Blast from the past

Here is an article that Jean Doll sent me a few years ago from the May 1985 issue of Fabulous Mustangs and Exotic Fords.

Thirteen Years Later, This Small-Block Flyer Is Finally Finished

BY GREG RUSSELL

If you had spent 13 years changing and refining one car, you'd expect it to be silky smooth and finely detailed. Roger Tausch, half owner of Roger's Automotive, 910 N. Saginaw St., St. Charles, MI 48655, has done just that after buying his Maverick brand new in '72. The results speak for themselves. In this current state it's a svelte beast glistening in red orange, and yellow graphics over a black lacquer base by River Side, while Steve Wagner applied a tasteful trunk mural. The multicolor theme is carried over to the interior where Ken's Custom Upholstery stitched up Naugahyde to compliment the exterior. Roger then augmented stock instrumentation with a brace of Sun gauges. Toe tappin' tunes are generated in a Pioneer stereo tape player and dispatched to Audiovox speakers. Music is usually reserved for periods of rest because it's tough to hear over a thundering small block. The stock 302 was punched 0.030 over by Roger's Automotive of course, and the holes plugged by Perfect Circle 7.5-to-1 pistons wrapped with P.C. rings. Polished steel rods swing on a stock crank held in place with a shop built main cap stud kit. Tausch balanced the parts himself. It's alliubed by a Mellings pump inside a 9-quart Moroso pan. Finishing off the short-block is a Crane Fireball cam spun with a Cloyes roller timing chain. The bump stick manipulates Sealed Power Chevy valves, 1.94- inch intake 1.60-inch exhaust. Tausch inserted three angle chrome valve seats inside 351 Windsor heads that have been ported, polished, cc'd and sealed to an 0- ringed block surface. Those combustion chambers are filled by a 6-71 iron lung, drawing through twin 600 cfm Holleys. The supercharger is unique in that it's the first or second one uary Uyer ever adapted to a Ford. Once appropriately packaged, the charge is fired by a Ford'dual-point shorten- ed one inch for blower clearance, then removed through Hooker 1 %-inch headers and Cyclone sidepipes. Power pulses race rear- ward aided in their travel by a Schiefer clutch/flywheel lurking in a Lakewood bellhousing and a top loader four-speed. Final destination is a narrowed 9-inch differential laden with Henry's axles, 4.56 gears and a Detroit Locker. Competition Engineering ladder links and wheelie bars work in conjunction with Monroe shocks to plant classy Champ 500s inside 14/27.5x15 Firestones. A Burrell Enterprises frame helps unload tiny 4x15 Champs up front. Burrell also added a roll bar for safety sake. Looks to us like Roger has put his time to good use. A 600-hp hammer in a velvety smooth wrapper is a combination those off- brands would do well to avoid.

 

I found this article "orphaned" on this site and I added the pictures to the gallery and copied the text to the thread. Jean sent me this in late 2001 or early 2002.