cause4panic

I have a 1984 regal that I am hoping to turn into an 8.50 and slower car. My first two hurdles are going to be electrical and fuel system. Do I need an external cut off switch, or would one of the in car remote emergency solenoids suffice? Is there anything I should know about relocating the battery to the trunk? I was thinking to mount the fuel cell and pump in the trunk of the vehicle as well. How much cage, restraints, etc etc do I need?

The car will not be raced in a class or anything just test and tune but I do not want to worry about tech inspection every time.

Where can i get a copy of the NHRA rule book?

Stephen 87 IROC

NHRA rulebook can be purchased from NHRA, just about any speed shop and Jegs or Summit.

8.50 and slower is a huge list even if you only want to run T&T

Full cage and chassis certification. Extra bars for a funny car cage not required.
Window net
5 point harness
NHRA competition license
Any car running quicker than 9.99 or if the battery is relocated, a master switch needs to be installed at the rear and installed as per rulebook. Controls positive wire, must kill engine when shut off, not keyed etc.
2 layer pants and jacket
Single layer gloves
Full face helmet with a valid Snell rating. I believe Snell 2000 is now the minimum
Neck brace
SFI balancer
Current SFI flexplate (date coded for 5 years)
Current SFI flexplate and tranny shield (assuming you'll be using an automatic transmission) (Date coded for 3 years)
Driveshaft loop
Metal valve stems on all tubeless tires
Aftermarket axles and some sort of axle restraints (c-clip eliminators etc or a diff like a 9")
Parachute if quicker than 150 mph which is usually very close to the 9.0 range.

I think that's pretty close to the basics to run 8.50 to 9.99. Other things like fuel cell location etc depends on body style. It's all in the rulebook. Lots of other mandatory things like a rad puke tank etc.

10.0 and slower doesn't need as many things. 11.50 and slower needs even less.

95firehawk

1/4 mile or 1/8th?

Rules are completely different between those two. So is the price for admission.
Why do you want to run that fast if you aren't going to compete? You can have a ton of fun with a slower car and not break the bank to do it.

For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fkawxlUUO4

I would much rather have this car than an 8.5 second monster.

Stephen 87 IROC

Running quicker than 7.49 in the 1/8 and you need to start doing changes similar to having an 11 second car. Slower than that and it's just very basic stuff required.

8.50 ET is considered an ET break for 1/4 mile racing. 8.50 in the 1/8 is only a low 13 second car.

I did some 1/8 mile racing last year when the top end timers went out in one lane. Although it's easier on parts, I found it a little boring. It was over too quickly and there's no way to do top end racing.

Speed is an addiction and costs money. Some people are happy to keep running the same slower ET every year because that's all they can afford or want to do. I knew one guy who ran a 13 second race car for decades. Car ran the same ET every time and was hard to beat. Others get the bug to keep going faster. 10 years ago when I bought my car, I managed a 14.0 in the first year I owned it. It's now running low 9's and I still feel the urge to go faster. I'm hoping for an 8 second time slip this year even if it's a 8.99.

cause4panic

I’m referring to ¼ mile. I really want a car that I can cruise around the neighborhood without too much hassle but still am able to load it on a trailer and run some single digit passes at test and tune. I think I should get the rule book and start reading.

JakeRobb

Good luck building a car that is as streetable as you want and runs anything close to 8.50 in the quarter. It's not an easy task.

Seriously, good luck.

cause4panic

I was thinking a LSx block @ approx 427 cubes, a pair of 70 mm turbos, a 4l80e all decked out, and a 9".


maybe im dreaming

Jake, do you think this combo isent capable of single digit times?

JakeRobb

Set up properly, I'm sure it would be. I just don't think it would be very pleasant on the street.

Stephen 87 IROC

It's not impossible to do but it is expensive. A turbo or NOS car is the easiest way to do it. It takes a lot of power to push a heavy street legal car into the 8's. Estimate about a 1000hp to the wheels depending on the race weight.

rskrause

Every one has a slightly different idea of what is an acceptable "street" car. But by any reasonable definition, there are just a handful of 9 second "street" cars out there. I know from experience what it takes to break into the nines with a real honest to God drive to work car. Lots of time and money. As far as 8.5 second "street" cars, at least with any reasonable definition of "street" I won't say it's not possible but I can't say I have ever seen one.

The key to big power without insane cost or maintainence is BIG cubic inches. If I were doing this from a clean sheet, I would go with a tall deck 572" big block with a multistage port nitrous system. Run it w/o the nitrous on the street on pump gas and use as much N2O as needed to run the number at the track with race fuel. That's gong to be a $30,000 motor, BTW. Also, you need a full cage just to be legal at the track. Is a car with a full cage a street car?? I wouldn't want to hit my head on one of those bars and also don't think using the 5-point harness and a helmet would be much fun running out for a six-pack.

Basically, I am saying that unless you are really loose with your definitions it aint possible to build an 8.50 car that is really a street car. You can build one that can be driven on the street, but that doesn't make it a street car. think you need to decide if you are building a fast street car, or a race car that you can drive on the street once in a while.

Rich

JakeRobb

Rich pretty much hit the nail on the head, IMO.

Taner Bosnali (a member here) has a 396ci LT1 that runs low 9's with a ~400 shot of nitrous. I'd be curious to hear his opinion on how streetable his car is.

cause4panic

The drivetrain will be a turbocharged LS based motor, 4l80e, and a 9" rear. The power will be there, my main concern which i think rskrause brought up is..... how much cage will this thing need? I have only been in a few cars with cages and they were all fake(not certed).

Can a cage for 8.50's have a swing out section to enter? And be minimal like this?


Or will it be on this kind of magnitude?


That harness will not bother me but having to install some sort of permanent window net is out of the question, i still want moveable glass.

My other worrie is my idiot friends coming by and switching off the master switch at a stop light when we are all cruising around.

Im trying to find that point where the safety equipment is just going to annoy the crap out of me. I want to stay away from that point but still not catch to much crap from the officials when i go to test and tune. If i have to dial down the car and run somewhere above 9.99 that is acceptable.

Thanks for the guidance guys, hopefully this car will be a big step for me.

JakeRobb

Here is some handy information:

http://www.nhra.org/contacts/tech_faq.html

The answers to your roll cage questions and your emergency shutoff questions are there.

95firehawk

The latter cage is what you are going to need....and then some. I personally don't see an 8.50 car being remotely streetable. Shoot for a second slower and then you got something to work for.

cause4panic

If i am reading this correctly i would only need a 10 pt cage. At what point do you need the funny car cage?