Words and photos by Dennis Mothershed

Over 35 years ago, Russ Flagle and company started developing parts for their very own Chevy powered dragster. At the time, Russ had no idea that it would turn into a world class manufacturing facility with 18 CNC machine centers, four DMU80T five axis Deckel Macho milling machines, and a customer base virtually everywhere in the world hi-performance engines are found.

Based in the southeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana, the facility has grown in stages over time. What started out as a barn has now become a complex of  additions that include a warehouse, dyno room, assembly room, core processing room, sales office, pattern design room, shipping and receiving area, assembly room, and a variety of rooms and outbuildings to hold the CNC machinery.

Indy Cylinder Head supplies the high performance world with a great variety of engine parts. Of course Mopar engines dominate the complex, but Ford, Chevy, AMC, and now Cummins diesels help keep everyone extremely busy. My visit with Russ at his shop happened in March, which is one of the busiest times of year for Indy Cylinder Head. While doing the interview for this story and taking us on a tour of the facility, the phone never stopped ringing. In the midst of unloading from the annual Indy Cylinder Head swap meet at the local state fairgrounds and doing a dyno test with Dave Young of Mopar Muscle magazine, Russ still took the time to share his story with the DRO readers.

The facility is one of many that has grown up around an industry nurtured by racers, hot rodders, and speed enthusiasts. The experience level of Russ and Fred Flagle, Ken Lazzeri, and staff is unmatched in the engine development world. All of the fifteen-plus employees have their roots in racing, and their love of the sport keeps them on the road many weekends of the year.

A look at the patterns for parts developed by and for Indy Cylinder Head.