Ain't been following drag racing in a few years, but my all time favorites were...
Any drag racing fans?
- Thread starter bigride
- Start date
Ah,the 'gassers'.
Pittman,Moody,Ahrend,Moroso,Lunati,Montgomery.Gene Schwartz.
Gene Schwartz lived locally to me. Been about a decade since I stopped over and talked to him and see his latest project. Don't know if he's still in the area or still living.
Pittman,Moody,Ahrend,Moroso,Lunati,Montgomery.Gene Schwartz.
Gene Schwartz lived locally to me. Been about a decade since I stopped over and talked to him and see his latest project. Don't know if he's still in the area or still living.
Big fan of local guy Mike Moran. I like telling people the quickest street cars on the planet are built just down the street from me.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c3BIVZQy-U[/ame]
Shutting down a legend:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y91leCvBmEs[/ame]
What he's up to nowadays:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ8TTSmeKKo[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY9GYGrvtBk[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c3BIVZQy-U[/ame]
Shutting down a legend:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y91leCvBmEs[/ame]
What he's up to nowadays:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ8TTSmeKKo[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY9GYGrvtBk[/ame]
Back in the 60's and early 70's I followed drag racing quite a bit. Used to read Hot Rod Magazine hidden in my history or Latin books in high school.
Tomy Ivo owns a house/garage "back fence" neighbors to my sister & BIL. in Burbank CA Got to meet him, too bad I was only 13 at the time so didn't comprehend that I was seeing racing history in the making.
The first twin engine dragster.
Tomy Ivo owns a house/garage "back fence" neighbors to my sister & BIL. in Burbank CA Got to meet him, too bad I was only 13 at the time so didn't comprehend that I was seeing racing history in the making.
The first twin engine dragster.
BearBio
Member
I grew up around drag racing. My uncle Kenny worked for Mickey Thompson and there was always at least one car being built in his garage. Met Tommy Ivo, Cha-Cha, Garlitz (remember, I was about 10 and just looking over, or really under their shoulders). Kenny managed Lion's Drag Strip for Mickey. He pit-crewed at Indy. I was sorta of a mascot, I guess! My second cousin built 1/4. 1/2 and full midgets, as well as rat-bikes in my grandpa's garage. He raced at Saugus Speedway.
Here's a picture of my Uncle Kenny with Mickey and the Challenger I he designed for Mickey and
helped build. Picture at Bonneville Salt Flats. He's third from the left!
26169499 175742136511967 5185354685804307843 n — imgbb.com
Here's a picture of my Uncle Kenny with Mickey and the Challenger I he designed for Mickey and
helped build. Picture at Bonneville Salt Flats. He's third from the left!
26169499 175742136511967 5185354685804307843 n — imgbb.com
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I still dabble in the hotrod culture. I built this truck in the early 90's and still work on it. I bracket raced it several times but broke so many parts it became too expensive, so I turned it into a street truck. I have also attended many drag racing and land speed racing events over the years. These are from speed week in Bonneville last summer. If you have never been to Bonneville, it's quite an experiance. The scenery alone is spectacular. Note the bullet holes in the sign........
Attachments
ChuckS1
US Veteran
Dunno...must be hard to run in heels. 
I love to watch top fuel cars run. Here's some factoids for you folks:
One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.
* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely drive the dragster's supercharger.
* With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.
* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's.
* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!
* Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load.
* The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM.
* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000 per second.
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter-mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 333.00 MPH (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66′ of the run (09/28/03, Doug Kalitta).
Putting this all into perspective:
Lets say the you are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06.
Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass by it. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH. Just as you pass the Top Fuel Dragster the 'tree' goes green for both of you.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it – from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 MPH & not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race!
That's acceleration!
One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.
* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.
* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely drive the dragster's supercharger.
* With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.
* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.
* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.
* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.
* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.
* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.
* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.
* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's.
* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!
* Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load.
* The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM.
* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000 per second.
The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter-mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 333.00 MPH (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66′ of the run (09/28/03, Doug Kalitta).
Putting this all into perspective:
Lets say the you are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06.
Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass by it. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH. Just as you pass the Top Fuel Dragster the 'tree' goes green for both of you.
The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it – from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 MPH & not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race!
That's acceleration!
Fishslayer
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
I remember when 10 flat quarter mile was FAST!
Built more than one of the Big Daddy Roth plastic models...and no... I didn't sniff the glue.
Built more than one of the Big Daddy Roth plastic models...and no... I didn't sniff the glue.
Ran "D Modified Production" with a 56 Chevy convertible in 1962. Fun while it lasted. Ended up going to collage and becoming a Merchant Seaman. No drag strips out in the blue water. My present ride puts that car to shame.
Ran a Kawasaki 1500 cc dragbike for about ten years. Ran 8 seconds flat @ 163mph. 0 to 60 1 second. Also was the crew chief of the Mac Tools Pro Stock Suzuki of Ron Ayers for 5 years. Got to hob nob with all the Pros, was a really good time but the 18 hour days were killers. Would not enjoy flying 40 or so flights now either. Can tell you Byron Hines is a genius could make a barn door fly.
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ParadiseRoad
Member
...scenes from the movie "Bikini Beach" 1964...
...includes Tommy Ivo's top fuel car and his one of a kind four engine dragster...
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk_2sz7oYHo[/ame]
OP
Love the stories and info in this thread.
First to break 300 mph:
Kenny Bernstein 1992.avi - YouTube
First to break 300 mph:
Kenny Bernstein 1992.avi - YouTube
I don't follow it...
...but when I see it it's EXCITING!
...but when I see it it's EXCITING!
I don't follow it...
...but when I see it it's EXCITING!
...but when I see it it's EXCITING!
ParadiseRoad
Member
...speaking of Gassers...here's some good ones doing their thing on an eighth mile track...
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eypgziDxQo[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eypgziDxQo[/ame]
ParadiseRoad
Member
...no treatise on old time drag racing would be complete without a little of Jungle Jim Liberman's burnout girl...Jungle Pam Hardy...
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkj3NHTRxwk[/ame]
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkj3NHTRxwk[/ame]
Drag raced for almost 20 years in the 60's and 70's. Loved it. But it was fun then-no computers, only foot brake racing. Learned to build engines from a full time mechanic that worked for my Dad. My Dad was a sawmill man. I would work Summer's at the mill. The mechanic's work bench was a big oak tree stump. Had the first drag car in my town, a 55 Chevy with a 327 and a 4 speed (C Modified Production). Had a ball. Later was a 64 Chevy II then a 66 Chevy II. Best drag race I ever saw was Bill Jenkins vs. Herb McAndless 2 out of 3 at the local strip. 327 vs. 426 Hemi. The Grump won in his A/S 66 Chevy II. Anyway I am 71 years old now and still building engines just for fun. By the way-I AM NOT black-my 1970 Chevelle is.
DAGGUM!
I don't need to quote the whole thing, but every single stat you put down is absolutely incredible.
It seems about the only thing they could do to get more power is to have the engine completely consume itself as it goes past the line.
I don't need to quote the whole thing, but every single stat you put down is absolutely incredible.
It seems about the only thing they could do to get more power is to have the engine completely consume itself as it goes past the line.
