Drag racing mods for 66 charger

[jww426]

Hi everyone!

Im going bracket racing, NHRA Sportsman. Just for fun.
If I race my 66 charger hemi, Id like to add Caltracs on the leaf springs, a bolt-in roll bar, 4pt., and use a US Car Tool chassis stiffening kit. (Or one that someone says is much better)
Will these mods hurt the value of an original car a lot?
The car is in #3 condition with a rebuilt driveline.

Thanks!
JWW

[BSB67]

I think I would start by asking: 1)how committed are you and how serious of an effort, and 2) How fast do you plan to go?  You might not need any of that stuff.

You don't need a bar until 11.50.  You don't need Caltracs or stiffeners, but both are nice.  How hard are you planning on hitting the chassis?  i.e. gear tire, converter?

IMO, it would not hurt the value that much, but I'm not a purist and into that sort of thing.

[c00nhunterjoe]

The only thing that could hurt the value are the stiffeners. Everything else is bolt on. X2 with russ's questions.
If you are looking at caltrac bars, then you might as well do their springs as well. I cant remember your horsepower numbers or what you changed in the motor. But if it is a stock build, you will see minimal improvement in et for the money spent on the springs and bars.

[HPP]

I wouldn't do any of it until you have a couple seasons under your belt and feel you need to address the consistantcy of your runs. Bracket racing is going to have you up against 10 second dedicated drag cars and 25 second mini vans. It is all about you doing the same thing every run of every day the exact same way and knowing how changes in  air and asphalt impact your car for you to adjust your dial in.

With that said, IMO, every old car needs a minimum of SFC. A whole stiffening kit is a huge benefit. However, if you are concerned with originality, use bolt in connectors so they can be easily removed. While not as good as welded units, they are better than nothing.

[Lennard]

I agree with all given answers.  Before you invest in all those parts, go to the track and find out if you like it first. Also talk with other racers and find out what works for them.

[jww426]

Thanks for the help.
HE's a great old car thats never been to a track, and that's a shame.
The rebuilt motor has a hot street cam and its been dyno'd to 542 bhp. 10.5:1 pistons.
In reality I only want to have fun. I road raced for 20 years so Im done with being super competitive. (I was slow anyway as a pro!)
I think with 4:11 gears he'll make mid 13's.
8 inch rear steelies with 275 width tires.

The minimum for ET Sportsman bracket racing is a 4pt roll bar, driveshaft loop, overflow tank, harnesses, and a halon fire system.
I believe its a duty that everyone take their chargers to the track, thats what they are built for. Fun.
Best,
JWW

[jww426]

pic

[Lennard]

You need a halon fire system? 

[jww426]

The NHRA rulebook states that Sportsman ET class requires a cabin fire system. What type of chemical I don't know.

[jww426]

Whoops.
You were right. The 2016 rulebook says a fire system is optional.
Ill see soon what the 2017 book says.

[Lennard]

I bet that they just mean a hand held fire extinguisher. Not a complete fire suppression system. Halon eliminates oxygen out of the air so that's only for under the hood. You'd suffocate in seconds if it was activated inside your car.

[HPP]

The minimum for ET Sportsman bracket racing is a 4pt roll bar, driveshaft loop, overflow tank, harnesses, and a halon fire system.

Please read deeper into that and check all  possible notations.  Roll bars typically aren't needed until your e.t. drops to 11.49 and then there are a host of other regs about it in relationship to the firewall and floor. Same with halon.

Typical street car requirements are seat belts in good condition (not harnesses) and overflow cans. Driveshaft loops are always a good idea, but aren't required unless you are running dedicated race slicks or are running 11.49 and less.

Helmets are require for anything faster than a 14.

The whole point of bracket racing is to make it easy to bring your street car out. Rules consistently tighten up the faster you go.

[jww426]

Thanks for the help.
Ill wear a full Simpson suit and helmet, install 5pt harnesses, and install a bolt-in roll bar.
Ive had enough crashes on the track to know the hell of it.
JWW

[c00nhunterjoe]

Bolt in roll bar is a no go. I suggest heading to the track as is, take your helmet with you since the car will definatly be faster then a 13.99. I doubt you will break i to the 11s on street tires but you have the hp to do it. Start there and then decide how much you want to modify the car.

[jww426]

OK
no roll bar.

[Challenger340]

IMO, run it "as is" for now first, with whatever safety equipment is required to get on the track for a baseline ?
From there,
it will be easy to determine from that "baseline" timeslip(s), not just the potential, but how far towards that "potential" ET you wish to pursue it with changes ?

MPH will not change much moving forward from that "baseline" timeslip, without Engine "HP" enhancement(best left alone until you are using what you already have)
HP is basically MPH !
But the associated "ET" with whatever baseline MPH ?
can change dramatically with changes to the Car itself, like suspension, tire, shift points, T/Convertor, etc., etc.

What I am saying is this....
you may run a 13.2 ET initially, but with a 105-110 mph on the slip ?
But from the 105-110 MPH or whatever.... THAT is easy to see the low 12's or better "potential", because there is a correlation between MPH to efficient ET by improving 60ft time(Traction/launch), and 330-660 Ft times through shift points to maximize time spent at best Trq/hp ?
Really, in an "Elapsed Time" event, that is all you are trying to do.... slice off and APPLY the best parts of the Trq/HP curves within the "Time" recorded.

example:
If you see a 108 mph on a 13.0 E.T with a 2.0 second 60 ft time ?
Easy to see that if you can "just" drop the 60 ft time down around 1.75 seconds..... with NO OTHER CHANGES
then,
you could probably expect to see that time slip go down to around 12.5 -12.6 E.T. on that same 108 mph
Because,
you can basically almost double any gains in 60 ft time off final ET on the time slip.

2.0 seconds minus 1.75 seconds = .25 seconds, X "2" would equal .50 seconds OFF the ET on same MPH

Good luck and have FUN !

[jww426]

I rebuilt the stock suspension with new springs and shocks and bushings all round. Its hefty, tight.
I also have a fiberglass hood with SS scoop.
Ill add bolt on Caltracs, but Ill hold off welding in any chassis stiffeners/ roll bars. He's a true survivor car.
And yet he's built for combat out of the box, and by gum he'll drag!

[BSB67]

I'm in the 11s.  No bar.  No Fire extingusher system, but have a FE, DS loop, overflow can, good helmet.  No tire, no converter, no gear so I don't hit the chassis very hard either.  Therefore, no traction devices, suspension mods, or frame connectors.

[cdr]

I'm in the 11s.  No bar.  No Fire extingusher system, but have a FE, DS loop, overflow can, good helmet.  No tire, no converter, no gear so I don't hit the chassis very hard either.  Therefore, no traction devices, suspension mods, or frame connectors.

You have done well  !!!!! very cool car !!

[jww426]

Wow.
Thats a great ET with a 3:23 gear.
I have the stock 3:54, but Im thinking 4:10 gear.
My 4-speed seems like a wide ratio with a tall 1st gear. It may be the way it came.
Was a close ration available for the Hemi in 1966?

[HPP]

With bracket racing the whole key to winning is consistency. The more adjustable you make the car, the more variables you can possibly introduce, the more chances of missing your e.t. you can encounter.

Keep it simple, make it safe, enjoy the day.

[RallyeMike]

FE, DS loop, overflow can, good helmet.

I agree with this.

Try it out and have some fun. There is a lot to explore with tuning and driving. Then you can get out your wallet. 

[c00nhunterjoe]

Before you go hogwild changing things, can you actually shift a 4 speed? If your 4 speed doesnt sound like an automatic going down the track, you might want to reconsider racing with that car.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Out of curiosity, will you be taking the car to the Virginia motorsports opening coming up???

[Harper]

Before you go hogwild changing things, can you actually shift a 4 speed? If your 4 speed doesnt sound like an automatic going down the track, you might want to reconsider racing with that car.

that's no necessarily so, as long as you leave at the same rpm, shift at the same RPM and have the same delay between shifts you can still be consistent.

we had a set of brothers locally running 4 cylinder mustangs one ran an automatic one ran a 4 speed. The 4 speed guy won way more than the automatic guy. He was known as Mr consistent

as far as all the other info above, i pretty much agree.
traction can be aided by a decent tire alone to help consistency
a seatbelt, a helmet, radiator overflow can, fire extinguisher makes good sense. The helmet is optional above a certain ET in some classes. Check your track rules.

Keep us posted, I am interested to see what kinda times you run.