Get in right with racerx....Brian has nitro figured out. Oh and hope you are prepared for the shear volume of cash flowing out. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Put really good parts in it & be prepared to replace the block, crank, pistons, rods., cam, etc . . . when it blows up .
Nitro is not for the faint of heart or small wallets. Knowledge, experience and lots of green all come into play.
I've heard people say the same thing about boat ownership and nitro engines. There are two good days........the day you buy them and the day you sell them.
Visit & join Classic Funny Car Forums, You can learn what it takes to run Nitro Nitro can be run on a safe side , when you Tip the Can to over 80% , things $$$ & will go Ugly fast
I'm reminded of that old expression "if you have to ask the cost , you can't afford it". Not quite the same in this case but close. Pat
Nitro loves a load,,,,,and lots of Cash. You will do fine,,,,,as long as you have lots of Cash ! Tommy
Hate to say this...but if you need to ask...you aren't even close to ready to properly built a Nitro engine, run it, and actually have it stay together. This same question gets asked here from time to time. The same answer stands. It's interesting that the folks that have asked the questions in the past, never seem to come back and show off their hardware. Save your money. Or, if you want to make a better step into going faster, give methanol a try first. Less expensive, easier on the wallet as the engine ending explosions are much less likely..! The fuel is MUCH cheaper too..! Have you even priced Nitro lately ? If I'm not mistaken, Nitro Methane is on the Homeland Security list of "no-no" items. You need a good reason to buy it, fill out a boatload if paperwork..! You ready for that ? Mike
Well ya gotta start somewhere and asking questions is a good place. That parts Free. My advice (and I seldom give any) is the next time there is a race track in a days drive to you running Top Fuel, Nitro Funny cars, or Vintage races make a point to be there. Don't sit in the stands. Go walk the pits and look and talk. Ask questions like What happened? Why are you doing that? You'll catch on and then you'll make a decision based on front row seat information weather it's for you or not. My go to comment is "Fun costs money" how much Fun can you afford?
Block have been & are welded up & not just window one's ( rods kicked out ) YES "" Nitro on the Home Land radar , Papers required if in possession more than 50 gallons. Nitro is being used in several outlaw street racer power plants , Nitro can be used /mix with Gas & Alky . There are a few Here on HAMB that play with Nitro , HAMB is not the correct site . Nitro is manageable , if you want to Bracket race stay at the same performance level but when you move to the unlimited more power more power , part failure and blowups happen $$$ There is a science to it just like any other fuel Turning, ( Nitrous oxide / blown / Turbo /naturally aspirated .)) Leaning & understanding its properties
Yes and that isn't a job that just anyone has the skillset for. I had a telling experience many years ago when taking a shop tour at Rodeck, apparently this was just after a big drag racing weekend and there were aluminum blocks in a pile like little wounded soldiers waiting to be repaired. An added bonus was meeting Quinn Epperly (Google him), he had a little work area where he was replacing the side of an Offenhauser block that had a big chunk missing out of it.
Just try running alcohol. Learn a little from that. Unless you have money to burn, leave Nitro to the big dogs. Build something within your means (what ever they may be) and you will enjoy the time alot more. Nitro engine demands a total commitment that most do not have the funds, knowledge, or time for.
Quinn repaired a few Rodeck blocks for my Brother Jerry, even shared some tips so he could do some repairs himself. He was a Legend for sure !
Aluminum scrap is fairly expensive, so there's that. When you tune an engine enough, you realize everything under the hood becomes a consumable. (Possibly the hood too, depending on how well you grenade the engine/transmission.)
The fun level is off the charts when it comes to nitro. Getting nitro this year might become a big issue. Schumacher racing is out of nitro. Sunoco the official supplier of NHRA only has enough for the first half of the season. Word on the street is if it can be purchased at all it will be a two drum max at 3 grand a drum. It's so bad right now I have heard nhra might have to go with alcohol classes only.