{"id":49983,"date":"2021-04-09T08:30:21","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T12:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=49983"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:21:31","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:21:31","slug":"king-of-the-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/gallery\/2021\/04\/king-of-the-hill.html","title":{"rendered":"King of the Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Longtime Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> Stock Eliminator racer Larry Hill knows it\u2019s an uphill climb to reach the top the class. This veteran driver has had his fill of being put on the trailer in heads-up competition in the NHRA\u2019s oldest and toughest class, Stock Eliminator. While the 1970 Plymouth \u2019Cuda he\u2019s raced for decades was built when Nixon was president and the Beatles were releasing their twelfth and final studio album, Hill has climbed the mountain to be one the toughest competitors in the class. While many racers today would be hesitant to fiddle with the three Holley carburetors perched on top of the Edelbrock Six Pack intake manifold, Larry has no problem making them sing in harmony when he plants his size 16 shoe on the accelerator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nine-inch-wide Goodyear slicks bite the starting line while the torque from the massive 440-cubic-inch V8 points the \u2019Cuda\u2019s nose skyward like a Nike missile when DEFCON 1 is imminent. They say hard work and dedication pay off, and Larry\u2019s living proof of that. His Moulin Rouge (Panther Pink for Dodge) painted Plymouth has become a class-killer and has racked up numerous NHRA class wins for this six-foot, eight-inch Kentucky giant that hails from the hamlet of Hickory in the Bluegrass State. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Larry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Larry Hill didn\u2019t set out to build an NHRA Stocker, he sort of fell into it. Like many of his peers, he played around on the street with muscle cars during the 1960s and \u201970s. These machines had no value back then and were subject to abuse by their over-enthusiastic owners bolting on go-fast parts to beat the kid from the next block, or town, at the stoplight drags. \u201cI grew up in the 1960s and it seemed everyone had a cool car. Living out in the country, there were many mornings we would street race before school. I was on the high school basketball team and many of my teammates had fast cars like a 1966 Chevy II with a 350-horse 327, a 1968 Chevy II 396 375-horsepower big block, \u201967 Chevelle SS396 and a 1966 Pontiac GTO with a 389,\u201d reminisced Larry. But Larry always had a thing for Mopar vehicles and despite driving Chevy products, it was a chance encounter that would change him forever. \u201cIn college, I drove a \u201957 Chevy with a hopped-up 327 with 275 horsepower and bolted to a four-speed trans. I raced a 1969 Dart GT one night and he cleaned my clock. That is when Mopar vehicles caught my interest,\u201d smiled Larry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Larry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When it came time to get serious, Larry started going to the track and began reading many performance car magazines. \u201cA drag strip was built 18 miles from where I grew up and I got to see how fast a properly prepared car would go and I thought that would be a fun pastime,\u201d noted Larry. \u201cI wrote my college term paper on Marv Ripes and his \u201957 Chevrolet Sedan and Corvette fuel-injected racecars. He dominated in the NHRA Jr. Stock class in the late 1960s. In researching this subject matter, I realized that attention to detail made a car fast. And being able to stay within the rules and maximize performance is what got me hooked on running Stock Eliminator and still motivates me to compete in this class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Larry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Next, it was time for Larry to build his first fast Mopar Stocker racecar and he didn’t have to look any further than his neighbor\u2019s driveway for a potential candidate. Originally a 1971 model, the Plymouth \u2019Cuda Larry acquired just a few doors down was equipped with a 383 Super Commando V8 advertised at 300 horsepower. It had many options, including air conditioning, and was a very solid car. Today, we would question one\u2019s logic for turning a clean, numbers-matching, rare Mopar muscle car into a racer, but Larry gets a pass, as it was way back in 1980. These used performance machines were cheap and plentiful. Larry yanked out the 383 and installed a 440 Six Barrel powerplant and hit the strip. \u201cWe started racing it at Union Hill in Nashville shortly after that. The \u2019Cuda has been updated numerous times over the decades to achieve the performance levels it has now,\u201d stated Larry. As with any racing project, there\u2019s a lot of trial and error in seeing what works and what doesn\u2019t. \u201cOver the years, my \u2019Cuda has remained competitive by hard work and a large supply parts that may or may not work. Sort of a buy it, try it and put it on the shelf,\u201d laughed Larry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Larry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago, Larry converted his 1971 \u2019Cuda to a 1970 model by changing the front grille and rear taillights. Because of the NHRA Stock Eliminator rules and classification guide, there can be different horsepower ratings for the same engine, even if they\u2019re within one model year of each other. There are also the factory options that can impact the vehicle\u2019s overall minimum race weight that includes the driver. With Larry\u2019s massive frame, he had to get his big-block \u2019Cuda below 3,200 pounds with him in it to meet the A\/SA minimum weight. \u201cWe changed the car to a 1970 model to run the lighter AAR fiberglass hood. In doing so, we lost lift at the valve as the \u201971 440 Six Barrel engine has .467 inch lift on the intake, .483 inch lift on the exhaust, while the 1970 440 Six Barrel engine combination has .445 of an inch lift on the intake side and .470 lift at the exhaust,\u201d noted Larry. While these specs might seem minuscule to the average racer and engine builder, they can have a big impact in the massively blueprinted world of NHRA Stock Eliminator racing. In any racecar, bulk and mass are the enemies and every spare ounce has been removed to get the \u2019Cuda down to its fighting weight of 3,185 pounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Engine<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Along with its tricked-out 440, Larry\u2019s \u2019Cuda uses a 727 TorqueFlite\u00ae<\/sup> special built by Pro Trans that sends all that Mopar power to the Dana 60 rear axle. For Larry\u2019s attention to detail and hard work, his \u2019Cuda has put down a mind-numbing 9.79-second ET at over 132 mph at Maple Grove Raceway. That\u2019s at NHRA legal weight for the class and with an engine that has passed NHRA\u2019s stringent and intense postrace teardown inspection with flying colors. But with the ever-changing rules in NHRA Stock Eliminator, Larry\u2019s 1970 440 Six Barrel \u2019Cuda 440 is still competitive, but it isn\u2019t at the top of the list when it comes to the fastest NHRA A\/SA class cars out there. \u201cIn my opinion, the two fastest A Stock Automatic cars now are the 1962 Plymouth with the 413 Max Wedge, and the \u201965 Dodge with the 426 HEMI\u00ae<\/sup>. I have a new car that is a 2015 Challenger Drag Pak and with any luck, I will have it out racing later this year,\u201d declared Larry. For now, fans in the stands will still be treated to the amazing wheelies Larry\u2019s \u2019Cuda pulls every time he launches off the starting line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Larry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As with many Sportsman racers, it\u2019s a family effort. With a grueling yearly schedule of running six NHRA National Events, eight Divisional races, and other combo drag races, including the NMCA<\/a> and the Class Racer Revival<\/a> venues, Larry relies on his partner and wife of 51 years, Patsy. While their son, Chris, runs the family business, Larry and Patsy travel the country in their motorhome towing their badass Moulin Rouge 440 \u2019Cuda. As Larry likes to point out while chuckling, \u201cWith Chris running the family business, we can enjoy our retirement and spend his inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Larry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Larry probably wouldn\u2019t have made it this far racing his \u2019Cuda if it wasn\u2019t for the help and support of the Sportsman Racer community. He acknowledges a long list of individuals, including Kevin Helms<\/a>, Herb McCandless<\/a>, Geoff Turk<\/a>, Jeff Teuton\/Southland Dodge, Craig Maddox, Gary Jennings, George Widuch, Brad VanLant, Harold Bettis, Jeff Taylor, Goodyear Tires, John McLeod’s Classic Instruments and all the great employees at IHM Used Parts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, it takes an army of loyal and dedicated folks to be King of the Hill! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Larry<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We have more pics for you to check out of Larry Hill\u2019s awesome \u2019Cuda!<\/p>\n\n\n\n