'Fenders,

Another really nice track is the new Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Il. Just a hop, skip & jump for you. I'm takin' the young un up there next month for the Carquest NHRA Nationals. He's 11 years old. Nothing like warping a young mind early!

Problem is, he likes '69 Camaros....

Sam,

150 is pretty damn respectable. Did you say a solid mounted rear axle? An unusual approach nowadays, but I've seen it work, with lightweight vehicles. Share some details with us about the truck, sounds cool.

Mike

 

It's not difficult to build something that will go straight down the track with a straight front Axle and stock body, afterall the chassis doesn't know what kind of body it has covering it! The big issue is making a high HP vehicle go straight trying to use stock suspension and/or street alignments, ain't gonna happen!!! A good <10 sec car does NOT belong on the street, nor will it be much fun to drive if you tried it. A street driver car capable of <10 runs does not belong on the strip, John Force would have trouble driving it!

 

Homespun, check out the June 2005 issue of Hot Rod... page 74.

AXRacer, there are hundreds if not thousands of 10 second street cars out there these days... streetable ones that can drive anywhere... it's all done with Turbochargers, and/or nitrous, and manual transmissions, overdrives... and current technology.

Sam.

 

My one brother has a 68 Olds Omega (think Nova) bracket racer that does low 10's. My other brother has a gas econodragster that does 9's. (no FI or NOS on either) I would not want to drive either on the street even tho the Olds has a stock based IFS, not a straight axle and has plates on it, it still isn't streetable. When it launches it picks the front wheels 2 feet in the air! I go to the drags fairly regularly, but don't see many sub 10 sec streetable cars except in magazine features and at Sat nite mall trolls (smoke blowers). IMHO Yes, anything can be and some fool will drive it on the street, but you show me someone driving a real sub 10 sec car on the street as a daily driver and I'll show you an accident going to happen either on the street or on the strip and a real uncomfortable ride.

 

"A good <10 sec car does NOT belong on the street, nor will it be much fun to drive if you tried it."

AX

Tell that to the promotors of World Ford Challenge. They have a class called "Wild Street". It was a huge hit. They have many rules, like no slicks, and lots of other things a real fast car oughta have. Gotta have working safety equipment like lights and such. They start the event with a 30 mile cruise through the city streets of St Louis. Some don't make it. Especially if it's a hot day. Upon return to the track they immediately line up in the staging lanes hoods down. Touch anything but the tire pressure and your DQ. Then three back to back runs down the strip. 32 fastest qualify, everybody else is done. After quals they do have some time to tweak the cars back to race form. Watched one go 7.92. First 7 for this class. I thought it was a neat idea. The better ones don't give up much to the all race classes. The builder would really have to strategize what he could or couldn't get by with.

Yes I get your point about sub 10 sec cars. Most don;t belong on the street. But cars that run 10s and 11s are very commonplace on the street now that everybody but me has a street blower. I agree with Sam. There are literally thousands of them. Times are changing fast. As long as you don't go with full race drag shocks, it can be done safely. Driving them that is, not pulling 10 second passes in town of course.

Homespun

We'll have to hook up sometime for a new track visit for me. I usually only go to Cordova Dragway. It's a pretty fast track, but the facilities are unimpressive.

And I do believe you guys, but nobody has shown me any details on how an Effie chassis goes fast. Just said it can be done. Let me know if you ever examine one up close. It's that first shift when all hell breaks loose.

 

who was the FTE'er who owned a 56 red oxide primer f100 with a tilt nose and bought a 514 crate motor? I remember him posting his times with the 4 link setup. It was pretty fast if I remember right, -4speed

 

Hmph, will have to keep my eyes open for next year's event. I have seen drag racing there during a car show (no NHRA events yet), and also a BGN race and Indycar. Still hope to make it to a NASCAR truck event someday...

 

U guys do know that some of the fastest Dragster all have I beam front ends..

 

Sam,

Haven't made it to the newsstand yet, but I went to the website. I take it that's your T. (No page numbers on the site.) Very cool. Kind of ironic the story was written by Ganahl; I have a very slow dialup connection, & as soon as the first thumbnail pic loaded (before the story), I immediately thought of the "Low Buck Special, driven by Floyd Lippencotte III" from the early '80s, Ganahl's own car. If I recall correctly McKray set up his injection for him.

It looks like you have a perfect example of a low buck, well thought out car. Wish my fabricating skills weren't so rusty. Thumbs up!!

Mike

 

Mike,
I remember that car well!

I was at Fremont soaking it all in from about the age of 11 on... here's a pic of Pat's Low Buck Special... Throughout the whole process, it was cool to hear Pats stories about this car!

The pic is REALLY cool... and I sent it to Pat a few years ago, and he loved it! (my dad took it)

Take care,
Sam.

 

Oh yea... the "process" was him doing a feature on us and our car...

 

Just because it is not the fastest thing around does not mean you can't have fun.

I took the '55 out to the Nostalgia Drags at Kennedale TX (1/8 mile) some years ago. During practice, I lined up against a nice Datsun 240Z and spanked him repeatedly. I think it bruised his ego...

Ended up getting beat by a club member's 57 Bellaire because I lifted trying not to break out.

All this at 78 mph in second gear because I couldn't reliably slam 3rd let alone 4th... But now I have the a better shifter setup.

 

I don't think the frame of a 53-56 F100 is up to the job. They're designed to flex. I think a stiff frame is pretty important when you're going fast. And, as I'm sure Dewayne knows, I think the 53-56 F100's were designed to have the engine mounted by the bellhousing. Putting the engine mounts on that flexible front frame is asking for trouble. Putting a high horsepower engine on there is begging for it.

If I wanted some serious power in a 53-56 F100 frame, I'd use an FE or MEL engine and a bellhousing with the mounting ears. A MEL 462 engine can have its crankshaft offset ground to make about 500 ci. and the early 60's MEL engines will bolt up to a FE bellhousing and use a FE flywheel.

 

I guess the question is, what's considered "major" modifications? I'm looking at the minimum starting point as being a fully boxed frame, reinforcements on the rails, the IFS, extra crossmembers at the trans (& better than the cheesy Trans-Dapt ones), & the four link. Is it a custom chassis? No. Is it the usual hack job with most of the center strength taken out? Hopefully again, no. I'm thinking about some kind of transmission "girdle" at the bellhousing to support the center, & another cross at the tail.

The MEL is a fascinating idea and something different. You had mentioned it to me some time back. I've not seen one for quite some time now around here, maybe 17-18 years. The FE kind of leaves me cold, unless it's a 427 MR or a SOHC, both waaay out of my league.

I guess I should add that I'm still not definite on doing this, for these & other reasons. It's not happening in 2005 anyway, so there's no urgency yet. The 272 still runs just fine. I'd like to toss the T98 off a cliff.

 

Homespun... my question is... exactly how quick do you want it to run... and how streetable do you want it to remain?

Sam.