Social > Your Builds / Photo Gallery

mark williams dragster

(1/3) > >>

ts39256:
I have an update my mark Williams dragster I bought a couple of years ago out of Minnesota. I`ve finally have the sbc  and shorty powerglide in, and plumbed and wired. I got it to fire-up and roll under it`s own power. My only outing with it was at the local summer car show. It`s fun to see the young kids reactions to seeing and hearing this 24 foot long vintage race car. It`s not quite race worthy yet, but someday it will be on the track again. , Thanks Glenn !

GlennLever:
more pictures

sknopp:
Great photos.  I have the sister to that car, 1969 214".  Couple of things I'll share with you. 

First, it looks like you have the original front steering "L" link on it.  I ran with mine for several years before it broke (170 MPH at half track), fortunately I was headed straight and the chute & brakes did their job.  Think about what it is, a thin chrome-moly flat plate, drilled, then chrome plated.  Likely has hydrogen embrittlement, plus 40 years of stress.

Second, it looks like you still have a lot of caster in it, mine was 45° when I got it and I had a tough time getting off on the return road.  I went to 30° and it was better, and now have 25° and it works well. 

Do you have the SEMA tag?  Is it a three or four digit number?

You will be amazed at how many guys will recognize that it's a MW car.

Thanks,
Steve K.   

ts39256:
Thanks sknopp for the info.  Mine is a 210 inch wheelbase. I`m only guessing it`s a 1971 due to the side wings and billboards. I have the sema tag under right side rollbar uprite, a small 1/2 inch square numbered 18 with sema underneath it. Pretty scary about the "L" link! I`ll take it off and have it checked for stress cracks before it gets back on the track. The front caster is at 45 degrees now, but I`d like to change it to something closer to 20. It looks like I`ll run out of adjustment on the clevis ends, and don`t want to change the radius rods. Did you have to make some kind of spacer? I really don`t want to cut and reweld the brackets. Thanks, Tommy

sknopp:
Tommy,  as I recall I could get to 30° by adjusting the ends.  Eventually I replaced the axle (found a crack) and radius rods.  I have what is supposed to be the original Mark Williams manufacturing tag for my car, and it looks to match up pretty well with the for weld tacks on the right side rear upright where a tag was, but the SEMA number stamped on the tag is four digits and I'm told nobody had four.

Steve K.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page