"Big Daddy" Don Garlits Tried to Blow Up the 426 Hemi and WON It All

This is the first story in a continuing Barry T's Garage series drawn from more than 3.5 hours of museum-walkthrough and sit-down-interview footage with “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. Standing beside Swamp Rat VIII at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida, Don tells Barry T how Chrysler's 426 Hemi went from a frustrating failure to the engine that changed Top Fuel drag racing. Don already had the 392 Hemi tuned exactly where he wanted it. But Dodge public-relations boss Frank Wylie insisted the 426 was the better engine and told Don he would have to tune it himself. After a brutal stretch of match racing—and a promoter who withheld part of Don's pay because the car failed to run 200 mph—Don decided to add enough ignition timing to destroy the engine and go back to the 392. Instead, advancing the magneto from 34 to 40 degrees produced a 213-mph, 7.51-second run. The plugs, oil and rod bearings still looked new. One more quick twist moved the timing to 52 degrees. The result was 219.84 mph in 7.31 seconds. The 426 Hemi was alive. In the interview, Don explains why the 426 block could survive, why its large combustion chamber needed more spark lead with nitromethane, how he used NASCAR aluminum heads, and how exhaust-valve clearance told him when an engine had reached its limit. This is only the beginning. Future stories will connect more cars, engines and artifacts from Don's museum with his firsthand memories and technical insight. Questions and video ideas: Barry@BarryTsGarage.com Videos and newsletter: https://www.BarryTsGarage.com Garage gear: https://store.BarryTsGarage.com Join this channel to support us:    / @barrytsgarage   Chapters: 0:00 Don Plans to Blow Up the 426 0:22 Swamp Rat VIII: The First 426 Hemi Dragster 1:05 Chrysler Orders Don Back to the 426 2:11 The Terrible Match-Racing Year 2:32 Chris Karamesines Wins 23 Rounds 2:53 The Promoter Who Demanded 200 MPH 3:54 “We’re Going to Blow It Up” 4:29 From 34° to 40° Timing 5:15 The Engine Still Looks New 5:42 The Bateman Twist to 52° 6:22 A Completely Different Race Car 7:02 219.84 MPH: The 426 Comes Alive 7:31 Why the 426 Block Survived 8:32 Why the Big Chamber Needed More Spark Lead 9:20 Why They Called It the Elephant Motor 9:53 Exhaust-Valve Clearance as the Limit 10:30 Don Garlits’ Racer Mindset Would you have risked one more timing change—or gone back to the proven 392 Hemi? #BarryTsGarage #DonGarlits #426Hemi