Dragster frames........picture thread.

Roger,
it took me a couple of years or more to find the M/T 8 3/4" mag third member for my cackle car project. I found it on Justin's Classic Funny Car board and the guy actually delivered it to me from the east coast for $850. He was apologetic about it having an open center in it but that is perfect for my car and the era that it was built. Now if I could only come up with the Powers and Riley reverser which is like the proverbial rocking horse shit.

Roo

 

Rooman, What cackle car do you have?

 

I'm curious;

In Riceman's photos the tube that is attached to the pinion, I assume everthing locates off that? Is it the same size as the main bearing bores so a mock up block will clamp directly to it?

The downward angle of that tube, it looks to me that the closer to the rear tires that angle intersects with the ground the harder the initial hit would be, but if that measurement were too short and it spun the tires it'd be all over because the lever arm is too short to transfer weight.

Am I understanding what I'm looking at? I come from circle track, we use scales and calculators to figure such things.

 

Thanks. This helps a lot. Wife said go for it. Helps to have their blessing.

 

Roo, I have a question. Is the lower / bottom frame rail/tube required to be one piece front to back to get a 7.50 cert. Or can I go from REC tube to round tube behind the rear end. I really don't plan on getting in the 9's but ya never know! Please excuse my crude drawings Rocky

 

My "other" T/F car (and actually my first--the race car is a recent deal) is the Mr Lucky/ Soapy Sales car that was on the cover of Hot Rod magazine in January of 1970. It never ran as seen in the HRM story where it had a late hemi. Larry Huff purchased the roller and put his 392 into it and the car first ran in April of 1970 at Calder Park in Australia. Steve Carbone drove the car down under and then when it returned to the US it only ran for a short time with Dave Uyehara at the wheel as the back motor cars had started to take over.
I have been collecting all the parts to do a museum quality restoration of the car as it raced in Australia even though the lettering was not quite as pretty as the original version as seen in HRM.

Roo

 

You are correct in your assumption re the line-up bar. They are normally 2.5" in diameter and that allows the builder to shim the main bearing tunnel to suit. I have a bunch of different sleeves for mine so that I can fixture small and big block Chevys and early and late Hemis.
The steep motor dump was a function of the early cars using the tires as a torque converter. When the slider type clutch was introduced the front of the motors came up so that the last of the front motor cars had the crank about parallel with the ground. I still think that the steep motor angle cars were the best looking version-- a bit like an early non cage sprint cars which also rank right up there in the appearance category along with the Indy roadsters.

Roo

 

Rocky,
the drawings are actually pretty cool. The SFI 2.4 spec calls for a minimum lower rail diameter and wall thickness and that extends only to just ahead of the mid plate--the rest of the car is up to the builder. That said, trying to effectively splice the rectangular rail to the round may cause some problems. I normally build all my cars to the SFI 2.2 spec so let me investigate a little further and get back to you.

Roo

 

Yes, but you have to understand the parts they were using at the time and the technology. Scale weight on my 144'' wheelbase Front Engine Top Fuel dragster is 440 LBS on the front wheels and 1000 LBS with driver on the rear wheels. The Motorplate to rearaxle centerline is 21''.

 

Toymaker, the Ken Blackmore's Poison Ivy AA/FD Cackle Car has a rect tube chassis.

 

And Beautiful!! I have wondered how they bent the radius' at the front end.

 

I used to own this car It was raced as a Jr Fuel by Rance McDaniels, I put my little Ford in it and bracket raced it for a while. Sold it like a dumb a$$ young kid that I was, would love to find it but I guess I'll build one.

 

Thanks Roo, I think I'm just going to go all round tube and try to get as close to my old cars design as possible. It was Low Slung and BAD A$$ IMO

 

All this dragster talk makes me smile.

 

The early version TE-440

 

Roo,

I don't want to burden you in any way but i'd like to see a picture of the next car you are building for the taller gentleman if it's not too diffucult.
I'm 6'5" myself and i've always wondered what a car would look like.

Thanks. Kurtis.

 

Roman I want to build a 225" car the thing that I worry about is how to figure the sag in the middle how much arch to put in it is it just trial and error. Also how did you do the very front of your rails where the axle attaches. Iv'e built a few door slamers this will be the first skinny car.

 

Now that was a Keeper. Were the Berry Bros. involved with that car ? Looks like a RCS car.

 

Building the chassis was a challenge. Making all the other parts that bolt up to the chassis is time consuming. The time spent on researching, phone calls, emails and great old drag racing stories paid off. I didn't have too much scrap from mistakes or changes that were made.

 

You know I'm not sure but as I start work on our Fresno Dragway Reunion I'm going to start asking questions.

 

I had a TE-440 with this front end, but the local tracks and NHRA banned it for some reason...so I welded a spring perch to the top of the front tube and mounted a Culbert straight axle and mated it with the original radius rods, set it at around 20 degrees caster, worked well with an unblown Ardun.

 

Here is afew from my files on Rance. Bob Berry and Rance raced it. 2 differrent cars

 

Yeah the Biscuit front end was an odd one

 

The 2nd photo racing Kaplan I believe is my car. I found the photo on WDIFL a while back and my heart sank! I still have the brake Handle and very cool wood wing off the car to remind me how stupid I was. Rocky

 

I run a solid mount axle on most of my cars (although the one on the jig and the next one are both torsion bar deals). I use a piece of streamline tubing between the top and bottom rails to mount a saddle and bolt the axle to that.
The photo should give you an idea of how I do it. The axle is bushed and there are bosses on the saddle where it all bolts together. This is Brendan Murry's T/F car with a removeable front clip so that it will fit his trailer.


The arch in the frame is as you suggested, a matter of having built a few of these cars and knowing what is needed as per engine weight and position.

Roo

 

Thanks Roo I never thought about using streamline tube there do you offset the wheelbase. I looked at a Boulton car Troys old car if I remember right he welded the axle to the chassis I didn't like that dumb things happen and it would be a pain to change an axle.

 

Larry,
I usually don't stagger the front wheels but it is fairly simple to lay one side of the axle back a little if that is required--just roll it in the bender a little when doing the second bend.
The removable axle is nice if you want to plate it and it is also easy to replace in the case of an incident. Jim Gravitt stood his kid's car on the chute pack at Havana and then dropped it hard. I just bent up a new axle, bushed it to match the old one and it bolted right up.

Roo

 

This is true , my first car in 1960 was a 120 WB with a Flathead and in 1962 my car was 150 with a 283 cid in it but until about 67 to 68 is when most of us started putting a 3 point cage in and not just a single Hoop overhead,But this was on the west coast back east im not sure what they were doing as I was in the middle of the War with B-47 and B-52 at V.N..

 

A frame recently picked up by afriend and fellow HAMBER. Plans are to put a Flat Head in it for Eagle Field (I'll let him tell the story), perfect for the new Class I want to start! Check out my build thread->http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=430809

 

Kurtis:

Glenn (the guy ROO is building the car for) takes pictures like a Japanese tourist..
Here is his web site. I dont know him that well except my friend does his Engine work which is how I met him.
here is his site
http://www.leverfamilysite.com/vehicles.htm

Happy New Year Roo. Hope all was Ok with your family back home
Luke

Matt home on Tuesday.......