Projects Project 333 [Half Evil] a Mid Engine Roadster DragCar started finally.

I don't know how I missed this until now, but....Holy Shit! I've always been blown away by your vision and fab skills, but this is another level altogether. I used to think I was a pretty good fabricator until I read this thread. I bow to you, sir, and will continue to watch your progress.

 

Great building skills Dave and love your "home" shop. I was looking at your drilled axle as I have them on two of my cars. I was at Moon Eyes and talking with a friend that tech's at Irwndale and was told any drilled suspension parts are illegal on the track.

I don't mean to rain on your parade but just thought I'd give you a heads up and check with the officials in your area - but I'd assume it'd be across the board on safety. Keep up the good work, love your build!

 

Are you planning an aluminum tonneau around the motor? I would assume so. Looks like a handful. Nice work.

 

Just be mindfull that ANYTHING hanging down from the steering support tube WILL be the first thing that your legs will hit in a crash.

On building the nose Ron Fournier has a basic metal fab book that shows all the steps, cant be too hard as it only took up 3 pages(snicker) otherwise there are plenty of 'glass ones out there to cut and fit.

 

Thanks....CalGasser
I already mention to the tech guy that will sticker my chassis when I sent the original pics....that my chrome suspension parts have been used since that is what I had laying around and that they would be replaced w/ non chrome parts...For I know they do not allow chrome axles and chrome suspension parts and why they do not allow them...I will ask about the drilled axle thou...to me the difference would be a self drilled axle done after purchase verses a factory purchased part designed w/ the holes in the axle......I would argue that point....I first need to get my sticker then go from there....So far this has been easy up to this point.......I have seen cars run w/ all sort of not allowed gear per NHRA rules....at several event including the Bowling green NHRA hotrod reunion.....I will conform to what ever they ask.....be it for the NHRA chassis cert. or local track tech to run this car.....I spent the time to build it...I want to use it....But that is a good question to ask them !....Thanks...Dave

Animal...thanks, my chassis is really nothing different than what is being built by real doing it for a living chassis builders at any shop any day somewhere here in the USA. Like Rooman, dreracecar and other well established builders... They are much better than I !..... I am just dumb enough to build it this short..ha ha ha I never built anything like this..so it is a true adventure for me.......Dave

dreracercar, good info....I am considering what I may come into contact w/ a hit......I just might have that book you mentioned, need to find it and crack it open !......Dave

curbspeed...yes, about the engine surround cover......

 

Dave, if you do not have the Fournier book I can copy those pages for you.

 

Dave, I've built some cages in stock cars, and have been around some of the chassis shops like the ones you're talking about. That said, I find your attention to detail and the ability to make the whole thing eye-appealing is an art.

 

Where did you come up with the no chrome front end rule??? That there would eliminate 80% of the nostalgia cars out there.

The no plateing rule applys to chassie only (roll cage) and if you have WELDED parts plated, the you have the parts baked to remove any hydro imbrittlement. Single units like a beam front axle are not subject to that.

You will also find out in time that locking the front end solid (no suspendtion) that the chassie will handle better. Just dummy up a pair of solid shocks.

 

dreacecar
What about having the rearhousing chromed ?.I always wanted a chrome rear housing in this car......If I am allowed to run what I already have...that will be great !....One of these guys told me that info..no chrome suspension parts..It is all hard to keep straight...different people that do the same job all say something different about a same rule ect.......seems very political as well...I will do whatever they want...For it is their playground I want to play on...

Solid dummy shocks..great idea...I will make a pair up..easy to swap out at the track....I plan on limiting the axles travel to be minimal to start with.......Local chassis guy hates the fact I used this front end...he did try his best to talk me out of the idea..Is their a rule for solid mounted front axles and minimal overall wheelbase ?

Thanks, Littleman Dave

 

wow i want a frame table like that .i have to build mine in the gravel.lol

 

I built DeathsDoorStep on the garage floor and stacked up wood blocks before I found this at a local used machinery outfit......Littleman

 

.......Local chassis guy hates the fact I used this front end...he did try his best to talk me out of the idea.

Thanks, Littleman Dave[/QUOTE]


You gotta love Jimmy! He tells me all the time how much he hates this "old" shit. LOL Keep up the good work.

 

If sombody tells you something like that, then apolgize for missing it and have them SHOW it to you in the rules so that you may highlite it for future referance.

Reason people dont chrome the housings is that they can always find something better to spend the $600 on

Suspension (front) is only required for cars that are 100"(wb) or less

The no chrome on the front end peices only pertain to late model Fuel and Funny car and you are not in that leage.

 

Dave, the chassis cert will have nothing to do with the front end. In fact you can cert a bare chassis. NHRA is concerned with the drivers compartment only. Your local track official my not pass it for their tech, but I would bet you money no one will ever question the chrome. The FED in my avitar has a chrome front axle and spindles and has been certed 3 times by 2 different inspectors.

 

Someone told me about the chrome axle info......bad info......Correct, they only need to look at the chassis driver area and nothing more...I was surprised he did not even care about how the reaend was put in....He said it was nothing he would look at for the cert..Which I found odd they would leave that for the local track techs, but that is why they get sent to school.........Thanks for the info, Dave

 

My altered has lots of chromed parts on the front like front axle, and other associated parts, never had a problem with tech.

 

GREAT BUILD DAVE! I have another possible solution to the bump steer issue, should it rear its ugly head. Use the other side of the rack to accuate a bell crank moving a much longer tierod that will move the steering arm which will now be flipped to the other side of the spindle (not the other spindle).

 

That is a real good idea !..........Thanks, hope to run into you this coming year.....Dave

 

Just got the green light from Tech, been waiting a few days..busy time for all w/ the Holidays.... this will allow me to finish weld the new footbox uprights and the footbox X and side X's..Their is more to this story, I will tell later......Today I finished machining the rest of the steering componets and welded in the anti-push back into place I machine , welded in the solid slugs into the steering shaft ends that I cross drilled and tacted the main steering wheel bearing bracket so the clamps are now off and I have steering.....

I think I am cutting the tacts holding the upper head hoops...I want to lean the front hoop back more...I set this up so I was sitting far behind the 4'' min. requested so I have some room to play with........It just needs moved back to please my eye.....It will help the flow of the car a bunch...Hate to touch it thou....I nailed it measurement wise the first time, and learned anytime I re-do something it fights me..

I should be able to setup my Tech appointment soon once all the welding is complete and I work on the upper head hoops and final weld. I have a few chassis bars to add to the rear, along w/ a mid plate support to fab up.




This is the side view.....I think it will look better w/ that front head hoop angled back a little more....




I was even thinking of angling the top of it....I drew over this pic.........

 

Looks good Dave,, glad the Tech guys liked it TOO Tim Jones

 

I cut loose my front helmet hoop and removed the upper top two bars that attached to the rear helmet hoop.....I mocked up what I liked......call the front house and caught the wife just after her shower and already in her pj's.....and asked her to grab the camera and walk back to the shop to help me take the measurement from the outside edge of the front hoop to the helmet to see if I meet the min. 4'' required.......She is a trooper...I have no idea how many times I have done this to her...sometimes it is late and I wake her up.....Lucky to have her..

So what do you think ?.....Instead of the top of the cage being flat..I wanted to place it at an angle, plus I angled the front tube back another 6 degrees or so...I think it flows much better...This also brought both hoops closer together which I like better....Here is a before and after pic.......Littleman

 

That looks good Dave, Nice tight cage, Sounds like you have a good wife too, if it's as cold there as it is here, go make a cup of hot coco, Tim Jones

 

LQQKs mucho betterer

And remember that you are going to have to put a deflector sheild/plate on the frame--NHRA 4:3 for all blown rear engined cars.

 

4 or 6 degrees laid back was all it took.. Looks great Dave..


TH

 

Correct, needs to go past the blower pulley top and bottom by 1'', if I remember.....Looking for a nice piece of 1/8'' aluminum to make it out of........Thanks for the info...Dave

 

Thanks for the input.......Now I just need to trim and fit it again w/o messing it up...I originally left the front hoop barely tacted.......I knew I did not like how it looked, something bothered me about it.....When I did the hoops I had my big tall Divco parked next to the chassis table and I was unable to stand back to get a real good look.......months later I moved the Divco to the front garage and knew something did not look right......But waited until I could see it on the ground...and immediately knew it needed changed.........Littleman Dave

 

Eventhou I was satisfied w/ the new side profile......I still did not like the width opening of the front...So I cut all the tact welds and removed the entire top....I bent that set of tubes...so last night I bent two more hoops and made them the full radius of my bender die which is 7'' or so if I remember.......The new helmet hoops will look more tighter I hope by the end of this weekend from both the front and side view......I did not need to do any of this...but the look was off....and have bender will bend..The car will look much better....will post pics once tacted in..Littleman

 

Better to do it now,then hate it later

 

Doesn't the NSRA require a toe box (crush box) for rear engined cars like Indy and Formula cars?

If not... maybe that's why the wheelbase has to be so long on the rails...

 

The NHRA Tech when looking at a rear engine type car looks at what they call the foot box area as a point of interest during the tech, for their is a min. tube and designs that it must fall in.........What is strange about my car is the footbox verticle uprights and box area are the front of the car and that is it , normally the chassis goes allot further forward....In order for me to be within the rule which states the upper and lower main chassis rails must go past the footbox verticle up-right bars 1'' passed the centerline of that tube...The verticle up right tubes are typically made of 1-1/8'' .065'' or 1-1/4'' .058'' wall.....Mine is 1-5/8'' .083 wall........so... I was short 1/8'' by that much on my lower rail because of how I built it..........So we agreed that I would fab up a new footbox area a few inches further back and all will be good...So I have two X'd foot boxes in front of my feet....I just need to get creative now w/ my brake and gas pedals because I lost a little length.....Like I said in another post, their is more to the story but I just want to pass tech and get this donkey stickered......The full time builders here on the Hamb can probably answer your question way better, I just explained how it pertained to my build. This car has not been teched yet, just working w/ tech to stay out of trouble when that time comes..I did not involve them at the start, for I feared they would influence my build too much.....so far I feel lucky I made it this far ...I would not change a thing as how I did it....and they are real easy to work with.........Littleman, Dave