F.E.D. FUN

Hey Doug - what every became of that little motor you got and were going to apply 27 volts to it?

I am old school myself having raced back in the 60s.

Very partial to the Alters, Forward engine Dragsters and Gassers. Also miss the old Modified Production. I ran a 55 Chevy
with side post in B/MP way back then. Pulled the 409 out of my 63 Impala to do it. I was always getting into issues with the law in that 63 !

Would not mind seeing some sort of Modified Production class get started. Already have my 55 Chevy mold ready to go!

Alan

Hey Tom,

We used to have an alterd class, t-jets 5ohm w/polys. Always wanted to race those or the pro-mod jets. But there has never been a race for either since I joined the site. Maybe before, not sure. Perhaps now with the recent increase in members the intrest in racing t-jet types with polys might be enough to generate an event for alterds. Though , I think traction magnets would be needed for anything other than mayhem. Personally, I have problems with keeping stuff with magnets on the track........lol. Think we.would see some really cool builds also from the NTRA members. The new members seem like a talented bunch that want to race. Hope that some of them start to speak up soon on this. I know , it's only been a short while. But the faster people speak up on this, the better the chances of it happening.

.................thanks for the imput, Peter

Hey Jeff,
Saw your post under "Atco" thread. I to do not think that we need another class. We have plenty as is, especially 4g's.
It would be ashame to have altereds only allowed at special events, especially after the N/TF show we just had. Think it was the best so far, or at least the most colofull N/Tf event we have had. In large part due to the different body styles.
I would like to see more parity between build types of different chassis. Think we have every build coverd for the 4g's. But our t-jet classes are lacking in this respect. Could easily be remedied by putting polys in gassers and 5ohms in rats. Simple yet doing so would give us similar build types for each chassis witbout adding yet another class.
Another thought is that not many bodies are available for altereds other than those for 4g's. Which would definitely favor them being run as 4g's.
It was pointed out by Cordell, that a weight advantage was a concern brought up in the combined styles. All concerned should now see no such advantage exsistts. You just proved it!
Hope that some changes might come to even things out a bit. I think that our rules could be FAR simpler for all if we had the same basic rules for every chassis type. In a sense we do now , their just kind of all over the place.
I posted some time ago, that 4 sets of rules could be had and applied to every chassis type. Stock to outlaw, and the two in between different degrees of modifications. Only tire size would be specific in reguards to chassis type. Body styles could then be applied to any of the 4 classes by racemasters choice. Would give us unlimited choices for any given event. And at the same time make things way, way simpler.

Got to bring Dad some clothes right now, aother week of rehab left. Get back later....................... Peter

Weight advantages do exist. JJ knows how to build HP so that is not really a good comparison. Take a box stock car and run it down the track a few times for E/T's and then add about 2-3 grams of lead to it and see what kind of E/T's you run, now that in my mind would be a realistic comparison. I'd like to see weight minimums in all heads up classes.

I wouldn't mess with Rat Rod/Pro Stock and the Gasser class besides giving them a weight minimum. Those classes were popular because they are fairly cheap to build. If you start adding polymers, you pretty much are almost doubling the cost for the class (Gasser).

I kind of like the idea of streamlining the classes by having 4 different chassis combos. That might bring in more competition if you don't have to worry about using a certain style of body (run what you like), have a minimum weight rule and a tire rule for each class. Maybe even go with 5 classes:

• Stock
• Super Stock
  
• Modified
  
• Restricted Open
  
• Unlimited
  

anyways since we are all throwing ideas out there, just thought I'd throw in a few.  I'll race whatever.

Cordell, I do like the rule for not allowing Dash cars to race this year. It gives us time to see what they are all about.

Hey Sam,
You are absolutly right about adding 2 or three grams to a stock car. And how it will perform. But we're not talking about stock cars (where adding the right amount of weight is advantageous). We are talking about the N/TF of the NTRA which is in my eyes the only outlaw type class we have. IMO, the best thing about it is the lack of rules. I don't like the idea of weght limits for several reasons. First it takes away one more element in the build process that has always been synonymous with making anything faster to me. Secondly, I feel it gives more of an advantage to those who have the resources to build high horse-power cars. Kind of like saying, until you can build this to bad. Truth be told, that kind of applies to anything with a min. weight.
Jeff, winning because of horses. Maybe a combination of that and weight. I don't know what the weight of everybodys bodies might be. But when I first read your post I decided to weigh the first FED body I built (basically same thing as so called green FED), and altered I started work on. Was curious how much difference there would be. The FED body being in a completed state ready to go weighed 6.5 grams. The altered, being a Hairy Canary roadster yet to be clear coated (not sure how many times), with blower/intake, roll cage, headers, wheelie bars, yet to be installed. Weighed in at 6.6. I zeroed scale and got the same 6.6 grams. By the time its done I'm guessing it will be around 7.5. Roughly a gram more than my current rail job. Was not expecting this. Came as a bit of a surprise.

.................................. Peter

Hey all,
Was watching Olympics and thinking about the N/TF. Then the early days of Top Fuel as I remembered it. The cars having gone from sling-shot to rails, were now getting longer and had full bodywork with beautifull paint jobs. The Wide World of Sports was putting races on TV. Then the "Surfers " hit the sceen. Do you remember them? From LA, don't know if they actually surfed. Right out of college started to race then decided to build a top fuel because it was the only class in which they could apply their ideas on how to make something fast. Because there were no rules!
They built a car in one of their mothers garages (it was the sixties). Then these guys, guess they would have been college "geeks" at the time. Went about showing the world of drag racing's motor-heads how to go fast. Their car was a short little thing compared to the rest. Almost stubby like. Had no bodywork from the engine foorward, except for some v looking thing between the front wheels. Maybe they were applying aero-dynamics for down-force. From what I remember it looked like what we call a wing today. Was definitely the ugly ducking of the class. It made more noise than anything else and more smoke.
Cars would regularly go up in smoke at the start or blow something up. But these guys never did. The smoke, yea! But these guys would smoke out catch the other car and win. They were making way more horse power than anyone else. And it was rumored, no believed. That while everyone was running in the 70-80 percent range (nitro), that these guys were running 100 percent. I remember the hype about it and everyone was just kind of waiting for them to blow-up. But it neverr happened. Heard stories of them just bringing the car back to the start after a pass, then play around on skate-boards while everyone else was in the pits replacing pistons and the like. Also I've seen things since about them in print and remember it being said that they had more fuel lines than anyone had ever seen on a car. Mmmmmm.......makes me think of the TF today.
The thing about them was that they were innovators whose ideas have helped make racing what it is. Because there were, no rules stopping them.
The discussion we've been having got me thinking of them. Maybe because some of some of the points being brought up. Somehow now and then seem similar. The Top Fuel of then and our N/TF of now.
In part, I suppose that over the years as I learned more about the Surfers. That they left a subconscious impression on me as a child. I like racing, anything and everything (even Nascar). But I don't like rulres, of any kind.
Reguardless of the reason, rules in racing are for one purpose. That is to make things S-L-O-O-O-W-E-E-R. And I hate the thought of ma-ma-making slot cars slower. Makes me wanna cry.

......................................PC