What did you do on your Front Engine Dragster TODAY?

[MikenMpls]

Today started out well but quickly turned into one of those mixed results days. I fabbed a rear handle for the trans that incorporates the front retainer for the coupler cover. I also got the shifter cable and cable attachment dialed in. The UPS guy shows up with an oil pan that I have been waiting for. I ordered it more than 3 weeks ago (custom) with specific directions concerning starter fitment. They completely ignored my requests and sent me a pan that will not work. A phone call and trip to the post office had it heading back. The UPS guy also brought new spindle steering arms to replace the ugly bent ones but then I soon discovered the car had the wrong length king pins! Thankfully some lathe time fixed the king pins and has the spindles and steering arms back on the car. now if I can just get the steering shaft to not hit the chassis radius rod mounts I'll be in great shape!

[AF150]

Back in Sept. we broke a rod in my old Chrysler. Terrible oil starvation due to a crack in an internal
oil passage. So here we are 7 months later all back together and fresh with 6-71 & Hilborn 4-port.
Fired it up this morning and she sounds sweet. Big nostalgia race in Ardmore, OK this coming weekend.
Hope to get back in the game if it will just stop raining.

Mike

[Supercat]

Mike good luck this weekend......

We got a bunch of parts over the winter that we will finally install this weekend.
New trans and brake , new converter , new starter, 70lb.weight lose on the car even after adding another 15lbs to the nose(88lbs and counting).
Went to the track last week and got these pictures from the track photographer from last fall at Orlando Speedworld.
Hope to get to the track on the 29 of May.

[JWBurgess]

Finally got the care rebuilt from a total tear-down, at least far enough along to re-fire the engine and check the trans out on the stands.  need to do a little more wiring work and bleed the brakes.  A few test hits hopefully soon, then disassemble again to fine tune the body work and paint.

[gasserx]

Breathers welded in to a set of new valve covers.
Also made a nice alu piece for the fuel retun lines (no pic). Finally i can connect all lines and getting ready for a test start..

[George]

Unless you have some baffling inside the valve cover I bet you will find a good deal of oil in the breather tank. I tried a similar setup and ended up with the connection in the top center of the vc.

[ricardo1967]

That's a good looking power plant. I really dig those finned valve covers.

I like the 'look' of the way the breather lines are setup, but I'm also concerned of its functionality. What would you guys think of adding a third line, from the oil fill in the valley?

[gasserx]

Unless you have some baffling inside the valve cover I bet you will find a good deal of oil in the breather tank. I tried a similar setup and ended up with the connection in the top center of the vc.

Okey, you might be right George.
Learning by doing, and this might be the first of many mistakes...  However, im gonna give it a try.
It had a similar setup before:

[dreracecar]

Just a personal note---support for the steering rod should be closer to the clevis joint. In a loaded situation the rod will flex down before moving forward. Will it affect the steering on your car? Dont know. But in the vast majority of builds where mutiple piece steering rods are used and not in a straight line, the support is placed within 4 to 6 inches of the joint so the motion is singlular and direct

[janjon]

Bruce, looking at the picture, at first I didn't see what you were talking about, until I realized that from the picture you can't tell where the steering rod support is, but you can sure tell where it ISN'T.  So I took a walk to look at mine, I see my support a foot-and-a half behind what you called the clevis joint, except mine is not a clevis joint like that one, it's two rod ends bolted together (stacked) vertically. Tweaking the butterfly both right and left does flex the linkage at the joint both up and down a little bit with the car on the tires, at rest. Both steering rods are pretty close to parallel in both the vertical and horizontal axes, but not ZACKLY. And the rod end stack contributes to the up-and-down flex as well. This would sure be a consideration for me if I was building a chassis, and thanks for pointing this out. Better placement of the steering rod support would for sure contribute to more precise steering, but I'm not sure it's that big a deal considering the skinnies up front that can be overruled by the inequalities in traction between the rear tires, making the "suggestions" the driver makes with the butterfly not so much diminished by a little vagueness in the linkage.

[gasserx]

Just a personal note---support for the steering rod should be closer to the clevis joint. In a loaded situation the rod will flex down before moving forward. Will it affect the steering on your car? Dont know. But in the vast majority of builds where mutiple piece steering rods are used and not in a straight line, the support is placed within 4 to 6 inches of the joint so the motion is singlular and direct

It has worked like that for 35 years, so i guess for a few races a year it will work for me also, im not going to change it.

[dreracecar]

Didnt ask you to change it

A lot of people read these post and some acually look for advise through these post when they consider building a car. Many things I do while building a new car, I dont even realize Im doing and if I were to create a list on how to build a car, I would surely miss a bunch of elements and have to go back and edit. So when I look at another car, my eye goes towards things that my mind sees as being off. I saw your car with the steering shaft changing direction-- pretty normal in any build-- but my mind didnt see a support that I would put in if I was building it.  Your car has been around for 35 years like that and has worked---OK, 2 guys building a new car and it comes time to do the steering link, One guy asks about the support, the other guy remembers my post and its a done deal without regrets.

[janjon]

Bruce, I for one appreciate that you state your observations.

[masracingtd1167]

Changing the gear ratio in my trans today . lot's of needle bearings !

[JrFuel Hayden]

Bill, that looks like Fun !
I have not replaced trans gears, myself, but from what I've heard from a number of guys, it's the gear timing that's tuff. Your picture shows you don't have all the gears in yet. What ratios are you going to and what did you take out ?
We just came back from racing JF Heritage in Salt Lake City [ 4400', 6900' DA] where we took out our 1.68 and installed our spare trans with a 1.76. Also installed a looser converter and one size smaller nozzles. We got rained/ hailed-out just as we getting ready to race our final round against Scott Parks.
 The track changed the fixed brackets because of the Alt, ie, NE-1 [ 7.60] was changed to 8.00, and NE-2 [ 8.60] was changed to 9.00. The 7.0 Pro was not changed per the racers suggestion, they just changed pulley's and run 7.0's.
Frank Parks said JF adjustment is not 4 tenths, more like 3.5. So our best 7.38 would be like 7.03 at Bakersfield, but Scott's 7.15 would look like 6.8, which he ran at the March Meet, 6.81. Group One [ A/FD, JF, 7.0] will finish their final rounds in Q-2 at the CHRR in Oct, Funny car at Boise, and Group two [ NE-1 and slower] in Bakersfield in Sept.
Good Luck and have FUN !
Jon