Front Engine Dragster How To Build One

Awesome post. Thanks.

 

Look at alot of pictures. Pay attention to details, ask questions. Bend tube and build a Dragmaster. I dare you to. I did.



Oh. P.S. It helps if you have a real dragsmaster car to copie. But you can do it with out a real one. That is where the ask quesitons part comes in.

COME ON GUYS , LETS SEE 16 DRAGSTERS AT THE HAMB DRAGS THIS YEAR. HELL, if the Hiltons had a trailer big enuff they could fill this 16 car field by them selfs.

 

I am looking and building . This is #3 car from "pipe"
Don

 

Brian, thankyou very much for the info you posted. Here's a guy who builds chassis for money and he comes on here and tells you how to do it. Brian for president! You are the man. Talk about a true hotrodder. Thankyou. Lippy

 

Preach it Brian!

 

I see an engine being primed^^^^^^^^^^^^^!

 

strictly by the book, NO, they are not legal. NHRA general regs are 10.00 and slower front engine dragster. There is no other speed break. The rail would have to have a double hoop, kidney bars, and lots more, to be by-the-book legal. The other side of that, is that you may not have to BE by-the-book NHRA legal to get to run, depending on the particular track, and the particular tech inspector.

 

With a "period correct" drill motor, no less!

 

So as long as you don't E.T. 9.99, you are golden? Hell, I bet you could run tens with a stock small block with a healthy cam added.

 

Good stuff. Makes me want one...

 

Happiness is a f.e.d

 

X2

These old dragsters aren't what Brian does, there who he is

 

no, the NHRA regs cover 10.00 and SLOWER. Strictly NHRA speaking you must conform to their minimum standard to run ANY speed down to 10.00. Then the SFI specs kick in. The first covers ya from 9.99 to 7.50 (SFI 2.6), and then there's another spec from 7.50 to ?? The reason many people stop at 10.00 is because at 9.99 the DRIVER has to have a comp liscence, and also to avoid the additional scrutiny of the car. The SFI cert has to be re-upped every two years. I'll know more when my SFI 2.6 shows up this week.

 

Wow! Cool thread, makes me want to build one. Oh yeah.

 

Great post.

What do you use for a ride height in the driver/rear axle area?

Is there any kind of scrub line consideration?

 

Under the rear axle is about 6". The bar under the seat is about 4 1/2" off the ground. As to scrub line. The oil pan is under the frame rail. So a wheel comes off the pan is on the ground. All the steering is way out of the way of the ground.

 

This makes me want to go buy some tube and fire up my welder


Awsome tread

 

When I grow up, I want to be like Brian. But shorter and with more hair.

 

awesome tread make me wanna go racing

 

Ha , ha. But then you wont get that real cool sunburn on top of your head like I can.

 

How wide is that rear end? What is it 9in or olds/pontiac

 

I cant remember how wide it was. And it is a 8 3/4 Chrysler. Those are great rearends. Real popular in dragsters in the 60s. Strong as hell.

 

We have not always run a hemi. here is our car when we ran a 408 windsor ford in it on 30% nitro. Iron block, edelbrock alum street heads, scat crank and rods, with a P/G trans and an 8-3/4 rear with 4.10 gears. Dry block, no water. This car was always consistent. Went to the finals at Cordova in A/Fuel in 07. Put any kind of engine you want in it, it will be a blast. Just build it and go do it!! Nothing like a FED. Nothing.Notice the guy with his fingers in his ears. LOL. Lippy

 

You can build one of these cars! The biggest obstacle is just getting after it!

 

Such a nice way to go.... Much better than the Damn Olds rear ends.... I had a Chry in my '68 car and Neil's '67 woody car had one as well. Super easy and you can get good gears from them. The 9' is nice as well but it's a bit bigger and non necessary. Paul Gommi used to have a whole run of M/T Mag third members for the Chry rear ends.... They are off into no mans land at this point but they were super sweet. Ultra Light Weight! Ultra Rare....

 

Home made engine, home built chassis, (modified SPE) Weak suck 8-3/4 rear, no money, Finals at the slingshot nats.

 

Lippy's not kidding about getting after it. If I could get off of my fat butt more I'd be making passes with mine already.

 

Kerry, don't make me come up there. It's money too, I do understand that after waiting for a couple months to get enough money for a drum of fuel. But I think a lot of people who have never built one of these, make the building process harder than what it really is. I know guys who can TIG, and fabricate anything are intimidated by an FED. Hey it all boils down to the same thing, you will crawl in a doorslammer you built and give it hell, but when your cahone's (nuts) are sitting on the rearend housing and the engine is in your lap belching fire they get skiddish. Once you drive one of these you will NEVER crawl in a car with doors again. Short story. I was all suited up one night strapped in the car. Ahead of us were motorcycles. This one drag bike dude and his girlfriend wander back to the car and he looks in the car, looks at me and says, your nuts. I said (muffled through my helmet) no, your nuts. You go 160 mph on a bike and you call ME nuts? He said, you sit behind the rearend and engine, your nuts. I said, your just as safe as being in your mothers arms sitting between these big slicks. Lippy

 

No Shit Lippy......

I made my first pass in my car 1 month after my 16th birthday. Front motor cars are all I've ever driven... I would much rather go 170 plus in a dragster than drive on the damn freeway, Rear-End in my nutbag and all... It's some much fun to drive these cars that it's hard to describe. I'm starting to vibrate about building another one.... Oh Well!

Robert M.

 

Robert, just order some tubing, buy a couple parts then your commited and can't back out. Lippy BTW, I'm building another one. It's just metal. Lippy