I would have to agree with the above. I've had a dragster, and am no longer a fan of them. I tell you what, it will spoil you when you can just drive your door car into the trailer, tie 'er down, and go. It's hard to run a dragster as a one man crew. And talk about a pain in your neck getting in and out of shops if you don't have a straight shot, or have a lip up to the shop pad. :x I guess I just got fed up with it. Now I'm looking to get into an altered... we'll see how long it takes me to get fed up with that! :twisted: :idea: :arrow:

I'm not going to disagree w/you or mikeaton. Dragster is more than a one man show. That's where my son comes in along w/others. Dragster from the get go is cheaper, and easier to maintain for novice like me.

Thanks for the input.

Now, how about some books to recomend?

Still no thoughts on getting a junked SBC to use as a learing tool?

Scott

Dragster
 

Scott, I am 100% dragster guy and think that is the best way to go for a beginner it takes too much experience to be able to make a door car consistant. It does not matter how fast it is as long as it will run the number, you will figure out the tree! I dont know about a junk SBC as a racetrask is no place for junk. I started out with an inexspensive 377SBC. It started out running 9.20s and at end of 10 years i had it running 8.50s.Then i wanted to go faster and found out what the words money pit really meant. You can operate a dragster buy yourself but its nice to have someone with you. My son has been with me at the racetrack since i started and is still with me at the track, it has kept him off the streets on weekends and out of trouble and that is worth all the money i have spent. I started letting him make passes when he was 16. we have had 2 cars and now we are back to 1 car. I drive on Friday night he drives on Saturday night. You wiiiiiiiiilll enjoy it dont hesitate to ask me any questions! Thanks,Don

dragster
 

hey mlc a "junk yard 350" is a starting point but the bbc are still available and are just about the same price and they will go faster lol go to autozone and check into the "how to hot rod a sbc" the book has hundreds of things to look for and also tried and true combos to help you get started one idea a customer of mine bought a "crate" sbc from his chevy dealer changed the intake,carb and installed a billet msd ignition system and went racing! 50,000 or 5 year warranty on the engine! just a thought mike

My daughter started out in jr's at age 10 and she doesn't want anything else. I had a '69 Camaro and 2 cars were too much trouble and expence. We bought a 215 inch hard-tail dragster she ran for a while, sold it and bought a used 4-link and that is the way to go.


Steve

Re: Dragster
 

Agreed. Just to clarify. I only want the junker to learn from. No plans on using it beyond something to screw around with. More than likely will buy turn key.

My thoughts exactly. Thanks Don.

Midlife Crisis
 

Read about your crisis, just wanted to let you know you're not the only one who has others chiming at your ignorance. Life's too short, chime right back.

That's what I was thinking. Good advice, take it! :wink:

AGREE!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

While my car was down after the crash, (by the way, my avatar was the run I crashed @ 121 mph 10.46 et) I was a hired driver on a dragster a friend owned. I did that for a year and got fairly good at it with some wins. However, it got boring for me. Do the burnout, stage, set the trans brake/airshifter/delaybox/throttle stop, mash the loud pedal to the floor, release the button, point the dragster down track, keep it in the middle of the track, (easy enough since dragster go very streight) finish the run, slow it down and return to the pits. Man! Why was I bored :?: :lol: I felt like I didn't have enough control of the run! I feel more confortable in a door car. I like shifting and driving the car versus pointing it. But different strokes for different folks. :P Follow your heart and see where it leads you. Good Luck with what ever vehicle you wind up racing. Just enjoy it. 8)