Projects Northwest Vintage Dragster Group Build.

Honestly we haven't given it much thought. We will likely make our shakedown runs in walla walla, and we will be in woodburn on the weekend of the 25th of june (that's my birthday!)

Is there any rule as to how far the bar that holds the steering wheel needs to be over the drivers knees? The hole that we are going to need to get in and out of is looking a little tight....lol

 

Woodburn in June sounds like a good goal.

No rule to my knowledge on the steering wheel placement. I know the first year I ran my car, my steering was just a straight shaft like yours. It was too low, hit my knees and was a pain in general. My fix was to put a u-joint in the shaft, and mounted a pillow block on the knee bar to tilt the steering wheel up. Didn't take too much of a tilt to open up the drivers cockpit.

 

Ok i think we will build the roll cage and then finalize the placement of that bar.

 

It just needs to be over the driver's legs so you could move yours forward at least 6" and still be good.

Roo

 

The knee bar definition I get at Bako is "enough to keep your legs inside when you go greasy side up". Same concept as the arm straps. In our HAMBsters most of our knees'd hit our chest before our ankles cleared the bar (even if my knees COULD make it that far up ), and the techs call it that way.

I've only seen one guy called on it (and the call was technically wrong in my opinion), but the (young) tech called it as not actually covering his knees in fact, rather than whether they could escape his cage (which they couldn't) in an overturn.

And in truth, getting in and out of mine became enough of a pita that it was one of several considerations leading me to finally remove the front hoop I'd added, and forego formal NHRA events.

 

That all makes good sense, i just wanted to walk the like on accessibility and still be very safe. It would really take the fun out of it if we get someone hurt.

 

Yes, the cage designs these days certainly do provide excellent impact protection. No argument there at all. And racing at fully safety staffed events and venues should be fine.

My own reservation regarding exiting from an upside down (or even partially that way) position in current NHRA cage designs is that your only egress requires a nearly vertical line up, there's no way out to the sides. This renders you trapped in any position blocking that line (as well as adding to such a situation the time it takes for the car to be righted enough for you to be freed).

I have excellent faith that the emergency crews'll do their best (plus admiration for what they accomplish), and faith in my fire suit, but I have no intention of relying solely on these. It's only my personal preference of course, but as I do race at smaller, and occasionally less safetied venues that's not a situational possibility I choose to place myself in any longer.

 

Tacos, tacos, TACOS!

Last night we fabbed up a hoop for the front of the seat.



Then started building the trans tunnel. We wanted the back if the tunnel to be flat to help with getting in and out of the thing.
Started with this piece as a mockup to get some measurements.

Then bent up another one with sides,



The filler panels at the front will be challenging.


Here is the second attempt, it is starting to show some potential. I think one more try and it will work.


Meanwhile Randy and Wayne worked up some driveline hoops and and the verticle braces below the rear shoulder hoop.
The rear driveline hoop will bolt onto the rear axle anti rotation bracket.

 

You guys sure do some clean work.

 

Is a transmission shield required by rules? I would suggest a shield since a trans failure with parts coming out of the case , would do lots of damage. Low RPM does not matter.

I've had transmissions fail on the trans dyno at low RPM. T-400 blew off a section from the top center of the case. I've seen lots of blown apart transmissions in 40 years

 

The HP on one of these is relitively low, something coming threw the case just isn't likely.

 

I have two questions:
1. How wide is your frame, lower rails?
2. How far out do you have the fire wall (axle Cl to fire wall)?
Thanks

 

The outside is 30 inches wide, could be 2" narrower,
Axle to firewall is 47", could be 4" shorter.

 

Not likely? LOL

As I posted: In 40+ yrs of automatic transmission work. (I Worked on my first thm400 in the mid 1970s ) I have seen low speed (RPM ) parts failures that tossed parts thru the case. It is RPM where "old parts" fail. You are using a transmission with parts that are decades old & have 100 - 200 k miles on them? It is wise to use a transmission shield.

Oh, do not toss that trans into neutral after you cross the finish line. You may be eating parts. In neutral & at speed, the driveshaft becomes the input driving power, not the engine. You will over speed the internal parts via the planetary gear set . And even if "low horse power & not likely" the drum may explode

 

A low power application with a stock case powerglide that blew up the drum. SFI bell housing & a shield was in use too. I do not want anyone hurt in this sport where safety equipment is available

 

I hear you, but I'm betting he had a little more than 225 hp there.

 

Worked on the anti rotation braket last night, after a quick websearch i found a diagram for the 9 inch that had the X and Y coordinates listed for each bolt hole of the housing, what a time saver that was.....thanks Al Gore.


After plotting the holes in cad i was able to knock out a bracket on the plasma cam that will allow access to the u-joint nuts.



Then the side gussets with tabs that will mount it to the cross member were cut. The gussets were made from 3/16"



Next up was welding in some slugs into the bottom of the rear drive line hoop.

This was to allow mounting onto the rotation bracket, i think it will need to be removable in order to get the driveline out. Unfortunately the bolt heads are hitting on the crossmember sooo that will need a little reworking.

While I was goofing with that this happened serial number #0002 now we can foul things up twice as fast![

 

Thanks for the drawing. Your thumb will live forever on the net!

 

That's the kind of fame I'm noted for.

 

They had to suffer threw my cooking last night.

We pushed on on the trans tunnel, this is were we left off last time

After some adjustments and the addition of a flange.

It's amazing how time consuming this crap is, but I'm hoping on the next car we will just be able to hit the cut button on the plasma cam, fold it and install.

When we tear the car apart for finishing we will replace the screws with solid buck'd rivets.

Also 002 made some progress last night, we had the safety team on it...

 

Interesting spelling of Fremont on that poster huh Marty!

 

On your bar that goes across to hold your steering. I worked on an alcohol funny car in the 70's and it had pins in both ends of the bar. you could take the pit pin out of one end and fold the steering shaft out of the way The shaft had a joint in it. Made getting in and out a lot easier. Passed tech at Gatornationals , so nhra considered it safe. Saves getting the cherry picker to get your driver in and out.

 

Sounds like an idea. How obvious was that design for emergency crews?

 

You might think about a split tube for your driveshaft guard, and cover the u joints and all

With this set up nothing can come out and get your stuff if you know what I mean

That is what they use in v drive boats

DND

 

I think we will monkey see monkey do like casual 6's car and have a upper cover inside of the driveline hoops.


Looks like a good idea especially with how short the driveline will be.

The first idea we had involved some 5" well casing making a clamshell full coverage thing but it looked pretty farmered up....

 

4 inch emt ( electrical metallic tubing ) split. available in 10 ft. lengths at a supply house about .030 wall thickness

 

I would use something a lot thicker than .030 !!!!!!!!!

DND

 

Yep! The NHRA minimum for a car with a U jointed driveshaft is .120" steel. If you run couplers you can get away with .063" aluminum.

Roo

 

Brown truck showed up today..

 

I got the other side of the trans tunned bent up, hoping i can just hit go on the plasma cutter and make the ones for serial number 002.

Then removed 1 screw at a time and replaces with buck rivets.

I'm liking it



They were teaming up on the tubes for the second car.


Randy moved the K member forward 1 inch and i cut some new tabs for the anti rotation braket, now all that is happier.

And while all that was happening Dad was making some progress on the front end. He has cut the forgings off the ends of the old wishbones and tig'd on some longer heavier tubes to tie the front on. They will be attached with model A ball and socket type tie rod ends for a more vintage look.