I'm looking for any pics, info video other than whats out there already on Google for the slant six Hilborn powered rail. Anyone know what happened to the engine/Injection unit? I have heard from Doug Dutra (slant six god) that Wilford Day ended up with the engine and that's whet he set the land speed records with in his Barracuda but I have also heard that the Hilborn unit ended up in the Seattle area in a road race car at SIR. Apparently a guy on the team knew a guy on the Dragmaster team and they did some trading when they decided to move on from the slant powered rail. Who knows if it is true or just your normal gearhead bullshit... I have managed after 12 years of looking to track down the car that supposedly has the same Hilborn unit that was on the Dragmaster rail and will be looking/buying it next month. I contacted Hilborn and they said they can run the numbers off the manifold and tell me for sure if it was used on the Dragmaster Six or if it was just a random manifold they sold. Here is the car that I have been looking for and found.... About mid way through this video there are some pics of the Dragmaster Six. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpyAiXPlgBQ&feature=related Again any pics (Color would be awesome!) or info (year/model of the Dragmaster frame), video, or other info would be great!
WOW. One of my all time favourites. Hilborn made the unit from a Maserati V12 set up. Somewhere I have a copy of the original article. He (Stu H)wasnt too pleased with the amount of work involved if I understood the article properly. Car did not perform until a magazine writer hopped in a tried a neutral start. The rest is history. Car had a 904 auto (as does mine) but Frank Lupo was just a wee lad back then so good slant six convertors had not been developed. Now they are and I currently have one that will reach 4700 in mine. I believe engine had an Isky cam if memory serves me. I think I heard it eventually ran in the 9s. Most impressive if so. Other DD slant six guy
I'd read a one-page article about the rail that mentioned Mercedes mechanical FI parts being used somehow. Gotta find that mag.
Some more Hilborn shots.... This manifold belonged to a guy I was emailing back and forth with a few years ago. He pulled it out and took some reference shots for me...
Quite a few years ago Doug Dutra was spearheading a deal with Hilborn to recast the manifold but I think they wanted something like 10 guaranteed sales at $1200 each. From what I heard they no longer have the original castings for the manifolds.
Weren't those the snowmobile carbs? I remember when you did that, I thought it was a pretty cool idea.
recast the manifold The casting is easy. It is machining the throttle shaft holes that is the hard part. There are lots of aluminum foundries around or even a backyard with a good size pot could pour it. Easiest way is to make it from Blue Styrofoam first then bury it in the sand with a generous sprue and good venting at the high points. (Just glue on a scrap of stryo that sticks out of the sand anywhere there might be air trapped ) But boring a proper throttle shaft hole would take some doing. I had some manifold parts cast here before I built my own home foundry. Cost was $150 back then . I have a set of injector throttle bodies all cast and rough machining done but they are indivitual per cylinder and I havent made the jig yet to bore the holes. And then I ask myself why injection? Carbs will make the same power if you are good with them. Like injection my 6 Hd carbs needed a prime for the initial fire up. After warm though they would fire on their own IE in staging lanes. Don
If you can find them, there are some motorcycle carbs that use accelerator pumps and will start cold or hot without a squirt of gas. The Honda Goldwing used a low gas tank, so the engine had a mechanical fuel pump, and carbs with accelerator pumps.
I have actually been looking into 3D printing. My friend owns a machine shop with everything from war era Bridgeports, most modern CNC and he just got a 3D printer and scanner. They would be great for making a perfect piece to cast. SlantSixDan was just over at my house yesterday and we were talking about aluminum heads, the factory only did a test run of about 100 heads and no one knows how many are left. I know of 3 or 4, Doug Dutra has one, a unknown collector has one, there is another in Australia and there are rumors of another in a collection. I have also been told that they are making new slant blocks out of stainless in Argentina for marine applications. Weather it is true or not who knows but I do know that most of the tooling went down there.
At the Nostalgia Drags held annually at Famosa north of Bakersfield a racer shows with a Slant Six and has constantly upgraded it. The turbo version is in a valiant and is a real sleeper. Normbc9
Turboed a 170 in 1975. I used a corvair turbo and carb. Then made a plate and tube to use a 600 hollley eventually. Car worked well for several years. Was in a 32 bantam altered. NOW I would like to find a used (cheap)Buick Gran National or even old Regal set up. That would be a perfect fit for a 225. But alas all I have is a ME90 Blower. Might happen just for fun. Currently working on this for the blue dragster engine. Don
I have been talking to someone from Hilborn through facebook messages and asked if they knew roughly how many units were made and if there was a way to verify that the unit that was on the Dragmaster Dart Six was infact the first one and also on the engine that I am going to look at next month and this was the response... Hilborn Fuel Injection "Unfortunately, I can not locate unit 101. I have found 102-111, all sold between 1968-1973. Sometimes the very first casting in a new product can be made as "on loan" for testing or research. Possibly this is the case and can be one reason why I can't find #101 in our archives." They also said that the pics I posted of the unit sitting on the green table appear to be unit #107 originally sold to Cornelison Speed Automotive in Creston, IA in Dec 1969. I'm excited and can't wait another month to go look at it. It may just be a six banger but to me finding this exact engine with this injection unit after 12 years of looking is up there with getting to have lunch with the designer of the slant six (Willem Weertman) a few years ago.
Does anyone know if there any way to get ahold of Dode Martin or anyone else via email/phone that would know specs or history of the Dragmaster Dart Six or its engine?
BTT, still looking for any and all pics/info on this rail and Dode Martin or anyone else that was involved with the builds contact info if possible.
Dode doesn't use a computer, and really doesn't do much yakking on the telephone anymore (his ears don't work as well as they used to). He does have an exceptionally keen memory though, and I'm pretty certain he could answer all your questions. Send me a PM with your phone number, and I'll pass it on to him. He's more likely to talk with you this way, I think.
Hey, 123; I do heard that Dode passed away a few months ago. I was looking for him to ask a few Q's on the Dragmaster V-Rod "kits" they put out ~ '68 & on. Looking like I won't get that chance in this lifetime, & it won't help in the next. . Marcus... Well, hope I'm wrong. Spl Ed, would you PM me his info, please? TIA. Marcus...
I believe you're thinking of Dode's business partner in Dragmaster, Jim Nelson. He passed away not long ago. Dode is still above ground, and in his "hobby shop" just about every day.
You could probably make your own by using 6 throttle bodies and an aftermarket injection system like Megasquirt.
Found a few color pics of the rail and the new issue of Hot Rod Deluxe has a nice clear pic of the Hilborn unit too!
the picture of the slant 6 on the red engine stand was my brother's & mine, as was the brown 61 Dodge Lancer in the pic before that. My brother & I bought the injection new from Cornelison's Speed Shop. They build the engine for us. It was bored .100 over, 238 c.i.Ansen 12-1 pistons, Crane solid lifter .510 cam, Mallory dual point, sent the head to Mondello porting for big valves & full port job. Clifford headers we had chromed as was everything else that bolted on including the injection stacks, deepen oil pan, timing cover, valve cover. I think the Hilborn unit was $300. It had a 150 pump also. 9 1/2" Weber clutch, p. plate & flywheel, homemade scattershield w/Chysler 4speed & 5:57 8 3/4 rear end. Goodyear slicks. Only ran it a few runs, sold the engine to Ike Rooks in northern Iowa. He put it in a Duster that was on the cover of Car Craft mag that summer & I think it cracked a cylinder wall. I have no idea what happen to it after that, but the unit on the table in the picture is our old setup. Hope this helps.
Great info! I actually have the sales info on your old Hilborn unit somewhere in my records. I know that it is #107 (7th unit produced, Hilborn started their production numbers at #101) and was sold to Cornelison's Speed Shop. I was emailing the current owner a few years ago but have since lost his email address. The unit is being stored in his shed....
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