Hotrod Magazine
Last week we did a shoot for hotrod magazine which should be in the June issue. I worked a deal where I get all the photos they took but can not share them until 1 month after the issue, either that or they don't get to use the pics. The pics turned out great and are in a super high format so that I can do pretty much anything with them like posters, etc.
They wrote a great story about the saw which I will share some of as a sneek preview.
PREDATOR UNLIMITED HOTSAW HOTROD MAGAZINE JUNE-08
For most people, it’s probably hard to imagine why anyone would want to build a V-8 powered chainsaw. After all, it’s grossly overpowered, it’s completely impractical, and it burns high-octane fuel exclusively. It costs a lot of money to build and maintain, and the vast majority of the parts must be custom-fabricated. In other words, it’s just like any other hot rod.
44-year old Robert Andrews is a native of the Pacific Northwest, which is famous for two things: incessant rain, and big trees. As a result, logging isn’t just a job for many of the folks in this area, it’s a way of life; a chainsaw isn’t just a tool, it’s who you are.
So in the winter months, instead of building hot rods to go drag racing with in the summer, people like Robert are building “Hot Saws” –purpose-built chainsaws designed specifically for logging competitions, where the first saw through section of log wins. It’s drag racing for chainsaws.
In these competitions, the Top Fueler of the sport is the Unlimited Hot Saw, which can be powered by anything you want, as long as two men can lift it—and that’s the only rule. The quickest of the bunch can cut through a 30-inch diameter log in just over one second.
Having competed for years with various stock-bodied saws like a 20-hp, alky-burning Stihl (say “steel”) 088, Husqvarna 3120 and a monstrous 70-hp 325 cc Rotax, Robert finally made the decision to step up to the big leagues in the spring of ’01. “My Rotax was too big for the 6-cubic inch and over category, but not big enough to compete in Unlimited with the V-6 and V-8 powered saws,” Andrews explains. “So after my last third-place finish with the Rotax, I walked back into the stands where my wife, Ronda, was sitting, and she asked me, ‘Why don’t you have one of those big saws?’ That’s when I decided to build The Predator.”
As you might have gathered, The Predator isn’t the first V-8 hot saw ever built; by Andrews’ best recollection, that honor goes to a couple of boys nicknamed “The Hernia Brothers” (for obvious reasons) who debuted a 700+ lb., iron-block, 307-inch Chevy-powered hot saw about 25 years ago. However, as of this writing, the Predator is still the baddest. In the last two years, Andrews says it’s been beaten only once, and that was when it broke the chain.
The Predator is a lot like a drag car in that it requires a warm up procedure, and it even has a pit crew. “We have a lot more fun than drag racers, though,” says Andrews. “We drink beer all day and only work for 1.2 seconds.”
Predator Unlimited Hot Saw Quick Specs
Overall weight: 509 lbs.
Engine: 1963 Buick 215 V-8, aluminum block and heads
Built by: Birl Pierotti
Stroked? Yes
Horsepower: 300+
Torque: 300+
Oiling system: Owner-built custom, relocated pick-up
Crank: Stock, Magnafluxed, oil holes chamfered
Rods: Proprietary
Pistons: Wiseco forged
Compression ratio: 11:1+
Fuel: Sunoco 114
Fuel pump: Holley Red
Cam: Ron Iskenderian, custom ground
Heads: Stock, oversize valves
Ported: Yes
Intake manifold: Stock, ported
Carburetor: Predator variable venturi
Ignition: MSD 6AL
Headers: Custom by owner, 1.5-inch primary
Instruments: AutoMeter tach with playback, AutoMeter water temp, oil pressure. Oil pressure warning light.
but only for one night to test drive a prospective horse, she darn well better ride it back like ole "clarke & lewis" did or I'll be mad.
