'NEW' Chassis Research TE-440 Build Questions

Anyone check these out yet?

http://www.slingshotdragsters.com/kits.html

 

From what your saying ,,the use of the TE-440 is'nt even in the same ballpark

 

Hayden Proffits B/D from 1960, doesn't give a w/b but it appears to be shorter than 125"

 

1960 nhra 'mr. Eliminator'

 

I think the 'skid bar' design of the te440 chassis was its' downfall. When upside down it'll stay that way and the driver pretty much screwed. I've built a few of these things and old bilbo had a good design but i've got this one right handy if you need a measurement or two.

 

Hey Calkins, You mentioned that you already had four sets of plans. Where did they come from? Your doing something about what I've been dreaming about for a long time! I'm going to keep an eye on this thread to see how the legality issues shake out. One thought that occured to me, how about running this at smaller non sanctioned tracks, where the rules are bit more loosely defined? I know not everybody has that option, but here in Phoenix we do. Anybody have any experience with that angle with older cars?

 

There on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250477765021&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250477765026&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT


OJ ,,love the color of that car !!

 

Yep, that's it.

Printed prints - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0471442103&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEAFB:IT

1960 Chassis Research Catalog and Blueprints on CD - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...0470771588&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEAFB:IT

Printed prints - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...455906198&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MERFB:IID

And I bought a set of printed prints from Dave Crane.

They are all pretty much the samething, just different sizes of paper. I read on here that there was a few changes, so I thought I might get lucky enough to get them all if I bought all the prints I found.

 

I do have a few tracks to choose from here.

Cedar Falls Raceway-Cedar Falls, IA - 1 hour away - NHRA 1/4 mile
Humbolt County Dragway-Humbolt, IA - 1.5 hours away - Non Sanctioned 1/8 mile
Tri State Raceway-Earlville, IA - 2 hours away - NHRA 1/4 mile
Eddyville Raceway Park-Eddyville, IA - 2.5 hours away - NHRA 1/8 mile
Thunder Valley-Bethany, MO - 3 hours - NON Sanctioned 1/8 mile
Cordova Dragway-Cordova, IL - 3.5 hours away - NHRA 1/4 mile
Mid-America Motorplex-Pacific Junction, IA - 3.5 hours away - NHRA 1/8 mile
US 36 Raceway-Cameron, MO - 3.5 hours away - NON Sanctioned 1/8 mile

The main 'Home' tracks that I would at would be Cedar Falls, Eddyville, and Cordova. One guy owns all three and has a points program setup for them.

 

Check out some pics of the Champion Speed Shop twin engine car they were running about 10 years ago, a real nice updated cage..........sorry i don't have any pics

 

Back to wheelbases, I think that you'll find that your inspiration car (nice choice by the way!) has a REAL short wheelbase, about 100-110 inches. I once read that Scotty Fenn (Dragmaster chassis designer) had a theory that a dragsters wheelbase should equal it's rear tire circumference. I don't know if that is true or not, but I have noticed that most cars up to about '64 or '65 were pretty short. That seems to be the turning point that cars got longer, and faster.

 

Scott Fenn built Chassis Research cars

Dode Martin built Dragmaster cars

 

Sorry, I knew that ! Brain just shut down for a minute there! But that is the story I read on early dragster wheelbases. Serious egg on my face!!!

 

Actually by the early 60's the Chassis Research / Eelco Frames got longer

 

In an attempt to redeem myself, I just quickly cruised through the Hot Rod yearbooks #1 & #2 (1961 & 1962) , and of twelve dragsters featured that listed wheelbases, they were all 93" to 112". The two longer cars 105" and 112" were both twin engined cars. The Chassis Research cars were all listed as 93" to 96". A little shorter than I thought.

 

The changes are in the roll cage and the front end,,th side bars were moved about 10 inches higher from the original

 

I forgot to say thanks for the links to chassis plans a bit ago. Thank you much!

 

Check this site and book and specs at bottom of page.
http://www.straightlinemodeler.org/rice.html

 

A side question. Is there absolutely no original DragMaster blueprints around? Wasn't the DragMaster a 'kit car' also? My buddy likes that style, as do I, and I guess I could build one of those instead. As was stated earlier, that looks like a pretty easy build.

 

Short wheelbase cars were popular in early sixties. Wheelbase grew in mid sixties as power and speed increased. If your looking for period correctness botth the 9" and power glide are wrong.

 

I've had a number of folks who said they had plans but I've yet to see a copy. I got dimensioins from a couple of friends who had originals and did a lot of scaling from old pictures to build mine.

 

There is a fellow in the mid-west who has produced a few Dragmaster style frames. I saw one at Bowling Green in '08 getting delivered.
I'd bet someone here has a contact name & number.

 

You are probably thinking of King Chassis in St. Louis, MO

http://www.kingchassis.net/

 

I don't think he's the one I'm thinking about, unless he can also do the DragMaster. It's not shown on his site.

Upon further investagation, Beep thinks it was King Chassis who built it. Can anyone confirm this?

 

Try this. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245475 Is that what you saw? Looks good!!

 

design your own frame lil from here lil from there capturing the era is easy as you have references there were plenty of homemade cars back then


Check out the Dragster Frame thread as well

 

Nope, that's Kerry frame. This fellow has been building these for several years, although it has been by word of mouth. I've never seen an add or even a flyer.

 

Keith Tardell was advertising early frames, I forget if the were CR or Dragmaster?

 

Was the CR frames,,though I don't know if any actually got sold,,never heard of anyone who picked one up.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=158930&highlight=tardel+chassis+research

 

my old recipe:
120"-144" wb, 350 (4 bolt main) hard block the bottom end & bore it big, 13-1 pistons(gapless rings for alky),AFR Alum heads (or good posted big iron heads) hilborn injection & pump set up for alky,powergile with an 8" converter 5500 stall (tell them you want to foot/hand brake launch it so they don't set it up for a trans brake),your 9" rear narrowed with olds ends, moser axels and a spool. the combo is stout it may not be nostalgic but most bone heads won't know anyway and those that tell you any different just ask them "where there rail is parked" they usually shut the fuck up after that. don't get consumed trying to appieze the nostalgia gods on here make the choice to either crackle an old car or run the balls off a new-stalgic car that looks cool but is stout & safe.
you will be flying with a light chassis, do what i did put a carb set up on it first to get used to the chassis & speed if you never went fast. then put on the "Go-GO"set up after your comfortable, no need to waste good money if your gonna get scared going over 145 mph.
a buddy once put a 355 with a glide & 9" in an old 144" wb rail with new M&H sneakers and a 750 holley with a coffee can ( folgers) on it for a scoop and went 9.60's all day.

don't forget a chute if your gonna go over 150

just my $ .02 agian

Paul