I could see something like that with a Top fuel engine. It might need slightly wider tyres, and then where would you put your knees?
I have not seen that photo in several years. Mostly Crosley parts used on that car. Front end , on to the back of the car. there is a Crosley dragster with a Pepco blower on it, running recently. Nick Braje (Crosley race parts guy) had a dual engine Crosley dragster , many decades ago.
I built an SDRA car. Built it with a used 350 sbc because I could not afford a $6000 straight 6. The SDRA touts that they are "affordable " but they will not let me run with them even though they have an 11.50 index. You'd think that with only 4 cars that show up with any regularity that they'd want me to run with them. Nope, all I hear is a bunch of bullshit about their rules.. Well, their rules is why the class is a dying breed. Personally, I think they are afraid that I'm going to beat their $20,000 dollar race cars with my $3500 race car but until they find their balls and let me race with them, we'll never know..
Sbc? Then you didn't build an SDRA car, did you. You built something else, and now want them to change their rules just for you and your one freak car? How 'bout taking your car and starting a class? That's what we (HA/GR), and they, each did (oh yeah, and the NWV boys as well) rather than whimpering about how unfair the originators of each of these classes are. Also, just perhaps, you may find that most of us are doing something specific, with specific intents, and aren't particularly interested in chasing either the NHRA or a large following. Don't bother trying to horn in on something you've stolen only part of the concept from but don't respect enough to do correctly. Just take your version and put it on the line, and see if anyone else is interested. If you're as right as you claim, you'll have a national class in no time at all, and can crow 'til the cows come home. More likely though, is that sooner or later someone'll spend the money to blow you out of the water. That's been the nature of drag racing since horses were the conveyances of choice. ps. My most expensive HA/GR inline six will shortly cost me under a grand. pps. We have a nice looking little sbc version already running our ANRA meets out here, in Open Wheel (bracket) class, and not crying in his beer about us. So, frankly my dear, you're not even the first with even that idea. And (tongue in cheek ), all you SDRA & NWV boys ...... Looks like it's "Your turn.".
Beautifully said old chap! I can tell you now that if I had $6000 to spend on an engine, I'd be racing something else. As I've said before, one of the beauties of this type of bracket is you can use a clunker of an engine and still have a ball. To give you an idea, and don't quote me on this, one of the few remaining HA/GR cars in Queensland, Australia, just won his bracket at the Six-Banger Nats in a Slant-six powered HAMBster. It's a standard engine with a 2 barrel carb, very low budget. I haven't got confirmation yet as I don't do that Facebooky thing. You out there Nigel and can confirm that?
Not an SDRA car? I spent $800 bucks on my sbc. You show me a straight 6 that is capable of 350 h.p. For a thousand bucks and I'll show you a cartoon! Hey I just wanna race, not saying that they can't run their 6's but if they want to help the class grow and make it more affordable than I just built a prototype for it. A thousand bucks for your motor is lovely and all but I'm talking about running an 11.50 index not putting on a car show..
With a total of two posts here I can tell that you have really done your research on what these cars are all about. No sense in trying to explain the concept because you already know it all.
Wow , one hp per cubic inch for 800 dollars. That's amazing. I too had a problem with one of the rules so I did my own thing and gripe about it which in my perverted mind, is fun. I will race anyone any time but because my car is not a class specific one, I do not intend to nor will I ever try to crash anyones party. Yes ,I have more money in my motor than you have in your whole car. At this stage in my life, it`s as much fun tweaking on the car as it is racing it.
Hey, I found a great deal on a motor. Hunting the parts was almost as much fun as putting the car together.
Last year, the SDRA voted in slicks because of one member. I'm just asking for the same consideration so that I can race with them, that's all. Other than my little sbc my car looks as much like an early rail job as their's do.. If we are going to argue the "purist" deal then, let's saw off the roll cages, run nothing but flatheads and wear a t shirt and leather football helmet when we race.
"because of one member"? The work that the NWV boys have put in, that he no doubt referenced, had nothing to do with the decision? ps. "Member" is the cogent word there. "Other than my little sbc"? What part of inliners & flatties does sbc fit? ps. Nice dollop of self deprecation there, you a salesman professionally? Look, you have what it takes to build a car from the ground up, that already puts you in a catagory apart from the 'chainers. So why demean yourself with this cheap attempt at manipulating others of the same skills? To be honest, I do have to admit to a slight admiration of the gall of self serving selective interpretations of our standards. Always have. But we've heard it all before, in various forms, and've kept to our standards for seven years now, your "massive growth" dig not being one of our intents. This has produced the SDRA, which (especially with their meld of NWV hides) now constitutes a larger class stateside than the original HA/GR. Tell you what, get an era ov/v8, then try this argument again. A real first gen Chev one would go a long way in your favor. Hell, you might even get a later 265/283/327 series one to launch the next spin-off class, and you'd be the one that did it. That's exactly the sort of "let's just do it" attitude that worked for the Tulsa boys. Oh yeah, and the HA/GR folks before'em.
Sure, but I have to look up anything above a disyllabic. Actually, I do have to plead to being a fan of Mr. McEldowney's Sunday tirades in his Pibgorn strip.
Old6rodder, I like you. You make me laugh. You're right, sbc ain't a in liner or a flat tie but it is as close as I can afford and still run the SDRA index. Racing ain't no fun if ya can't be competitive. As far as starting a new class, I have spoke to a few track owners around here and there is a lot of interest in a v-8 class so, that is probably what I'm going to do. Probably keep the index at 11.50 and include the sixes or the flatheads. Unless ya'll are afraid to get beat..
Harry506 If I lived in SoCal I'd have a legal HA/GR car. If I lived in Oregon I'd have a legal NWV car. If I lived in Tulsa I'd have a legal SDRA car. If I raced with the boys in Oz I'd have a legal car by their rules. But I don't. My car will never be in actual competition with any of those groups, darn it. So, I go on my merry way, making whatever modifications I so desire. Sounds like you are doing the same. I don't expect any of the established groups to change their rules to accomodate me, why would you? At the Meltdown Drags this year there was an ex-HA/GR car with a sbc in it. He ran against 2b-Banjo (aka Bob Huberty) with his ex-HA/GR car (now an injected flattie gulping alcohol). I also ran against Bob. It was tons of fun but not real drag race competition. So, you can have fun with your creation without trying to buy in to the established groups. I think vintage slingshots with just enough changes to be legal, powered by early ohv V-8's would appeal to lots of builders. Maybe you're the guy to get it started.
bobw, I thought since SDRA wants the class to grow and only has about 4 cars, AND they voted in slicks, well...... But I like where you are going with this and keep the ideas coming because I've thought the exact same thing. Outlaw Gas Dragster- how's that for a name? I am open to hear anymore ideas you might have....Thanks!
These pics ^^^ are a couple months old. The slicks were just something I used to mock up until I got my white walls. I have never built a car from scratch before. I will take some more up to date pics soon. Should be making a burnout this week!
The car is much farther along now. This week when I have it running, I'm going to take it all back apart and paint.
Quit trying to make your ride into something it ain't (true SDRA or HA/GR). From the pictures your car looks real nice. Finish it the way you want it and bracket race it like most of the cars out west have to, If people like the concept they will build others, if not you will still have a lot of fun making passes. After long talks with Old6rodder I built one of the first SDRA cars out on the West Coast. A lot of people like them for the L6 motor and auto trans setup. Few years have passed and now we have 4 cars in AZ & CA running with another 5 or 6 in the Pacific Northwest group. No one is looking to have a National group we would just like to see a few new cars added now and then, this has happened and I think the idea is alive and well out West. AS for your 350"/350 HP $800 motor, I have been building SBC/BBC/L6 motors for years and the only way you get that HP out of $800 is if a friend gives you some high dolor stuff for nothing to put in it. We all have been in this racing game for years and know what it costs. With this all said I would like to see some more pictures of your ride with the motor/trans/steering in place. I understand the 5 or 6 point cage as per todays track rules. Get it done so we can see it run or at least a driveway test session. OK THAT'S ENOUGH FOR ONE " LABOR DAY WEEKEND " IN THIS GREAT COUNTRY OF OURS and I hope all had a good holiday. Stay safe and good racing. Harry get back to building.
"I like you. You make me laugh." "Unless ya'll are afraid to get beat." Just can't give up trying to manipulate, eh? Rather bespeaks a yearning, doesn't it? Well, son, I'm a Hoosier, a combat vet, and more'n one thing never admitted, so ...... Sorry, your efforts're wasted on folks like me, and only engenders our disdain. ps. The apostrophe goes between the Y and the A (just in case you'd like to get something right). How 'bout back to your discussion topic? As promised, here y'are ...... Won't be "outlaw" once it's an accepted class though, now will it? So, on a serious note, how 'bout something in the vein of "PW/D", for Post War Dragster? And honestly, any slingshot'll be far less unique than this, won't it?
Harry506, I saw your deal on FB, might I suggest you hang out on a couple of the FED Facebook pages and see if anyone is interested in your ideas over there. The Ha/Gr, NW/Vr & SDRA folks have their own visions and created their groups to be different and unique. We have our own groups to run with and some choose to run with their local brackets or Nostalgia races in their area. If I'm not mistaken SDRA is the only one that races off an index while the others are a bracket format, so even with that said it's about being able to drive more than Hp and blowing our doors off.Like before it is about celebrating the old days, being different and having fun with fellow racers, We appreciate your enthusiasm to build a Nostalgia oriented racecar, But please don't get bent out of shape when a group with a specific vision wont change the rules to allow a motor in that will fit in several other places. Oh by the way there is a Inline 6 one can pick up for about $800 that puts out about 300 hp stock the GM 4200 but is to new of an engine for our respective groups. Wish you all the best with your car.
Old6, never seen this V8 car at Bakersfield. Who is running this Hamster style hot rod? It looks like an old altered frame with some tin in the driver area. Is he running open wheel?
Yes, he's an Open Wheeler. I first noticed him this year, but don't know much yet. Hoping to learn a bit more in October, perhaps even get him up to Eagle some day. Definitely runs with the quick boys in the class. If an altered chassis, it's decidedly an older one. That's a rectangular tube bottom rail. ps. That's Mike in the Crosley behind him, of the Old Farts team. Goes back to The Sandbox, and has a couple season wins under his belt as well.
hmmm, interesting discussion. My comments have been about slightly wider rules (years) on parts for the inline engines to contain costs on some parts. I have thought of adding a power adder (turbo , nitrous) to my 1962 Ford Falcon 200 cid engine. but: I can not afford to build another engine when I hurt this engine. Then I thought about pulling the 200 engine out to build a little rail job around. But I have a Holley 2300 carb adapted, a C4 auto trans, electronic 1978 distributor ... So I sit here, read and watch the videos you folks post up. thx and; I like yellow and Crosley cars... best of both worlds for me
Looks like a low 10 sec car and maybe into high 9's. Sure he keeps it out of the 9.99 or quicker group so he does not have to pay NHRA certification & comp lic fees. Don't take much of a motor to run low 10's in a light car like that. Hope to make both the ANRA & Eagle Oct races, may he will be there.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the SDRA rules allow the 300 ford, and the big jeep? Seems to me those'd work well with a decent back yard build-up on a short budget (like mine ).
Yeah, we're getting a few "drop-ins" with NE3 cars lately. Some of the guys'd like to see a "car ever ran 9.99" disbarment rule. I don't know though, it's the nature of the sport, and has been since the introduction of bracketing, so I'm told (I was out putting those days). "Wheel racing" by faster cars is a natural extrapolation of the whole "losing by going too quick" concept. No idea what would be a practical way to deal with it. I truly don't mind the cars that're set up to drive it out as a 10.00 index nearly as much as the ones who game their dial-ins against the slower cars. That's just what it is though, and it still beats basket weaving. I also have mixed personal emotions about bracket per se, as an under powered car like mine would seldom get past first round outside of'em, let alone pull out a meet win or even a runner-up. At least out here on the Koast I get to run a variety of meets, and thus run enough to keep it a fun hobby.
The Jalopy Journal
