Old top fuel dragsters

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When did NHRA (or other sanctioning bodies) remove the engine from n front of the driver to behind him?

Why was it in front to begin with?

and

To prevent wheelies from the new weight distrbution, did they lengthen the wheelbase?


Thank ya
 
Wheelie bars stop wheelies. The longer the wheelbase the more stable the vehicle is in a straight line.

Engine position is a builder's preference. Seen great times from either setup, so the only real advantage is visibility for the driver...
 
Common sense dictates rear engine Top fuel dragsters are SAFER. Fires, explosions, broken, flying driveline and blower components, leaking fluids and fuel all happen BEHIND the driver, and not in front of him. The first rule in racing is, what's behind you isn't going to hurt you.
 
yes and no

when the tire (thats behind you) comes apart and hits you in the back of the head and kills you....things behind you CAN kill you!
hence why sarge has the cockpit and af has similar
 
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Originally Posted By: sunruh
when the tire (thats behind you) comes apart and hits you in the back of the head and kills you....things behind you CAN kill you!


That is what killed Darrel Russell, (Joe Amato's driver). It is why they have an Titanium / steel shield to protect them now in that area. It could never happen again the same way. Enclosed cockpits are more for aerodynamic purposes, than they are for driver safety. It doesn't change the fact racing is dangerous, regardless of the vehicle involved. Rear Engine Top Fuel dragsters made it as safe as it can be.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Russell_(dragster_driver)
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
When did NHRA (or other sanctioning bodies) remove the engine from n front of the driver to behind him?


The drivers and builders of the car decide where the engine goes. A funny car has as much power and the engine is still in front of the driver. So a basic top fuel car with the engine in front would be in the funny car class.
 
Originally Posted By: mjoekingz28
When did NHRA (or other sanctioning bodies) remove the engine from n front of the driver to behind him?

Why was it in front to begin with?

and

To prevent wheelies from the new weight distrbution, did they lengthen the wheelbase?


Thank ya


The NHRA didn't do that. It was Big Daddy Don Garlits that did that, after he lost part of a foot due to a clutch explosion in a front-engine dragster. I think he debuted the rear-engine dragster in 1971.

Front-motor dragsters were pretty much the tradition on the 50's and 60's, although there were a few that built rear-engine dragsters. Art Arfons Allison-powered Green Monsters were rear-engine. And I think there were a few others that tried it with automotive engines, but Garlits figured out how to make the rear-engine cars handle.
 
Currently, the NHRA kind of/sort of excludes the use of a front engine dragster, but not really.

Current rule book states a minimum of 280" wheelbase. While doable, that would be an interesting FED. It also states that ANY change must be approved by the NHRA Tech Department, so you would need to convince them to let you use a FED.

Currently, there is a place for FEDs and that is on the Nostalgia circuit and local drag tracks.

In a couple years, I hope to build a FED with a small block and a glide for weekly bracket racing.
 
I sat in an old Top Fuel "sling" many years ago. It is a bit disconcerting when your family jewels are resting right on top of the differential. The "what ifs" made me shrivel.
 
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Originally Posted By: punisher
I sat in an old Top Fuel "sling" many years ago. It is a bit disconcerting when your family jewels are resting right on top of the differential. The "what ifs" made me shrivel.


The 60s era stuff, I agree completely with you. But modern SFI rated pieces do not instill the same fear in me.

Originally Posted By: JetStar
I love this video, notice the violence increase when he pulls the alcohol hose.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeX9mPoC8j0


Nitro is just that bad***.
 
Originally Posted By: Neely97
Engine was moved to protect driver from fire from what I remember.

Sure. Explosions and flying pieces and debries, like pistons and rods, v.g., too.
 
Originally Posted By: racer12306

Nitro is just that bad***.


Just random stuff I picked up somewhere:

When the final fuel stage is activated the spark plugs are effectively out of the picture. The electrodes have been burned/blasted off. For the majority of the run the Nitromethane is "dieseled", and not even "dieseled" in the real sense. Nitro is self oxygenated, it is also an explosive.

The blower/supercharger functions as a heat pump by supplying air volume, hence heat (Boyle's Law), to ignite the mixture. The nitro/air mixture is like a froth in the cylinder on the intake stroke. The effective compression is high enough (a hair away from hydrolock) to collapse the air bubbles to the point of incandescence, and using the latent heat (and pressure) to trigger the reaction.
 
Originally Posted By: punisher
I sat in an old Top Fuel "sling" many years ago. It is a bit disconcerting when your family jewels are resting right on top of the differential. The "what ifs" made me shrivel.
Better off with out them any way!
 
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