Johnny Lightning Fright'ning Lightnings Boothill Express Series 3. I have included the real Boothill Express in the photos.
Boothill Express was estimated at 450 hp. The engine was a 426 cu. in. Chrysler Hemi V8 engine with Hilborn fuel injection, Chrysler A-727 TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission, CAE tubular straight front axle with transverse leaf spring, live rear axle with full-elliptic leaf springs, and two-wheel drum brakes.
To thousands of custom-car fans who grew up during the
1960s, Ray Fahrner created some of the most memorable and radical show rods of
all time. Fahrner, who sadly passed away in 2005, first came to prominence in
the late 1950s with his groundbreaking 1932 Ford Roadster Pickup dubbed the
Eclipse, which somehow managed to bridge the rapidly growing divide between
custom and hot rod vehicles. Once on the map, Fahrner’s Independence,
Missouri-based custom shop continued to push the edge of the custom-car design
envelope during the 1960s, with his work truly echoing the unbridled creativity
and experimental nature of American society during the turbulent 1960s.
By 1967, Fahrner completed what many believe to be his
signature creation, the outrageous “Boothill Express”. As a basis for this
stunning vehicle he chose a circa-1850 horse-drawn funeral coach by Cunningham
of New York, which reportedly carried James Gang member Bob Younger to his
grave on “Boot Hill”. Featuring solid and stately construction, the exterior of
the wooden hearse body displays ornate carved moldings as well as a set of
brass lamps reportedly dating to late 18th-century India at the front and rear
of the vehicle. Inside, the hearse is fitted with proper funeral equipment,
including tasseled velvet curtains and a set of polished coffin rails.
The chrome-plated suspension features a gasser-style CAE
tubular solid front axle and hairpins, along with a simple, yet effective
steering system from a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle up front. At the rear, a pair of
full-elliptic leaf springs, a 1948 Ford rear end and a pair of drum brakes
round out the suspension features. The engine is completely outrageous – a 426
cubic inch Chrysler Hemi V8 topped by Hilborn fuel injection, with extra-tall
velocity stacks jutting through the top of the hearse body, while eight
individual pipes route the spent exhaust gases to the rear of the vehicle. A
stout pushbutton-operated Chrysler A-727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission
handles the engine’s output, while the car’s aggressive rake is provided by a
pair of E-T 10-spoke spindle-mounted front wheels, along with taller and wider
Cragar S/S wheels and Goodyear Blue Streak slicks at the rear. Other features
include a Ford Model T steering wheel, a Moon hydraulic throttle and
canister-style fuel tank as well as an instrument cluster fitted with
Stewart-Warner gauges. The open bench-type front seat features black
diamond-tufted upholstery.
Following its completion, the Boothill Express formed part
of Fahrner’s “Boothill Caravan” travelling show, which toured dragstips and the
auto show circuit nationwide during the late 1960s, thrilling countless
spectators nationwide. And in the best 1960s show-rod tradition, the Boothill
Express was immortalized with the 1967 release of a 1:24-scale plastic model
kit by Monogram, complete with a skeleton packing a six-shooter and wearing a
10-gallon hat. In fact, due to strong public demand, the model kit was reissued
in 1994.