What happened to all the dragster builds?

any pictures?

 

My car is more upright then I'd like......but I'm also 6'3

And is cert for 5.99

Mine is my first... Im learning and have learned some things I'll do different on the next one.

Tony

 

heres an old one,I'll see if i can new ones up

 

Nice looking car who buildt the chassis?

 

Damn Tim, Thats looking pretty good!

I'd like to donate to your dragster fund...........................In exchange for the Satelite body

 

, Thanks , Keep trying Gary maybe one of these days you'll wear me down, I still feel as long as I got stuff I'm not completely BROKE, Plus if I sold you the funny car, I'd be to tempted to put the KB in the dragster, and that has Tim getting hurt written all over it ,,Stop by next time your in this neck of the woods Tim Jones

 

Dragsled - Thanks man. Yours is looking great. Love the cage and the profile. It has the look!

I Hope to get some hours in this week and get a little progress on the "GoRilla"

 

Mine has come to a standstill due to lack of funds. Was supposed to move the digger up to my buddy's shop this weekend, so I could clear some space in my tiny garage to work on a couple of motorcycle side jobs I've lined up to hopefully generate funds for that shorty powergilde and converter I need, but open trailers and thunderstorms don't mix with dragsters in raw metal. So we're shooting for doing it in a couple of weeks when he's back in town. I should be able to get back on it in the spring, hopefully with a glide waiting to be dropped in.

 

It seems as though if the supercharger and injector hat were not used----if a regular manifold and carb(s) were used instead, there would be no visibility problems. And i wonder if the chassises were originality designed without the supercharger in mind.


Irregardless i like the proportions of the original 60's frames. i think they got it right and designers had more creativity back then for some reason.

 

You've got to remember, in the late 50's and 60's, dragster drivers were mostly guys in their early 20's- young and invincible, so practical considerations or comfort weren't in the picture. Dragster tech seems to have followed a see-saw between power, chassis design, clutch and tires. Typically, racers found out ways to make more power before they discovered ways to put it to the track. Once the tire, clutch and chassis technology caught up, they would then figure out ways to make more power, and it was a continual flowing process.

The main issue in those days was traction, so anything you could do to aide traction and get the power down to the track was the main goal- everything else was a secondary consideration. (Which is why gassers had that straight axle, nose up stance, with the heaviest battery they could find in the trunk, and a tube rear bumper full of lead. Never mind that steering and handling at the top end of the track was sketchy, they just needed to get off the line as quickly as possible)

That's the whole reason the slingshot configuration came into being, to get more weight on the rear to help traction and the thinking at the time was to get all the weight to the back and down low. For a period, some even made dragsters where the drivers legs went under the rear axle in order to get everything even lower. You'll see some cars that have the engines shoved back so close to the 3rd member that they have to pie cut the last pipe in the zoomies in order to clear the slick. As tire, clutch, and track technology changed, along with the advent of traction aids like VHT, traction became less of a problem so chassis development changed.

With the advent of nostalgia racing, it was no longer a practical consideration to keep the driver low - it wasn't going to improve performance at this point in time - so why not make it so they can see if it's not going to hurt performance? I don't like the look of those cars and much prefer the old cars, but hard core racers aren't sentimental about that kind of thing. They are there to win and the car is just a tool to try to make it happen.

 

Here is the real reason,

Back when Nos.drag racing became a competitive series the mandate of a spec tire was the issue and a M&H hard 4 ply (short and narrow) was the rule. So when new cars were built the rear end had to be 1 1/2" lower (looked like skateboard wheels) and the pitch of the motor was changed (raised in front). Bodies styles also started to resemble late model R/E cars (insted of curvyer HANNA style) so the sides got wider. Helmets are also bigger then they were so the cage has to be higher and even higher yet with all the new padding that has to be installed.

I have had both types of chassies at my shop next to each other and there really isnt that much difference, but it sure looks like it when they are together.

 

Very Well said, Here's the link to Voxnut's build , It's a very good read http://rocinanteridesagain.wordpress.com/ Tim Jones

 

Good explantion from one of the Chassis builders on here , Thanks

 

Gathering parts still Roo is building my back half of my chassis.

 

Are you getting ready for the injected Nitro class?

 

Well we don't know how to run anything else. But this car will just be nhra legal to run wherever. Honestly I am just building the car to go run anywhere I can. It will have two ten pound cold fires hidden inside. It will be a 188 in 1967 T/F SPE chassis with a shorty body. Current N/TF rear tires, so I can run other guys wore out tires, LOL. 427 chev, high gear only with a reverser . Nasty Dave two disc clitch. Should be a nice little 200 mph ride. I have almost everything for the car I think. I need a steering box though. Lippy

 

Sounds like it's gonna be a fun ride Lippy,,,

 

Lippy, thanks for the update. I am still struggling with which way I am going. Have looked at some altered/funny chassis stuff but have not ruled out going back to the FED.

 

hers mine today

 

I got side tracked with this one

 

Great looking cars Marshall, Are you the chassis builder? Tim Jones

 

Ours is still sitting, although not waiting on money. Our classes cycle from basic to advanced every 2 months, and I have been on the basic fabrication cycle.

Even though there was another class on the advanced "live work" side of the cycle, there were too many student projects (a GOOD thing) to put anyone worthwhile on the dragster.

Hopefully work will resume on the "Mild Steel Missile" a couple of weeks into the new year. We did get the coupler and new housing ends purchased. Now they tell me they want it to accept a big block Ford as well...

And yes, all the huge tacks will be ground out as it gets TIG welded.

 

yes

 

LOOKING GOOD, where we gonna see, commerce, reynolds, hope to get mine going this year.....

 

Yeah ... Your cheery personality really makes people want to post up pictures.

I stopped posting pictures when it became apparent dreracecar doesn't like anything he didn't build.

Mine rolls around and I need to finish up porting the heads but I could care less about putting pictures on here now

 

Tyler Are you kidding just because someone didn't like your build your not gonna post pics? Come on dude I bet there's plenty of people that want to see how it's going, Have you looked at my shitbox,do you think everyone likes it, or Do you think I give a F**K if someone doesn't aprove of how I'm doing it, just saying like you it's my money , my work going into it and my ass sitting in the seat , ( Plus I do think it's pretty safe )Bottom line is we build these cars for ourselves and if someone doesn't like it O WELL life goes on, and if people like that's pretty cool too,But if you still don't want to post updates ,that's cool , You can send me some pics on how it going timjones57@hughes.net ,I'm just a dragster guy who likes dragsters, Tim Jones

 

Looks good keep the updates comming , Tim Jones

 

Tim, can your car get an NHRA cert?

 

Maybe? with the flathead it won't be real fast, ,I have overbuildt alot of it tho,and still gonna add somemore bars, when I was younger I did the running all the time and chaseing points and so on after that I worked on the fuel cars, i decided to build this car just to run at the hamb drag type races and have some fun while I can still get in and out of one, Tim Jones

 

also the chassis type will keep me from certing for any faster class's