Projects Front Engine Dragster (FED) Build Ideas

Hello Everyone,

Long time viewer first time poster so please be gentle. I finally got the green light from the wife to start a life time dream build. I have great confidence in my ability to weld and fabricate, so that is not a concern. I want to build a FED. I have read EVER article and forum about FED's and now am looking for some advice. the problem comes in with the fact that i have a few very specific requirements.

1) I have a 10x10 foot shed to store the FED
A) I would like to build a 96 or less inch wheelbase FED

2) I do not want to be pushed or pulled in the pits
A) I plan on running a small block Chevy on methanol which should allow me to run without a radiator.

So here is my build list Ideas:

-Build a 96< in tube chassis to the current NHRA standards for a 7.5 sec certification.
-build a mild 350 carbed ALKY with around 13:1 compression
-run a radiator-less system and still be able to drive to the lanes, through staging, down the track, and back to the pits without overheating.
-I plan on using a ford 9in rearend with 4.11 gears.
-Hand Brake
-Power glide trans 4500RPM stall converter
-I would like to run in the 9's in the quarter mile
-I have a budget of around 10K

Questions:

1) Will a mild Methanol 350 be able to stay "Cool" enough to run through a whole cycle
2) where can i find a alignment bar for aligning the engine and rear end
3) Can I build a 96in < wheelbase chassis and not worry about popping a wheely
4) Can this be done for 10K
5) what size tire is needed, I would rather the tires spin then pop a huge wheely and crash
6) Engine Build Ideas?
7) ANYTHING ELSE THAT MAY BE OF CONCERN

I appreciate any and all advice and please feel free to ask question I will try to respond throughout the day. I'm really hoping that I can get the info i need to start this build and be successful.

 

Take alook at my build, I'm below 10K on mine ,We have made just about all the hardware and brakets for it, Look for deals, take your time, if you don't want to be pushed through the pits , you might rethink the cooling ,true alky runs cool , but the pits can be pretty crowded, you can control tire slip with tire pressure, you'll most likely have to make you alinement bar, get bar or tube same size as crank and sleeve it where it goes through the rear carrier, make sure it's a good fit, like I said look over my build and the others on here , lots of trial and error building one from scratch,, Tim Jones

 

another great source of info http://www.frontenginedragsters.org/index.htm

 

I ran mine on gas and drove it in the pits and return road.
I used a small water tank made in the frame and an electric pump.

 

I would say it's all doable as long as you do all the work. I run a small radiator and have no problem on gas going to and from. 96" WB will be quite a ride.

 

look around, here, racing junk.com., c-list.....you might find one already built for that amount,save a lot of headaches although it is rewarding when you finish building it yourself and it would be cheaper.....good luck

 

Personally,for the things you want to achive,you'll want more wheelbase. Dragsters got longer as drag racing developed. For the amount of driving you want to do,a cooling system will be needed.A longer wheelbase will allow you to install a radiator flat on the chassis with electric fan and water pump.

 

96"? I want to be there the first time you bring it up on the converter and let her rip.

 

Early cars were under 100", no problems.

 

Buy the SFI 2.6A specs.
http://www.sfifoundation.com/wp-content/pdfs/Chassis Spec Order Form.pdf

 

Jacin runs low 9s with a mild 392 and Glide, so that part is doable.

Safety stuff takes a big jump,$$$$, going from 10.00+ to 9.99 seconds.
More safety stuff needed, and has to be re-certified every few years.

 

For sure, do a spread sheet, ahead of time, to add up the cost of parts.

 

Dont think you can get buy with no cooling system if you want to drive in the pits even on alky.
In my opinion 96in is way to short for todays world. I wouldnt go less than 140in and that might be scary.

 

Modern slicks, a bunch of converter, short wheelbase = wheelie time galore. You WILL need bars with any kind of traction. Stretch the length to at least 150", and still plan on bars; my old 120" WB FED needed bars, without them it was up to at least 45 degrees (you'd thought someone would have got a pic, but no), but handled well after wheelie bars went on. I also had NO cooling system, other than drain and refill the block between rounds . Other drivers will try and "burn you down". On board cooling can't be beat. I always had at least a helper to pull the car back after a run; fire up, burnout, stage, leave, off track, shut down, drain while being towed back, let sit a bit, and refill. Ready to go again. With a short WB, light car, and low pressure in the slicks, DO NOT throw the car in neutral after a pass; it will get the car to bouncing off the slicks really bad. Low 9's will be easy if the car hooks, goes straight, and stays on the ground (no wheelies). Most fun I ever had; the rear motored car that came later was a lot faster, a lot smoother, but no where as much fun. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

The limiting factor, is the cost of a larger shed? or do you not have enough room for a larger shed? maybe you could build a shed extension for the nose of the car....

 

10' shed is 120" and with a 96" wheelbase only leaves you 24" but you must consider that the wheelbase does not take into accout half the front tire dia ahead of the spindle and the back of the car behind the rear end. Even if you built an altered and sat in front of the rear end , you still would not have enough room.
10K, not enough for a new build from scratch, and will take forever to build while searching for deals, Chances are you will lose interest before completion.
Using a Mopar 8 3/4 is plenty strong for what you are doing and is overall about $1000 cheaper than a comparative Ford 9"
Driver suit and Helmet (plus all the little crap) is over a $1000
Basic crate motor is $4500, used PG is $1000, and another $400 converter plus another $200 for SFI (dated) covers and flexplates, $600 for decent wheels and tires if you are lucky, so after all of that leaves you $1300 to build the car.

 

dreracecar is right about the 96 incher fitting in a ten foot shed. I don't mean to rain on the parade but building a front engine dragster is doable for $10,000 if you have the tools and do the work (all of the work) yourself.
Pete

 

you could probably build a budget engine to run 10s more easily than 9s.

Look into the maintenance required for methanol and a carburetor...it's not too difficult to run the fuel out of a mechanical injection system, it's a bit more involved to drain a carb. if you need a cooling system anyways, you might reconsider gasoline.

I talked to a racing buddy recently, he said running 10s was fun....gets to be work when you're in the 9s or quicker

 

Now we are getting some where. With the shed only being 120 in long I was contoplationg taking off the front wheels and "lifting" the front end off the ground therefore giving me more room. 120 in at 30 degrees only takes up 104 in on the floor. What would be more realistic of a budget keep in MIMD I would do all the work!
Would I be better off with a altered in the long run?

 

If you are doing the whole thing I think you can make the $10,000 work and have something nice to show for it. I would lean towards the altered if it needs to be that short. Squirrel is right, 10's would be cheaper and just as much fun.
Pete

 

Uh, I run a 130" with a flat fed and it runs straight and true, but even with 130" and not much hp, on a sticky track the front is way light and wants to point at the sky. A 96 incher would be way too short for this old codger and a real hands full with some power in it.......JMHO

 

These are all great sujestions. Keep them coming . I'm starting to lean towards the 10.00 goal for simplicity and to keep it fun. That's what its all about for me. I'm still considering methonal (working on the car is what's most fun for me) so maimtemce is no problem. Does anyone have suggestions on a methonal build and if I would be able drive through the pits without over heating

 

It is better to buget $20k and have some left over after finding deals then to buget 10K and have to find more money because the deals dont show up. When you hit that wall, wives usually get pissed and you find your self at the local swap selling your junk @ .20 on the dollar spent. I have been doing this for 30+ years and have seen it all.
This is not the early 1960's and building a spec chassie and sub 10 second car has a huge learning curve for the novice in 2014.You are not saving any money by buying used parts if you have to buy them twice

 

have you ever ran a car on the strip....a 10 is hauling ass.....a 9 is really hauling ass and like the man said a lot more $$$$

 

no i can't say i have run on a drag strip. Im feeling my best bet would be to continue reading, planning and dreaming of a more realistic build. im going to research the altered class. and set a more realistic goal of 10.00. I would still like to go radiatorless (hate the look) and run on methanol which i will continue to read about. any advice on where to find this info?

 

Like most guys, when I started drag racing I was running 16s in my old pickup truck....now I have a ten second ride. I guess I got lucky, starting racing when I was young.

 

I ran mine on gas and drove it in the pits and return road.

 

I would have to say this is one of the best pieces of advice I have seen here. Learned that one the hard way.

 

a friend has a fed on methanol drives it to the staging and to the pits no rad 406" blocked filled to half of the water pump holes water in heads doesn't drain and refill between runs. you would save weight going to a smaller rear end and don't buy the torque converter on special from a warehouse store. you don't need big tires 9"x 29" are cheap, and light and tall for a longer foot print and there are all kinds of used 8"- 10" rims. build it safe and removing weight is like adding horse power.

 

all good advice...