Messages

76

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: What did you do on your Front Engine Dragster TODAY?

« on: September 12, 2022, 04:56:33 PM »

Went to a friend's chassis building shop today to get the roll cage tubes bent. He builds circle track cars and has a really nice bender which has a 7" CLR die that looks like it should really work out well for single bend hoops above the driver's helmet. I had some approximate heights needed for the hoops but I know when it comes to final fitment it's going to be a try-cut-try-trim-spread or tighten a bend, try again.......and on and on process. Talked to the gentleman who will likely drive the car to see when he could come to the shop to fit things together. Suggested it might "take a while", which is probably an understatement. I just hope I don't ruin any of the bent tubes because my chassis building friend's shop is about a 3+ hour round trip away. Wish me luck, and an ample supply of patience!

Lynn

77

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Dragster paint, complete

« on: September 09, 2022, 08:24:06 PM »

Speaking of pinstripes, did you do the striping too? If you did, THAT is some real artistic talent.

Lynn

78

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Dragster paint, complete

« on: September 07, 2022, 07:43:09 PM »

Looks great! I'm inclined to think that this was not your first paint job.

Lynn

79

Wanted to sell / Re: B&M Dragster Shifter

« on: August 18, 2022, 06:57:04 PM »

It seems there are several models of the "Bandit" shifter. Could you e-mail or text a couple photos of the shifter and the part number and/or "series" of the shifter. Is a shift cable included? Contact info below. Thanks.

Lynn Winter
winter62@att.net
(573) 286-3335 Cell

80

Wanted to buy / Re: Miscellaneous Parts Wanted

« on: August 07, 2022, 10:30:11 AM »

Much to my surprise I found the new converter on our front porch this morning. It must have come yesterday (Saturday) and we hardly ever use our front door. Wasn't expecting it until mid to later this week. One more piece of the puzzle is now in house!

Lynn

81

Wanted to buy / Re: Miscellaneous Parts Wanted

« on: August 05, 2022, 07:35:40 PM »

Once again, I got impatient and it seems that most used torque converters that I've found available for Powerglides are made for 350/400 input shaft. I'm using a 17 spline shaft so I ordered the Boss Hog 4200-5000 converter that they recommended based on my cars (somewhat estimated) specs. We'll see how it goes, I guess.

Lynn

82

Wanted to buy / Re: Miscellaneous Parts Wanted

« on: August 01, 2022, 03:31:12 PM »

You are probably right on with your suggestion. The most recent suggestion I got from a manufacturer, Boss Hog Converters, is a 4200-5000 stall converter, Part #34045. He mentioned that the stall is based on a 3680# car, so with the lighter car and low HP it would stall at significantly lower RPM. I think that converter is 9.6" diameter. I would LOVE to have a 8" converter to let the engine rev quicker, but the prices for those jumps quickly and I have to keep reminding myself this whole project is about enjoying a bit of drag racing, even though it's just not going to be, nor does it need to be, the quickest car in the field.

Thanks, as always!

So, with that info....I guess I'm interested in a converter in the 4,000 and higher stall range. FWIW....I'm thinking my little 305 is going to run out of breath around 5500 RPM, and even that might be optimistic.

Lynn

83

Wanted to buy / Re: Miscellaneous Parts Wanted

« on: July 31, 2022, 07:18:37 PM »

I have found everything I posted about that's listed above but I am now in the market for a torque converter. Powerglide transmission, using a 17 spline input shaft (like normal PG). Thinking the range of 3,000 to 3,500 stall should be at least a decent starting point. I've looked into many brands of converters, and talked to several manufacturers, but thought I'd test the waters to see if there are any good, used converters available.

Thanks

Lynn
(573) 286-3335 Cell
winter62@att.net

84

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: What did you do on your Front Engine Dragster TODAY?

« on: July 23, 2022, 07:08:21 PM »

I finished the welding on my chassis today. About 12 to 14 hours total time TIG welding. Still some Dzus tabs to weld to eventually mount the body (just from front of engine back) and the seat/interior. Pleased that the chassis still sits flat on the frame jig, so I guess all of the moving from side to side to "mirror weld" it paid off. Seems 80% done, but I know it's about 90% to go. Really beginning to doubt it will be finished before the track closes here in October.

Lynn

85

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: S&W Race Cars Website Issue?

« on: July 15, 2022, 01:24:05 PM »

Thanks. I guess I'll try another time. I wanted to see if they have small tabs and Dzus parts on sale.

Lynn

86

Front Engine Dragsters / S&W Race Cars Website Issue?

« on: July 15, 2022, 10:58:06 AM »

Anyone used S&W Race Cars website lately? I got an e-mail that they were having a sale and thought I'd take a look but I'm getting a message that the link might not be secure? I'm computer illiterate for the most part, but even doing a google search "S&W Race Cars" brings up the same message. 

Lynn

87

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Material For Seat/Interior Wrap

« on: July 09, 2022, 06:55:00 PM »

Spending time vs. money....hands down I'm using up time, but I really enjoy fabricating. When I was about to start the dragster I came really close to buying a tacked together chassis but decided to build. I knew if I bought the chassis I would have been disappointed that I didn't build it myself, from the ground up. I always figure there are builders and there are racers, drivers, pilots, etc......I certainly fall into the builder category.

Lynn

88

Front Engine Dragsters / Re: Material For Seat/Interior Wrap

« on: July 09, 2022, 03:36:42 PM »

Thanks for the quick reply and recommendation. Ready to forge forward again. Getting the seat/interior in the chassis will actually show some visual progress for a change. Most of the piddly, but necessary brackets I've been making to mount fuel pump, fuel tank, battery, etc. are certainly part of the build and actually are progress, but the car hasn't made any real visual change in quite some time.

Like I heard many times while I was building a plane a few years ago, "Do something every day and one day all that will be left to do is fly".

Lynn

89

Front Engine Dragsters / Material For Seat/Interior Wrap

« on: July 09, 2022, 10:01:17 AM »

I have patterns made to do the interior wrap/seat for the FED I'm building and wondered what material to use. My plan is that the wrap will be on the inside of the roll cage/chassis structure and will extend to a vertical tube just behind the rearend housing and will also be used as the seat. I have 2 - 2" X 1/8" steel straps welded to the cage which are curved to form the seat bottom, and will be either riveted (maybe solid driven rivets), or welded to the wrap to make it one piece. My patterns are Left and Right and will be butted and spliced together with a strip again riveted or welded together in the center behind the driver's spline. I would put the splice strip to the outside, so the inside would be smooth. I plan to install it using Dzus button head fasteners. FWIW, the outer body panels (outside the chassis tubes) would extend slightly past the forward edge of the interior so they would actually have an overlap.

All that being said, I have three types of material in my shop to do the wrap and the seat bottom and wonder if any of them would be an appropriate or acceptable material....18 Ga. mild steel, .040" aluminum and .063" aluminum. I believe the aluminum sheets are 5052 alloy.

I would appreciate some input from experience and say "Thank You" in advance. There's probably a spec somewhere in some rules, but I haven't dug around the internet for it yet.

Thanks

Lynn

90

Front Engine Dragsters / Coolant Tubes

« on: July 08, 2022, 10:05:51 AM »

I'm building my FED with a very small radiator and electric fan so (hopefully) I can "lap" the car without getting temps to a dangerous level. Not wanting to run flex hose to and from the radiator, about 3' one way and 4' the other way, I decided to use 1" X .058" 6061-T6 aluminum tube I had in my rack for the easy, mostly straight sections that will run along the chassis tube. Knowing 6061-T6 tube is tougher than the back of Superman's head to bend I remembered hearing about annealing it with an oxy/acetylene torch. So, I sooted up the section I wanted to bend with straight acetylene, neutralized the flame and heated the tube to burn off the carbon soot. First 2 tries I got it too hot and the end of the tube fell off onto the floor. Third time I was much more careful and after heating let the tube cool. I used a regular conduit bender and was able to easily and cleanly bend about a 45 degree angle near the end of the tube which is about what I need for the one connection.

I had also borrowed a tubing bead roller from a aircraft friend so the bead would help retain the hose when clamped. It did work on the regular 6061-T6 but the bead roller really didn't like it. After the end of the tube was heated to anneal it I used the bead roller again and ended up with a very nice "factory" looking bead at the end of the tube.

Since it might be a little while until I'm really ready to run the coolant tubes I'll be returning the bead roller for now, but at least I'm past the "proof of concept" stage of what I'll need to do.

You just have to love it when a plan works out!

Lynn