Donnie Shaffer

[Dick MacKenzie]

Post on FB by Doug Marion.

Doug says:
"Super Chevy, November, 2013 issue: "Back In The Day": "The World's Foremost Crazy 409 Chevy Guy". This is a two thumbs up story on the life and times of Missouri's Donnie Shaffer. Story by me. Photos courtesy of Donnie Shaffer. Published five years ago. If anyone missed it, here it is."

Doug mentions "Fat Block Productions", whoever that is! Some other crazy guy from Kancity MO I guess!

 

[Iowa 409 Guy]

Thanks for posting that Dick. I heard that Fat Block guy retired and spends most of his time riding his Honda trike.

 

[RussC]

Donnie still has the Obsolete Missile...and to the best of my knowledge the display motors

Donnie's health is not good...I think most of his stuff would be for sale

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

Man would it be awesome to be able to continue on with the display of his array of W engines on a trailer.

I recall seeing all the 409s (at least one one of every year from 1961-65 plus a Z-11, some boat engines, etc.) on a trailer in Odessa. I heard he was doing the same for 348s, is that correct?

Either way, someone needs to step up and maintain all those platforms. I'll volunteer to house them at my expense .

Cheers! TomK

 

[Phil Reed]

Thanks for posting that Dick. I heard that Fat Block guy retired and spends most of his time riding his Honda trike.

A $$$$$$$$hole!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RussC]

Man would it be awesome to be able to continue on with the display of his array of W engines on a trailer.

I recall seeing all the 409s (at least one one of every year from 1961-65 plus a Z-11, some boat engines, etc.) on a trailer in Odessa. I heard he was doing the same for 348s, is that correct?

Either way, someone needs to step up and maintain all those platforms. I'll volunteer to house them at my expense .

Cheers! TomK

It has been years since I've seen the motors...I believe theyr are 348s included

 

[benchseat4speed]

Donnie's health is not good...I think most of his stuff would be for sale

That’s the one aspect of this site that makes me sad... I read those words too often on this site. Half a dozen members have passed away in the last couple years...

I got this on VHS for Christmas when I was prolly 7 or 8, an old ‘Simitar’ muscle car movie box set. I watched this thing over and over. The ‘Missile looks so cool!!! Nose up, back of the hood lifted, boingy front end, and three pedals he revs the s—t outta that thing I love it!!

Fast forward to 41:00

 

[61BUBBLE348]

Great video, thanks for posting

The 64 at 43:08 mark

I have a gut feeling it might be the car I have, does any one know Gordon Marks from Tampa Florida??

 

[Phil Reed]

Sure do!!!!!!!!

 

[RussC]

Haven't talked to Gordon for quite a while. He used to post here
Great memories...we still have Ol Red...we also have Donnie Chapman's 62 Dart. Those were the early days of Nostalgia SS

 

[61BUBBLE348]

I took a punt and searched him via Linkedin, sent him an email, he responded and he still has the car.
I was appreciative he took the time to respond.

 

[benchseat4speed]

So cool that all four of those chevy’s are still around, and three with the same owners!

Donnie blew the tires away and still went 10.90 @ 126, with iron heads. Very impressive, ‘cause I’m told the aftermarket for W-engines in 1992 was zero. Would like to know what the build was back then. Would like to know details on the current engine too!

 

[Ishiftem]

I don't know the years but, he had a 4" stroke at one time and a z-11 top half. He changed to 690 heads and a 3.76" stoke and said it was faster. I think he said it was shifted at 7800? I believe that is the combination he ran last. The intake was an 881 his brother Tony made into a single plane.

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

I remember one time I was at Day Automotive (Tony's shop in Independence, MO) in the back room dropping some blocks off and I took a peek under a towel covering an intake on an engine stand (I think it was Horton's build) and Tony came over and covered it up real quick, said it was a "special design intake" (single 4 barrel if I remember correctly). I bet there was a bit of experimentation going on back in the day . I recall Tony saying some bad JuJu about those factory 881s, said he could get a single 4 barrel intake to run better .

I think we have a set of those old 690s from Tony/Donnie, as they were wildly ported. Paul Stensland bought them years ago and then passed them over to me. One had a crack that we fixed and after fitting them up with new hardware, we ran them in the BA409 car for two years. Still got 'em, but they're on a bench for now. Now we're using some 583s that were ported by Dan (IShiftem).

Cheers! TomK

 

[RussC]

We raced with Donnie for years. He is a very good friend. Tony did our first race motor. No their were no aftermarket suppliers in those days...except for pistons and cams. Donnie always ran a reworked BBC crank...3.76. Compression was 12-12.5. The motor was .30 or .40 over...440 odd cui. Donnie didn't use a shift light and rarely saw the tach. He shifted by sound!! He liked Rpms. He ran his best ets with a Z11 top... the intake modified to a single plane..9.90s...high 9.80s once. I bought the Z11 top and Donnie went back to his good 690s... which are still on the car with a modified intake. Donnie was a good racer and got the best out of his equipment...making and doing everything in the shop behind his house.

We raced 409s a few years longer than Donnie...still before blocks and heads were available. We finally ran 9.21 with a stock block and Z11 heads with a sheet metal intake.
We almost built a last motor when the blocks and heads became available...but I had a lapse of judgment and went Hemi racing