quote:

From Don Garlits: Swamp Rat 12-A: was built in Seffner by Bob Taaffe, Jim Marrone and me in the fall of 1967, right after Schiefer Clutches had purchased Swamp Rat 11. Bob wanted to build a long wheelbase car, but I had the final say and we built an experimental 137" car. It was a total failure and as soon as I returned from the Winter Tour in CA, the three of us built Swamp Rat 12-B, 215" wheelbase and this was a winner. SR 12-A was sold to some bracket racers and they had it till 1976, crashed, brought it to me to be repaired and I took it in on trade for a new chassis. In 1987, I had Mark Buchanan repair the car while he was here in Ocala building SR 31. Then SR 12-A sat in "Don's Garage" for 20 years till one day in 2007, Mopar called me to see if I would like to build a 6.4, late model Hemi blown fuel engine. I did and installed it into Swamp Rat 12-A.

I use the car for shows and cacklefests and with the big flames the old girl is a big hit!

'05 RCSB 1500 SLT 5.7 Hemi Ram - 4" ram air from fog light hole - Amsoil drop-in filter - AirAid MIT - Taylor shorty wires - FM 50HD SI/SO 3" Magnaflow y-pipe - General Grabber UHP 295/50 20 tires - Superchips Flashpaq 3815 - Motive 4.56 gears - Detroit Truetrac differential
Lakewood traction bars - PML differential cover - Best reaction time .011 @ Bowling Green
Best 1/8 mile 9.28 @ Bowling Green - Best 1/4 mile 14.51 @ Bowling Green - ETs before gears, DTT, traction bars, improved ram air, and y-pipe