Frederick's and Sykes
"Fly Rod"
1970 426 Hemi Plymouth Superbird
Back in 1977 Jim Fredericks of Red Bluff, a retired U.S. Border Patrol Officer, decided to pursue his dream of Land Speed Racing. He had already collected through the years a number of Chrysler Hemi type vehicles. He made one attempt at Bonneville by himself without much success with a stroked 426. He blew the oil filter off and destroyed the engine. Looking for some help, he called Keith Black Racing Engines in South Gate and asked for some information. After they found where Jim was calling from they told him that one of the best Hemi men in the country lived near him. Jim gave Dad Bob Sykes a call and asked if he would like to go Bonneville Racing as partners. This was a beginning of a 10 year relationship of racing the Fly Rod.
Jim had another engine out of a 1970 Hemi Cuda. Dad bored it .030 over and did a blueprint job on the basically stock engine. The engine has stock Street Hemi rods and stock internal engine parts other than an Engle Cam and Hilborn Fuel injection. The best 2 way time for this combination was 214 MPH, enough to break the existing record of 198. Looking for more speed, he called Crane Cams in Florida and they set him up with a new grind that ultimately set the car to a two was average of 216.393 MPH with Jim's friend Ross Sherburn of Corning, Calif. driving. To this date, no other Dodge Daytona or Plymouth Superbird competing at Bonneville Speed Week has ever surpassed the success that Jim Fredericks of Red Bluff, Ca and Bob Sykes Sr. of Los Molinos,Ca have attained.
The Fly Rod is now on display at Harrah's Automotive Museum in Reno, Nevada.