Drag Racing Discussions > Front Engine Dragsters

How much ballist do I need in my FED?

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novacain:
    I have a 166" FED. with no weight box in the front. With the current engine it pulls the front wheels about a foot and sets down without a problem. I'm pulling out the 355 and putting in a 383 [ sbc ]   About a 120 hp increase. I don't need a bigger wheelstand and don't really want to go to a wheelie bar. Does anyone have a formula on how much ballast to put on the front. The car weighs 1620 with me in it. I'm 260. Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.

ricardo1967:
It directly depends how far out your motor is (and tires, gearing, launch RPM, etc..). If your powertrain is located far back like vintage dragsters (like mine), you may want to start as heavy as 200 lb, then start taking weigh off. 300 lb is not unheard. If you do have the wheelie bars, I suggest having them attached (set high) to act as a safety net until you have your setup figured out. In my case, the fire bottle acted as my wheelie bar. Expensive mistake!

masracingtd1167:
I agree with Ricardo ! You can always take them off later . Another thing to think about is if you put a lot of weight up front when the front comes up it will be even more weight hitting the ground ! The last thing you want to do is break your chassis or front end ! Bill

wideopen231:
As much as I hate idea if adding weight.I agree start heavy and backdown. If making another 120 hp I would think anything over 100 should cover it. Have you moved everything possible foward? Few pounds off driver? could have resisted didn't want to. This si why I have my motor out 50" hopefully avoid adding weight.

novacain:
   Thanks for the input. Sounds like I need to do some measuring on the engine distance. It sets farther out than some that I've seen, SBC w/ a regular length 350TH and a coupler. I like the legroom, I don't think I'd fit in a car with a shorty 'glide. Probably end up putting weight on the front, driver could stand to lose about 50 lbs. but it's unlikely it will happen. Thanks again.

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