Truckin' featured a one-of-a-kind '37 Hudson Terraplane "Mantis" back in October 2002, that was titled "Simply Wicked," on pages 103-109. Dan Dowdy from Dolan Springs, Arizona, had built and painted the unique custom Terraplane at his homestead shop. After selling Simply Wicked to an enthused buyer for a suitcase full of cash, Dan developed an affinity for ol' Hudson Terraplanes. He couldn't live without one, so he decided to build another one. This time, he had decided that it would be bigger, badder, and brighter. Dan's wife Mary just shook her head and laughed when we asked her about the obsession. She has been Dan's third hand wrench on all of his custom rides and drag cars for 35 years now.
The flush-mount hard tonneau...
The flush-mount hard tonneau cover was wrapped in tan leather to match the interior.
Dan discovered his latest '37 Hudson in a snow drift next to a fence, off of Highway 93 in Ely, Nevada. After trailering the carcass home, Dan busted out wrenches and started disassembling his newly found treasure. He was fortunate enough to have a spacious year-round climate-controlled shop that's complete with a disassembly room, an assembly room, a hoist room, and a paint booth to do everything in-house. After receiving the frame back from the sand blaster, the framerails were boxed by using 11-gauge steel plate. Dan installed a Street Rod Engineering crossmember up front, then it was trailered over to Finish Line Coatings in Lake Havasu, Arizona, to receive powdercoating. Next, Dan installed a set of Air Ride Technologies A-arms, a pair of CPP front spindles, and CPP '71 Camaro front brake rotors and calipers. To obtain the adjustable lowered stance, a set of Air Ride Technologies pneumatic 'bags allow the Terraplane to drop 10 inches from its stock ride height. A Maval power-steering rack and pinion unit acts as the truck's rudder. The timeless ride rolls on a set of Colorado Custom Wild Horse polished billet aluminum wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson Sportsman rubber. Meanwhile, the four-bar rear suspension is controlled by Air Ride Technologies Shockwave pneumatic 'bags. A Ford 9-inch rearend received a Richmond 3.70 ring and pinion gear set, which came complete with a pair of 32-spline Mosier axles with a four-pinion center section and a removable rear-end cover. The rear-end housing is supported and located by six hand-built trusses with adjustable heim joints. Dowdy then fabricated a 19-gallon aluminum fuel tank, which was located under the bed and between the framerails.
This massive Arias 610ci aluminum...
This massive Arias 610ci aluminum block and cylinder head produces 1,500 hp. When sprayed with nitrous oxide, it steps up to nearly 2,000 hp! The intimidating roots-style 871 electronic-injected BDS Blower enhances the air intake, which adds to the horsepower/torque equation. Dan uses only 100-percent VP Racing 112-octane fuel, so he gets approximately 1-mile per gallon!
The Terraplane's brute strength comes from a huge Arias 610ci 10.0L V-8 aluminum block with massive Arias aluminum hemi cylinder heads. Nick Arias put his personal touches into the engine as he machined and assembled the components. The engines 8:1 compression is ideal for the 871 Blower Drive Service (BDS) supercharger that is 6-percent overdriven. This mammoth Arias produces an incredible 1,500 hp off the bottle, and nearly 2,000 hp on Nitrous Oxide! The trick aluminum hemi heads were detailed, ported, and polished by Joe Mondello. A Mallory distributor receives electrical impulses from the MSD crank trigger magnets, which are embedded in the aluminum trigger wheel, then it disperses the electric energy through 9mm Taylor ignition wires to the spark plugs. The Avion oil pump produces and delivers plenty of oil pressure and oil to the bearings and internal components. Dan designed and hand-built a set of large 2-1/4-inch diameter equal-length tube headers. After they were completed, he sent them to Hedman Hedders to receive its High Tech Coating (HTC). The headers flow into a 2-1/4-inch exhaust and a pair of Flowmaster two-stage mufflers. An eight-row staggered-fin copper-core custom radiator was built by Any Radiator in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and keeps the power cool. Dan is known for his superior transmission knowledge and skills, which he used to beef up the Turbo 400 automatic transmission with a TCI reversed-valve body controlling the torque coming from the Hy Torque 3,200 rpm stall converter and a Gear Vender's sixth-gear overdrive. The electrical supply comes from two A/C Delco batteries, which are located forward and underneath the bed.