Drag Racing Discussions > Front Engine Dragsters

calming the car down on the starting line

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crider:
Finally got the car out for the first time this year, and picked up right where it left off last fall. It 's 178" David Beard chassis with a 604" BBC. I had made around 30 runs with the new engine last year and ran straight as a string but not performing up to potential. I finally tried pulling the timing back to 32 degrees and the engine seems to love it, but it has made the car for the most part undrivable. I've tried both raising and lowering the wheelie bar but it just hits the bars hard and gets loose. I'm running 33-10.50 tires and a 4.20 gear. Right now I'm thinking either a gear swap or a front weight bar. What would be the right thing to try first?

fuel749:
While I was at the track that day I might have gone back to the original setup just to see if it would get off the starting line.  What were the incrementals when it got down the track?  Injected or carbureted?  Leaving at idle or off the trans brake?  When you say not performing up to potential, what are you expecting from it?  It sounds like its dead hooking

retroboy:
Interesting to see that three of the last five posts are about start line and rear gears. I have a similar problem with the car being something I have to fight off the start line. I put weight on the nose which helped a little bit but I going from 4.3 to 3.89 rear gears hoping that helps. I have a 3 SPD with a 2.45 first gear and a 31" tyre.

rooman:
How far out is the motor?  How long is the wheelie bar and how rigid? ?  'glide with 1.76 or 1.82?  Does it jerk the front end and then get loose with the bar up? Does it spin at the step with the bar down?

Roo

fuel749:
I'm thinking I built that with the motor 42" out but I originally built it for someone else so I could be wrong. I only build them with the motor further back by customer request.  If I built the bar it's probably between 48"-60" with enough give to not unload or shock the chassis unless things are going bad fast.

Jim, when you say the wheelie bar was low how low was it.  On our small block altered  (4.56, 33x10.5W, 1.76 low, probably 450 horse) I run the wheel almost touching the ground to unload the tires and generate wheel speed.  On occasion the owner/driver gets a hair across his ass for some big wheelie pictures so I put the bar up and it wacks the bar hard enough to unload the tires and send him for a ride. 

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