Thanks to his extensive work on automatic transmissions for racing, Beswick found no difficulties hooking the modified M40 to a full-sized Pontiac rear with 3.90:1 gears. Depending on tire diameter, he would occasionally run with a set of 4.11s, but he found the 3.90 cogs best, especially with the 12-inch hard compound tires he preferred to use.
The Super Judge was completed in time for the '69 Super Stock Nationals at York, Pennsylvania. There were gremlins to chase, and Beswick spent most of his weekend at York working through the Super Judge's teething problems. After getting the kinks out of the car, he was able to turn mid 7-second e.t.'s at 175-185 mph. Later, when the Ram Air V heads were installed, Beswick broke into the 6-second bracket with speeds approaching 200 mph.
In 2007, Beswick's D/Stock...
In 2007, Beswick's D/Stock Judge went across the Mecum auction block for $315,000, sold to Todd Werner of Clearwater, Florida. Todd has built up a unique collection of singular high-performance and race cars, and Beswick's Judge now resides fender to fender with other legendary drag cars.
The Pontiac Tool Room assembled...
The Pontiac Tool Room assembled a Ram Air IV for Beswick's D/Stock Judge, with "select" parts, carefully set up and dyno'd to ensure it was putting out way over the advertised 370 hp. Beswick later added a set of headers designed by his friends at Pontiac Engineering and built by JR Headers.
The restored interior of Arnie...
The restored interior of Arnie Beswick's D/Stock Judge, now owned by collector, Todd Werner.