Rodney Rucker of Winslow, Ariz., checks the oil in his 1929 Studebaker “Rodzilla” before heading to Baton Rouge, La. from the Isle of Capri Casino Friday morning.(Meredith Spencer The Vicksburg Post

[8/7/04]Even at 7 a.m., strangers driving through the parking lot of the Isle of Capri ask Scott Dorsey what he’s doing.

“We’re just riding across the country. We’ll be in New Orleans tomorrow,” Dorsey says.

The questions keep coming.

“How much horsepower does that thing get?”

“How fast will it go?”

Or, simply, “What is that?”

The Sidney, Ohio, native just smiles. “Happens everywhere we go,” Dorsey says.

Dorsey, his two sons and several friends have spent the week driving their three hot rods from Chicago to New Orleans. Calling their trek the “Freedom Road Rally,” the group left Sunday driving souped-up versions of a 1928 Ford Model A, a replica 1930 Ford Model A and “Rodzilla” a 1929 Studebaker outfitted with a tank engine.

It’s Rodzilla that literally stops traffic. Dorsey said when they pull into gas station which happens a fair bit because the hot rod gets three miles to the gallon the station shuts down.

“Everyone comes out to ask us questions,” he said.

That, Dorsey said, is the entire point of the trip.

“After 9/11, it seems like no one wanted to leave their homes. We’re trying to change that in our small, little way,” he said.

Rodzilla, owned by Rodney Rucker of Winslow, Ariz., is one of only three in the world, Rucker said. One of the others is owned by “Tonight Show” host and car aficionado Jay Leno.

The Studebaker’s engine was taken from an M-47 and M-48 Korean War-era tank. It’s an air-cooled V-12 with 1,000 horsepower without the turbo, 1,500 horsepower with the turbo.

Rucker said when the engine was initially tested by the government, it pulled seven 60-ton tanks.

“It’s just a torque monster,” Rucker said of the engine which produces 1,600 pounds of torque.

The hot rod is making its debut on this trip. Rucker said most hot rods similar to Rodzilla can rarely make 70 miles before needing repairs. But on this trip, the hot rod has made it more than 900 miles, needing only minor repairs.

Dorsey said he’d like to make the road rally an annual event. Traveling Route 66 from Chicago to California is a possibility for next year’s trip.

The Freedom Road Rally differs from other road rallies because of the relaxed pace and atmosphere. “Most road rallies go 400 miles a day. That’s too much,” he said. The Freedom Road Rally travels between 200 to 250 miles per day.

For Dorsey, who is taking a vacation from his job as the owner of a custom car shop, and Rucker, who is a self-employed derailment specialist for railroads, the idea is simple.

“We’re just enjoying the country,” Dorsey said.