When it comes to homebuilt cars, there’s an endless amount of brands, styles, and personalization that can be incorporated into any build. In fact, some projects start as production cars (old or new), while others simply start in the builder’s mind.

smiling race car driver in cockpit
Zachary Blausey is a happy man behind the wheel of his Twisted T ’23 Ford. (Image/Evan Smith)

For Zachery Blausey of Toledo, Ohio, his vision was that of a historic AA/Altered—yes, the supercharged and often untamed machines of the 1960s and ‘70s.

“My car is based on a 1923 T-Bucket that I call Twisted T,” said Zachary.

“It’s definitely a budget build that I completed in 33 days using old parts and stuff I got from the Summit Racing catalog. I’ve been through a few engines and transmissions, but right now it has a $100 LS engine with an old Roots 14-71 blower, a Powerglide transmission, and a Dana 44 rear with 3.55 gears,” he said.

supercharged engine in a vintage ford model t dragster
This is the epitome of budget build, as power comes from a $100 6.0 LS with a used 14-71 blower. Tuning is done with a Holley Terminator X EFI. (Image/Evan Smith)

We caught up with Zachary at the 2024 Holley LS Fest East in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Amazingly, he drove the car towing a small trailer from Toledo and we learned Zachary has driven his “Twisted T” hot rod through the Tail of the Dragon, he often uses it on his 60 mile trip to work, and he’s covered over 35,000 miles in one year alone.

cars finishing a drag race
Despite breaking a driveshaft, Zachary ran 6.17 at 107 mph during LS Fest. He was able to get a local shop to build a shaft in order to get back on track. (Image/Evan Smith)

Not a show queen, Zachary was there to compete on track where he laid down awesome burnouts and a respectable 6.17 elapsed time at 107 mph. That elapsed time equates to roughly 9.60s in the quarter-mile.

In addition to drag racing the old Ford, he competed in the burnout contest, thrilling the crowd with tire smoke and 15 foot flames using his “flame thrower” system.

“I added the flame thrower because it’s just so cool to see,” he added.

ford model t dragster shooting flames from headers
Twisted T can shoot flames 15 feet in the air! (Image/Evan Smith)

Zachary’s Twisted T weighs just 2,000 pounds and with the short wheelbase, it’s a tad on the wild side. He started with boxed frame rails and added a four-link rear and a street-rod-type front end.

The aforementioned LS is a 6.0L model with a big 14-71 blower topped with an Enderle injector hat. Fuel is fed by a mechanical, belt-driven Aeromotive pump and he tunes the engine with a Holley Terminator X EFI.

woman talking to man in dragster
Zachary gets support from his girlfriend Colby Buzzell (shown) and his buddy Doug Whited. (Image/Evan Smith)

Zachary stated the blower makes 13 psi of boost with the current drive pulleys and it breathes through a set of homebuilt Zoomie headers.

“It’s been a fun project. I have under $10K in the car, not counting my labor and I get amazing support from my girlfriend Colby Buzzell and my friend Doug Whited. It’s something different and it always draws a crowd!”

ford model t hot rod parked on grass with trailer
(Image/Evan Smith)
supercharged ls engine in a vintage model T dragster
(Image/Evan Smith)
kuhl supercharger on a vintage dragster
(Image/Evan Smith)
LPW dana 44 rear end on a dragster
(Image/Evan Smith)
bent, twisted driveshaft in a model t hot rod
(Image/Evan Smith)
radiator on vintage ford model t drag race car
(Image/Evan Smith)
close up of supercharger gilmer belt pulley
(Image/Evan Smith)
butterfly scoop on blower in a drag race car
(Image/Evan Smith)
rocker switches in a vintage dragster
(Image/Evan Smith)
B&M shifter grip in a ford model t race car
(Image/Evan Smith)
close up of M/T radial tire on a vintage hot rod
(Image/Evan Smith)
vintage hot rod shooting flames from headers
(Image/Evan Smith)
ford model t dragster at night with flames in background
(Image/Evan Smith)
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Author: Evan Smith