looking for ideas

[Mrs Esterhouse]

bracket race fed fighting a hook and spin concern. lower hp 8.70sec 150mph car sbc carbureted 1520 lbs  with driver, pg with 1.80 first 4.11 rear gy 2585 on 12" wheel, launch at 4200 converter flashes 5500 shift at 7000 traps at 7300.  at our home track it will sixty mid 1.20s at good track it will sixty low 1.19s. my problem is during the day with some track temp it will hook and spin the tires quite consistently and go rounds but when we get to later rounds and things start to cool off its a crap shoot on hooking or not. I think our weight balance is pretty good, does not seem like the wb is unloading the tires, car always goes straight.  I know there are a ton more variables to this but do you guys see any red flags in this set up?

[JrFuel Hayden]

What tire pressures with your D2585 GY's

[Mrs Esterhouse]

thank you for responding. 5 1/2 seems to work the best.

[wideopen231]

Yea you can not bracket race a FED. I know I have been hearing it since I started my project. My car is built mainly for bracket racing and everything has been keyed towards that. Result yet to be seen. You probably already know the bracket race theory loose converter and over tire,but thats based on RED with 4 link.

Only thing that caught my attention(this coming from somoen with no backing) is low gear.When I started my project I spent about hour on phone with Frank Parks. Very informative hour. One of a lot of points he made was do not go the 1.80 low deal in trans.He suggested 1.69.My take from conversation was to get more DS speed and therefore more wheel speed. Hope he was right since I went all in with coan max duty planetary with 1.69 low,

My untested setup is 482 Hemi(1000 hp est),6600 stall,1.69 low PG ,4.11(starting point) 14x15x32 MT's.In 225 inch chassis. Like stated totally untested.Waiting on trailer to give car ride to track.

Glad to others crazy enough to think something besides a one of 300 dragsters on race weekend can run brackets. Hope you get car figured out and kick some RED rear and I plan to do the same.

[Curly1]

What is the wheelbase and front end weight? I think that is the key on these things because it has to have all the weight on front wheels when it leaves or t will unload the rear tires.
Now I am new to a front engine dragster but I think that is the key. I think you need to carry front wheels out a ways to make it work in my opinion.

[THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER]

curly, I think you meant to say it had to have all the weight on the rear wheels.

[masracingtd1167]

Sounds like you are very close to where you need to be ! I run the same tire and wheel size on my car and it has worked very well for me ! You could try to go up a little on air pressure and it will kill a little wheel speed ! I run mine at 6 lbs most of the time unless the track is really good and then I will drop the pressure to 5 1/2 or 5 3/4 to get a little more wheel speed !Like Dave and Curly said you might have to move some weight around forward or backward ! Good luck !

[masracingtd1167]

What is the wheelbase and front end weight? I think that is the key on these things because it has to have all the weight on front wheels when it leaves or t will unload the rear tires.
Now I am new to a front engine dragster but I think that is the key. I think you need to carry front wheels out a ways to make it work in my opinion.

   Curly That is a very good point ! 

[Mrs Esterhouse]

Thank you everyone for responding

[JrFuel Hayden]

What rim width are you running with your D2585's ?
Most of the NHRA Heritage JF cars run that Goodyear, including our JF B car. We ran 10" rims for lot of years, until I made more power , then needed 11" when we needed more traction in Bakersfield in the final when the sun went down, and the track cooled off. And when I made more power we went to the class limit on width 12" . BTW the Goodyears grow the most on the 10" rims.
We mostly run 6lb pf pressure , but when I'm looking for more tire speed I lower the pressure 1/4 to 1/2 lb. We have tried GY 33x12 tires for acouple of races, still not better ET's yet. But at the Heritage in Sacramento we had such bad tire shake we crossed the centerline All because of dead hook, because the track ran Jet cars before us and over prepped the track . if I was smart and quick enough, I would have told our crew to lower the tire pressure 1/2 lb after seeing Don Enriquez have bad tire shake in the same lane just in front of us, to get more tire speed.
The tire shake was so bad it twisted both axles, and cracked a cross member.
Another thing we ran into,, our car weighs 1450 lb with driver, and 325 lb of front end weight, and we were racing in Bakersfield a few yesrs ago running low 7.0's on our 11" rims, and another racer was running 11" rims too, but he was having traction problems, so I offered to let him use my mounted 2585 on my 12" rims , he ran a 7.03, but when we reached the final, he said I suppose you want you wheels/tires back, and I said as a matter a fact yes , because we were getting loose about 800'., cold and higher dew pt track.
Now the rest of the story , the other racer built his own super light JF car weighing 1355 lb, with driver, but his front end weight was the same as ours, so that means his car was 95 lb lighter than our car in the rear = less weight on the slicks .
My lesson is if we dead hook, tire shake, check axle twist and check complete chassis, altho when we have had tires shake in the past that we checked  our chassis, it was only in the front , even tho you would think it would be in the rear.

[Mrs Esterhouse]

thanks again guys, I would really like to try a 10" wheel with our same tire and a taller first gear in the trans.  both are expensive. I think we are fighting the track more than the car, most cars in are class are index, throttle stop cars.(will run 7 dial 9.05)  it just seems like poor track conditions affect us before the red guys. I love to bracket race and go rounds and I hate to say it but thinking about a ignition were I can retard the timing for a set amount of time and get out of the hole clean on less than stellar track conditions. I don't care what the number is as long as it runs the number. Or is it possible I just don't have enough power to keep it in the tires?

[BK]

You can Bracket Race a FED and its a lot of fun.
When I bracket raced mine I used a Pneumatic cylinder with a needle valve on the throttle to take a little hit out of it. 1.14 60' to 1.24. No timer on it. Ended up right about where you are ET wise.
I had 14 x 32s on the back with 4.5lbs of air because of bumpy tracks. Car would dead hook and squat down an inch or two onto the wheelie bar and was very consistent.

[gregm784]

I actually had no idea you couldn't bracket race a FED.  I've index raced mine over 10 years.  I can repeatedly close the stripe to < .005.  It'll .00 the tree all day long if i'm on my game.

I'll admit, line racing a 58 Vette roadster is easier, but a blown alcohol digger is a blast

[Curly1]

curly, I think you meant to say it had to have all the weight on the rear wheels.

Duh! You are right! I did mean all of the weight on rear wheels. I knew what I meant my fingers just do not type what my brain is telling them to. I hate it when that happens.