Ever since the 2001 Daytona 500, when we witnessed the tragic death of legendary Dale Earnhardt, head and neck restraint (HNR) systems have been commonplace in racing. Many believe driver fatalities are on the decline, but is that really the case? Read here how a HNR device could save your life.
Chassis & Safety
Chassisworks Ups the Ante With New Full-Frame System for Camaros
by Lindsey Fisher
on December 20, 2012
When it comes to American muscle cars, there is no limit to what can be done with a pro-touring goal. That is unless you’re hindered by time, money or ability to create your perfect car. But lucky for you first-generation Camaro fans, Chassisworks just recently added to their line of 1967-1969 Camaro parts.
We’re on a mission for traction as we try to feed 1,300 horsepower through a stock type suspension and some skinnny M/T drag radials on Project BlownZ. How do we plan to do that? Easy – with tough parts from Moser, Afco, and Wolfe Racecraft, mixed in with adjustability and endless hours of chassis tuning…
Shifting Weight and Steering Straight – BlownZ’s Front Suspension
by Clifton Klaverweiden
on September 5, 2012
The job of getting BlownZ’s power to the ground at the starting line lies on the suspension, and it all starts with the front suspension setting the events in motion to get the weight to the rear tires. Read along as we set up Project BlownZ’s front suspension for maximum effectiveness at the drag strip…
In this feature tech piece we’re going to take a look at the in’s and out’s of the basic roll cage, from the materials they’re constructed of, to where you can have one installed, what it will cost you, and what NHRA regulations you need to know before you chop up your prized vehicle and start bending and welding.
From daily drivers, to street/strip cars and even full-tilt drag cars, Wild Rides Race Cars shows us that the GM A- & G-body is a formidable platform with the correct suspension parts. We discuss traction and even feature which A- & G-body parts will work best for your application. Find out more, here!
Is that new cold air intake going to help your tow vehicle get your race car to the track or will that new sway bar? In our book, our vehicles are not worth the risk. A safer and more stable haul wins out over the handful of potential horsepower. We explain why here.
Project 666: Travel Limiter, Wing, and Radiator Support From Team Z
by Jason Reiss
on February 17, 2012
We performed a mad thrash in an attempt to squeeze the car into the 9’s at the end of the season, with a 9.94 at 134 MPH. The mad thrash taught us a few things, so we went right back to our friend Dave Zimmerman and his group of craftsmen at Team Z Motorsports for a few additional chassis updates to Project 666.
Project MaxStreet, our blown, big-block ’66 Chevy II, is full of cool stuff—850 ProCharged rear-wheel horsepower, all good parts that ensure this rig will be a fun ride down the quarter-mile. That ride could, however, be our last if not for some necessary safety gear, namely a 10-point roll cage.
Wild Rides S-Box Torque Box on Project 666 Fox Body Mustang
by Jefferson Bryant
on November 11, 2011
Launching on slicks or even drag radials puts an incredible amount of stress on the factory torque box, more than what it was designed for. Eventually, the cracks appear in the fatigued sheet metal and the mounting holes stretch out, which is why we turned to Wild Rides for our Project 666 Fox Body Mustang.
Project 666 Gets Lighter and Safer with Holcomb, Kirkey and Grant
by Shane McGlaun
on August 1, 2011
Project 666 gets fitted with new Kirkey racing seats, Holcomb seat brackets, a lightweight race steering column, and more in the latest round of upgrades to our ten-second quarter mile screamer.
Competition Eliminator class is easily the most diverse eliminator in NHRA. You can run pretty much anything, except nitromethane. Supercharged, turbocharged, gasoline, alcohol, dragsters, door cars, altereds, street roadsters, fast front wheel drive cars, front engine dragsters, Pro Modifieds and more.
Many people attending an NHRA or IHRA event may watch Class racing and wonder what all the letters and classes mean on a car, and how they get there. We’ll start with probably the simplest of the three main stock-type classes – NHRA Stock Eliminator.
When building a race car, one of the most misunderstood parts of the build can be the roll cage. Different frame designs and modifications made to that frame all require different attributes to the cage’s design. We break down the rules bar by bar using a Chris Alston’s Chassisworks pre-bent cage on a ’65 ‘Stang
It might have been awhile since you have seen an update on our 666. The Mustang is going to be used as a temporary race car for the 2011 PSCA racing season. The class we plan to run is Limited Street, though the Mustang will be there just to gain points while the real car is being built.
Our Project MaxStreet Chevy II needed a rear suspension that could handle the power from our Musi/Edelbrock 555-inch big block and really plant the tires effectively. The folks are Detroit Speed hooked us up with their new QUADRALink that will accomplish just that.
There is a lot of information written across the tread face and sidewalls of their tires, and to teach us how to read it, we turned to Mickey Thompson Tires Motorsports Manager Carl Robinson.“Ultimately it’s the measured performance that will tell the truth on your tires,” says Robinson.
Our MaxStreet Chevy II wasn’t designed to be a real performer out on any type of track. Even dumping all the money in the world attempting to revive the stock style suspension will only get you so far. Something had to be done to help this car be able to hold it’s own.. and Chassisworks got the call!
Depending on who you speak to, we lose 10- to 20-percent of our torque due to friction losses in the drivetrain. Naturally, no one likes losing torque after spending so much money and working so hard to create this rotating force. This is, after all, the force we use to move the car and no matter which class you run, the name of the game is to move the car. So if we’re going to be good racers, one of the many questions we must ask is, “What can I do to reduce torque loss due to friction in the drivetrain?”
Before you start thinking that I’m going to sneak a shop safety spill on you, let me assure you that’s not the case. This month’s article deals with how much skin we’ve left in engine bays and how much blood has been spilled on the garage floor. This is a universal fact in doing maintenance: THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
