How to build a 10 second strip screamer for the HAMB Drags..

[SamIyam]

I get the feeling a lot of people think that a 10 second car is unobtainium.
If you remember back to the 80's... HRM did a piece called Caddy Hack where they trimmed shit off an old Caddilac until it ran 10's...

To pull it off... there are really only three things to consider... weight, horsepower and traction... oh, and the MOST important thing... build it with a bunch of buddies...

When we started the BFD, it was meant to be a free-for-all to drive... but as most of my projects go... we ended up getting into it a little deaper than planned... hence, instead of a 12 second car... we ended up with a fire breathing 10 second car... we owe a lot of that to RACEFAB for building the motor the way he did... when Gordon stepped up to the challenge, RACEFAB also stepped up the set of head on the motor... and we stepped up a few other things... none of which is unobtainium to a group of guys worrking on one of yous' garages...

So last time I laid out a challenge to the HAMB community... that was the beating around the bush way to say "hey guys, lets see how much fun a group of guys can have over the next six months..."

It didn't go over as well as it should have... granted, there was a valant effort on Roothawgs and Gordini's parts... their cars were amazing on two different levels... Gordon's because it was built in three weeks and one day... (I don't think I could come near doing it that fast) and Root's because it was all finished up and about as period correct (stance, paint, etc) as ANYTHING i've seen at the drags in YEARS...

So you guys are probably wondering WTF is Sam doing here? Well, I just want to throw out some tips and tricks for you guys in hopes that the performances will be up for next year... my biggest wish is for a group of you guys to meet in a garage, once a week, pool your cash together (a grand each aught to do it) and build a true ten second screamer for next years' drags...

Step one: I know the sedans and coups are pretty... but there is some merit to a roadster body... more specifically, a FIBERGLASS roadster body... For one, they are CHEAP... the BFD's body was found by my brother out in a field... so we went with it... but if I had it to do over... I'd stick with a cheaper '23 tub and turtle deck... comb your swap meets guys... you should be able to get one for around $100-$200 used... The other merit is that they are light... and semi-stream lined compared to a closed car... I could almost guarantee, the stream-lined savings combined with the weight loss is enough to bump your high 11 second sled WELL into the 10's...

Step 2: The chassis:
Two things, weight distribution and suspension.
I started out with some 2x3 rails... the next Altered I build will be all round tube... why? Well, it is easier to build. First off, buy yourself an NHRA rule book and study the shit out of the funny car chassis specs... there are important bits about ube diameters and wall thicknesses that you will need to know... second, attent a Goodguys or NHRA drag race... this is CRUCIAL to the construction of your car. Take notes on how people mount things, especially the engine, the transmission and the rear end... the front end will be run of the mill, Speedway or MAS stuff... but the rear will either be mounted solid to the chassis or hung with ladder bars. FWIW, either way takes about the same amount of work... with ladder bars, you have the cost of the components... with the solid rear, you have just the cost of some steel plate... either way, it is much-o important to set it up STRAIGHT in the chassis and get the pinion angle set up correctly. Ladder bars you have to take suspension travel into consideration... with a solid rear, you have to take the balance of the vehicle under consideration... the car is either going to spin the tires, pull the front wheels off the ground, dart one way or the other, or bounce down the strip... all of which will have to be tuned with weight, tire pressure or stagger adjusted with the front hair pins. (that's why solid ends on hair pins aren't the ticket) Also, if "tens" are your target E.T... none of these will be so severe that the car is uncontrolable... (if all is set up square).

One of the cool things about this formula (so far) is that a candidate to go fast is really something that can be found at your nearest swap meet... i.e. T-bucket projects!!!
The front end is there... the frame is there... and the body is there! All you have to do is ditch the rear suspension for a more favorable solid mounted rear end and you're DONE! (well, almost)
The cage on your ten second wonder, to make it simple, should be built out of 1 5/8" .120 wall... you can build it to the minimums... but that may only add to the aggrivation of teching the damn thing... More specifically, I would drop the cash and buy all .125 DOM... the Electroweld tubing, even though you may buy .125 or .120... will not pass the .118 minimum for steel tubing in spots near the weld joint... all this is moot until the car runs 9's... but once you run tens for a while... you'll want this thing to run 9's! To close out step two... again, get a rule book and study it until you are blue in the face...

Step 3: Drive train.
This is where things get sticky... I mean, the cheapest way to make hp is through cubic inches... but most of the large cubic inch motors will be kinda big and heavy for an econo altered... if I were going the total junk yard route... I'd opt for a Buick 455... you will need about 400hp or a ton of tourque... the key here is to make the power and get it to the ground... I know smoking the hides is fun... but that does NOTHING for lowering your E.Ts... if you see SMOKE during a run... I can almost guarantee that you can shave a second off of your ET if you get rid of the smoke
Another thing to consider is peak hp and overall rear end gear ratios (taking in consideration tire diameter). My suggestion is to keep the cam, carb, intake, exhaust on the hairy side of a stock motor... in other words. match all three components and make them as radical as possible with stock compression ratios and port volumes... you can do the home porting job and performance valve job... but save the killer bottom end for the next motor... Also, rear end ratios... if your cam only makes power to 5500rpm... gear the car and select a tire diameter that will hit 130mph in the lights... due to slippage and such, the thing should go at least 120 in the quarter... that is good for mid to high tens. As far as a transmission is concerend... think powerglide! (aluminumcase only) If your car weighs under 2500 pounds...it is a proven fact that it will run quicker ET's with a glide. Now a trans brake is almost a ncessity, as well as a race converter... so if you are going to sink any big bucks into this operation... do it here. The BFD runs in the tens without the trans brake... so if you are on a budget... just get a nice race converter with a stall speed that is about 500rpm past the number where your cam comes in... I tend to think that a looser converter will improve your ET's... but I have no hard fact on this... FWIW, the cam in the give away motor makes power from 2800 to 5800rpm... and we have a 4400-4800 converter.

Next up in the powertrain segment is ignition and ignition timing... Spend the bucks and buy an MSD 6Al box... (about $195) at least it will give you and upper end rev limiter... then if you decide to add a two step rev limiter (about $75) you can, later on. We had one from the get go... but it just aids in a consistant launch RPM (and no need to feather the gas pedal on the line... just stab and go!) Also, the pro-billet )as apposed to anti-billet) distributor is another $200... but well worth the money... you can run a points dizzy... but that is just one more thing to screw with... their coils are also reasonably priced and ready to run... as far as ignition timing goes... make sure your mark is dead nuts (check it with a degree wheel and/or a TDC guage) and set it up taking in consideration your motor's internals (Compression, fuel, cam, and most often forgotten... stroke)... Also, put the LIGHTEST springs available on your advance weights... or, just simply lock the advance curve out with a screw... with a low (relatively) compression ratio and a good spark, staring the thing shouldn't be a problem... the theory here is that you will be launching the thing at a relatively high rpm(3000rpm-4000rpm) and want all the timing in and accounted for... for high compression motors, MSD actually makes a timing retarder that allows you to back the timing off when cranking the motor... useless for what we are doing.

Now as far as tires go... a 10" slick is enough to put it to the ground... if you insist on buying used slicks (like I did) get a pair that has plenty of life, are not cracked and are still kinda soft... don't spend more than about $75 for a set of used drag slicks... and DO NOT, expect to get any kind of reasonable 60 ft E.T. out of a stock car slick, or retro pie crust slick...
as far as fronts are concerned... you do not need any brakes... so spindle mounts are a natural... but they are EXPENSIVE... so a set of aluminum centerlines on some stck hubs are fine... use your judgement here... but don't hang any brakes on the front... you don't need them, period.
(just make sure the rears are new!)
Front end set up... 15-20 degrees caster, 1/16" toe in and go... front tires are CHEAP... just make sure they are skinney.

And my suggestion for a rear end is a 9": ford or an 8 3/4 Mopar... buy a spool, used, they're cheap.
Step 4... safety stuff.
Everybody wants to know what they need to run "X" ET... here's a brake down for a little roadster that runs 10's

Aftermarket rear axles.
Arm Restraints.
Auto Trans reverse lock out.
5 point harness with up to date SFI rating ($100, tops)
Drive shaft loop.
SFI Harmonic balancer.
Snell rated helmet.
Catch can.
Padded roll cage.
SFI 32a/5 fire suit.
Neck collar
tail light.
trans shield.

This stuff is right out of the NHRA rule books quick reference chart... the neck collar is not manditory... but I would strongly suggest it... also, a master electrical cut off is not manditory... but I'd install one for ease of shutting the system down...

Now, as far as steering, seat, belt mounts, battery mount, engine mounts, fuel tank, blah-dee-blah-dee-blah... refer to the rulebook, check out other racers and by all means, if you have a question, feel free to e-mail me and I can send you pics of how I did it...

Keep it light, keep it simple, keep it CHEAP and JUST DO IT!

Any questions?
Sam.

[slazzen]

so are we gonna see a big buick in the BFD ????

[Dreamweaver]

500 inch caddys are cool torque monsters too, Hot Rod did a piece a while back using a 500 inch Cad with early heads in a chevette that really scooted.

[Ryan]

Anyone in attendance at the HAMB drags still think the Purple People Eater would run anything faster than a 14 sec quarter mile?

[AnimalAin]

Thanks, Sam. A well-written article covering the process and pointing out the most important part of race car building: figure out what is important and work on that. Clear thinking, excellent writing, and a bitch'n hot rod.

[raven]

Thanks for making it succinct.
All in all, it's really simple when everything is thought out and in perspective.
r

[38Chevy454]

Sam has some good advice here. It is not rocket science to build a car to go fast, but it does require thoughtful planning and careful building. The trick to go fast is hp vs weight. Keep the weight down and the car can go faster with the same lower hp engine. You do not need a monster engine. Racefab built a good solid engine without any real trick parts, it is about 410 hp and based on mostly stock parts, except the heads have some porting work and the cam is obviously bigger than stock.

The idea to use a big inch stock engine as a starting point is a good one. Why not take advantage of the torque, which is what really accelerates your car. HP is just torque ouput of your engine over some time interval. Torque is the energy output of your engine and is what makes your car accelerate. So use a big inch engine if you want to go fast cheap.

As Sam said also, you need to get help from friends. We all do it with our street cars, so do the same with your race car. It does not require any real exotic tools, but some are specialized and you will need to invest a few bucks into tools or have friends that will loan you. Such as a tubing notcher and a good welder (not your 110v sheetmetal MIG unit!). You will need to fab brackets like crazy, so invest in a sawzall or band saw. All of these tools will have much useful life for many projects beyond this race car you are building. Some items like tubing benders you will have to just go to a pro shop and spend a few bucks for the service, that is not a usual home garage tool. Nothing wtong with some pro assistance when it is the most cost effective way to get it done.

Another important thing to keep in mind. You will need lots of motivation and determination. It does take a lot of work, and a fair amount of money. Use swap meet parts to help keep costs down. You will need to spend time in the garage, the car won't get built by sitting on your ass watching TV or chatting on the HAMB all night. Most important is to have fun. Even if you are seemingly stuck at some point or have lost motivation, stand back and look at what you have accomplished and get back on it. It will get done and then the real fun starts.

[wingnutz]

samIyam

That was the funniest article I read and went out and bought a Coupe Deville for the motor trans combo!

We were going to put it into a 1930 Vicky but my "buddy" Flinched and dropped a "high dollar" billet big block Chevy in it instead of the "Cad Brute".

So we set up the caddy for the Demolition Derby and took away the trophy, couple "hunnert bucks" and sold the hulk for another couple hunnert to a guy who cannibalized it for the motor and tranny combo for a Rod!

Do you know What issue that article was in ...? I'd like to get a copy of it to show "Ricers" what an "Old" luxury car can do!

Mark

[C9]

Good article Sam and some excellent points.
I hope everyone is paying attention.

[ QUOTE ]
The cage on your ten second wonder, to make it simple, should be built out of 1 5/8" .120 wall...

[/ QUOTE ]

Pretty sure what you want here is .134 wall.
1 5/8" .134 wall is common and you can special order 1 3/4" .134 wall.
Cost on the 1 3/4" isn't too much worse than the 1 5/8" stuff, but it takes 4-5 days to get it in most cases.

Get your tubing from a metal supply house.
Costs are quite reasonable from there.
As an example I bought 5 sticks - 20' long - of the 1 3/4" x .134 wall for under $200. tax included.

As far as special tools for brackets etc. go, the small metal cutting band saw at HF works well.
It can be used in the vertical mode.
I made a larger table or whatever you want to call it for mine and with a little imagination you can cut out some interesting parts.
When the parts get complex - curves etc. - a series of drilled holes, hammer & chisel and a grinder work fine.
A plasma cutter would be nice, but you swap time for convenience.

Did I mention, "Neat Car?"

Neat car....

That is one of the most comprehensive well written rundown/how to's I have ever seen , Nice work on both the car AND your rundown,D

[Rocky]

All good points and well written too. Thanks, Sam.

[Roothawg]

Quote:
But their performance lacked... FWIW, the Roach Rod would have given either one of them... (and Ryan ) a run for their money... hahahaha (another match race???)


I wish the Fly had been up to snuff but I didn't have time to get any shakedown runs like I wanted before hand.

With all the bodywork,paint, building the chassis, rollcage, and building the motor I didn't have the time I needed. I wish Racefab would have built my motor because that would have freed up so much time I could have concentrated more on the performance. And with only 2 people working on it, it takes much more time.
I will guarantee it will be right by the next HAMB drags.


Root

[Ryan]

Root, you have nothing to apologize for... That car was amazing and the highlite of my weekend...

[Boones]

Rumor is a certain Abone drive from SC who just got back from the drags found a Henry J this weekend to put together.. Its gonna be a straight axled, raised rear fender jobber... Now he just has to find a cheap Caddy motor/tranny...

[SamIyam]

Exactly Root... your car was tops in my book... even to the point where I feel it captures the essence of the day better than what we put together. I think what you have is super cool and you're right... the engine RACEFAB did build for the auction helped us get there... but I have to say, if RACEFAB didn't do the engine for us... something that makes as much power is only about as far away as a Summit Cataolog.
Sam.

[Mai Ki-Ki]

Root...

The Fly was the coolest thing ever!...
Just whip there arses next year!......

MAIKI

[Roothawg]

Sam ...Whatever….just sounded a little condescending to me.


MaiKiKi- Thanks, I appreciate it.

[tucker]

Root- It sounded a bit that way to me too. As arrogant as Germ without the fun.

[Radshit]

I have to agree with Rashy on this one too. Sounds a bit condescending to all concerned.

I was impressed with your finess and technical capability on the Hokey ass Digger. Far exceeds my resources, for the time being.

But let's see how you do next year without the RACEFAB motor...........

[Ryan]

Lets remember we can't read tone over a message board. What might sound condescending through the board might not be meant that way at all... I know Sam well enough to know that he isn't trying to be top dog here - I'm sure he will admit there is more than one guy on the board with more strip experience than he has, but he just finished a successful trip to the drags and when that happens it's just good manners to report back and tell us how he did it... Take what ya need, throw away what does not apply...

Although it might read like it, there is no ego thing here fellas... Just an attempt to make a valueable post - which this is...