The one's I've seen weren't just gas on the tires, there were always sizable puddles under the back of the car. Most were set off with a match at the hit of the throttle. On this picture, probably by the guy with his back to the car.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...ID=308993826&albumID=1168268&imageID=13541762 this was at our show. someone was just pouring drinks on his tire once it was spinnin. i could swear it was just beer too. did it 3 times and ended up completely melting the tire. it was cool to see the flaming pieces fyling off it while spinnin tho
Fire from the headers will light the puddles if the car is running nitro. Otherwise the fire must be lit manually. VHT and gas works well, makes for very visible, yellow orange flames and a lot of soot. It is critical to hose down the car with water first otherwise you'll get bubbled paint or worse. You also tend to find all the fuel leaks that you didn't care about before as they catch fire. Also get a good CO2 fire extinguisher to hose the car down after you roll out of the flames.
Some of the early attempts at fire burnouts were done with rubber cement, which had alcohol in it. The problem was, at the throttle hit, when the tires spun it would whip strings of flaming rubber cement all around the starting line.
That is the most crazy, dangerous, irresponsible, wasteful, unnecassary, awesome as fuck thing I've ever seen.
Somebody figured out the VHT would soften the rubber for better bite and sold it at $xx.xx. Pretty quick another guy realized that common laundry bleach would do the same thing for $.xx. One of the very few times cheaper was better. Don't think either had anything to do with fire burnouts.
You are correct with the MIX ... you had to be right on with the match or you would burn the firesuit off especially in a FC !!! We did it that was until the tracks outlaw FB due to safety issues ..I wonder why
I'm sure there were some variations on exactly how different teams did them, but according to T.C. Lemons, Big Daddy's long time crew chief, and my all time favorite crew chief; they started doing them in Orlando one year back when burnouts were a new thing. He used RFI traction compound along with methanol, and he didn't use a match or lighter, I would guess the headers were enough to light it off. Anyone know what happened to Bob Brandt, the "Snakes" crew chief during his best funny car years?
I remember a photo of him at one of the recent nostalgia events at Bakersfield. Can't recall is the caption mentioned what he was doing these days. Yup, he was a good one, probably one of the best during his era.
The one that was scary was an altered doing a big, really big fire burnout and had the engine die due to the flames ate up the oxygen. I believe the driver got a bit worried about that one. Sitting in a dead engine car with no starter system on board and flames all around. Priceless. Maybe you could set up a flaming tailpipes deal and point them at the ground about mid-car. That ought to work. Look out for Darwin though....
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when i as a kid my mom and dad would take me to U.S.30 dragstrip. At night the fire burnouts were awesome.
never had one really big ,but wipe the tires with gas and there is enough sand, gravel on the ground. it will liteup.
I've got scars from burns. Gas and vht mix. At the hit of the throttle tires spun throwing the mix all over, THEN the headers lite it all off, including the crew guy (me) standing behind the car. Stop, Drop, and rolled trying to put out that burning white teeshirt. Minnesota Dragway 1971
I have video of Tommy Ivo and Don Garlits doing fire burnouts at Minnesota Dragway. It looks like a guy throws a match in one of the burnouts I forget which one. The video also shows me smiling from ear to ear as I walk back towards the stands, my first time to see top fuel. If I remember right the announcer said they poured gas on the track. Brad
....the main solvent in rubber cement is hexane ......sometimes with a bit of xylene tossed in. -Bigchief.
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