Drag Racing Discussions > Front Engine Dragsters
FED Build
THE FRENCHTOWN FLYER:
I'll tell you a funny true story.
My friend and his wife raced altereds. At one point they had a new car built by a prominent local chassis builder. I went over to see it when it was done. He had welded the kingpin bushings in UPSIDE DOWN. I suspect he mail ordered a base axle and when it came in to the shop he welded on the radius rod batwings upside down and when he realized it he just said "F*** it" and swapped the spindles left-to-right. With such a messed up kingpin inclination angle the scrub radius was a mile outside of the tire contact patch. I explained to him he could have an evil handling car on his hands.
Well call me stupid. His wife won two IHRA Modified Eliminator championships with that car.
As a post script to the story she did end up rolling it in the lights. I do not know if the messed up front end geometry was a factor in the crash. I never spoke of the front end mess again.
I guess like the little girl with the little curl "... when it was good it was very, very good, and when it was bad it was horrid."
denverflatheader:
Lynn - I would guess you meant 1.2 degrees "negative" camber with solid dragster style axle. I forget myself which direction when thinking about negative and positive camber. My thoughts here, for a race car with independent front suspension, 1.2 degrees positive camber good. For your dragster with solid front axle, it will probably be 0 to 1 degrees negative camber (the top of the wheels tilt inward for negative camber). 0 degrees camber would be best considering rolling resistance.
Drag strips are flat & straight, not like a typical roadway. With positive camber, the wheels (steering) will have tendency to go in direction that has more positive camber on a flat straight road. For example, if your left wheel has 0.5 degree positive camber and your right wheel has 1.5 degree positive camber, your vehicle may tend slightly right.
However, the end result with your 60s style dragster with a skinny front tire like an Avon speedmaster, you will probably not notice any steering difference with a camber range between -1.5 to +1.5 degrees due to the minimum contact patch with the road surface.
p.s. FTF - I've had a few messes in my projects too, some big and some little mistakes, some I laugh about, some not so much.
lake_harley:
I actually checked on + and - camber before I posted and unless I'm thinking wrong about the sum of the angles involved I will end up with a bit over 1 degree positive camber (wheel tops further apart than the bottom). No matter positive or negative I would think any camber could cause a slight pull, right or left, depending on wheel loading and grip on the surface. I do plan to run a rounded tread type tire.
I don't propose to have any answers. I'm just plodding through and trying to learn along the way.
Lynn
denverflatheader:
I'd heard story (friend of mine who raced at Lions in Long Beach) on reason dragster front axle had negative camber. As 60s dragsters got longer and longer, plus wheelie bars, engine torque plus the longer chassis flexing when launching would lift and carry the left front tire. The driver could still steer with the right front tire on the ground. Their thought was starting with negative camber, the single right front tire going to 0 degree camber would be easier to steer, versus starting with positive camber and having more positive camber added at launch when the left front goes up and carried for short distance.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
lake_harley:
Sounds like there's good logic in that idea.
Lynn
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