New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Ok my dad is trading his bass boat for a dragster this friday , we know nothing about these cars we have raced dirt oval our whole lives , sprint cars mainly hes raced flat track motorcycles and dirt oval , ive ran karts, mini sprints, ump modifieds, sprint cars , and a few track days on a roadcourse on my sportbike ive drag raced imports for a year or so when i was younger and thought i was gonna be in fast and the furious but thats about it , if you guys could help point us in the right direction we would be grateful , we are located in baton rouge , la we have about 3 tracks within a 100 miles from us here are a few pics of the car we are picking up

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Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Not sure what your looking for exactly but here are some suggestions.
First you need to support the middle of the chassis when it's in or on the trailer you can break it in the trailer on the way home or to the track( I'm not kidding) Have someone show you how to pack the chute.
Second put the car on jack stands to start and warm the car. If it's running on methanol use a squirt of gasoline and dribble a little in there until the pump picks up the fuel, check the trans fluid level, then put it in gear and warm the trans, converter, rear and the motor. Cool the motor and refuel it.
Set the rear tires to 5-6 psi and the fronts to 35 psi, charge the battery.
Head to the staging lanes, remember it's going to take you a couple of minutes to get all of your safety gear on so allow a little time to do so.
Before making a pass walk up to the starting line and look for the groove it,s the darkest black tire marks watch where the other guys are lining up tell your crew guy where you want to position the car right to left in the lane. You also want your crew guy to pull you forward until you almost out of the water the water is just to start your tires spinning if your too far back you'll just spin them unnecessarily and it will be more difficult to control your wheel speed and motor RPM.
Make sure the car is in neutral Have the crew guy prime the motor and dribble fuel in it until the pump picks up, check the oil pressure, make sure he's out of the way, put the car in gear and pull into the water, put it in neutral clean it out, put it in high gear stand on the throttle but be prepared to feather the throttle to keep it under 7000 when it starts to hook up and chattering the tires lift put it in neutral ,clean it out, put it in reverse and if necessary push the trans brake button and back up straight as possible watch the stage bulbs they will let you know when the rear and front tires cross he starting line. Again put it in neutral and clean it out, chech the oil pressure
make damn sure it's in low gear the trans brake only works in low if your in high the car will leave when you hit the throttle! stage the car carefully usually you want to light the first one and if there is another guy (you should make only singles until you get you license) wait for him to light one before you light the second. Push down the trans brake button,put your head back, hammer the throttle put when the first yellow lights and let go of button when the third one lights. shift when the tach hits 7000 or the shift light comes on. Look a point at the far end of the track keep the car in the center of the lane. I would only drive it to half track and lift you can get a feel for how it steers and stops. If everything's OK, make a full pass and pull the chute just before or at the finish line. The motor will probably get starved for fuel and die when your stopping,stick it in neutral see if it will restart if necessary to get off the race track
When you have a couple of passes you can try stopping without the chute the only thing to be careful of is that if you get it bouncing you may need to take your foot off brake until is settles down.

Take your time staging the car be careful there's always somebody walking around or behind you.

If the car gets loose lift, if you get it sideways you can be on your head instantly, the chute may save your butt if you pull it at the first sign of trouble

You may notice a bit of tunnel vision on your first passes but it goes away after a few passes.

Use a small 1/2 nylon rope for tow rope so it breaks before the car does, do not tow by the roll cage, if the tow vehicle turn a sharper corner than the dragster can you can turn your dragster over on it's side!

You probably not be allowed to actually race anyone until you have your license. Ask the track for the license and physical forms. Good luck, have fun!

If you have any questions you can e-mail or call me.
Greatbaer@sbcglobal.net (815)458-3178








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Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Thank you very much for the suggestions basically im looking for any info possible , we really don't know anything about these cars other than they are fast lol , and make a lot of power , would it be better to cut some power on the car to slow it down and gradually work it up ? And what's a typical maintenance schedule ? Thanks again

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Well
It's probably prudent to move progressively faster or just drive it progressively farther down the track with each pass. However these cars are long and have a lot of positive caster and are designed to and almost always go straight..So while they are fast, they are basically easy to drive.
Learning to do the burn out with out over reving and properly staging the car accurately every time may take a few passes to learn.
As far as maintence goes you will no doubt get a lot of different opinions but here what I would suggest.
Check the valve lash and valve spring pressures every weekend, assuming you running on methanol change the oil every 15-20 passes if you have a vacuumn pump you could go 40-50 passes before changing the oil. Change the trans fluid and clean or replace the pick up screen at about 75 passes.
Again if you runnin on methanol keep the fuel tank full and the pump submerged in fuel between race dates. If you can't keep the fuel pump submerged, or are storing it for winter drain the fuel, lube the pump and barrel valve with WD 40. Just like the sprint car you'll need to send the pump in for flow testing every year.
I also change the gear lube,valve springs and spark plugs every year. How often you need to freshen it up depends on how it leaks down and what type of rods you running. If it leaks more than 10-12 percent it,s tired I definitely wouldn't go much more than 100-125 passes on alumium rods. I know a lot of guys go much further on these rods but the alcohol funny car guys throw then away after 15 passes! Steel rods are usually good for more than 300 passes. Another note about aluminum rods don't drive them down I.e. don't use engine or compression braking put the car in neutral, use the brakes and or the chute to stop. If you have roller lifters, I replace them at freshen up (300 passes). I also freshen the trans at this time.

Consult the NHRA rule book for the frequency but the seat belts,flex plate , flex plate shield and transmission shields need to be replaced periodically.
I would recommend that once or twice a year (or more often) that you remove the body panels take a mirror and a flashlight an inspect all of the chassis welds. Chrome Molly is very strong but it's somewhat brittle and if it cracks it.s usually in the heat affected area of a weld ( within an inch or so of the weld)

The tires are usually good for about 100 passes, they will still have tread but the side walls wear out, monitor your 60' times when the drop or become inconsistent it may be time for new slicks. We also check the torque on the lug nuts every other weekend.

I'm sure you will get a lot of differing opinions on all of this but I'm sharing what has worked for me over the last 25+ years of building and racing dragsters.
If you have any questions give me a call.

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Looking at the car it appears to be a BBC so ya got some power there as well as torque too---if ya have a rev limiter maybe the first few passes put say a 3500-4000 RPM chip in it till ya get used to the sound/movement /going fast /your surroundings etc then go up say to 4800 as you become more accustomed to whats happening..probably should concentrate more on burnouts/staging etc do not worry about "cutting a light" just yet. ya I know its slow but as you said you're not used to this!!!! another thing when ya take your foot off the throttle after making a run give the chassis a second or 2 to settle before ya push on the brakes---eliminates bouncing etc.---just some added thoughts

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

another suggestion ya might also put on your firesuit/helmet fasten the belts like you were gonna make a run and just sit in the car for a while at home--these things tend to be a bit claustrophobic at first---learn to be comfortable and how to adjust the belts & where the controls are-- it will come to you but ya hafta go thru a learning process we all did and you did to with the other cars you've driven-FED387

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

What class do you plan to run in ?

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Suggestions:

1. Click the Biondo link at the top of classracer and purchase a practice tree. Find out what kind of lights it takes to win in whatever class you are trying to win at and get good at the tree.

2. Go to an NHRA points race and talk to Super Comp & Top Dragster guys. You have some of the best dragster cars & drivers in the country at these events. Most are willing to share their knowledge.

3. Don't cut any corners with your car. Saving a few bucks is not worth crashing (or worse).

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Thanks a lot guys i really appricieate it , as far as class goes im not sure what we would fall in , the guy said the car has electronics, delay boxes etc. so im guessing an electronic class , i was wrong on my date i meant 8/17 not 8/7 , so friday i should know more class wise i really do appricieate the advice guys this is all greek to me lol

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Well the most common are the bracket racing classes they are pro (no delay boxes allowed) and super pro which is for faster cars and allows delay boxes . Both allow you to declare you own handicap (dial in) the object of which is to do a better job on the starting line (reaction time) and beat you opponent to the finish line without going faster than your dial in. Go under your dial in and you lose.
Super comp is similar to bracket racing but the handicap for everyone is 8.90 the object of which is to do a better job on the starting line (reaction time) and beat you opponent to the finish line without going faster than 8.90.Go under 8.90 and you lose.
Most super comp racers have a timed throttle stop to slow the car down to 8.90.
I would suggest that after you have some laps under your belt and you get your competition drivers license that you try super pro at one of your local tracks. But be for warned most super pro racers are experienced and tough to Beat.

But not unlike baseball "it's the fact that it's hard that makes it great"!

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

go over every nut, bolt, lugs, spindles, 4 link, etc. take the body off and check to make sure no broken frame rails before you make a run. Start off slow and work your way up as previously stated.

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

When you do get to the track with the car..

Your first runs should be no more than out to the 1/8th mile. Lift before the 1/8th mile markers and coast....

When you drive the car look out well beyond the front wheels.....Don't allow your eyes to watch the wheels or just in front of the wheels. If you do You will see the pavement and feel like your needing to steer the car....

It bothered me when I first drove a dragster...

Doing a proper burnout without shaking the tires and not overrevving it takes a little practice. Many people use a 3 step during a burnout and you should use it untill you feel more used to the routine. I use it sometimes and sometimes not......

Burnouts are done in high gear only......I foot brake stall my dragster up to 3000-3500 to get the wheelspeed up as quick as possible.....and am ready to use the brake pedal as quick as I need to if I feel any tire shake....

Tire shale on a bumout can wreck or break a lot of parts. Some tires do it and some don't.

Dragsters need to be looked at regularly as was suggested....Check for cracks around weld joints and around the steering arms...

Check your brakes......calipers can come loose....rotors warp and crack....
My caliper bolts are safety wired.....I look at my rotors everytime I race....
One real popular brand of rotors crack and split at the cooling slots....and warp around the outer OD.....

Dragsters are fast......stuff can go wrong in a hurry....race safe...

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Thanks for the advice again guys , we got the car here and have started to go thru it , the hurricane has caused some delays , pretty much had to lift car in the air to keep it from being submerged , the car has a pro cube digital delay box , it has a bunch of switches and im still learning what they do lol , it has an electric shifter as well the seller said the soilenoids were unhooked b/c he likes to shift himself , i think for my learning it would be best to hook it up so i can focus on driving as much as possilble , the ignition box looks like it has a burnout chip , launch chip , rev limiter etc. im guessing its auto programmed off the chips here are a few pics of the dash layout maybe i can get some pointers on what to do step by step thru the process , he also warned about the brakes he has quad calipers on the back he said they grab fast and hard to be extra careful

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Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Did you get any paperwork on all the electronics? Get a 3 ring binder with some clear insert pages and keep all the paperwork in it. It can and will come in very handy.

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

I found some paperwork on the delay box online i plan on printing when I get a chance I'll have get the model # off the MSD box

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

You can also down load the instructions for the MSD box. I wouldn't worry about hooking up the electric shifter it's not that hard to shift once.
The MSD box should be wired to activate the launch chip when the trans brake is on,the burn out chip requires a switched 12V source to activate.
Also as the former owner advised go easy on those quad caliper brakes you do not want to lock up the brakes.

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Quadruple check every hiem joint on the car. Call Weld or whoevers wheels you have give them your stud size its probably 5/8 (at least) and get the correct torqe spec for your wheels. This winter or now, check the dragster for square, snap a straight line on the floor center your car on it, look for wheel/axel distances from center and side to side and front to rear, roll the car back and measure across the diagonals. if the front wheels are offset say 2 inches as the rules allow, go one inch forw

Re: New to drag racing ,picking up dragster 8/7/12
 

Great points Jeff

Always remember "the devil is in the details"

Go over the car twice and check everything, double check your brakes. Make good notes, check the wiring. verify valve lash on motor, go over everything. These guys on here will tell you many times their races are won in their garages (and of course luck).

Do everything that you can on the car before you take it to the track. You don't want any distractions once you get to the track, and don't work on the car at the track if you can help it. In other words you will perform your between round maintenance but don't be swapping heads intakes...etc....

Make yourself a check list of what needs to be looked at every pass. Keep it in your binder it will come in handy, and you cannot remember everything (I have CRS)...LOL