I have always dreamt of strange projects. You would think being the Vice President of AMS I would have an 800 horse power EVO… Instead I dream of something different, something that leaves a lasting impression.
AMS Bluesmobile
AMS Team Van
Even before the AMS-Team Van and AMS Bluesmobile I wanted a fast Hearse. When I looked into who had the world’s fastest Hearse I was pretty surprised that the record was only a 13.72 @ 98 mph. This was recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2005 by a Hearse named “Undead” from Australia. Further searching found no other contenders. I knew this should be easy to beat considering I built our old 1999 Diesel Ford Van that towed our Time Attack team around the country to run 13.4’s at 100mph.
Worlds Current Fastest Hearse “undead”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C51au7DVWjQ[/youtube]
I did not want the standard old Cadillac Hearse. I wanted something that looked “sporty” so I chose the late model Chevy Caprice or Buick Roadmaster to search for. It had to be black with a red interior because to me that is the classic Hearse look. It actually took a few years to find the one I wanted, apparently it is difficult to find the black/red color combination. What I eventually found was a 1996 Chevy Caprice converted by Superior Coaches. It was from Knoxville Tennessee so it was rust free perfect.
The first thing I did to the Hearse was add an Impala SS grill and 4″ cowl induction hood. My Ese, “El Mago” over at HQ Kustoms air brushed a sick Iron Maiden mural on the hood. He said I was officially the first gringo he knows to have a mural on his hood. I was honored. LOL
The first thought I had was to use a Duramax diesel to power my Hearse. Technology has come along way since the 7.3 Powerstroke I modded to power our old tow Van. I figured the torque of a diesel would be good to get this monster rolling. Since I planned to tow Scott’s 8 second Evil EVO I with the Hearse I figured this would be perfect.
After buying a used Duramax diesel off eBay I began to realize that an engine this heavy would really limit what I could do with the Hearse. Weighing in at 840 lbs. this engine would not allow me to road race the Hearse limiting me to straight line racing only. After discussing my dilemma with my business partner Martin he suggested that a LS based Chevy V-8 with a GT42R turbo should do the trick and would allow me to have a more versatile Hearse.
With a new plan in place I sourced an LQ4 6.0 Chevy V-8 complete with 4L85e transmission and wire harness from a Chevy Van. This seems like a much better choice and far less expensive than my original idea. At first I will keep it simple just adding metal head gaskets and headstuds to the stock engine. Times are tough and I’m a budget here!
Stay tuned as we attempt to build the World’s Fastest Hearse…
– Arne
