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Just getting into racing at the 1/8 th mile Strip near me.
Questions :
1. Looking to buy a race car in the $10-13,000 range and have found a couple with aluminum rods ; I want to drive the race car from my house to the strip which is 3 miles each way. WIll it be alright to do this with a motor having aluminum rods ?
2. Im looking at cars having a 2 speed Glide trans . Are these reliable for hard launching using a trans brake ? The rwhp on the cars im looking at are about 600 .
3. What is the MINIMUM i should be looking for as far as the suspension goes ?
4. Typically, at what RPM is good to launch at after a good burnout ?
If you're just learning how to drag race, I'd probably suggest a car with a bit less than 600rwhp to start with - that's a lot of car to start with if you really want to learn the fundamentals.
Buy something with a bit less power and build it up as your driving skills progress
Just getting into racing at the 1/8 th mile Strip near me.
Questions :
1. Looking to buy a race car in the $10-13,000 range and have found a couple with aluminum rods ; I want to drive the race car from my house to the strip which is 3 miles each way. WIll it be alright to do this with a motor having aluminum rods ?
2. Im looking at cars having a 2 speed Glide trans . Are these reliable for hard launching using a trans brake ? The rwhp on the cars im looking at are about 600 .
3. What is the MINIMUM i should be looking for as far as the suspension goes ?
4. Typically, at what RPM is good to launch at after a good burnout ?
5. Any tips for buying a race car appreciated.
Thanks.
This is one of the last forums I would be posting on looking for real drag racing advice, lol. You will be much better served through more drag racing oriented forums, particularly for the kind of car you are thinking about.
1. Aluminum rods are just as strong as their steel counterparts. With that said they won't last forever. Driving on the street would certainly decrease their life, but given the short distance wouldn't be too much of an issue. The larger issue in street driving it to the track is that a real race car will be anything but street legal.
Numbers 2-4 are all car and setup dependent. Nothing wrong with a 2 speed Glide trans and trans brake, whether or not it's the ideal setup depends on the car and the racing. 2 speeds are generally what's used on an 1/8th mile track. A 1/4 mile will require more gears. Suspension setup is all car dependent. Launch RPM is all car dependent and is based on the gearing, motors power band and the ability of your tires to grip.
5. The main thing you need to be aware of is exactly what was done to the car, what it's race and service history are, what kind of maintenance regimen is required, etc. The best method would be to talk to a local shop that is doing the work on these cars and seeing if they have any customers who are selling old setups or getting out of racing. This way you have a local shop who is familiar with the car.
Overall, my suggestion would be to start out much simpler with a car that can be modded and built overtime into an 1/8th mile car. A real good option for that is an older notchback Mustang LX with the 5.0. These were built between 85 and 93 with some differences between the years. These cars make great drag platforms as they are incredibly light and have a plethora of parts available and are easy to work on and swap engines.
If you're just learning how to drag race, I'd probably suggest a car with a bit less than 600rwhp to start with - that's a lot of car to start with if you really want to learn the fundamentals.
Buy something with a bit less power and build it up as your driving skills progress
I dont want to buy a more powerful race car once ive outgrown the one i buy, so, thought id get one and just one ....then regulate the power using the semi-automatic accelerator pedal !
This is one of the last forums I would be posting on looking for real drag racing advice, lol. You will be much better served through more drag racing oriented forums, particularly for the kind of car you are thinking about.
1. Aluminum rods are just as strong as their steel counterparts. With that said they won't last forever. Driving on the street would certainly decrease their life, but given the short distance wouldn't be too much of an issue. The larger issue in street driving it to the track is that a real race car will be anything but street legal.
Numbers 2-4 are all car and setup dependent. Nothing wrong with a 2 speed Glide trans and trans brake, whether or not it's the ideal setup depends on the car and the racing. 2 speeds are generally what's used on an 1/8th mile track. A 1/4 mile will require more gears. Suspension setup is all car dependent. Launch RPM is all car dependent and is based on the gearing, motors power band and the ability of your tires to grip.
5. The main thing you need to be aware of is exactly what was done to the car, what it's race and service history are, what kind of maintenance regimen is required, etc. The best method would be to talk to a local shop that is doing the work on these cars and seeing if they have any customers who are selling old setups or getting out of racing. This way you have a local shop who is familiar with the car.
Overall, my suggestion would be to start out much simpler with a car that can be modded and built overtime into an 1/8th mile car. A real good option for that is an older notchback Mustang LX with the 5.0. These were built between 85 and 93 with some differences between the years. These cars make great drag platforms as they are incredibly light and have a plethora of parts available and are easy to work on and swap engines.
I figured theres bound to be a couple of Racers in here, but, will consider going to dedicated Race Forums as well. Thanks.
I figured theres bound to be a couple of Racers in here, but, will consider going to dedicated Race Forums as well. Thanks.
I don't currently actively race, but I did for years, both drag and road course. The problem really is that you are asking very specific questions that require someone to know exactly what your setup is and what car you have in order to answer.
Since you don't currently have a car, I would be more focused on finding out what the main setups are that people use at the local 1/8th mile track. My guess is that you will see a lot of the generation Mustang that I mentioned as well as a lot of older 70's era domestics that have been gutted and built as drag cars. The first thing you need to do is narrow down the type of car you want and then go from there.
I don't currently actively race, but I did for years, both drag and road course. The problem really is that you are asking very specific questions that require someone to know exactly what your setup is and what car you have in order to answer.
Since you don't currently have a car, I would be more focused on finding out what the main setups are that people use at the local 1/8th mile track. My guess is that you will see a lot of the generation Mustang that I mentioned as well as a lot of older 70's era domestics that have been gutted and built as drag cars. The first thing you need to do is narrow down the type of car you want and then go from there.
Heres the car i am seriously considering : 80 Monza Spider Drag Car (http://montgomery.craigslist.org/cto/1861588538.html - broken link) . Its a 4 point suspension, 2 speed glide, 9" rear, single stage nitrous ., delay box.
wow that is a serious car for someone just getting into the sport.
I would sat pick up a old fox body stang with a built small block like 408 windsor for $5000-$6500 set up for 1/8 mile and build up your skill level then after a few seasons go for the big block nitrous injected car.
I dont want to buy a more powerful race car once ive outgrown the one i buy, so, thought id get one and just one ....then regulate the power using the semi-automatic accelerator pedal !
No matter what kind of racing, from drag racing to autocross, to road racing, to pro rallye, to circle track, as a racer, I always advocate the same thing to newbies: start off slow. So what if you have to sell the first car and buy a faster car later? You're better off and you'll gain more skill.
Seriously there are too many vairables in a fast car or to try and sort a fast car that you won't gain the skills you need or even know if you have gained the skills if the car covers for you.
I've met a lot of newbie racers that went out and got a "fast car" because they needed that adrenaline rush and couldn't stand the thought of a slow car to learn in. They never really went anywhere with their abilities, either because the car started out too much for their novice abilities, or they were never able to learn real skills. AND they wondered why slower cars were always beating them.
No matter what kind of racing, from drag racing to autocross, to road racing, to pro rallye, to circle track, as a racer, I always advocate the same thing to newbies: start off slow. So what if you have to sell the first car and buy a faster car later? You're better off and you'll gain more skill.
Seriously there are too many vairables in a fast car or to try and sort a fast car that you won't gain the skills you need or even know if you have gained the skills if the car covers for you.
I've met a lot of newbie racers that went out and got a "fast car" because they needed that adrenaline rush and couldn't stand the thought of a slow car to learn in. They never really went anywhere with their abilities, either because the car started out too much for their novice abilities, or they were never able to learn real skills. AND they wondered why slower cars were always beating them.
Thanks for your opinion as well as GTO's above ; Ive done ALOT of searching for race cars and this car ive found is a VERY good deal for the modest sum of $10,000 asking price ; most of the ones ive looked at for that money had all kinds of things wrong with it , cracked windshields, wiring horrors, and/or tired out small block chevy/ford engines in them .
Although im still a Novice, im already used to 11 second cars in the 1/4 -- this one im considering is probably a low 10 second car on motor only . I dont have to use the nitrous till much further on down the road, and, I dont have to use the motors maximum potential either, nor do i plan too until i get very used to the car and its characteristics. If you think this car is a little too much for a Novice Racer, I looked at a 1974 Chevy Vega with a 540 motor sprayed for $13,000 and a 1981 Chevy Malibu with a 602 motor for $15,000 --- all flat out drag cars. Theres no better time to buy a race car than now...definetly a buyers market with everyone wanting to sell their race car. RacingJunk.com advertises 50 + new ones every day..not including CraigsList.com .
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