wo of the most recognizable names on the contemporary hot rod scene are Mike Finnegan, host of Finnegan’s Garage and co-host of the Road Kill television series, and “Blasphemi,” his supercharged Hemi-powered 1955 Chevrolet gasser. Recently, Finnegan became involved with another well-known name, Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs, when he decided to convert his Chevy from a straight axle to an independent front suspension.

Of course, there were those who were quick to criticize the decision to remove the straight axle from a traditional gasser, but there were a number of reasons for making this suspension swap. Blasphemi was known for pulling amazing wheelies, but when the Chevy did come back to the earth, the suspension would compress enough that a variety of frontend components would hit the Hemi’s oil pan hard enough to do damage.

Switching to a dry-sump system with its shallower pan didn’t solve the problem, as there was still interference with the pump lines. Raising the car to increase axle, tie rod, and draglink clearance did little to help the clearance problem and did a lot to make the car handle badly. The car didn’t launch well, and shifting into Fourth gear at 150 mph on the top end of the dragstrip would drop the supercharged Hemi’s rpm right in the middle of its torque curve. That would cause the rear tires to spin, making the car move around somewhat unpredictably. It was indeed an eye-opening and sphincter-puckering experience for the driver, and the car was unhappy in that situation, too. The decision was to convert to an IFS to solve all the persistent challenges to getting Blasphemi down the quarter-mile.

While there were various race-related reasons to swap the straight axle for an IFS, improving its ride and handling qualities on the road were also considerations. While not something that race cars usually have to deal with, Blasphemi can rack up a thousand or more miles during drag and drive events, traveling to various racetracks while towing a trailer with tires and tools. Finnegan has even been known to take his kids to school in the Chevy, undoubtedly making him the coolest dad in the drop-off line.

While there were already many good reasons for replacing the straight axle, a return road incident involving an immovable object and Blasphemi’s front suspension pushed the suspension modification to the top of the “to-do list” and prompted a call to Scott’s Hotrods. As Finnegan explains, “I called him and said, I know you don’t normally do this, but I’d like to build a one-off frontend with a lot of travel and a ridiculous crossmember that looks out of place. They did just that, and it came out awesome.”  

Based on a custom crossmember, the Scott’s Hotrods frontend uses their tried-and-true tubular control arms, Wilwood spindles and brakes, manual rack-and-pinion steering, and Viking coilovers. The new crossmember cures all the clearance issues, and 7-1/2 degrees of caster helps the car stay straight. With 8 inches of total suspension travel, the increased suspension droop at the launch not only helps transfer weight to the rear tires but wheelies now result in the front tires being a foot off the ground instead of three, and the “landings” are much softer and don’t upset the chassis. Thanks to the new suspension system and steering, Finnegan reports the car is much easier to drive and “happier” and safer on the top end, too. At this year’s Drag Week, he said, “On one of the first passes we made today, we wheelied, and from the driver seat I thought it was a 4-foot wheelie, but it was only about a foot.” Mike added, “Because the wheels droop so much, it’s an exciting sensation.

While an IFS under a gasser may be sacrilegious by some, at the peak of their popularity, there were several record-holding gassers with A-arm front suspensions (some of us can remember the ball joint spacers for jacked-up frontends that were once popular). Given Finnegan’s success in making a good gasser better with this IFS conversion, there’s no point in arguing that these cars must have a straight axle, and Blasphemi proves that point.