Thread: 6 cylinder FED

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I am thinking about building a front engine dragster running a 6 cylinder engine. Has anyone built one of these. Should I try to build my own frame,which 6 cylinder engine is able to make the most power. I would like to run it in one of the nostalgia classes.Thank for your help.

The class was called D/Dragster. The engine I remember being pretty dominant was a 300 Ford. I think the 292 Chevy was pretty common too.

there was a guys that ran a slant six as well .the ford or chevy is not to hard to build .there parts for them and some can be made to fit out of the v8s. cams cores can be custom ground .i never built and machined one for race only but .it would not be hard just abit more $$ then a V8 build but would be neat....

If I remember right---most of them used ford cleveland heads and cut off one cylinder and then put 2 heads together

yep now they have the low dollar alum heads out may be better then welding up iron .may have a hard time finding a oven welder to take the time to weld the iron boss heads?

We went to the nostalgia drags at Bradenton Florida a while back and it was a blast. Lots of 6 cylinder dragsters and we were surprised how well they ran. One race a 6 cylinder (GMC maybe) beat a Chryler hemi dragster! It was QUICK. If I remember correctly, weren't some of the GMC 6 cyl engines about 302 CI? I also think they put GMC heads on Chevy 6 cyl engines, but not sure.

Here are some pictures from that event to stir your fire.

Don

artiep, I send you a PM with a link to a straight six dragster. I dont want to post the link here because it is from another forum and I dont want to upset the Mods here and lose my membership here.

Larry

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

If I remember correctly, weren't some of the GMC 6 cyl engines about 302 CI? I also think they put GMC heads on Chevy 6 cyl engines, but not sure.

Here are some pictures from that event to stir your fire.

Don

GMC 6's came in 270 and 302 cubic inches.. some parts swap from the Chevy 216-261 engine faimly but I'm not sure all what does

http://www.inliners.org

http://stoveboltengineco.com/index.htm

http://www.cliffordperformance.net/index.html

Here are a couple of sites to check out.

The 302 GMC (Jimmy) was the hot straight six back in the fifties and sixties; parts for them are getting hard to come by, now. I knew a guy back in high school who regularly thumped many of the popular V8s of the day with a hot 302 Jimmy in a '51 or '52 Chevy; saw him run against a '58 Impala 348 Tri-Power and flat run away from it.

Today, the big Ford, and the 292 Chevy would be the ones to build, if you want size. Mopar slant sixes are good performers, too.

do not forget the pontiac sprint 6 with the 4 barrel Q jet i knew some one that had one hop up abit that did a good job beating alot of stuff but a 66 gto with a 396/375hp in it

The hot setup on the GMC (Jimmy) engine was the Wayne 12 port crossflow head. This was available in iron or aluminum. There was even a dual overhead cam version but it was very rare.

Thanks for all the info everyone, I am about to try and get a Clifford Preformance Parts catalog to see what available. I don't think my welding skills are strong enough to built a frame now that I'm looking at some of the dragsters in the photos.(thanks Itoldyouso)I will maybe look for a roller. Would like to run at the Motor Speedway in Englishtown Nj in the spring. Hopefully I will be ready by them.

Before you buy a used frame check out these guys. For the money you get a lot of good fabrication.

http://www.slingshotdragsters.com/kits.html

Problem with a used chassis is that it may not meet current regulations, especially in the roll bar construction. Many changes have been made in what the racing organizations require. It is not impossible to bring an older frame up to current specs but it is not exactly easy either.

Don

Here is the best picture I could find of my favorite six cylinder dragster.

As you can see, the engine is a Dodge/Plymouth "slant six". The man is Jim Nelson. Jim and his partner, Dode Martin, produced the famous "Dragmaster" chassis (of which this is one). Those chassis' carried just about every engine that was ever raced in that day.

My guess is that the picture was probably taken in 1961.


Jim

Kewl stuff ....... back in the day late 70's early 80's - a friend bought a 4 cyl. dragster from drace car builder "Woody's Race Cars" out of atlanta. He use to rent space from the Barnett Bros. (big dodge SS racers & car builders - ala Steve Bagwell). Well ... he built a little dragster with a marine 4 cyl. with a BOSS 429 head on it. WOW that thing flew.
I dig innovation and the 6 & 4 cyl. guys got it going on.

Sorry about the O/T rant.

REGS