ever wonder what too much nitro and hydrozine will do to a hemi?

here's a pic of a 392 hemi that was destroyed at the top end of a race at York US30 dragstrip in 1963. the engine was used by **** "the Shadow" Belfatti, he was running in excess of 195 mph when it blew which ending his fuel dragster driving carreer due to severe leg and stomach burns. **** was running a ****tail of 95% nitro and Hydrozine (rocket fuel). he along with a few other like kris karamasines and the other "Greek Fleet" guys played with the stuff for awhile? **** told me it was good for 5-10 mph more then just nitro. when he told me this I asked how much hydrozine could you run in a fueler? he gave me these pics he said "this was too much hydrozine" LOL

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sorry lets try again?

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pic 2

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Ouch, hydrazine is nasty stuff, one deep breath of the stuff can kill you. We use it to fuel the emergency power unit on F-16 aircraft. Had no idea it could be used in a drag car.

 

Just imagine the release of energy it took to cause that kind of damage.

 

Eeeekkk!!!!!

 

There was a good post about Hydrozine a while back...some good stories about racers using and abusing it.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6864&highlight=hydrozine

 

here's a pic earlier that faithfull day at York. the rail is a sister car to the greer/black/purdohme car (built at the same time). all **** was wearing was aleather face bib, a leather jacket & denim blue jeans. the fire came through the sheet metal firewall and burned his legs 100% and most of his lower stomach. 47 years later he still has the burn scars to this day (looks like something out of a horror movie)


later he rebuilt and had bobby vodnick handle the driving while he tuned!

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Heres a pic i found a while back of the after effects of too much hyrdozine......

Umm....where did the rest of my engine go?

 

Not anymore. I bet that was a blast in the pit with those weed-burners. Even nitro will chase everyone away with pipes that low. Wild Bill Anderson had weed-burners and an hourly pit run, and we nearly died. My lung x-rays aren't too good this year

 

While not neccessarily on the subject, BUT can nitro be used thru a carb?? I can't recall ever seeing a nitro car with out an injected blower set up. Then again I have not been around many either!I'm just curious...Ken

 

Yes. It needs to be mixed with methanol, so you need bigger jets, and high compression. Lot's of advance on the ignition.

Not streetable, if that's your idea

 

In a word, yes. Look no further than Don Garlits swamp rat 1. In the late fifties he (and many others)ran heavy doses of nitro with no blower and multiple stromberg carbs. At one time edelbrock sold a kit to make strombergs compatable with nitro. I saw one for sale on e-bay about a year back, thats the only reason i know of it.

 

No, just wondering because I myself have never seen any nitro car pictures with carbs on them?!?!? Just here bored and drinking so I thought I would ask...Ken

 

here's a formula for nitro used with stombergs from the "honest charlie 1963 catalog"

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I like the 'crude' way they made the rotating ***embly (pistons) lighter...

 

It's really not too surprising that when you take a nitrated(oxygen bearing)fuel and mix it with an,"oxygen scavenger"(a fuel whose latent heat value rises dramatically in the presence of oxygen),you are essentially left with a very crude(and unstable)form of nitroglycerin.You get about the same result mixing pot***ium permanganate and red fuming nitric acid although if you pour one into the other the wrong way it explodes.Bad mojo.

 

but did he win the race ... he asked shyly
paperdog

 

Damn,,,,we had a few MEL blocks that resembled that mess. Just way too much nitro and blower boost. Kabooooom!!!!!!!!!

 

i don't think those are lightening holes, a coworker has a 80's Don Garlits top fuel piston ashtray, it has 4 holes like that on each skirt, they are filled with some kind of plastic or teflon or something. not sure what the purpose is, but they ain't just holes.

 

They are indeed Teflon ****ons;used mainly to keep pistons with excessive side clearance(as most TF cars did)from rocking in the bores and causing premature wear and failure.

 

Wow, very large balls.

 

A leather face mask, leather jacket and levis. Have a bomb go off in your face at nearly 200 mph. Did these guys have balls or what!

 

Anyone notice the stock rods, and crank in that blowed up one on the shop floor?

 

for your viewing enjoyment (from the issue of Hot Rod a few years ago with Gray on the cover, when he died....the sticky note is from Freiburger to Gray)

 

damn...thats one hell of a picture....Amazing he blew the entire rotating ***embly through the mains. Talk about some volitile ****...!