Hot Rods You Should Know: The Ramchargers High & Mighty

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They say there’s a rhyme and reason for every innovation seen across automotive history. The validity of some of those rhymes and reasons may be debatable. But, for the most part, the car world and its racing subsidiaries (or vice-versa) have progressed in leaps and bounds, thanks to the innovative thinking of builders, racers, hot rodders, and engineers from generations before.

For example, the upward pitched stance of drag cars in the late ’50s and early ’60s. This was a way of solving a major lack of traction that drag racers were experiencing at the time. It all started with one car: the Ramcharger’s 1949 Plymouth that became known as High & Mighty.

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All photos from: The Amazo Effect

The creation of the High & Mighty Plymouth can be traced back to the ranks of the Chrysler Institute of Engineering’s Class of 1957. It was within that graduating class that a group of fresh-faced, doe-eyed engineers got together and created their own car club. They called themselves the Ram Chargers (later changed to a single word, Ramchargers).

In Search Of The Fastest Way

While some members of the Ramchargers had cars of their own that they drag raced, the group decided in 1958 to use their engineering skills and combined resources to build a car that would far surpass what any of them was currently running. The group settled on using a 1949 Plymouth Business Coupe for their project’s base, an odd but lightweight choice when building a drag car to beat the competition.

From the very start, the ever-growing group of engineers that made up the Ramchargers split the task of building the car up into segments. One group was in charge of body modifications, another group was placed in charge of the suspension work, and yet a third group was tasked with building the engine. But one thing rang true for all of the various groups – they were looking for a way to make their car get to the end of the track in the fastest time possible.

To accomplish this, the car needed a lot of pavement-gripping power – something that was a constant battle for racers running the primitive drag tires of the time. The Ramchargers thought the solution was to raise the car’s center of gravity so much so, that it created a distorted weight transfer. They reasoned that the exaggerated weight transfer during acceleration of the Plymouth would give the rear tires an even firmer grip on the pavement below.

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Genesis Of The Funny Car

To accomplish this, the Ramchargers jacked up the Plymouth’s chassis more than a foot higher than factory, as well as moved the car’s driveline up so high that the crankshaft sat three feet above the ground. The rear axle was also relocated forward of its stock position with some rudimentary prompting of the frame rails to move forward, giving the car an even shorter wheelbase than before. This was the beginnings of what would turn into Chrysler’s future, factory altered-wheelbase racecars, which eventually earned the name “Funny Cars” because of their off-kilter appearance.

While these modifications certainly helped give the car more “forward bite” as the engineers had hoped, the mods also increased the wind resistance againt the front of the car since it was so far up in the air, something that needed to be addressed for optimal drag strip e.t.s. To combat that resistance, the engineers chopped the car’s roof line 4 inches to give back some of the aerodynamics it had lost.

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Another revolutionary modification included an adjustable four-bar rear suspension system. This suspension featured a telescoping left upper link that acted as an offset three-link during acceleration, but a traditional four-link setup when decelerating. It wasn’t long, however, until the Ramchargers modified the rear suspension of the car to be a constant four-link system in response to the car doing a wheelie on its first full-power run at an NHRA event – to which the organization responded by making it known that they never wanted to see a car do such a thing again.

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Innovation was also at hand when it came to the salvaged 354ci HEMI powering the Plymouth. One of the first tunnel-ram intake manifolds ever used on a dragcar was added to the big-block engine, as well as 392 heads, and dual Carter four-barrel carburetors. This was topped off with a hand-fabricated air scoop, and eight 48-inch long exhaust “cones” that dumped just forward of the car’s doors after springing forth from under the front fenders . Inspired by motorcycle exhaust, the Plymouth’s unique exhaust system mainly just acted as an intimidation factor against other racers.

A Loss, But A Win

Once built, the car – which at that time was known as “Ram Rod” – was debuted at the 1959 NHRA Nationals held in Detroit. Unfortunately, there were a few quirks to still work out on the dragcar, including fully breaking in the engine.  The car lost to a ’32 Ford coupe also running in the C/A class that day. However, the “Ram Rod” Plymouth did set the top speed in its class with a trap speed of 109.75mph.

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After the car’s 1959 Nationals defeat, the Ramchargers were determined to get their creation to the front of the pack, and they went on to campaign the car all over the midwest. By the time the 1960 NHRA Nationals rolled around, the Ramchargers had the Plymouth dialed in, which was now painted white with a sponsor painted on the door, and were rewarde with 11-second runs at 117mph. This was worthy of taking the C/A class victory, and earning the car its new nickname, the High & Mighty.

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Legislated Out

Unfortunately, the High & Mighty’s reign didn’t last long. The NHRA introduced new rules, including one dictating how high a race car’s crankshaft could be from the ground, and one pertaining to an engine’s pounds per cubic-inch. This literally eliminated the Plymouth from legal competition. These rule changes forced the Plymouth into retirement, as complying with the new standards would mean giving away any advantage the car had against its competition.

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That wasn’t the end of the Ramchargers, however. The club went on to build and race even more competitive factory-backed Mopars in the years after, with wins seen in the Funny Car, Super Stock, and Top Fuel drag racing classes. A number of the members also worked with Chrysler on their musclecar and drag racing platforms following High & Mighty’s retirement.

Where is the High & Mighty Plymouth now? A handful of sources point to the car having been scrapped many years ago, but there is somewhat of a “consolation prize” to that letdown. A group of engineers running under the name the Chrysler Employees Motorsports Association, or CEMA, has recreated the car as it was originally raced at the 1959 NHRA Nationals as a tribute to the unusual drag car and innovative cog in the wheel of automotive racing history.

About the author

Lindsey Fisher

Lindsey is a freelance writer and lover of anything with a rumble. Hot rods, muscle cars, motorcycles - she's owned and driven it all. When she's not busy writing about them, she's out in her garage wrenching away. Who doesn't love a tech-savy gal that knows her way around a garage?
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