There aren’t a host of heads-up drag racing categories where bargain-price parts snatched out of the swap meet on a whim can get you to the winner’s circle, but Ohioan Mike Niehaus seized that rare opportunity to do just that at the recent Holley Ford Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

When Niehaus twisted the shaft off one of the turbos in his trusty ’86 four-eye Fox body Ford Mustang during qualifying for the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout, his weekend appeared doomed. But he and friend and fellow competitor Dannie Adair tracked down a nondescript foreign turbo with a lot of miles on it that likewise fit the combination and the class rules, and he was down to give it a chance. Niehaus spent a paltry sum of $800 for the entire kit, and drug it back to his pit area to see if he could make it work. Indeed, it fired right up, built boost, and against all odds, was ready to rip. But would it survive the abuse of one pass, let alone three?

Pushing 22 psi through the mixed breed of brand, size, and build of turbos, Niehaus scored an opening round win over his red-lighting opponent, slowing to a 9.21. An 8.74 at a coasting 142 mph did the job in round two, and a strong 8.68 at 159 mph was enough to get by Skyler Hardy’s 8.86 at 158 in the final round to seal the deal.

“Best $800 I’ve ever spent!” Niehaus said emphatically after the win.

Niehaus’ machine, once featured here on DRAGZINE and FordMuscle, is powered by a 347 cubic-inch small-block Ford with Trick Flow high port heads and twin 6466 turbos (at least normally). A Holley Dominator ECU provides the directions, while a Black Magic clutch and a face-plated T56 Magnum transmission put the power down through a Quick Performance 9-inch rearend. Niehaus has been an impressive 8.23 at 170 mph best with the combination previously.