International Dually Street Rod with a Blown 392 Hemi: Wicked Wednesday Presented by the All-New Nitto Recon Grappler™ A/T
Real-life Hot Wheels model features a blown 392 Hemi pushing nearly 600 horsepower to four rear wheels.
The wonderful thing about the hot rod scene is that there are really no rules. If you can dream it, then you can build it. You don’t have to do what the guy or girl down the block is doing. Make your own way and make your dreams come true. If you want a shifter that looks like a beer tap handle, then go for it. You want stuff a blown 392 Hemi behind the grill of a 1946 International, then go for it.
This week’s “Wicked Wednesday” presented by Nitto features an International dually street rod using Hemi power. The custom build turns heads on the street and for good reason. The build was done by a father and son team and the son recently made a trip to AutotopiaLA to show off this amazing build. A video showcasing this amazing rig is posted on the AutoptiaLA YouTube channel.
Early Days
This was a father and son project, but they did have some help. They went to Lakeman Chassis in Fullerton, CA for a custom-built chassis. The cab comes from a 1938 International and the grille is off a 1946 International. The headlights were pulled off a Packard. The idea at the beginning was to build a rat rod. However, as the build was coming together, they ended up with a single new shiny piece. And then another and another. Now it is far too polished and clean to be referred to as a rat rod. The dually setup was also something that was desired from the get-go. They knew that they wanted exhaust stacks on it. And exhaust stacks really require a dually setup for them to look right. And this thing certainly looks right.
Blown 392 Hemi Power
The street rod is motivated by a 392 Hemi with a Littlefield 8-71 polished aluminum competition blower. It looks fantastic and puts out plenty of power. It originally produced 640 horsepower, but they adjusted it to run 87 octane and now puts out a still respectable 550 horsepower. The engine is connected to a Turbo 400 transmission. The rig gets up and goes and it sounds great while doing it. It will also get down when requested as it rides on Ridetech air suspension. That allows the rig to drop down right to the ground.
Step Inside
Climb into this beauty and you see that as much attention was given to the inside as the outside. The full custom leather interior looks amazing. Everything inside is a custom piece. And how can you miss the giant Dos Equis beer tap handle for a shifter? Of course, we don’t condone drinking and driving, but that is a very cool touch. Speaking of driving, it is time to get this thing out on the road.
Road Test
It has a bit of a choppy ride on the street, but what did you expect? Listening to the thing accelerate is just food for the soul. It sounds so good and looks absolutely insane on the street with regular cars. Press the gas and the truck just squats down and takes off. The road test is really just a series of acceleration runs. And why the heck not? This is not a canyon carver. This was built to look great and get off the line. It is a smile making machine. Checkout the video below for all the details and good luck not smiling while you watch it.
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