Front engine dragster?

[nutcracker]

Anyone running a FED as a landracing veichle?
Throw on some skinnies at the rear and another pumpkin?

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Well, the car guys will get in here right away, but I'll see if I can beat them to it.  The standard dragster frame isn't going to pass inspection for a land speed vehicle.  The idea is fine -- but you'll need to spend some time reading the rulebook and deciding if it's easier for you to put the dragster on the blocks as a showpiece -- and build an LSR lakester from scratch.

Fred Dannenfelzer's lakester looks very much like a rear-engined dragster -- but take a closer look and you'll see differences (to say the least!)  I don't have a photo of the entire car but I betcha someone will post it here -- mostly since it's a cool car -- and VERY fast!

[Glen]

They have been pretty well disallowed due the the safety requirements. The frame tubing is usually thin wall and smaller dia. To comply it would be a major rebuild with a lot of features upgraded all around. They don't handle real well on the salt (fish Tail) etc. As far as freddie's lakester it is all 2" x .250 wall tubing with a lot of cross braces and extra panels and fire walls.

Build a new car for racing at the lakes or on the salt, you will be glad in the long run.

[Dave Haller]

Back in the mid 90's I pitted next to one great guy, shame on me for not remembering his name. He showed up at the salt the first time with a circle track car with very rough skin panels and a great alky burning carb'd small block chevy. Officials were great with him, let him modify it right there and let him run. He was from Wyoming and a circle track racer with some physical problems. He came back the following year with an old front engine dragster chassis with his alky engine. His only goal was to break 200 with it. It took him a couple of years but he did it. He hasn't been back in several years and I beleive he may have passed away due to some serious health problems he was suffering with when he did 200.
Great guy, neat car that managed to pass tech, most of us who visited with him or saw the car really liked and appreciated what he did.

[jimmy six]

Nice car .....put a GMC or a Flattie in it and have some fun at the vintage meets held all over the country..........JD

[Jonny Hotnuts]

I found (ironical) that there was considerably more work involved in converting a car to a race vehicle than if I had started from scratch with a ground up tube chassis and plastic body.

The mods needed to get the FED into a safe and competitive form will alter the car forever, and....may never be as good for LSR and never be good for a FED again.

My vote is that salt cars should never pull 2x duty

I say build a lakester, or liner and go like hell.

~JH

[AJR192]

Hey Dave I don't remember the Wyoming dude's name either but they went by Condor racig. The tow rig was the work truck for his business and the side was lettered with "Roofing Racing and Raingutters. I believe his F.E. car was one of Jeff Shipley's old lakesters.