What are you guys using for fasteners? Grade 8, Stainless and don't say Titanium Also is welding mild steel to chrome moly OK? Rocky
Rocky, I use NAS bolts but they are a little on the spendy side for what you are doing. Stay away from stainless as there are some shiny but soft bolts out there depending on the source. Also stay away from socket/allen head stuff as they tend to be a little brittle at times. A good quality Grade 5 is also OK. Force's funny cars use Grade 5 for the seat belt anchors as recommended by the FoMoCo engineers. The reasoning is that a little bit of "give" in the bolt is better than a fracture. Fine thread with nyloc nuts is also the go, and for stuff like the rear end mounts (at the minimum) buy bolts with enough shank to bridge the brackets and cut off the excess thread so that there is just enough for the washer and nut with a couple of exposed threads. Having any of the threaded portion of the bolt within the confines of the brackets is an invitation for either the bolt or the bracket to be machined away if the junction "squirms" at all. The major diameter of the thread is usually slightly smaller than the bolt and no matter how tight you torque the fasteners there will be a tendency for it to move under load. Welding mild to CM is OK as long as you use TIG and the correct rod for the moly--ER80S is a good choice--if you need just a few sticks I can send you some so that you don't have to buy a bundle--317 852 4547 (shop). Roo
Rooman, Is the ER80S good for the entire chassis? And do you recommend a post op heat treat to the joint or just keep your heat down and run with it? Thanks, Robert M.
The ER80S is a mild steel rod so it would be good for the entire frame. ER70S would work as well but the 80 is a little more pure. I have never used a post weld anneal process and we did not do that at JFR when I was in the fab shop there. John Medlen did extensive research into materials and process following the accidents and we also had Wyatt Swaim, Lincoln's welding guru available for consultation. Roo
A couple beginner questions. What are you guys running for steering boxes these days?.........I know where a Crosley and a Ross may be. And what are you preferring for rear brakes/MC? Spindles? The axle was raped off my MW chassis. We will build an axle and will need spindles. See completes at SW, bosses at King Chassis and MW. I will be running a 9" rear........disks or drums? I can mate bore sizes to make it work fine either way.
The steering box of choice used to be SPE but they are virtually unavailable now so I use the new Strange unit. Flaming River also make one but it is pretty spendy. All three are the same configuration and interchangeable. Likewise spindles are available from multiple sources. I used to use Stiletto but now use the new Strange unit. Bob Boulton does a stainless steel piece at a reasonable price and also an aluminum unit. MW stuff is nice but a little on the high side price wise. Drum brakes are sufficient for slower cars but discs are not that expensive depending on how trick you want to get. Any Wilwood or CNC master cylinder will work or you can also use the old Girling style from a British sports car if you don't need big volume for large calipers. If anyone here wants Strange components I am a WD and can figure some sort of discount for HAMB'ers. Roo
Rooman thanks! This thing has been a back burner deal until last week and now I need to start working on parts. You have confirmed much of what I thought.
This is how I built the Cowls on my dragster : 1) Make a posterboard pattern first ! Draw a centeline on the pattern and the firewall . 2 ) Overlap the bottom edges 3'' minimum over the side panels. 3) Mark where the firewall radius at the corners starts and ends. Draw parallel lines to follow the bottom edge. 4) Leave enough material, 2'' to overlap the firewall and 4'' pass the rollcage. 5) When you layout the cockpit opening, draw the opening radius 2'' in front of the centerline of the rearaxle. 6) The 180 degree Diameter of the opening is 17'' to start and the sides parallel to the centerline to the rear. 7) A 4'' diameter long round object ( 4 x 1/4 wall PVC Tube x 6 ft) is what I used to form the sides. I clamped it over the pattern, lining up the bottom parallel line so the 3'' panel overlap line was directly under the contact area of the tube. 8) Now bend the first side alittle bigger radius than the firewall 90 degree corner radius and test fit from the motor side. Is there enough overlapping the side panel ? Does the corner radius lines match ? Rebend to match the firewall radius. 9) Bend the other side and test fit again from the motor side. It doesn't have to be perfect. Get the top as close as possible and tape it down to check the overlap on the otherside. 10) Using a sand mallet start slap forming the windscreen lip from the centerline over the 4'' PVC tube that is clamped to a table. Work alittle at a time, going side to side gradually building and forming the radius to a 30 angle. 11 ) The windscreen lip should decrease as you reach the straight verticle sides of the opening going to the rear. 12 ) The two rear sides should match the Rollbar angle vertically. Test fit it again, from the driver's side. You may have to add more radius to the windscreen lip to open it up if it is too tight. 13) If it is close, put a slight 5-10 degree bend, following the 3'' line at the bottom edges of the cowl, that matches the top edge of the side panels. 14) The cockpit opening should be 4-5'' in front of the centerline of the rearend with the windscreen lip formed. You have to leave enough room to get your legs and feet in. 15) Bend the top edge of the side panels at the should hoop inward at 5 degrees. This will help the ease to get the cowl on and add some stiffness to the side panel. 16) Tape the posterboard pattern to the car and climb in. Do you fit and have enough clearence for your legs ? 17) Trim the bottom edges first if needed or to the amount you want to overlap, 2'' minimum. Next trim the rear bottom edges at 70 degree x 3''radius up to the shoulder hoop. Above the shoulder hoop, trim straight at a 60 degree angle and 1'' radius on to the windscreen top edge. 18) The Windscreen lip should have at least 1/2'' for the windscreen to bolt on too beyond the radius lip. Trim if needed. 19) Next is a 3/4 hole for the steering shaft . You will have to open this hole up with a file for minimum clearence and slight angle cuts to the bottom edge with 1'' radius corners. 20) Once you have the Cowl mounted with Dzus Fasteners and trimmed up around the drivers area, you can now do the last thing, trim and form around the firewall. Draw a line from the underside of the cowl following the firewall/motorplate. Remove the cowl and trim off the extra material leaving a 1/2'' from the line on the motor side. 21) Remount the cowl on the car and start forming with a sand mallet, the rolled edge starting from the center, working side to side and down towards the bottom edge. Cut a 1'' radius at the bottom front corners. 22) If the cowl is completely formed and trimmed, finish filing and debur all edged . 23) The first one (red)I made took me 2 days. The second one took me 10 hours and came out better. So take your time, don't be in a rush and the cowl will come out good. The better the pattern, the better the aluminum one will come out. .040 is easy to form, but won't hold it form as well as .050 3003H14 Aluminum.
I have about 10 rails planning to show up for the May 1st Nostagia FED/Alt race at Tulsa Raceway Park. We have room for more. Gates Open at 1:00. Be there!
Check out Kieth Tardel's (Keith on the HAMB) Digger! Keith plans on having a space at Eagle Field's Fresno Dragways Reunion in "Vendors Row" with one of his Dragsters on display. He is SELLING these cars and they would be PERFECT for our Eagle Field C/GD Class. Rocky
I used reversed Corvair box years ago with good results. I would think bolt on disk from Ford or Chevy would work better than drums.
There's a car for sale about an hour from me. The seller says it's 17 1/2" at the shoulder. He's never driven it. I'm around 6', pretty solid 200 lbs. Not sure there's any point in even looking at it. I sat in an old Mark Williams car a few years ago. Seems like it was 18 1/2" at the shoulder, too small, but coulda made it work. For future reference or insight on this car, is there any rule of thumb as far as driver size vs. shoulder width/cage height?
iagsxr, I am about your build and built my car to 24 inches at the shoulder. Way too much room to flail around in, thinking 21 would have been more than enough. I am real tight in my 19inch RED, but workable
I am also 6' and around 190-200 lbs and my car at 19.5" is about as narrow as you would want. I have to wear a five layer -20 suit but even with a -15 you really don't want anything narrower than that. Roo
I'm 5' 8" and 230. There, I said it!!! That said mine is 19" inside and in the race suit it's plenty snug. Still comfortable.
I am kinda big and have 28 width. Big I know but at least I can get in and out with this tired old banged and broken body. Had my wife measure me at the shoulders (30 inches)and built it to fit alllowing for the slight curve as I reach forward to the steering wheel. Probably could have gone 2 inches less and made it work but it is very comfy now. I sometimes hear how "others are not as wide as yours". Datsa nice! The other drivers are not as wide as me either. Make it fit U. Don
mine is 18 and 1/4 and im 6ft 250, but i manage with a snug but doable fit, my car was made in 67 so i had to live with it, from what i have seen mine is fairly wide for an early chassis, i can get in and out quite quickly without help so no prob, as for foot brake ect, i have a foot brake and was thinking of changing to handbrake, but my foot brake has saved me on the line from the wall, if i had to let go and reach for the hand brake the extra split second would have spelled bent tubing, but im still thinking i might try the hand brake as my foot rests on the pedal during run, i try to curl my ankle up to relieve but i dont know if its dragging or not, im thinking a push handle for me and it will be with my left as im left handed... i also put a cockpit shot up ect. the lever on left is parachute, under steering is from left to right fuel shut off, shifter, start button and mag only switch, on butterfly is a all electrical kill with aviation cover, and trans brake, no delay box ect, the water temp on right is disconnected and left over from when i was carbed on gas,
oh yeah , heres a pic back when it was carbed on gas with me in the seat, this was a local armdrop shootout like pinks all out with funny car driver ron capps as our arm drop starter, i was in the quick 8, i didnt win, but was fun.. but i included this to show how i fit, i bought the car from a friend and it had a single bend six point cage on it, i fit it but not with fire suit, so i had the cage redone to this double bend and bam, i fit, ..
I just picked up my motor today for my Lyndwood. 283, hilborn inj, mt alum rods....etc. I will get pics of everything tomorrow.....A long day.
Nah no one really wants to know how to do anything. Looks like a good idea to me. Be good to follow along and see what is being done and by whom
so was looking to get some opinions, im rebuilding my engine and will be stroking it to a 408 ci with 4.00 stroke and 6 inch rods, and -11cc domes for 14-1 comp with my ported brodix 8 heads with upsized valves, 2.10, im looking for input on cam lift, i currently have a herbert roller at 640 int and ext, i was thinking of going to an 684 lift cam, my springs support 700, the deck is standard and gasket is .041 any ideas? im looking for any opinion on valve clearance..thanks!
Intake .020 exhaust .022 cold . They tell u on the cam card mostly. Make sure you you have enough piston to valve clearance.
forgot to specify, yeah piston to valve clearance, i know my valve lash, sorry!! but thanks for the reply,
The Jalopy Journal
