my neighbor whom up to now has had me trying to get him to start work on the 57 chevy 2dr hard top rotting in his back yard just made me an offer I cant refuse, I invited him over to hear the REO run and he told me about the 69 chevelle drag car that he has a 427 9.90sec motor ready to install totally drag ready chassis.......that if I help him assemble it he wants me to drive it! I have never done this but would love to add drag racing to my hobbies! advice anyone?
Before you ever go to the track, sit in the car and familiarize yourself with EVERYTHING you're gonna have to do. When you get to the track, get in a routine. Do everything from pulling into the water to the turnoff road the same (as close as you can) everytime. Keep a log book. HAVE FUN! Larry T
yea when the light changes mash it and hang on for dear life. I would guess that if you have never been in a 9 second car before that it is probably a good idea to not try and run a nine the first time out. take it a little easy and see what the car wants to do under power your first pass. maybe it'll take yo e several passes to even get yourself into the 11s. Don't sweat it it'll come with time.
If you have any thing in life that you really want to do, do it before your first pass in the car........because after that first pass you'll be so hooked everything else will have to wait. Ask me how I know!!! Like Larry said, get very familiar with everything in the car and everything you have to do. Get a routine that works and stick with it. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure about something. Remember, safety is first priority. And above all else, enjoy yourself. Bill
larry...that absolutely makes sense...consistency. and porknbeaner....I agree I fully intend to work my way into it no matter who is pushing me to drive beyond my comfort zone too soon. thanks!
if your footbraking, turn the first prestage bulb on , clean it out in nuetral, put the shifter back in low gear , come up on the convertor, and bump in on the bottom stage bulb.....if you can flicker it , your doing good. leave on the bottom yellow (depending on hp and how the car reacts...might wait till the bottom yellow is starting to go out. ) that will get you started ....won't even go into all the "tricks" your average bracket guy will do , down track.... take notes and pay attention big thing......... have fun
i drag race my off topic 71 Chevy Nova, getting a routine is big like the others have said here.... get to know the car before you try to be a cowboy and pull off a 9 sec pass, iam sure going that fast the car has a trans brake? if so play with that and get used to it! they will take you for one hell of a surprise if your not used to a launch off a brake! i found that out haha. also the biggie....Money! going fast is not cheap!
Unhook the secondaries on the carb before the first pass. It will still launch hard but run slower, might even turn the rev limiter down. 11 seconds is fast, 9's will scare the crap out of you. Take it easy and go slow, don't be a hero right off the bat, you may not get a second chance if any goes wrong! Joe
First, do not run at a track that does not have an ambulance on the ground. Go slow and build up to speed. If the car runs faster than 9:99, you need a licence and physical. Chassis needs a sticker and if it runs faster than 135-140ish, it needs laundry. I have found out that most cars do not run as fast as people say so it might be a 10 secound car or slower. Get in a routine and have the engine temp. the same and do the burn-out the same everytime. It is fun- hold on!! Mike
we will be putting it together for a couple of months and bye then I will have memorized everything said here. all good stuff! oh and he is paying for everything.
I have made about every mistake you can make and trust me several have been because I went after it too hard before I had a handle on it.
Lets just say I supplement my income nicely on drag racing. Go to the track every chance you get, especially on test and tune night if they have it. You can bracket race ANYTHING and learn from it. A 4X4 truck, moms Lincoln Town car, the wifes Mini van, it doesnt matter, do it and learn from it. You dont have to tear stuff up to learn either, NOTHING replaces seat time, NOTHING. You have everything to learn, and the only way is to be there, watch, listen, participate, and learn. It's usually pretty easy to find someone who will give you pointers if you treat them with respect, something nowadays is quite misunderstood. Also, if and when you do make a pass, no matter what it is 18 seconds or 6, see if you can have someone video every step that you make. Then watch these videos over and over, I quarantee, each week you learn something new, you will go back and see how badly you have done it the week before.
48, let me back up what I said earlier. When you watch Drag Racing on T.V., and the interviewer will ask Dixon, or Schumaker, or Anderson, or any pro driver, " well in the next round you face so and so- what are you ......bla bla bla", they usually all respond the same way. They say they will just go out there and race the track. My point is that's why you take and bracket race anything safe and learn from it. Being at the track for a bracket race in the wifes mini van, staged next to a 10 second car, will teach you that exact principle, to race the track, and not the guy next to you. When you can sit composed and in your zone with that exact scenario I suggested, you have made strides in your learning curve. Not everyone can do it either, it's much easier said than done. Forget the fact I offered that advice, this is the same advice from the best professional drag racers in the world. TR
all i can say is be ready for it things happen really fast in a 9 or even an 11 second car and bauschracing is right you are supposed to be licsenced to race a 9.99 or quicker car , good luck and be safe
iv raced bikes for 20 plus years its a blast,do like your getting licensed 60 foot/ then 330/ 1/8 mile then qt, dont try and set the world on fire always safty first and the ets will follow,, good luck. 9s in a car aint to shabby . takes alot of $ to go 9s, so your a lucky guy to climb in the seat
First time out take to test and tune night where you have plenty of time to get used to the car without worrying about destroying your car and someone elses. 427 drag Chevelle can be a powerhouse.As said earlier,driving a race car is practice,practice,practice until it is routine.No shortcuts on saftey,good belt harnass,helmet. attention.
Keep your Timeslips in your wallet. That always shuts up the "Bigger, Better, Faster" type of A-holes. Have fun!
thank you all. good advice. Im a father of five so safety is first. I would post pics of the build but this aint the place for that.
all that advise and no one said anythinng about WHEN YOU GET OUT OF SHAPE LIFT AND RACE ANOTHER DAY !!! crashes are your fault , very seldom are caused by others. always use your head.
I race a little opel and run around 10.30s and have just as much fun as the guys in the 9s but with a hell of alot less money so dont be ashamed to run slower.also someone told me to make sure your comfortable in the car its something i did over the winter,made a difference for sure,guess when your all in there and nervous you dont realize how uncomfortable you are. good luck
Lots of good (and very accurate) information given here, especially the comments on having (and following) a routine for every run as well as the words on "things happening fast". I went to the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School for my 50th birthday a few years ago in Pomona. Jack Beckman (current funny car driver) was my teacher. I never thought it would be "easy" but I also didn't relaize how difficult it was to get into a car I was not at all familiar with and try to run a full 1/4 mile run. Of the number of runs you "get" as part of your tuition, you have to progress in distance before you can make any atempts at full runs. This was all part of becoming licencsed for the Super Gas class at the end of the school. I eventually got in 2 full runs and was at 9.50 / 140 mph. I can't begin to tell you how much fun that was in so many ways. Heed the advice these guys are giving you and you will have a great time! - EM
The Jalopy Journal
