About how much does...

Bryan Gillespie · 07-31-2009, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Haase

a typical 225" to 235" hardtail dragster weigh when equipped for S/C? BBC/Powerglide combo. Also, how big of a radiator does it take to do the job? Does it come down to personal preference on upswept vs. downswept headers, or is there a performance factor?

One more question. Will a dragster of that length fit reasonably well in a 24' trailer that has cabinets across the front? Sorry about all the ?'s, but I'm thinking that I could slip into a digger easier than I can my door car. Not to mention how much easier it would be to work on!

Thanks for any advice. Ken

Most weigh around 1900 to 2000 lbs, most of your digger builders have there own radiator's (sizes )
headers are a preference, most friends like the downswepts, A 235" will not fit in a 24' trailer with cabnets.

S/G 386N · 07-31-2009, 07:52 AM

I actually found a dragster harder to work on. Plus, depending on the floor height of your trailer, you might have to jack up the front of the trailer quite a bit in order to get it out of the trailer, or get a dolly for the front of the dragster. Fitting it in a 24' trailer will be tough. We used a 24' trailer for about 2 races, then went and bought a 32' Featherlite. It fit in the 24', but we didn't have cabinets up front. You could always open a cabinet door and drive the nose into it if you can. One nice thing about them, is that they are narrow enough that you don't even have to take the car out of the trailer to work on it. But finding enough room in the garage for winter storage can be difficult.

Bill Baer · 07-31-2009, 08:06 AM

Ken

My 239" hard tail dragster with and aluminum headed big block, glide,an aluminum sirocco (3" thick) radiator , an alternator, one optmia battery and a mark williams rear end housing with a 250# driver weighs 1840# after a pass. I haven't seen any performance difference in upswept or down swept headers the up swept headers can get rocks in them ocassionally as the tires pick up gravel and throw it at the header. but the down swept has a potential to put oil in front of the rear tire if you break a motor. The down swept also have a potential to fit some door car (strut suspension) applications which helps their re-sale potential.

A typical dragster (>240") will fit in a 24' trailer but you will need to lose the front center cabinet as the nose of the car will end up very close to the front wall of the trailer, in the past when I had to borrow a 24' trailer I built a ramp and removed the door of the center cabinet to allow my car to fit. the biggest problem with dragsters/trailers is ground clearance especially if the trailer has a "dove tail" this can require longer ramps on the door, jacking up the trailer to load the car and or a dragster dolly wich raises the front of the car for loading. Since my trailer has a "dove tail" I use a dolly and a winch which makes it possible for me to load and unload the car by myself. (My next trailer will not have a dove tail!) I have seen dozens of different approaches to this particular problem.

They are easier to "slip in to", but they may be a littler tougher to exit from.
They are easier to work on (get ya a couple of milk crates)
You can definately see better and judge the finish line better
However they are a pain in the *** to back up in or try to turn around.

You definately need a chassis stabilizer to prevent damaging or breaking the chassis while towing down the highway.

If you have any more questions you can e-mail me at Greatbaer@sbcglobal.net

Ken Haase · 07-31-2009, 03:09 PM

Bryan, JJ, Bill; thanks very much for the replies. Looks like I may be high-centered (pun intended) before I get started. A bigger trailer is probably not within my budget. These little tips are great because you don't want to find them out after it's too late. Maybe the most pertinent one is how a dragster may not fit in a garage. I guess I'll see what happens. Thanks again.

07-31-2009, 07:52 AM	#2
S/G 386N Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Fishers, IN Posts: 103 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: About how much does... I actually found a dragster harder to work on. Plus, depending on the floor height of your trailer, you might have to jack up the front of the trailer quite a bit in order to get it out of the trailer, or get a dolly for the front of the dragster. Fitting it in a 24' trailer will be tough. We used a 24' trailer for about 2 races, then went and bought a 32' Featherlite. It fit in the 24', but we didn't have cabinets up front. You could always open a cabinet door and drive the nose into it if you can. One nice thing about them, is that they are narrow enough that you don't even have to take the car out of the trailer to work on it. But finding enough room in the garage for winter storage can be difficult. __________________ JJ Nance '06 Don Davis C5 Corvette

07-31-2009, 08:06 AM	#3
Bill Baer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Nothern IL Posts: 596 Likes: 1 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: About how much does... Ken My 239" hard tail dragster with and aluminum headed big block, glide,an aluminum sirocco (3" thick) radiator , an alternator, one optmia battery and a mark williams rear end housing with a 250# driver weighs 1840# after a pass. I haven't seen any performance difference in upswept or down swept headers the up swept headers can get rocks in them ocassionally as the tires pick up gravel and throw it at the header. but the down swept has a potential to put oil in front of the rear tire if you break a motor. The down swept also have a potential to fit some door car (strut suspension) applications which helps their re-sale potential. A typical dragster (>240") will fit in a 24' trailer but you will need to lose the front center cabinet as the nose of the car will end up very close to the front wall of the trailer, in the past when I had to borrow a 24' trailer I built a ramp and removed the door of the center cabinet to allow my car to fit. the biggest problem with dragsters/trailers is ground clearance especially if the trailer has a "dove tail" this can require longer ramps on the door, jacking up the trailer to load the car and or a dragster dolly wich raises the front of the car for loading. Since my trailer has a "dove tail" I use a dolly and a winch which makes it possible for me to load and unload the car by myself. (My next trailer will not have a dove tail!) I have seen dozens of different approaches to this particular problem. They are easier to "slip in to", but they may be a littler tougher to exit from. They are easier to work on (get ya a couple of milk crates) You can definately see better and judge the finish line better However they are a pain in the *** to back up in or try to turn around. You definately need a chassis stabilizer to prevent damaging or breaking the chassis while towing down the highway. If you have any more questions you can e-mail me at Greatbaer@sbcglobal.net __________________ Bill Baer 3391 SC, 339B SC, QR Last edited by Bill Baer; 07-31-2009 at 08:12 AM.

07-31-2009, 03:09 PM	#4
Ken Haase Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 233 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: About how much does... Bryan, JJ, Bill; thanks very much for the replies. Looks like I may be high-centered (pun intended) before I get started. A bigger trailer is probably not within my budget. These little tips are great because you don't want to find them out after it's too late. Maybe the most pertinent one is how a dragster may not fit in a garage. I guess I'll see what happens. Thanks again.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode