I am building my 65 Comet 4 speed super stock wagon and I remember having an old slot machine handle bolted to a pivot that ran a rod to the brake pedal to be issued for staging a stick shift car. When the lights came down you released the lever and grabbed the shifter. It worked really slick , but I can't remember what ratio we used so the brakes would hold. Yes, I have an electric line lock , but the manual system loaded the whole driveline and I never broke my Muncie 4 speed or a ujoint in my old C/Mp Nomad. I found a slot machine handle on ebay and want to create that look . Does anybody have any photos of that setup. It was semi popular in the late 60's. I didn't build mine in my Nomad. I bought it out of my buddies 55 Chevy when he installed a clutch flite and his car didn't creep out of the beams anymore.
I've a photo somewhere of one installed to the right of the column in a Ford Thunderbolt but can't locate it https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...brake-today-for-my-55-plymouth-gasser.954994/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-saga-of-the-ansen-drag-brake.340912/
Stumpy, I have seen both this add and an article or picture of one installed. Sure wish I could find it, I believe it was from the very early 60's.
Could you put in another line lock to the rear brakes, then have a two position switch, one for front only, the other for both? Use front for burnout, flip toggle switch , lock both ends at the line, same release button for both.
On my B/Gas '55 Chevy I built a manual brake handle that attached to the brake pedal. I would preload the clutch when staged. It worked well but I still broke the Muncie in the first round of eliminations at the '67 Winter Nationals. I would think that a Line-Lok button on the shifter would work better.
Member Von Hartmann (Ryan Hartmann) built this drag brake for his Dads 55 Chevy. He had planned to make more to sell, but I don't know if he ever did.
I have drag roadsters and two of them have hand brakes. I feel that the hand brake makes it easier to stage precisely. Now days precise staging and consistent release of the brakes is paramount to being competitive. To that end I would like to offer a couple of suggestions. Make sure the hand brake assembly is securely mounted. Hose clamps and other temporary solutions won't cut it. If you are mounting it on the column make sure the column is also rigidly secured. Do not underestimate the forces a geeked-up driver can exert on braking systems. Stuff can get bent. In the pictures above I have issues with the total mass of the linkage. The big knob at the top of the substantial lever arm has mass and therefore the inertia of it all will act against a quick release of the brakes. Lighten up. Maybe an aluminum handle drilled full of holes will help. Also, perhaps a return spring on the lever will assist in a quick release. I'd try a torsion spring on the lever. You may be just looking for the traditional "look" of the gasser era and not really be that concerned with optimizing the hand brake system for on the strip. If that is the case disregard my comments. Good luck with your build.
It would, but I've seen cars being driven through the beams with front wheels locked up. Instant red light
dragged vw's for a long time ,standard procedure is to take the clicker and button and rod out of the p brake handle and replace the button with the micro switch for the 2 step , lay your thumb on the button pulling up on the handle but dont think about it , bleed in the clutch ,preloads everything ,stage , light start droppin flat foot the loud pedal, bottom yellow drop the handle and side step the clutch,,all hell breaks loose ,,, wheels up and gone and dead nuts simple,,,, they make a actuall hydraulic staging break that goes inline to the back hydraulics, nice come in stand up and lay down ,up is nice can put em right next to the shifter... fabricator john miss you dad
This ^^^^ with and Auto But not needed with a 4 speed that the OP has With a manual trans, you only need a front line-lock on the front brake circuit to prevent roll-out while the clutch pedal is pushed in. Use a relay [to make a latching relay], but connect it to a button to activate the line-lock for burn-outs , You must hold the button down for this. Then create a loop wire from the output of the relay via a clutch pedal switch back to the button input side of the relay To stage you push the line-lock button to activate it, then hold your foot on the clutch to latch it [Now you can release the button after it is latched] It releases the line-lock when you dump the clutch. The safety feature of this is you can press the clutch pedal down and it wont reactivate the line-lock unless the line-lock button is pushed first [so you will still have full brakes at the top end of the quarter, even if you push the clutch pedal in] This can also be tee'd into a 2 step limiter.
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