Wondering (1 Viewer)

[travis1960]

Don Garlits stayed with the rear engine concept for Top Fuel cars until he made it work. Now it is the standard.

Why hasn't someone done the same thing with Funny Cars? Get the driver in front of the bomb instead of behind it.

We all know that it was tried back in the early days by Jim Dunn and a few others. Ill handling was said to be the problem with these rear engine Funny Cars.

Couldn't modern technology be applied to solve the handling problem?

Do we need a modern day Don Garlits to make a rear engine Funny Car work?

Just wondering out loud.

 

[I was NITRO BREATH]

i was thinking the same thing. time has come to take this idea very seriously. I don't want to lose another driver

 

[Muddy]

Don Garlits stayed with the rear engine concept for Top Fuel cars until he made it work. Now it is the standard.

Why hasn't someone done the same thing with Funny Cars? Get the driver in front of the bomb instead of behind it.

We all know that it was tried back in the early days by Jim Dunn and a few others. Ill handling was said to be the problem with these rear engine Funny Cars.

Couldn't modern technology be applied to solve the handling problem?

Do we need a modern day Don Garlits to make a rear engine Funny Car work?

Just wondering out loud.

.

Wow and you think a AA/FA is hard to drive. It would be like driving a go kart at 330 MPH. That's why the wheel base is 125. You've got to set back some so that you have time to react direction change. Not saying it won't work but it sure has its problems. Wheel base would have to be much longer. IMO

 

[travis1960]

If my memory is correct, the thing Don did to make it work was changing the "speed" of the steering. Right?

Nothing worthwhile is easy.

Perseverance.

 

[Muddy]

If my memory is correct, the thing Don did to make it work was changing the "speed" of the steering. Right?

Nothing worthwhile is easy.

Perseverance.

That's correct but he still started with a 200+ in wheel base. Here you have a 125" wheel base. Big difference when it begins to get sideways.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

If my memory is correct, the thing Don did to make it work was changing the "speed" of the steering. Right?

Nothing worthwhile is easy.

Perseverance.

They slowed the ratio down. They and everyone else until then tried rear engine dragsters with the same spindle arms from front engine dragsters. In his autobiography, Don said something like "It was the most evil handling %&*#@$!!." He said no matter what he did, left or right, it went too far. Someone else suggested slowing down the steering and Don questioned it, then tried it. Next pass was as if on a wire.

I haven't read the book in a few years but, I wonder how long they were able to keep a lid on the key to their advantage?

 

[blackbeard]

theres one flaw. the driver in a rear engine funny car is basically sitting on top of the fuel cell. i am not certain, but i don't see a way to get around this.

 

[Just Paul]

John Force took a very serious look at a rear engine FC design back in the early 90's, and I seem to remember they even had drawings made up. I think they realized pretty fast once they got into it that it was not going to work out.

 

[Nunz]

I think Connie Swingle suggested to Big that they try slowing the steering down. And I'm not sure, but didn't NHRA end up ruling out rear-engine Fcs?

 

[none]

John Force took a very serious look at a rear engine FC design back in the early 90's, and I seem to remember they even had drawings made up. I think they realized pretty fast once they got into it that it was not going to work out.

John Force started off in a rear engined funny car built by Jack Chrisman.
At OCIR he ran over the timing lights on almost every pass....EVIL it was !

 

[Terry]

Was that one that was a child of the "Sidewinder" and was a chain drive or am I going back too far?

 

[jeff]

Engine placement is not the problem its getting the car slowed is what seems to be the issue.

 

[travis1960]

theres one flaw. the driver in a rear engine funny car is basically sitting on top of the fuel cell. i am not certain, but i don't see a way to get around this.

Where there's a will there's a way.

___________________________________________________________

Engine placement is not the problem its getting the car slowed is what seems to be the issue.

Huh?

If the bomb goes off "behind" the driver, there is less chance of him being rendered unconscious....or blinded by smoke and fire.

Here is a good read on the history.

Rear Engine Funny Cars by Danny White

It would cost a lot of money, but I bet it could be done.

 

[d'kid]

Was that one that was a child of the "Sidewinder" and was a chain drive or am I going back too far?

Yepper, she sure was nebraski....

Chucked chains alot

d'kid

One thing about back motor floppers, they seemed to think the back motor meant Back Flip. getting air to the motor was issue #2... Big Jim's 'grill' in the windshield? That was a subscription

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Yepper, she sure was nebraski....

Chucked chains alot

d'kid

One thing about back motor floppers, they seemed to think the back motor meant Back Flip. getting air to the motor was issue #2... Big Jim's 'grill' in the windshield? That was a subscription

Didn't OCIR end up banning that car?