Drag Racing Discussions > Front Engine Dragsters

Wheelie bars

<< < (5/6) > >>

JrFuel Hayden:
I assume your short wheelie bar back "many many" years ago worked fine with the lower HP you were making and more important NO VHT, now you got bite and unless you carry 100-150 lbs of balast on your front axle, you will be sending me your front wheels to fix.

Jon, Hayden Wheels, 800-624-3803

retroboy:

--- Quote from: JrFuel Hayden on March 08, 2016, 09:51:58 PM ---I assume your short wheelie bar back "many many" years ago worked fine with the lower HP you were making and more important NO VHT, now you got bite and unless you carry 100-150 lbs of balast on your front axle, you will be sending me your front wheels to fix.

Jon, Hayden Wheels, 800-624-3803

--- End quote ---

It ran mid 9's. 302 Ford flat tappet camshaft and 750 DP Holley on straight pump gas. Yep no track prep back then, Water burn out, VHT out of the bottle in front of the tyres burn out, then a little chirp, then go.  Funny you should mention the wheels because you've reminded me they seemed to have lost their roundness. LOL

JrFuel Hayden:
RetroBoy it seems you want your dragster to look like the dragsters "back-in-the-day" like the photos you mention of the old 3 point roll bars. Those cars didn't have the traction we have now with VHT, and softer tires, and back then we just smoked the tires to keep the motor in the RPM range where it's making good power. Now we try to keep the RPM where we want it thru our converters or slipper clutch. If you really want the "no wheelie bar" look, then you could do what one of our Heritage Jrfuelers did at this years March Meet, no wheelie bar at all BUT he added 80 lbs of ballast to his front end. Now I would suggest if you are going to try that you should run a wheelie bar until you figure out how much weight you to have to add to keep from bending your front wheels. Another good idea is to lift up your front end until your wheelie bar hits so you can tell how high your front end will come up before it hits the bar. One of the problems with setting the bar too high is the front end will climb fast and "HIT" the bar hard and unload your slicks. most racers don't want to run an extra 100-150 lbs on their car so they run a long [ 5-6'] single wheel bar that is somewhat flexable, set low, like about 2" off the track so that it will just flex and force the front end down and not hit the bar hard at the hit. If you run a powerglide and have a problem with wheelies, you may have too tight of a converter. 

Have Fun,
Jon

gregm784:
We run our bar about 2" off the ground.  Here's a 'normal' leave.

Ponti:

--- Quote from: retroboy on February 22, 2016, 03:38:17 AM ---This what I used many many years ago. A pair of skate board wheels on cut down leaf springs with gas struts from a station wagon tail gate.  Clutch auto and it used to pull the front wheels into second.



--- End quote ---

 Retro Boy, cool, would love to see a nice close up of your setup.
   The station wagon struts didn't compress to quick?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page