A little Help!

I am building a ride for a guy but we don't know what to use yet. He has a 6 cylinder motor that weighs about 500lbs. What are some of the lightest cars that we can fit a 10 inch tire under just notching the frame (can change fender shape too)? Fabrication is no problem. Only aftermarket fiberglass can be the hood. He doesn't care what make or model it is and it is a drag only deal. We are puting a class legal ladder bar setup under it with a full 25.5 chassis. Ideas would be greatly appreciated. Sorry this is not BBF related.

If your talking American made, small, & fairly light weight your probably going to have to look at something older like a Pinto, vega, (if you can find either) or the boxy 80's Escorts. What "6 cylinder" does he have? Are we talking straight 6, or V6?

I might be crazy but I have always wondered what the old torquey Ford 300 straight 6 truck engines would do as a drag engine.

I might be crazy but I have always wondered what the old torquey Ford 300 straight 6 truck engines would do as a drag engine.

Back in the late 60's when I lived in Va. and guy from MD. cant remember his now, he had a ford 300 6cyl. with 2 Boss 302 heads that one cyl. cut off each one and welded the two together on it . it was in a little bantom and ran in 5s in the 1/8mil.

DILLIGASDAVE wrote:I might be crazy but I have always wondered what the old torquey Ford 300 straight 6 truck engines would do as a drag engine.

I ran the EFI version in my mud truck one year and got beat all over the place. Lots of tq, but the hp was way down, so I could always spin the tires, but not real fast.

I got a buddy that runs a maverick witha 300 with a jerico behind it. It runs 6.90's in the eigth and thats on the back bumper through two gears....

There was a car that ran up here called The Pepper Box and he was running a Ford 6 in a row. It had 6 stacks and sounded pretty wierd, but was fast!!

Bill

yeah it's a straight six. it will be efi with a 76mm turbo.

I thought about a Maverick. My old bracket car weighed 2450lbs and I could have taken a lot more weight out of it. It had an aluminum headed 302 with a C4 trans. It only had a MS 4pt cage and all of the factory sheet metal was there. That factory hood is heavy. leaf spring with slapper bars and all factory brakes

I was thinking a Maverick with:
fiberglass hood
9 inch or 8.8 (whatever I can buy fully built cheaply)
aerospace brakes on all 4 corners
25.5 CM cage
cut out ALL unneeded sheet metal
2 aluminum seats
powerglide (I know we will have enough low end torque)
air to air intercooler with minimized tubing
holeshot wheels
minitubbed-basically backhalf the car but leave the factory frame rail and replace the sheet metal with aluminum
small aluminum radiator
only accessory will be waterpump and alternator

What else would be beneficial?

Doesn't anybody remember Bruce Sizemore's "Preparation H" H/Gas Maverick? Ford truck 6, cut Boss 302 head.....NHRA record holder.....one badass 6-popper Maverick. Google that one.

Yes

Gas or alcohol? If you went with alcohol wouldn't you get to ditch the intercooler & save some more weight? A Maverick can be fairly light as a back half. But I wonder how something like the first Probe body style would compare weight wise as a back half.

Hard to tell which body would really push the least air as a back half. The Probe is super swoopy, but the Pinto & vega have a small frontal area too cuz their so narrow. The boxy Escort & the blunt nose Maverick are probably pushing the most air. But the plus for the Maverick is it has miles of rear fender/rear roof line for tons of slick & wheel tub room.

I was at the starting line with my cousin when Sizemore trailered Jim's E/Altered at the 3rd annual Pop Rod Championships......I think that was 1834....or maybe 1972.

I remember reading old articles about CJ Batten furnace brazing sections of either Boss 302 or 351-C heads together to make a straight 6 head. But I don't remember if it was for the 300 6cyl.

I believe it was, Dave. That trick got real popular in the early 70's. My cousin was itching to put a 300 Ford in his altered....the injected Dodge "bent 6" was getting its ass regularly kicked by the 300's. He kept watching for a Ford engine to buy but all the racers had 'em cleaned out of the boneyards. He collected all the necessary pieces (Hilborns and all) except the engine core....then he died. Woulda been a cool car, too.

no alky, against the rules. Have to keep the factory frame rail but can notch the hell out of it though. I will not have to take much out though to fit the allowable tires which is the biggest of a 28x10.5.

I just received word on clarification of some rules. Can not alter the firewall or floor from the door jam forward except for bars. Can NOT change the front suspension from factory form. I can rebuild it but can't change it to a Mustang II or Fox style. Ladder bar is the standard rear suspension in the class but can run factory style. Has to meet the NHRA "rules" too. I said that very loosely. Mainly the safety stuff. Has to keep the factory dash.

He has not told me what organizations but keeps giving me rules. I have a feeling what classes but am not for sure. I am waiting until Sept to start on the build so I have time to learn more about what it needs to be.

What race weight can the early Falcons get to?