The chopped coupe began life as Ronson Body fiberglass piece in Florida. Saturated in Viper Red and accented with orange and yellow flames, the car can be dropped to the pavement thanks to Air Ride suspension at all four corners.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Mike Buchanan's automotive interests run the gamut from performance to beauty. His 1968-vintage junior fuel dragster takes care of the go-fast end of the equation, while his beautiful flamed 1933 Ford 3-window coupe fills in the street cruiser function.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
One of the trademarks of a Jim Davis-built dragster was the set of bumps in the cowl, reportedly put there so Davis' pointed-toe cowboy boots would clear the body work.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Upholstery isn't much of a consideration for trips down the strip in Buchanan's junior fuel dragster. The 1968-vintage chassis was brought up to current specifications and is certified for passes as quick as 7.50 seconds in the quarter-mile.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A traditional butterfly-style steering wheel is used to point the dragster down the track; the driver's legs are draped over the axle tubes of the 9-inch Ford rear end, which houses a 4:56 racing spool.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Like some of its airborne brethren, Buchanan's dragster requires a drag chute to help slow it down. The safety ribbon is pulled just before a run so the parachute pack will open at the other end.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Don't look for these wheels or tires on this car the next time you see it. The Hoosier slicks and Pro Center Line wheels will give way to a set of Halibrand-style ET racing wheels and new 12-inch rubber, probably a set of Goodyears.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Another clue that this dragster was built by Jim Davis in northern California is the single quarter-elliptic spring mounted to the front axle. The shock absorber was added after an especially tall wheelstand broke the front wheels.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Methanol is carried in the vented, streamlined aluminum fuel tank artfully squeezed between the frame rails. Buchanan said the car is surprisingly fuel efficient on its short jaunts down the strip.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The dragster's Chevy V-8 is fed by a set of vintage Hilborn mechanical injectors topped by eight distinctive belled stacks.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Zoomie-style headers route the noise up and away; Buchanan said he added the Mickey Thompson aluminum valve covers to maintain a vintage look.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The dragster, originally powered by a nitro-gulping 392 Chrysler Hemi, is a Jim Davis-built 175-inch wheelbase car that was campaigned in California in the late 1960s. It now is outfitted with a 377-cubic-inch fuel-injected small-block V-8 running on methanol, but will eventually be restored to AA/FD status with a supercharged Hemi.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Small nerf bars and '39 Ford LED tail lights accent the rear end of the coupe, without detracting from the flow of its classic lines.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A 4-spoke Speedway steering wheel tops the brushed metal tilt steering column; a billet aluminum panel houses Auto Meter gauges. Shifting is done by means of a tall Lokar unit, while air conditioning is handled by Vintage Air and road tunes by Secret Audio.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
With the help of an instructional CD, Buchanan taught himself upholstery skills, reflected here in the pleated gray leather door panels trimmed in imitation ostrich leather.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Stylecraft Auto Upholstery handled re-covering the 1993 Firebird seats, matching them perfectly to Buchanan's interior handiwork.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
American Racing Torq Thrust II wheels fitted with BFG TA tires front and rear tuck up nicely under the full, flowing fenders.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Buchanan opted to keep the 350 Chevy V-8 that was in the car when he bought it. It transmits 390 horsepower to a 700R4 automatic overdrive transmission. Rear drive is accomplished via an 8-inch Ford differential and a set of 3.0 highway gears.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Buchanan says, "I love drying the front fenders." With the voluptuous curves of the '34 Ford coupe, who can blame the guy?
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
"It gets to 7600 rpm pretty quick," says Buchanan, who keeps his eye on the tachometer and shifts the 2-speed Powerglide racing transmission at that point.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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