Drag Racing Discussions > Front Engine Dragsters

Driver safety in FED

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Flint78:
Hi guys, I have never driven a FED, sat in Altered few times that's it.  My previous experience was only with door slammers and pro-street.
So as I was sitting in altered dragster with my legs over the  rearend, I started to wonder. What options for driver security against explosion of transmission, shaft coupler or third member. Do you use some kind of special rear end cover, or any kind of scatter shield ?  A friend of mine had a kevlar cover over TH400 in his dragster. When the tranny exploded, parts flew all over the place, leaving huge hole in the door. Fortunately my friend got lucky and only got out with torn safety pants. 
What options there are in order to minimise the risk in this day and age of safety equipment.

George:
A NHRA or IHRA rule book would be a good place to help answer your questions. There are so many items and issues to cover a simple reply wouldn't get it covered.

Flint78:
True, I will get to that, I was thinking more in a way of rear end cover selection, kinds of scatter shields etc

dreracecar:
Rear ends simply do not break and explode any more,  If they do their likely cause is from cheapness and stupidity.
Good 3rd cases are widely available thru the aftermarket. A stock Ford non nodular case from a passenger car is so weak that the helix of the pinion gear will push and break the pinion carrier out of it.
spools are used in dragsters instead of open diffs and do not explode
Better gear material is used and are heat treated softer than street gears for flex during impact. Gears do break on occasion, but thats usually at the hit when speeds are slow and just knock the teeth off, nothing comes out.
  Back in the early days, the junkyards were the main source of parts--- there was no aftermarket unless you went to a Halibrand QC, and those were more likely to explode and in you lap. welding spider-gears weakened the diff that it would break or just the diff would break on its own. Street gears are extra hard so they could last 100,000 miles, Race gears dont need that long of service. The biggest fear was when the rear end would lock up at speed and rip out of the frame into the drivers lap and tearing him up. With SFI specs requiring 4 per side 7/16" bolts and an anti rotation plate/mount. The use of a quality aftermarket case and spool, proper gear material for the application, Its somthing that is no longer a concern for the racer and its only brought up by those in the spectator stands. A guy once asked me if the rear end got hot sitting over it? I replied---7 seconds is not enough time for it heat up

Flint78:
Thanks for that info, helps a lot. I live in Poland - no dragsters here at all. I will be reading and asking you guys a lot here, for a year or 2 - until I finish my new house and finally have a decent garage to start FED project for real.  ;D

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