“Bocephus” - Darce Laws’s 1965 Oldsmobile 442
One would be hard-pressed to find a greater fan of high performance Oldsmobiles than Darce Laws of Casper, Wyoming. With a personal collection of twenty-nine 442’s and an Omega, Darce’s Oldsmobiles are as much a part of his life as the very air he breathes. Of this impressive collection, one car stands out more than the rest: “Bocephus”, a dazzling silver 1965 442 with a spectacular power setup yielding over 2,500 horsepower.
Darce’s immersion into the world of racing came at a young age as his older sister, Missy Laws-Van Horn, introduced him to the thrill of the sport by taking him out street racing with her. Naturally, this thrill was the catalyst for his future in drag racing as Darce eagerly followed in her footsteps, building and racing as many hot rod machines as he could handle. Having always been a fan of the body styles of classic Oldsmobiles, along with the allure that they’re not a dime-a-dozen car at the track, he focused his time and energy on crafting show-stopping Oldsmobiles. As such, when he came across this ‘65 442 on eBay in Kansas in 2010, Darce pounced on the opportunity to craft a spectacular hot rod, one that came to be know as “Bocephus”.
“Bocephus” is powered by a 516ci big block Chevrolet engine, bored to 4.530” with a 4.00” stroke and 10.5:1 compression ratio. This BBC features MAHLE pistons, Oliver connecting rods, Brodix BB3 cylinder heads feeding to 5” aluminum exhaust, a Lunati crankshaft, a Bullet camshaft and a Crower valvetrain. While Darce assembled the motor, all of the machine work was completed by US Automotive Machine in Loveland, Colorado. To further amp up the horsepower on this already robust motor, Darce added twin 88mm Forced Induction turbos with Holley EFI. “Bocephus” is also equipped with an MSD 600 ignition, a Meziere water pump, a Powermaster Performance alternator and a Waterman Racing 25gpm cable drive fuel pump.
To transfer the tremendous horsepower generated under the hood of the 442 to the rear wheels, Darce installed a Bubba Ginn three-speed turbo 400 transmission a bolt-together Performance Torque Converter and a TRZ Motorsports Fab 9 rear axle with 3.40 gears. “Bocephus” also sports TRZ A-arms up front and TRZ control arms in the rear, Menscer shocks and 25.3 stock suspension by Speed Monkey Fab in Casper, Wyoming.
It’s only fitting that a jaw-dropping powerhouse like “Bocephus” has an equally stunning exterior. Darce added a sleek VFN Fiberglass cowl hood and bumpers, a Glasstek grille and mini-tubs. Additionally, the 442 sports Billet Specialties Comp 5 15x10” bead locks with Mickey Thompson 275 Pro tires in the rear and 15x4” Comp 5 wheels with Sportsman S/R tires up front. Having perfected the art of paint and body work over many years in the profession, Darce then worked his magic on the 442 resulting in a show quality straight-bodied silver metallic beauty. The cockpit of “Bocephus” features classic red custom upholstery courtesy of Tony Ferguson and is enshrouded by a SMF 25.3 roll cage. Darce also opted for a Precision Performance Products shifter, a Holley 12.3” dash, and Jegs G-Force safety harneses.
Since completing “Bocephus”, Darce has competed in numerous race classes, series and drag and drive events across the country. While he loves them all, his favorite competitions are drag and drives. Most notably, Darce has taken both a first and second place trophy in Rocky Mountain Race Week, a thrilling seven day drag and drive event covering over 1,000 miles through the Rocky Mountain region. Pushing his ‘65 to 190mph at 7.50s in the quarter mile, it’s no surprise that Darce is a fierce competitor in just about any drag racing event. Despite the formidable performance of “Bocephus”, Darce has lofty plans to level it up. With keen anticipation to explore the potential of an Oldsmobile platform, Darce is currently building a DX block with Wise Performance Engineering cylinder heads and a twin turbo setup. Fellow racers and fans alike will be chomping at the bit to see this new setup in action at the track. With the Yellowstone Drag Strip near Billings, Montana and the Pueblo Motorsports Park in Pueblo, Colorado as Darce’s favorite tracks, keep your eyes peeled for the acclaimed “Bocephus” at these great racing venues as this 442 is guaranteed to put on a spectacular performance.
