Wheelie bars

[retroboy]

Howdy
I don't see the need for a long wheelie bar/bars on a FED with a basic 5 sec 1/8 mile combo leaving from idle or say up to 2200 rpm. I recognize the extra length will add a bit of stability but does anybody run a single wheel at the rear of the chassis like some of the early fuel cars?  Photo's of the early set usp please if you have them.
Cheers
Tony

[dreracecar]

Your problem is the powerglide and the amount of torque it develops. A single wheel at the back of the car could pivot the rear tires off the surface. To leave off idle you must have enough power to launch the car without climbing the ring gear and enough weight up front for balence. My wheel was 48" back and spring loaded so that it would not bottom till the front raised 12" and carried 140# on the nose. Leaving off high idle the front would still rise 5" and carry for 20' and never touched the wheel, as it was there for back-up, just in case.

[ricardo1967]

Your problem is the powerglide and the amount of torque it develops. A single wheel at the back of the car could pivot the rear tires off the surface. To leave off idle you must have enough power to launch the car without climbing the ring gear and enough weight up front for balence. My wheel was 48" back and spring loaded so that it would not bottom till the front raised 12" and carried 140# on the nose. Leaving off high idle the front would still rise 5" and carry for 20' and never touched the wheel, as it was there for back-up, just in case.

Bruce this is good info for me too. Based on newer FEDs I see around, I was assuming that 'modern' wheelie bars were all mono-wheel and two-wheel designs like mine were history. Wrong?

[gregm784]

Two pictures of my bar.  when we remember to chalk it, it leaves a 4" mark, then nothing for about a foot, then a 30" mark.  My front axle of my car weighs 360#, we run 1.10 60's, leaving at 5000rpm.  1.80 first in a glide.

[retroboy]

Thanks for the reply's. I don't remember mentioning a Powerglide. I run a 3 speed so first is 2.45:1. The long mono bar pictured is exactly what I feel a basic 5 sec eighth mile car doesn't need. 30 years ago I ran home made wheelie bars that were two short leaf springs maybe 14/15" long with skate board wheels using a gas lift strut to the chassis up right. This was with a small block and clutch auto so it left hard ( pre dates 60ft timers) and they were just in case.
Cheers

[masracingtd1167]

Your problem is the powerglide and the amount of torque it develops. A single wheel at the back of the car could pivot the rear tires off the surface. To leave off idle you must have enough power to launch the car without climbing the ring gear and enough weight up front for balence. My wheel was 48" back and spring loaded so that it would not bottom till the front raised 12" and carried 140# on the nose. Leaving off high idle the front would still rise 5" and carry for 20' and never touched the wheel, as it was there for back-up, just in case.

Bruce this is good info for me too. Based on newer FEDs I see around, I was assuming that 'modern' wheelie bars were all mono-wheel and two-wheel designs like mine were history. Wrong?

     Ricardo I have seen plenty of guy's with double bars on there cars and they work pretty well .For me there is just no way that I would even think about taking my car down the track without some sort of bar on it . But that's just my opinion !

[ricardo1967]

That's good to know, thanks a lot Bill!

[wideopen231]

FED newby and know nothing about tuneup for car.I figure wheelie bar is cheap insurance and xxxx looks cool too.I look at it like carrying my 45 auto better to have and not need than to need and not have it.

[retroboy]

This is the sort of thing I'm talking about. Sure cleans up the back end of the car.

[janjon]

I wouldn't do it. If you hit that roller and jacked one or both rear tires off the track there's no telling where the car's going, and I'd bet it wouldn't be straight. I'm with Bruce on the springy thing. Mine's 150" SBC, PG, 5.7, 125. I bent a couple of fronts from a hard landing, so there will be a wheelie bar on mine at all times.
Just my two cents...
Pic of the 5' bar I made, lower bar bows upward on hit. Tunable for spring with upper bar mounting location options at the wheel housing.

[masracingtd1167]

When I ran my short wheel base car in the 70's it needed a bar then and you should have one today . I bent plenty of stuff with that old car and chased a few photographers into the grass as well ! 

[coupemerc]

I almost flipped our old TAD over backwards at Englishtown without a wheelie bar. The car crashed back down so hard that it broke one front wheel off and D shaped the other front wheel. Caused me L5/S1 disc problems requiring two operations and permanently limiting the movement of my left foot. Turns out the car was only 10 lbs light in the nose. Personally, I'll never run another dragster without a nice long wheelie bar.

[ricardo1967]

When I ran my short wheel base car in the 70's it needed a bar then and you should have one today . I bent plenty of stuff with that old car and chased a few photographers into the grass as well !

Nice photos Bill!

[retroboy]

When I ran my short wheel base car in the 70's it needed a bar then and you should have one today . I bent plenty of stuff with that old car and chased a few photographers into the grass as well !

The wheelie bars in the bottom pic weren't effective?

[StigO]

Front end up in the air is for sure a crowd pleaser but my experience is that you get best ET if wheelie bars is long, stiff and low.