Messages

1

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: FED bounce problem.

« on: July 31, 2020, 08:43:38 AM »

Curly,
My daughters car is a 174" fed, triple slip joint top rail, BBC 600 HP, turbo 400. Runs 5.60 at 124 & 8.75 at 150 mph 3000 rpm launch in 2nd gear nice and calm bracket mode 4000 D.A. Chassis has 6.00 cert

I will try to get my daughter to post a run or two, watch over the tops of valve covers & see how much the of front tires come & go from sight under launch, settling down and hard braking on the top end, all controlled by amount of slippage at each joint to let car run free & easy. I do not like chassis flex as it goes away, I have some that will show itself over time and I readjust the slip joints to raise her back up.

Enjoy

2

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: FED bounce problem.

« on: July 23, 2020, 10:43:15 AM »

Your trying to use her as a rifle and not a hand gun, using only one hand to hold the gun to hit the target

Flex fades away over time. eliminate any flex from front motor mount to rearend.

Top rail in front of motor likes a slip joint to plant the rear tire, while forcing the fronts to stay planted in the beams every pass never lifting out.

Slipping the top front rail allows the car to eat up the track and hard top end breaking.

A lot of arch makes the front tires pull to the right on the launch. no give in the steering rod. we use clamps on the chassis to control movement.

She will be happy

Enjoy

3

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: stage rpm vs stall and wheel speed

« on: December 15, 2019, 12:37:13 PM »

 wide, try opening up your fronts first. Steering rod not affected as much because of closeness.

Said passes
Slow/cold pass humidity 37, dew 25 & BP of 28.04 with DA of 1305 ET 5.661
Fast/warm pass humidity 15, dew 12 & BP 28.10 with DA of 2606 ET 5.651

plus 22 humidity & lower BP by .06 canceled out better DA numbers. Cold track .01 slow, you'll know by the 330'

Both dead .001 to dial in run for money win & .009 against .015 pack for the win, bottom bulb bracket racing

Enjoy

4

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: stage rpm vs stall and wheel speed

« on: December 13, 2019, 05:05:39 AM »

Wide, front slip eats up the track. Our car arches at the motor only about 2" or so depending the situation.
The looser the chassis, the looser the launch and need to be on toes. Because as the chassis arches the steering rod is not.

5

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: stage rpm vs stall and wheel speed

« on: December 12, 2019, 10:41:18 AM »

For us, lower launch RPM slows RT & ET, softer hit. Car is moving while flashing

Curly, Slip joint top rail in front of motor mount. Made our fed triple slip jointed top rail 174" she is free. Like holding a longer rod the dragster is not as easy to control as the shorter rod like your altered.

We Just ran our Thanksgiving race here at LVMS two weeks ago. Over the last two day's in 9 passes with a track & tire temp from a low of 57/65 to a high of 80/90 with air temps from 48 to 72. Coldest was slowest 5.661. Fastest at 72 air temp she ran a 5.651 switching lanes.

Cars first slip in front of motor is 60" out to plant the tire. 60" is a shorter rod for inertia than the 125" altered

6

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: negatives of FED as bracket car?

« on: July 14, 2019, 09:56:05 AM »

Hey rooman,
Bracket racing my friend is a different world to win in. Not saying to race in, but to win in.


5 tenths, full tree with no electronics car is not the same as a car with electronics. Have you every built or run a fed to leave on the flash of the third bulb? Where you have to try and keep the front tires in the beams a extra .100, a whole tenth of a second. Jon Hansen (Hayden Wheels) may know the differences here.
 
A 4 tenths pro tree or electronics car just needs to get out of the beams as fast as possible. So what I meant was consistency of front tires in the stage beams because were in there a long time. If I ever run a 4 tenths tree I would run the smallest possible front tires we could. Less is more, less time in the stage beams the more consistent it will be. Like I said earlier we run 25" fronts bottom bulbing with 18" wheels from Jon

Not saying it cant be done. We won comp eliminator at 74 sportsman nationals running as a b/ed. First year of the econorail. We did it in Kuhl & Olsens last front engine car. Mike has it back now and restored as a top fueler. Only national event that car has won. Learned from that Woody Gilmore car about chassis sag.

Ackerman geometry is set at 1" stagger. But I do add or take out a inch now and then.

Yes sir, the center of our lane is our only concern. Except the last 66' of the race track.
In bracket racing knowing how much time, you and your competitor spent in the last 66'. That's bracket racing

Have fun. Enjoy



 

7

Rear Engine Dragsters / Re: Front suspension

« on: July 12, 2019, 12:34:22 PM »

I think its the way to go. Solid rear, less movement. Front suspension lets car run free (move around) and eat up the bumps and smooths shut down area ride.
Front motor guy here, but found me a lil 144" chrome moly r-e-d with 4 wheel disc brakes 9" rear. Solid front & back, Im going to put Rampy's altered style strut front set-up (seems to work for him) with 25" tall front tires for bottom bulb racing. Set the front up so if I want to super comp race, put the lil air plane fronts on. My feet are 40" from the front of the nose, so should make the boring ride a lil more interesting. Maybe ready for next Thanksgivings bracket races to race along with my daughters f-e-d.

Their giving away solid rear cars and front suspension is a easy fix.

Enjoy
 

8

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: negatives of FED as bracket car?

« on: July 12, 2019, 07:46:03 AM »

Made ours a 174" triple slip joint to fit a normal garage. Can jack up the car under the front motor mount bottom rail will raise 7" before front tires start to dangle off the ground. First two slips I use stops on to control about 4" of that movement. Front slip is always free to eat up shut down area and getting on binders hard.

For us that fixed the sagging that occurs over time and it plants the fronts into the ground before lifting them. If we try to lift the fronts for a picture by adding rear weight, they come up about 20' out and chassis arch is cool. Not bracket mode.

A arm front, can set up at 0", 1" or 2" stagger. LVMS's track exits to the left, so we run 1" with left being short. makes turning that way much easier.

In the car you can see the middle top half of the front tires, thats good enough. We race 90 degrees at the finish line. Most door cars are slower, so we drive up to their rear bumper/back tire depending.  Most dragsters are faster so we can see their fronts coming and bring their cage in.

Enjoy

9

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: negatives of FED as bracket car?

« on: July 11, 2019, 03:31:04 PM »

Negatives to overcome as bracket car, TO WIN?

Front tires don't like leaving the stage beams consistently pass to pass.
Dose not turn well.
Likes to bottom out & sages over time.
Can't see center of track.

Some things need to be overcome and some you contend with, to gain the advantages and ride of a FED!

Our FED won the last pro bracket here at LVMS and is fifth in points with 4 to go. Car is very happy

10

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: cooling question

« on: May 14, 2017, 08:25:30 AM »

Crider,
Yes on the cap.
We tried a 12lb cap (Seemed stouter) from a 16lb cap after changing out radiator lines. Puck tank started filling up after every pass. After that race grabbed the 16lb cap out of the trash can put it back on, along with a zip tie. Problem solved.

I think that Meziere safety cap is the way to go. I put off getting one when I first seen one a couple months ago. But will be ordering one today now that you got Me thinking about it. Cheap safety in the long run for $100 in this department and last forever. 

Thank's
Enjoy

11

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Weight bars

« on: May 01, 2017, 11:08:39 AM »

Add No Weight.
Kills E.T. & MPH. Costs money, Harder to push, looks Ugly.

Launch in High Gear. adding a Safety Lock-out Button to avoid down shifting, if a two speed.

That will calm that lil shorty down. Cost you maybe two tenths in E.T. and you keep MPH.
Plus no shifting means (one less thing) equally consistency.

My Daughter's car is a 174" triple slip joint, BBC 550 HP, Turbo400 3 speed, 370 Gear, 10.5x31x15 M/T tires. No-Electronics.

Launching in 2nd gear, only Costs us about two tenths E.T. No MPH loss 1/4 mile. Calms the car enough to keep the front down.
First gear launch, car will carry the front about 30' landing back down about 50' out, running a .100 faster at the 60'.

Enjoy

12

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Where is everyone

« on: December 17, 2016, 12:36:10 PM »

Also changing out our rubber radiator hoses, ones 4' long the other a total of 5' long now.
I'm looking at adding 2' to each side by flipping the Radiator and switching to metal lines to help dissipate heat. Possibly?
Having water in metal lines instead of rubber hose in front of the driver and back tires seems to make sense also.

Liking something like this. With our 174" triple slip joint chassis that likes being free.

http://www.assaultracing.com/item/172531-radiator-hose-kit-48-stainless?category=8012

What are some of you Boys using?

Thanks

13

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Where is everyone

« on: December 17, 2016, 11:34:33 AM »

I agree.

Working on making the Car & Effort a lil better from this years schooling.

For us it's about bottom bulb No-E bracket racing. Here at LVMS we race 1/4 mile normally. But the biggest bracket race of the year is here at LVMS, The Spring Fling 4/11-4/15/17. They race 1/8 mile so we are focusing on that set-up. Lost a motor just before last years race and missed out, so were laying low and getting ready for this years race.

Looking at adding header flaps to keep rocks out. Seen some the diesel guys use for their stacks to keep out rain thats nice with the rubber. I do not want to here the clatter.
I'm thinking of just putting a beveled piece inside the collector with a couple ears bent on it. Run a long bolt across the top of the collector from side to side to swing it on.

Thanks

14

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Cooling

« on: August 29, 2016, 07:32:34 AM »

427 bbc, 500 hp@ 6500, 1050 dominator, turbo 400 2nd gear launch. Bracket car

15

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: shifters

« on: August 28, 2016, 03:54:48 PM »

Precision Shifter here
Same price last 32 years I know of. $200