I finally got my hands on an 09 NHRA rule book a couple days ago. Holy crap....288 pages of confusing drivel. I did come away from this fine piece of reading with a certain new perspective, however. Unless I'm blind (a possibility), I found absolutely NO reference to "Dedicated Race Cars" when it came to roll cages. Go figure... However, the rules and reference drawings do clearly show that front engine dragsters are required to have full cages, so my arguement is over. Gotta do it, end of story. The good news is that after consulting with the tech crew once again, (after a conversation with the track management), I got the issue with my boxed Model A Ford frame rails solved, and I'm good to go. Time to get after it, now!!! I'm putting pencil to paper on some basic mechanical drawings, and I'm considering the possibility of the offset engine idea. I may not go that way, but it's worth a look. Either way, my goal is to construct a car that can be re powered with a variety of engine/trans combinations, thus assuring me that I can always use the car somewhere for something.
What is amazing about these racing organizations is that as they mature the people that run them are not racers. They are people who become obsessed with making money from the organization, so it becomes a political thing. Ask anyone who goes to Bonneville now and see what kind of political things go on there. You can read the rules and think you are set to go and make the 2000 mile trip only to be told you can't run. They can't show you where but the tech crew says you don't meet the requirements. This is true of NHRA, SCTA and NASCAR. You have to kiss someones rearend to race and you can't be a maverick. Look at NASCAR now all the cars are alike with no variation in look or power. The only way you can tell who is who is color and car number. When it was first run it was run by a bunch of moonshine runners who got together on a weekend to race their cars and have fun. Now it is like the Roman Coliseum with the show going on to please the mindless crowd who wants to see blood. Oh and alsoto make Bill France's relatives lots of money. Enough of a rant, I just wish racers ran all the races. Roy
In the early sixties, we would buy the current year NHRA rulebook each spring at the local speed shop. It would fit in your shirt pocket. Simpler times.
As Roy said, it's all about the money and issues of "control". They aren't there to promote racing and get the kids of the street and on the track like it was in the beginnings, it's all about the "show" and big bucks. Screw the racers, as long as they can fill the stands with people who will pay their inflated prices, they could care less about guys who want to build cars for the fun of it. There isn't any profit in our class so they don't give a rat's ass about our kind of racing. Just my $0.02.......end of rant.
LOL! The first 39 pages of that book cover the NHRA's lack of liability for anything that may happen as a result of their telling you how to do things, and the procedures they use to close the loop holes!!!! Tell me THAT aint big business??? Geez, in circle track racing, at the local level anyway, 39 pages of rules would cover FIVE classes of car, AND the general track procedures! That's because former racers are usualy running the show. I'm so glad that my primary joy comes from design, fabrication, and development...not winners circle interviews and egotistical back flips off the roof of my car. The only approval I place any real stock in, is that of my fellow racers. I seem to see a lot of that in this little group of people with the funny named dragsters....makes me feel at home.
you only GOTTA do it if you solid mount the rear end and straddle the transmission. read the book. in the spirit of the bug right?? the bug (springs front and rear, left hand steer) was NOTHING like a front engine dragster. put a lightweight t bucket body on a 'bug' (to meet the body requirement) and everything changes. i know guys are building 'rails' for this reason and that, but you don't HAVE to. either way four-banger... good on ya for jumping in with both feet.
Four Banger, You should see a diagram and specs for a 10:00 second and slower Altered cage in the General Regulations section. In my opinion, that is what the techs will want to see. Since we sit in front of the axle, the dragster configuration in the rule book does not apply, although is is very close to the Altered cage. The differences being below the shoulder bar. In my opinion you cannot make the legal cage look like a piece built years ago. The best I am hoping for is my car will look like an old dragster that has been retrofitted with a current cage to be legal.
Yes, I did think the Altered diagram would be the one to pattern the rear frame section after. Also, Altered Pilot, I do read where 12 second and slower vehicles are only required to have roll bars, as long as they fit into the "Stock Body" or "Dune Buggy" realm. I have seriously considered laying up a mold off my Sprite body (from firewall back) and hanging it on the chassis to resemble the early Competition Roadsters. I could sit off center right down in the bottom of the chassis then, and stick my feet straight out on one side of the engine and transmission. It would be sort of a cross between the "Midnite Oil" offset rail, and an old Altered. I like doing things differently, but you often pay a price for that. In this case, it would be exessive weight, and you know the rest of THAT story. I also wonder how far one has to go, before you "Leave the Spirit" so-to-speak, and disassociate yourself from the origional concept....I don't want that to start taking place. The guys who shaped this class of car had their own vision, and I don't think muscling ones way into that vision with ones own personal ideas could possibly come to any good.
I have personaly found NHRA to fairly easy to get along with.I always call JC tech guy here in south eastern division.Hes always been helpful as to what is allowed in chassis construction. As for some of the mods required to older cars to met safety requirements.Hey look at some of the old cars the cage was useless,some never understood the word roll.Heck the square cage would probaly beat you to death slamming the track like a square box. Im having to talk with JC (Jimmy Collins)now about new car Im building because its cross of nostalgia and new technology.Hes saved me some trouble and caused me some,well maybe I caused it by not asking earlier. I agree first part of book is CYA,but in world where someone wants to sue you because they are to stupid to be outside with supervision,can you really blame them?
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