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It took awhile to get to this point, but Jeff & I got the "Z" chassis certified to 7.50 this mornin' Thanks for your input Richard. Being a newbie at this ''go fast'' chassis building, your help was invaluable. I appreciate your reponses to my many questions early on. The sticker on the cage is a milestone, Thanks again for the help.
Congratulations Pro. What an accomplishment. Funny what a person can do with 10 zillion feet of tubing and a whole lot of talent !!:) :) :)
You must really be proud.
Don
PS: For the rest of us, what was the certification process like? What were they looking for besides good welds, etc.
Ford Motor,,,,,Ford Motor?............You funny Man.......:LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
Mainly they look for tube placement, Size of the tubes and wall thickness. Also, that welds are good. There is an SFI book they (and I) use for a guide. I built this to 25.4 specs. which means it can go 7.50 or slower ...and must weigh less than 3,600 lbs. race ready.
It only took a few minutes. They check the size of the tubes with a tube template and then test wall thickness with a sonic tester.
Tech guys gave me a hard time about the rear end. As in joking around, not as being a problem. They are a good group of people. Along with Techinspector1 they also gave me guidance as I was building, I sent a few emails to Ritch Bowers (Tech) thoughout the project, and he was always helpful and patient with my questions.
We were done with tech by 10 am or so, but hung around a couple hours to talk to other racers and just looking over all the other cars going through the lanes. This is our third year going to tech, just to look for ideas & admire the cars. It was fun actually having a car of our own there this time.
There must be a pattern you have to follow in building the frame and roll cage. Does the NHRA rulebook spell this out, or do you just follow common sense?
Reason I ask is that I am considering building the '23 T I just picked up into a bracket car, using the 466 Ford I have sitting on a stand. The last serious car I ran was a '32 Austin Bantam with a 301 Hilborne injected Chevy in the early '70's. and I know rules have changed a lot since then.
How do you know how to lay out the cage and all ?
By the way, I ran a solid rear axle on my Altered, is that still legal? I know a modern coilover setup would hook better and all, but I'm just curious if you can still run solid.
Thanks,
Don
You need to decide how fast & what weight the car will be and then get an SFI book for that class. They have detailed drawings and descriptions of what goes where. Do a search for SFI race cars or talk to someone from NHRA/IHRA to find the book.
Yup Denny, now i can build the rest knowing the cage is right.
Hey ProZ, way to go man. Progress is great eh? That looks like a 53-55 Studebaker parked next to you, did you take a look at it? I see Wheelie bars and a parachute pack
Congratulations on your sticker!
Pat
Congrats Pro.!!! The car looks great!!! Shame to have to put a body on it!!!
Thanks Stu & Dave.Quote:
Originally posted by Stu Cool
Hey ProZ, way to go man. Progress is great eh? That looks like a 53-55 Studebaker parked next to you, did you take a look at it? I see Wheelie bars and a parachute pack
Congratulations on your sticker!
Pat
Yea that Studebaker was a cute little thing. It's been a race car for a looong time tho and in need of a resto job. Lot of battle scars.
Gary, I couldn't be more pleased. Outstanding work on your part buddy. Your Z is as good as it gets :)
nice job pro z
it still amazes me the hard work and planning that goes into a pro chassis.
by the way have you weighed the rolling chassis as it stands. i am just courious what it would weigh?
Thanks Richard & Canadianal.
It's still on the trailer in the storage shed, and will be for awhile cuz' I need the main shop space for another project. I think I'll pull it to the scales and weigh it as soon as I get a chance. I'd like to know too.