FED questions?

I am beginning to gather parts for a upcoming FED build, and have a few questions..... one...what steering boxes were used/modified to use in the early dragsters? two, where did the front torsion bar/tube assembly come from on the front axle...along with what axel/spindle combo was used originally. I know all these parts are available from Mark Williams & others, but I have no desire to spend that kinda coin when it is only going to be a couple time a year deal, and I AM NOT RUNNUNG FUEL... only ethanol/methanol on a carb , possibly injection if I can find a deal...I know most of these parts back in the day were modified production car parts, but what cars/ models???Thanks in advance Shawn

 

Shawn,
some of the early cars used a Ross steering box from a fork lift, suitably modified. If you could find a Standard Cadet or Austin A30 box they also work but finding them in the US will be a little difficult.
The early torsion bar setups were either based on VW parts with the arms custom made or used sprint car bars (Dragmaster). In Australia we used the laminated bar parts out of a VW and made the rest. The other option is to use an early Ford style deal with a leaf spring--it depends on how vintage you want to to look. Likewise with spindles, either early Ford (easy to find at the local hot rod supply) or Anglia (same deal as the English steering boxes--hard to find in the US in this day and age). There are more spoke wheels out there to fit the Anglia spindles but the US Ford stuff also crops up if you look around.

Roo

 

There are also 2 Dragster social groups here on the board. If you search FED you will also see many of these things addressed in one of the severl build threads going on right now.

 

crosley cars used a ross box, still fairly easy to get ahold of, littlewing on here has had one up for sale in the classfieds for 100.00 recently, easy to modify for most cars. i am using one on my build.

 

thanks for the replys .. I was wondering about non automotive aplications on the boxes...I have a combine (farming is another one of my sicknesses)With a ross box that looks like it will work, and being a former Beetle owner I had thought about their torsion front ends as well... I know some of the early mopars had torsion bars as well.. and the ford spindles I think are getting the nod....although I will watch e-bay for spindles I will probably make my dropped front axle. Thanks again time to start gatheringShawn

 

early mini sprints used ross boxes and lot were sold by Doemelt