engine height

[wideopen231]

Wondering what most have for engine hieght. Chassis groung clearance would be nice also. I have mine set at 6.5" at rear axle,thats ground clearance. Enigne is  9" at front of crank and just under 9.75 at rear of engine ,this is from bottom rail. Thinking about changing rear to same as front. Front can only go down oil pump is almsot hitting frame now.  I have engine 50" out wanted 52 but when I first went to move out I had parts of frame already don that limited amount I could move it. Parks was very explicit about getting it out to 52".

[rooman]

Frank likes them a long way out. His first junior fuel cars were 47" out and lately he has been doing the 50" plus deal. I have had success with my cars at 42" out with the motor level. I don't worry too much about crank centerline height apart from getting the rear end right relative to the tire diameter and getting the motor angle correct--usually level to half a degree down in my cars. A 9" rear end will put the motor lower than an 8 3/4" Chrysler or a GM 10 or 12 bolt as the pinion is lower relative to the axle centerline.

Roo

[wideopen231]

 You mean you can actually runs something other than 9" ford rear end.. The 9'' and the 9  3/4 numbers are  actually 10" and 10 3/4" I forgot to add back for the 1" bar I had across jig while measuring. Pinion is 10 3/4".  Now you know why I make bad teacher,I talk  same way skip stages and figure they can figure out what I meant .Ground clearance is figured 4" at motor and 7" at rearend, 3 1/4" front end at nose.  The motor is set so oil pan is just barely above frame rails.

[slingshot383]

8 3/4" Chrysler rearends were real popular, and they take less horsepower than a 9" Ford.

[rooman]

With a big horsepower car the extra drag of the 9" is not a problem but a lot of the small engine comp elim cars run a 9" style housing with a 12 bolt gearset. Strange and Mark Williams both make the required pieces. The 8 3/4" is still good for lower horsepower applications but there is not the range of parts to toughen it up compared with the 9" and 12 bolt.

Roo

[Cajuninjector]

We run a strange 12 bolt drop out in our current Jr Fueler. Bolts up in a 9" housing but that doesnt mean you can throw one in and it's going to work. Pinion location is much higher than the 9". It is 8-10 pounds lighter than the 9" and 3% more efficient.

[wideopen231]

Cajun whats weight.You could always call Parks and get one of his titainium pieces they are pretty too,the 8500 bucks means they better be pretty. Will not chage power to turn but it will be lite.
 Im using strange bolt thru aluminum with cut down gears and drilled axles to get weight down on mine.

[Cajuninjector]

For 8500 it better do more than look pretty! Our money goes toward rotating weight reduction and not static weight cus we're already light. It would be stupid to invest in lightweight parts and have to add it back in lead. I'm looking to free up the motor as much as possible.

[H.G. Wells]

Parks makes some very cool stuff.  His theory is that if they use enough super light parts they can add the weight back in where it does the most good.  Remember they also run small displacment motors and spin the xxxx out of them, so in a class where it is lbs per ci weight is a big deal.
I was in his shop when they were taking apart a pair of rear wheels and replacing the bolts with titanium.  And they do win alot.

[rooman]

Frank, Scott and Susan have been friends since I went to their shop in 1999 with Brad Hadman to repair Gary Scelzi's top fuel car after he wrecked it at Topeka. When they came to Indy for the GoodGuys events they quite often worked out of my shop when they needed to. I source quite a few components from them for my builds.

Roo

[Cajuninjector]

They built a Jr fuel car for a guy and Scott drove it for the whole season in the SWJFA series. Great guys and really grew to like em both. We talked long and hard about getting them to build us a new car but they are too far from south louisiana. So we bought their blueprints and had a local chassis builder do it. They know what it takes to go fast and Frank ain't scared to let ya know what he thinks. That's why I like him. Smart guys that don't sugar coat

[rooman]

" Smart guys that don't sugar coat"-----Understatement of the year.

Roo

[wideopen231]

Don't sugar coat is righ. As telling Frank how bunch on drr where up in air and telling me noway a FED would work in brackets. Not sure I can qoute him here but F---ing stupid is nice part of what he said about thier ideas.

 Had bad speaker on phone and had to use open speaker.Wife was listening and asked so you find a long lost brother.Especailly after hearing us talk about OLD Ralph Gorr,Tom Acrea's and few race folks we had both dealt with,mostly all good. But hey I like folks who tell it like they see it.Ask anyone who knows me they will tell you yea WATCH WHAT YOU ASK  you might not be able to handle the answer.

  Dumbest words in the world are "you can't" or what makes you think you can do that. Because I have a brain and I'm not lazy,normal answer.

   I need to give Freak a call about cpl things,as soon as I recover from vet bills this week.

[slingshot383]

If you set the bottom of the frame rails at 3" at the midplate and angle to about 7" at the torsion bar up front that's a fair start.  To set engine heigth, you have to first set the rearend centerline then run a dummy shaft off the rearend that dulicates pinion centerline through the crankshaft centerline with the proper engine angle and how far out it's going to be set.

[wideopen231]

I have mine set with 3 1/4 at front and jig being bottom of frame rail. Rear end is set based on wheel  diameter. Plus making sure oildpan would be just above bottom of chassis. Did not have the tube needed so lots,lots and more mesuring. Still have rear motor plate to make and hope the fronts work with it.If not I'll just remake  them.

  Next up will be spindles and front wheels and tires to make sure of diameter(well radius) when settint ti spindles up.