Tom Hoover (engineer)
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Tom Hoover was an American automotive engineer associated with the Chrysler Motor Corporation. He was the creator of the 426 Hemi, 413 Max wedge, and helped create the Slant Six hyper pak, the sonoramic commando engine, and many high performance engine principles. The 426 Hemi has been the basis for most top fuel dragsters since its conception.
Hoover was born on November 28, 1929, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Before pioneering the Chrysler race division, he studied at Juniata College. He subsequently joined the Pennsylvania national guard and was drafted into the U.S. Army to be deployed in the Korean War. He remained in the army until April 1952, achieving the rank of sergeant; he received a Korean service medal with three bronze campaign stars and was honorably discharged.[1] On his return to the United States, he attained an undergraduate's degree in physics and a master's degree in engineering at Pennsylvania State University. In 1955, he started working at Chrysler, and subsequently enrolled in the Chrysler Institute of Engineering to obtain his masters in automotive engineering.
"High and Mighty"
Hoover developed an interest in racing after attending events with his colleagues. Him and eight other Chrysler engineers started assembling an experimental race car that became known as "High and Mighty". This prototype was a 1949 Plymouth Business Coupe equipped with a 354 hemi engine. The intake and exhaust systems were the most experimental parts of the car. The intake manifold stuck out the hood and over the roof of the car, measuring 48 inches overall. The manifold was a scrap left over from an engine performance study which measured the wave tuning effects of specific intake manifold runner lengths. It also sported trumpet-like horns for each cylinder instead of a regular exhaust manifold or header. Hoover got the idea from a theory in Norton Motorcycle Technical Paper. The concept would not be used outside of racing engines for more than a decade afterward. It was said to be the loudest vehicle out of all of the competitors because of its unique exhaust.[2]