Hey everybody. I found this site because of my new 2010 f-150 but before I bought that I was looking for a 79 f-150. But now that I have a reliable daily driver i'm wondering if the 73-79 make fun drag trucks. I own a foxbody but i'm kinda bored of it. I dont really drag race but i'm looking to get into the game. I'm wondering if these trucks make good drag trucks. is there a strong aftermarket or does everything have to be custom. Thanks in advance!

 

I'd consider the aftermarket "good" and wrecking yard finds "excellent".

Pretty much any RWD truck can drag it out but these rigs are relatively heavy... the weight issue can be solved with a plasma cutter, lexan, and birdcage network to hold the sheetmetal. An alternative is US Body's fiberglass components but they are BUCKS.

The rear end can swallow fat tires but I'd back half it with Competition Engineer's ladder bar setup and FatMan Fabricaton's MII IFS (or even Paul Horton's welder series for super-low buck approach). Oh, go with a shortbed for less weight.

 

Looks pretty good to me.
(not mine but another member on here Dropped f100 I think)
John

 

Just wondering if you have considered building a truck for dirt drags instead of on pavement drags. I really enjoy watching the dents at dirt drags. Been looking for a cheap shortbed dent for awhile to build for it.

 

I would go for it in my opinion these trucks on the strip are pretty dang neat and why be the same as everyone else and have a mustang,camaro,vette,firebird,etc!

 

Yeh that's what I was thinking. But then people are gonna call me a hillbilly, wouldnt be too ashamed of that though. I just dont know much about drag racing or whats good and whats bad. I looked at the fiberglass bodies and that's really cool that they build that, but i'm assuming it's not a bolt on thing and you need a custom frame for that. I guess i'm asking is it good for a beginner? cause the mustang has a huge aftermarket for anything, suspension, roll cage, etc. but I type in "79 f-150 performance parts" into google and I get headlights and taillight and other garbage like that.

 

New to drag racing eh?

I suggest building a stout daily driver first and dabble in bracket racing. Meaning, you run your dial-in (but no faster) and race against other cars with their own dial-in. In theory, both cars are supposed to arrive at the finish line at the same time. Consistency is the key.

As you get a couple of season (and wins, right?!), let your overall plan for the truck to evolve to its fruition by upgrading pieces and parts as you go faster and faster. It's very affordable and lets you have your cake (as a daily driver) and eat it too.

You'll eventually have to learn how to weld instead of the bolt-on stuff as the build/upgrades get more involved.

 

The fastest 4wd Bronco ever.

 

LOL thats my truck. Thanks for posting it up

Its all steel rear bumper and all, bench seat, power steering, heat, stereo. Still has leaf springs and i beams. Runs on pump gas and I drive it everywhere. You dont need a ton of weight reductions and aftermarket suspension to have fun.

 

First of all, have you ever raced your Fox body? This would be a good way to get started and get a feel for the drag racing scene. There is bracket racing and test-n-tunes all summer long at RT 66 dragway in Joliet.
You could race at Byron as well but since your location says Chicago I thought Joliet may be a little closer.

You can race any vehicle, it is just a matter of time and money. The time part relates to getting some seat-time at the track, getting to know people, and understanding the nature of drag racing. You will have good days and bad days. Don't get frustrated.

You ARE going to break stuff. Be prepared to accept that.
That is where the money part comes in.
It takes money to race even if you don't break stuff and then when you break stuff there is more money involved.
Do you have a trailer for the vehicle you want to race because if you drive the race vehicle to the track and break something how are you getting home?
Do you have the proper tools to maintain your vehicle and perform the repairs?

Pickup the rule book for the track and see what their minimum requirements are so you at least have a place to start. Each class will have more rules and safety requirements. Do your homework on this. There is nothing worse than showing up at the track and not passing tech because of some stupid little thing you forgot to do.
Tech inspection is there to protect you, the other racers, and the track it self. If you do something to hurt the race track then you have hurt all of your fellow racers, so follow the safety rules.

All of that being said - GO FOR IT! Racing is a great sport and a lot of fun. My team races mud boggers and it is a great family sport and I have made a lot of good friends doing this, but I have spent a lot of money doing this as well.

Mark