Will a Third Attempt at a Drag-and-Drive Be the Charm for This Wild Supercharged S-10?
Although drag-and-drive events can be the ultimate playground to determine the true street ability of a vehicle, there are plenty that have survived and completed an event in their first attempt.
Unfortunately, there are others that fall on hard times, as most find it’s not the track, but the road that’s not forgiving.
There’s a third segment that plans to attend, but suffers breakage before getting to the event. This is where Phil Gulledge falls, and he’s hoping his third shot at a drag-and-drive event, the 2023 edition of Hot Rod Drag Week, will be a success.
“This is actually going to me my third attempt to compete,” said Gulledge. “I’ve just never made it to tech day.” His first attempt resulted in a broken input shaft the Saturday before Hot Rod Drag Week 2019, and a possible appearance at this year’s Sick Week was thwarted when cracks in the ports of his cylinder heads were discovered.
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This wild Chevrolet S-10 Unlimited class build, based on a 25.1-SFI spec Tim McAmis “DIY fit and weld” chassis, was done by Gulledge. “It has your typical body modifications for a steel roof and quarters big tire chassis car,” he said.
The pick-up packs a ton of subtle modifications, including a one-inch roof narrowing on each side to delete the drip rails, and Gulledge raised the bedsides 6 inches to fit the massive 34.5-inch tires, while still being able to sit low.
He uni-bodied the sides and narrowed the back window, and even added 1994 Cadillac Deville tail lights for a custom touch. “Just about everything else is carbon fiber,” said Gulledge. “If I could make it strong and light, it’s made out of carbon or titanium.”
The “Pro Mouse” truck packs an all-aluminum 388 cubic inch Dart/Buick Spread Port Headed Small Block Chevrolet, with an eye-grabbing 8-71 Littlefield LB series supercharger and a one off Hogans blower tunnel ram on top. “It is 100-percent EFI controlled,” said Gulledge, as he employs a FuelTech FT600 to control the gas on the street and methanol tunes on the track.
“We are expecting to see something in the neighborhood of 1700-2000 horsepower around the 9000-9200 rpm range,” he stated, which should put him into the desired 6-second / 200 mph range he hopes to obtain.
Behind the potent small block sits a 4-speed Lenco transmission, and the interior is all-business with carbon fiber and roll cage taking up the majority of the landscape.
“Honestly, I think drag-and-drives are the ultimate test for a car builder,” said Gulledge. “It makes you think about things a typical race car builder would NEVER have to come up with solutions for, and that’s what excites me most.”
“Drag-and-drives combine everything I love,” he continued. “Amazing cars, cruising with friends, and drag racing. But it also showcases how inventive someone can be in their garage. You have to build and maintain something that can not only go down the track quickly and consistently on different surfaces, but also has the ability to drive from track to track and survive.”
Can Gulledge complete the feat this September? “My main goal is to finish obviously,” he said. “But seeing a 6-second pass on the scoreboard and/or getting into the 200-mph club would be icing on the cake. I’d like to eventually take a shot at the Roots blower record for a drag-and-drive event, but that’s going to be a day 5 conversation.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Phil Gulledge.