crampton. It’s an all-steel 1957 Chevy wagon body draped over a full tube chassis. The engine and drivetrain are Lindberg’s contribution to the project, along with his skill and expertise which, combined the Crampton’s, has brought the car together in just a few short days following the US Nationals.

The engine is the real showpiece, not to take anything at all away from the car itself. With a water-jacketed Noonan block serving as the base of the build, everything else was pulled directly from Lindberg’s world-record holding top alcohol funny car engine, inducing the massive blower, clutch, and Lenco transmission. With an estimated 4,000 horsepower on tap, this thing has enough power to do some damage on the quarter mile, especially when the team gets the car’s tune refined and can really push it.

For street driving, the pair came up with an ingenious plan to reduce stress on the engine and wear and tear on the blower. Once they’re done making laps at the track, they simply pull the blower belt and replace the burst panel on the intake with a throttle body, which allows the engine to run naturally aspirated until they reach the next stop on the tour.