Racers are really good at presenting aftermarket companies with new problems to solve since they’re always finding new ways to generate loads of new horsepower. Top Dragster class racers have pushed fast bracket racing to a new level and that has put additional strain on parts, especially the rearend. Strange Engineering found a way to help Top Dragster racers by introducing its new dragster-specific 9-inch Modular 4-Link Floater rearend that can plenty of abuse.

Full floater rearends have been around for decades in drag racing, and they’re usually found in nitro-powered vehicles, behind Top Alcohol cars, and in the Pro Mod class. These rearends are great for high-horsepower applications because they take the need to carry the load of the vehicle off the axle and allow it to just apply horsepower. A spindle that’s attached to the axle tube supports the weight of the car, and this makes it less likely for an axle to fail since it only has to apply horsepower.

While a traditional rearend works fine for most dragster applications, the extreme nature of cars in the Top Dragster class required something more robust. JC Cascio from Strange Engineering talks about what went into the design of the 9-inch Modular 4-Link Floater rearend.

“As the power increases and the tires evolve, the tremendous load that’s placed on the driveline tests the limits and always finds the weakest link. Tire-shake and other potential driveline failures have contributed to cracking axle bearings and bending axle flanges in a traditional rearend configuration. These are definite safety concerns. The Strange Engineering floater kit has been redesigned and incorporated into the dragster housing. The floater assembly absorbs any bending loads into the entire housing. This allows the axle shafts to only see the torsional load, which results in a safer and more reliable assembly.”

The 9-inch Modular 4-Link Floater rearend ships from Strange with a stainless steel brake kit and a set of 40-spline gun-drilled axles. Strange has designed this rearend so it can accept 9-, 9 1/2-, and 10-inch gear sets, plus you can make changes to the outer components to change the 4-link spacing as needed.

To learn more about this heavy-duty rearend check out the Strange Engineering website right here.