Dragster maintenance
 

how hard is it to maintenance dragster ? and when buying a used dragster what should I look for ?

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Maintenance on a dragster is easier than it is on a door car, it's all just right there in the open. But, like any drag car, you need to do a bunch. Tighten everything, check everything else, change fluids, lash valves, etc, etc. The more you check and maintain, the fewer problems you have.

IMHO, you should never buy a used race car without an experienced person along. Cracks in the frame are a big issue, for an example, and having someone along who knows where to look can't hurt. And just what looks good and what doesn't look right. Find a friend who knows what's what and get them to come along.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

As usual, I agree with Chris, I also wouldn't by a used car with out a chassis sticker and I would avoid buying one that didn't have a 9" ford rear end 12 bolts and dana 60's are ok but having had an 8-3/4 chrysler they are not as strong also make sure it's confortable (sit in it for more that 30 seconds).

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Bill's right, I forgot that. Sit in the car. Strap in. With a helmet on. Make sure you can reach and see everything. Can you shift? Are the pedals in a good spot? And stay there for a while. Like 5 minutes. Are you comfortable? Can you get in and out easily?

There are two styles of dragster seating, one more upright and one more "laid back". I can't stand the laid back style, mostly because I'm big and with a helmet on I can't see things as well. But some people love it. A matter of taste.

Don't rush this part. Looking cool is one thing, winning is more fun and that requires being comfortable. :)

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

look underneath does it have scrape marks, these things can hit the surface a lot! check for cracks! at our track last night a dragster broke in half at the finish line. again look for cracks at all welds and attachment points.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

this thread is good as I will be soon doing the same looking for a used turn key dragster.

What else is good to look for and check? What was provided so far is great. When looking for turn key what else can be checked with the motor n such to try to insure it doesn't blow up on the first pass and to make sure I'm not buying some guys weak motor/trans in his TK car. Does anyone down here live in FL I could use a mentor for moving to a rail.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Tweaker

I would suggest that if you buying it turn key that you request to see it make a pass if the car has good MPH the motor is probably OK but there are no guarantees I have seen brand new stuff break on the dyno before ever leaving the shop!
As far a mentor goes I’m in Illinois and Chris is in Washington State so the only help we can offer you is by phone or internet but if you have any more specific questions, I (and probably Chris) will try to help you.
I would suggest that you stick to the more popular (chevy) stuff as it’s cheaper and more readily available than Ford or Mopar performance stuff. (But if ya gotta have a something different well that your preference, just keep in mind it may cost a little more.)
You also might want to look in the NHRA rule book there are a bunch of SFI standards that the car and your protective equipment need to meet and most have expiration dates.
Some of these include the Chassis, the seat belts the Trans shield, the flex plate shield, the flex plate, Balancer your clothing, your helmet, your gloves the hydro test date on the co2 bottle.
If you going to a driving school ask if it’s possible to get a physical first and get your license passes done at the school.:cool:

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Ryan Ondrejko's dragster is for sale turn-key! Ready to GO!

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

All good advice, Bill. And yes, I'm happy to help, as much as someone from the farthest possible point from Florida in the contiguous US can help :rolleyes:

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Thanks a lot guys the information is very helpful. I appreciate it. I wish you guys lived close! lol

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

What is it like every two seasons or so you need to refresh the motor?

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Tweaker

Well yea, if you don't have any problems somewhere between 250-300 passes I usually leak it down and if it leaks less than 10% it's fine.
I do however check the valve lash and valve spring seat pressures, change the oil and check the oil filter every 15-20 passes.
I also keep a close eye on MPH if it's off more that 2-3 MPH I start checking things
(Fuel filter, fuel pressure, ignition timing, valve lash/springs and if I'm real nervous I take the oil filter apart and check it for bearing materials)
The motor in the car has ~120 passes on it and the one I pulled out had ~300 and I need to freshen it (i.e. new: valves ,valve springs, roller lifters, pistons, rods and depending on the magnaflux inspection, maybe the crank).

Note this is based upon a steel connecting rod, stainless steel valve motors that I turn >7500 usually 7200 I wouldn't trust aluminum connecting rods for more than ~ 100 passes, less than that if you drive the motor down in the shutdown area.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Tweaker, I live in Fl, although up close to Jax. I do have a dragster that I might consider selling, altho I haven't been trying to sell it. Deadliest car I have ever been in. The only reason I would consider selling it is because I have two cars and although I race in both Super comp with the dragster and Super gas with my Thunderbird, my favorite class for me is Super gas. This is a 2008 four link dragster and is Big Block Ford powered. I know that most say run a chevy and I understand why, but I have always wanted to be different from the rest. If I can be of help, let me know
Thanks, Chuck

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

As usual, I agree (almost word for word) with Bill. Change the oil, lash the valves, rotate the slicks, check the brakes every 20 or so passes. Tear the engine down every winter, new valve springs, hone cylinders, check stuff over. Every other winter it's more detailed, and likely includes a few new go-faster parts. Every minute/dollar you spend in January pays dividends in July.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

What would you say give or take is the average price if you took the motor somewhere to get freshened after the 150 passes or so etc.

And what about other parts like the Transmission? How often do you need to service etc? Etc.

C & W Racing, That is cool. Do you ever come down to Palm Beach International Raceway? Or ever plan on it? if so let me know I can come out and watch & learn from you. That is really cool but I seriously doubt though I can afford a 2008 Year Chassis with a 4 link. I would not be running Super Comp but local brackets in the Box class in the beginning years.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

If you stay on top of it you can get 250-300 passes I can't give you a accurate estimate on a complete motor freshen up as I do most of the labor myself but your probably looking at 3K in parts and 3-4 K in labor.

The other stuff:

The transmission I also disassemble every winter but, it usually is in good condition I would recommend you have yours inspected annually.

The torque converter is one item I can't and don't maintain myself I run them to failure or sell them after a couple of years. I know this is not what the Converter builders recommend but spending $300 to have a guy cut your converter open and tell you it's Ok and weld it back together every year or two just doesn't make sense to me because after it's opened and closed it still has the same number of fatigue cycles on the sprag, metal fins and the braze joints and there is a chance that if the clearances have been altered it may work differently.
The brakes I rebuild the calipers and reline them and change the fluid annually.
The ring and pinion I run to failure, the orginal set had more that 300 passes on it and the wear pattern looks fine.(I do flush and change the lube annually)
The slicks will go 150-200 passes (although most people change them every year.)

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

For us:

- Motor: really depends on what they find. This past winter was an easy one, the bill was under $2k. Previous year it was almost $10k, but we also added the better part of 100hp doing it.

- Tranny: got tired of being nervous so I bought a complete spare setup (tranny and converter) this winter. Ouch... the better part of $5k. But I too run converters until there is a problem. Can be several years. Tranny, I have my guy look at it when I suspect a problem. New pump $450, new clutches and bands, something similar.

- Rear end: change the fluid every year, running till it dies, we're at well over 300 passes, got a long way to go.

- Brakes: inspect them every 20 or so passes, have a spare set of pads in the trailer to pop in when needed. That can be 200, 300 passes. Just top off the fluid once year.

- Tires: I think 100 is plenty on a set, but I know people who agree that you can get somewhere close to 200. They go until their 60's start to go away. Since I can't store my car in a heated space up off the concrete (lives in my trailer all winter), I buy a new set of slicks every spring, a new set of fronts every other. Slicks: $650, fronts: $350.

- Fluids: keep a lot around. Change oil and filter every 20-25 passes: 6 qts + filter. Tranny, drain and refill a lot it seems: ~7 qts. Rear ends: ~2-3 qts. Fuel: use about a drum and a half every year, ~$1500. Lucas Oil Slick Mist polish: about 3 bottles a year :)

Single biggest expense to drag racing: diesel fuel for the truck. Probably spend the better part of $6k a year on that.

HTH,
Chris

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Thanks a lot for the information I will document this for myself for the future.

Since I have a lot of great guys providing information I have also started a list of what to look for when buying a used turn key RED. If you guys could provide any helpful tips or information to ensure I don't get ripped off when the day comes when i pick up a Used TK RED.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Well I'll start:

Chassis tag it must have a current chassis tag

Chassis tag it must have a current chassis tag

Do not buy a mild steel car almost all are chrome moly but, there are a few out there that are actually mild steel (IMO they are basically junk)

Get one that fits you .

Check the SFI dates on everything (look in the back of your NHRA rule book).

Ask the guy what kind of maintenance it requires, if he says "nothing" that probably exactly what he has done.:(

Look for quality parts Strange , Mark Williams Aerospace Engineering ect.

Like I said earlier ask to see it make a pass.

Don't even think about a front motor car unless you want to leave it to your grandson.

Look for quality and cleanliness If the guy took good care of it and or made a low number of passes with it it's probably spotless but if he put several hundred passes on it a year and just ran the living **** out of it, it will show.

If you can take your mentor along if he has owned these type of cars before he could be you best source of information.

Be patient look at several last time I looked there are about 500 of them for sale on racing junk.com

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Tweaker: I am just south of Tampa, Fla, and have some of the best Dragster guys around here. A good person to get a hold of when your ready would be Stanley Albritten Jr. he always knows af a car or two for sale and usually will vouch for the cars because he is the one maintaining them. Down your way there are alot of guys running PBIR on aregular basis who normally run T/D, I would check them out as well.

We just got our first Dragster, and bought it knowing it needed to be front halfed.. Otherwise the car is in great condition, just a minor bump in the nose area that caused some issues. Car is currently on our jig ready to weld back up, and hope to make the next divisional race with it.

If you need anything dont hesitate to ask, I dont mond helping out anyone either.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

I would guess there are probably 50 used dragsters you could buy just in FLorida.
You have several of the best dragster chassis shops only a few hours from you. Phantom, Mullis, Undersover, Miller Race Cars. Those guys know the cars, what to look for, etc.
I would stay with a quality name, let the owner show you his log books and ABSOLUTLEY raise the car up, take the tin off and look at the tubing where the uprights are attached and everywhere around the motor plates. Rod ends should be tight with quality bolts.

Sit in car, get in and out with fire jacket and pants and be sure you take a helmet. Last thiing to ever buy is a car that is too small to be comfortable getting in and out of 30 times a day. If you don't fit good you won;t race good.

Plenty of nice cars for sale right now in $15K to $20K range with under 400 runs on them.

Good luck in joing the "piperack brigade".

Jok

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Thanks a lot guys for all the information. I have yet to find someone local in my area to show me the ropes and be a mentor. However i just signed up to go to School for Sept 15th to get licensed so I'm looking forward to that. For me I want to find a good deal for around 20k-25k$ for Rail and Trailer of course im fine with it being hard tail my track is newly all concrete and 225 wheelbase is fine. I put my car up awhile ago for trade/sale on racing junk. I haven't tried super hard yet to sale it until i firm up a couple more things but the info you guys provide is very helpful. :)

http://www.racingjunk.com/category/1...ale-Trade.html

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Thanks

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Clearly many others will have advice on this. It seems you have three options in NHRA (I don't know diddly about IHRA): TD, SC, or SP.

Although Top Dragster seems custom-made for people who want to run full-out in a dragster, a car that runs 7.91 is going to have a tough time qualifying in TD fields. Anything much over 7.50 is not going to make a lot of fields, and even much over 7.30 is tough. So TD's out.

Super Comp is the likely choice, a car that can run 7.90s would be good in an 8.90 class. It is, however, a tough class, and you'll have to brush up on those .030 lights if you want to ever see the win light on the other end. You'll want to be able to get your packages (ET difference and RT) under that .030 to be competitive. But, IMHO, SC is the most fun. The racing there is tight, and if you want to race with the best, that's the place. I'm not familiar with your area, but see if there's a local SC Association around. That's a great way to get going without the pressure of a divisional or national event.

SC isn't hard to get started in, just hard to excel in. Get a handheld weather station (lots of options, check Biondo's site for some options), read Biondo's FAQ on throttle stop racing, and give it a shot. If your car already has a delay box and throttle stop on it, you're just a bit of testing away from your first race.

Another option is just to race Super Pro at your local track. No, you won't compete for a Wally, but when starting out, it's great. With a good delay box you can leave off the top yellow (good practice for SC later) and get some laps in, maybe even take home some bucks at your local track. There are a whole lot of people who love that and never venture beyond it.

Finally, if I were you (and we were you just a few years ago), I'd put my focus on test and tunes. Go to every one you can, just put in some laps. Get the whole thing down to a routine. Everything, not just the race part, but things like your "back at the trailer" routine. Fill the fuel, charge the car, check the CO2, etc., etc. Get it down to a pattern. It will pay huge dividends when you are finally ready to actually race. We made a pact to make 50 T&T passes before our first race. Best decision we ever made.

Hope this helps, I'm sure others will chime in.
Chris

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Thanks Chris for the great advice!

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

I don't know squat from methanol. Can't help you there. :)

Best of luck,
Chris

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

How would I figure out what data to enter into the delay box, so I could leave on the first amber?

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Simple, on a .5 tree the lights are .5 seconds apart, so just add a second to whatever you have in the box today. Perhaps start with 1.1 in the box and adjust from there.

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Hello Chris, I can't remember what was dialed in the box after I bought the car but it was 1...something. I dialed it to .000 so I could leave off the trans brake. The box is a biondo mega 85. My next question is, how do I know if it's a .500 tree or .400 tree. I'm trying to figure out if it's between different tracks or is it nhra or ihra or bracket tree or pro tree. Any thoughts there? Do you think there is any way I can compete by just using T/B.
Thanks again Chris for your great advice!

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

Regardless of the delay, you are just leaving off the trans brake, just a tiny bit later :) So, sure you can compete that way.

Typically (although this is not always true) a "pro tree" -- all three yellows flash together -- is a .400 tree (actually .370, but let's not go there right now), and a "full tree" -- the three yellows flash in sequence -- has each light .500 apart. However, there are some classes and places where this is not the case (and with "cross talk" it's not always exactly .500, again, that's another discussion). In competition, it's decided by the class. Super Comp is a .400 pro tree, Top Dragster is a .500 full tree, for example. Bracket racing (name your dial) is all done on a full tree.

At a test and tune session, they usually say "lanes one and two for pro tree, three and four for full tree" and so on. And you can always ask the guy in the staging lanes. Most places on a T&T will even give you what you want. Just hold up 4 fingers for a pro tree, 5 for a full tree, they'll get it going for you.

As for IHRA, couldn't tell you. We're 1000 miles from the nearest IHRA track...

Chris

Re: Dragster maintenance
 

That explained a whole lot to me. Thanks for your time, I'm learning a bunch from you Chris!