Octane Magazine - 409 Thunder

409 THUNDER
story/photos: dan hankin

At The Rod Shop, building cars is a family affair. Owner Jimmy Williams' dad started building hot rods way back in 1957. Twenty years later, young Jimmy joined his dad in the garage and started learning the ropes. Williams has continued that tradition with his wife and daughter, whose jr. dragster often shares space in the trailer with The Rod Shops '54 Chevy pickup, 409 Thunder. Stop by the Rod Shop Racing trailer at the track and you'll likely meet all of them.

Williams paid $100 for this '54 pickup in 1991. It was little more than a shell at that time, but the family soon had it running and used it as a landscaping truck for the next couple of years. In the late 90's the fat fendered Chevy began the drastic transformation to the truck you see in these photos.

The first thing you notice is the awesome flame job laid out by Igor of Igor's Pinstriping. The flames highlight blinding white paint and a 3" chop, both executed by Jimmy and his dad. Less obvious body mods include lexan windows, a handmade aluminum bed and tailgate with fiberglass fenders, and a fiberglass hood. The cab and doors are original steel.

Take a peek under the enormous hood scoop and you'll spy a '62 Chevy 409 punched out to 482 c.i. by Lamar Walden of Doraville, Georgia. The motor boasts a whopping 15:1 compression with 6 bolt mains, aluminum rods, and a roller cam and rockers. A handmade sheet metal intake by Lamar Walden is home to two Holley 660 cfm 4 barrel carbs. The combination makes an estimated 750 horsepower.

Gary's Transmissions of Norfolk put together a Hurst Quarterstick shifted Powerglide trans with a 5500 stall convertor that puts the power to a Ford 9" rear spinning a 5.14 gear. A trans brake and line lock help Williams get the 14x32 Good Year slicks hooked.

The interior is all business sporting just the essential gauges, driver seat, shifter, and steering wheel. The rest is covered in lightweight aluminum, with the dash signed by the Big Daddy himself, Don Garlits, at the 2003 Super Chevy Show at VMP.

It's all suspended on a Sonny Butler tubular chassis with a Heidts coilover suspension and Wilwood disc brakes up front and ladder bars in the rear.

To date, the truck has run a best time of 10.26 at 130 mph, footbraking. Following a 2002 crash at Virginia Motorsports Park, Williams made some changes to the Chevy. With the newly installed trans brake and a few adjustments, Williams is confident he'll see mid-9's in the near future.