Fun first drag car..?

JimmyDuncan

JimmyDuncan

Well-Known Member
This is purely a theoretical question at this stage, because as you all know, all funds will be funneled into the 383 build for Frank the Tank for now... But, I've been to a few drag meets lately and I'm getting an itch...

As I've been reminded, even with the new engine and trans, and eventual diff upgrade, Frank will remain a chunky kid that while enthusiastic, is better suited to strolling along the beach front, than sprinting down the track..:rolleyes:

I know for sure there'll be some experienced opinions about how to go about getting into the fun of drag racing, without blowing the bank and leaving room to grow into it.. and I figure if I know what I'm after, I can hang around the track, the car club and car shows and sniff out bargains over the next few years...;)

My plan for how to start is to buy a light weight car that is in decent shape in the chassis and body.. Something like this is fairly common..

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1979-HOLDEN-TORANA-UC-/271958056781?hash=item3f51f69f4d

$_57.JPG


They weigh about 2600lbs in stock form, so stripped down a fair bit less. The car will be a drag car only, as the regulations for putting a big engine in a small car over here are very strict and it'll be a lot more expensive to build a fast fun street car...

The second half of my plan is to shoehorn a fairly stock old big block into the engine bay.... I'm imagining with little work a near stock bbc will get the small car moving fairly quickly..? Then, as I learn the ropes, I can work the engine and use power adders?

What are thoughts on that plan?
What sort of 1/4 mile times might a stock-mild bbc do in a little car?
I could probably go with a sbc, but that would end up being a limiting factor sooner than with a bbc yeah?

Is there value in spending more to buy a car that has had a lot of the work done to it already? for example

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Torana-H...-door-buyer-/321830389455?hash=item4aee9606cf

Is little car with big cubes the easiest/cheapest entry point? :D
 
first Id point out that no mater what you build,
its going to cost a great deal more money, than you can even currently imagine,
to be even semi competitive.


now Im certainly not suggesting you should not build a week end toy, but at this point in time ,concentrating on building the 383 and installing it in the current car will allow you to both increase your skills and gain valuable experience.
I bring that up because I see guys try to build and maintain more than one car project at a time and unless you have a nearly bottomless checking account balance it seldom if EVER works out well!
Next Id suggest you look long and hard of some guy who has a 3/4 completed race car project he will dump reasonably cheap!
(loss of jobs, divorces, moving , or just lack of interest tends to make them become available on a rather regular basis)
Id also strongly suggest you don,t rush to buy a project car, but rather find at least two local muscle car or corvette clubs and join them, the contacts you'll gain over time will save you a great deal of wasted time and allow you to pick up various parts and services for lower cost.
If you select a fairly light weight car, and install a fairly popular engine, and common transmission and rear differential, in that car finding deals on components will tend to be far easier and parts failures less traumatic, to your bank balance , so ask around , see whats locally available, and visit local salvage yards.
its a whole lot easier to get power from a larger engine than a small one when your working on a limited budget.
two door , rear wheel drive cars tend to be lighter and structurally less complicated, to modify than front wheel drive cars
you certainly don,t need to clone some buddies car build , you can be rather unique but Id suggest finding some combo that has readily available parts
if thats a 1980s nissan two door pick-up truck, or falcon , or a chevy vega and a ford 460 v8, or caddy 472 engine,or buick , or pontiac or dodge v8. I would certainly consider that if the price , to buy those parts at a salvage yard or from a used car lots back yard ,was 20% of what a camaro or corvette or mustang costs in your area.




RULE #1
to consistently win races you need to finish races with the engine still fully functional, and that generally means keeping piston speeds UNDER 4500 Feet Per Minute even with good aftermarket components and 4000fpm-to-4200fpm with stock or factory high performance parts


http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=510&hilit=redline

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=343&p=1170&hilit=redline#p1170

RULE #2
OIL PRESSURE AND VOLUME and REASONABLE TEMPS MUST BE CONSISTENTLY MAINTAINED
most moving parts failures are related to lack of consistently maintained pressurized lubrication by oil at reasonable temperatures
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2187

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=1800

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=64

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=8966

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=6327

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2294

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=615

RULE #3
to consistently perform well a car must have a high power to weight ratio and be geared to match the engines power curve
viewtopic.php?f=71&t=741

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=7082

viewtopic.php?f=71&t=555

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=9731&p=37718&hilit=take+fast+weight#p37718

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=3404&p=33377&hilit=take+fast+weight#p33377

RULE #4
THINK THRU WHAT YOUR BUDGET AND GOALS , AND PERSONAL SKILLS ARE GOING TO SUPPORT

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=10363&p=42683&hilit=what+makes+good+engine#p42683

viewtopic.php?f=69&t=9930&p=38054&hilit=what+makes+good+engine#p38054

viewtopic.php?f=50&t=9040&p=32309&hilit=what+makes+good+engine#p32309

viewtopic.php?f=69&t=7722&p=26314&hilit=what+makes+good+engine#p26314

viewtopic.php?f=87&t=10408

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ave-several-local-car-buddies.3527/#post-9321

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...tting-started-in-the-car-hobby.339/#post-3354

http://measurespeed.com/quarter-mile-calculator

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/a-few-basic-concepts.10415/#post-43240

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-many-of-the-cars-desirable.11244/#post-50778

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...res-fewer-drive-train-swaps.11186/#post-50206

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...wer-numbers-thats-important.10620/#post-45643
 
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Great! Thanks Grumpy. :D

I knew I was going to get a whack for even bringing it up ;), but its been on my mind lately..

The current build is definitely going to stretch the budget as it is... and I am not going to consider buying anything before I have the 383, trans and diff done and running smoothly... But, I figured I'd ask and see what others thought of my plan :) and as I had anticipated, I got myself a long list of awesome resources to dig into.. I'm still trying to get a handle on how to find the best info on here and you do a great job of collating them into subject chunks..

I hear what your saying about a fairly common car with common components and look for a nearly done project... Hopefully in a year or two I'll have developed my network of car guys and when I'm ready to try my hand, I can call on them to find some good deals. In the mean time, there are a few guys who race fairly regularly, so I'll offer my time and hopefully learn a thing or two ;)
 
With the High prices of Musclecars today most of the Younger guys can't afford to buy them to go drag racing.

The lowest cost way to start is to Buy an old Mazada. RX-7.
A Dodge Neon.
A Honda Civic.

American RWD It would be the 1982-2001 Firebird & Trans Am or Camaro.

The Very Best would be the 5.0 Mustang.
1979-1992.

The Most Sucessfull Drag Car in History Hands down is the 5.0 Mustang.
Still Racing Today at Deep 6's 1/4 mile with 202-206 mph trap speeds.
 
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