Hell Raiser

In keeping with the spirit of wild and unruly exhibition vehicles, the Metal Mickey Motorsport Team have located and resurrected the bones of one of the worlds most accomplished Wheelstanders.

Now named "Hell Raiser", this car was originally built in the USA over 20 years ago. During its brilliant career, the car set many world records and performed exhibition shows in Australia, Europe, Japan and the USA.

After 12 long years of neglect and decay in ignominious retirement, the car was tracked down and completely rebuilt and modernised.

Hell Raiser is now ready to return as a world class exhibition vehicle. It can wheelstand at over 100 mph (160 kph) with the front wheels 12 ft (4 metres) off the ground.

 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engines - 426 ci Chrysler Hemi - approximately 1400 hp
6:71 supercharger (15% overdrive)
Bird Catcher fuel injector
Roller cams with gear drives
Shaft roller rockers
Forged 4130 crank
Forged aluminum rods
Forged pistons (11:1 compression ratio)
Magneto Ignition (36 deg BTDC)

Fuel pump on front motor feeds pressurised fuel to injector nozzles
2 x Fuel tanks - 100 litre  ETHANOL

Transmission - 727 torqueflite auto - heavily modified - driving through custom V-drive
Differential  - modified 10" Chev truck diff mounted rearwards in chassis
Rear tyres - 33 x 14 x 15 (optional dirt/grass/damp track treaded tyres)
Front tyres - 24 x 3.5 x 15

Body - Dodge Daytone (1984)
Chassis - chrome moly tubing - 125" wheel base
Full weight - 2200 lbs (1000 kg)
Skid Blocks - titanium - produces huge showers of sparks without damaging the track surface
                    (optional dirt/grass skis)
Custom Header Flame Show by MoMan (with thanks to Garthe McIntyre)

Brakes - rear wheels only
Suspension - custom coil over shocks on front, solid rear
                    6 x custom gas struts to control rear wheelie bar (rate of rise)

Steering - when the car is ''wheels up', independent rear brakes are used to control steering. These brakes are
               operated by a steering lever next to the normal steering wheel

Time to build/restore - over 2 years in the Metal Mickey Motorsport workshop on Queenslands Gold Coast.
Cost to build/restore - over $100,000.
Construction and testing finished - fully operational

 

So what is  WHEELSTANDING  ???

Every young buck and many a doe gets a kick out of trying to lift the front wheels of the "oldies" car when they can get behind the wheel. This proves that the act of wheelstanding a motor vehicle is an instinct hard wired into the cerebral cortex of humans and of males in particular.

So it is no wonder that when the Chrysler Corporation failed dismally to set drag racing records with their newly released Dodge Pick-up truck because it would not keep the front wheels on the ground, they chose to develop the ill-handling characteristics into a wildly popular exhibition show.

After suffering much damage to the vehicles front end in early testing, fitting independent steering brakes to the rear wheels, and re-engineering the balance and other aspects, the Little Red Pick-up Truck became the worlds first purpose built wheelstander.

Such was the popularity of the truck, that soon many imitations were attempted. Over 250 wheelstanders have been built since the 1960's, however only about 15 have survived . . . . most have crashed.

Wheelstanders require an un-natural driving style that is quite opposite to normal driving instincts. "Guardrail nibbling"and "barrel rolling" are the favorite antics of undomesticated wheelstanders. When something goes wrong at over 160 kph with the front wheels 4 metres up in the air, there is no easy way down!

 

PHOTO  and  VIDEO  GALLERY

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