Dragster alignment?

i have an older r.e.d. it has a single front axle with no torsion it has a little adjustment but i'm not sure what way to go. it shakes at speed. i have eliminated every other possibility not many guys around here know much about dragsters. any help appreciated

 

There is probably something loose, King Pins, Wheel Bearings, Rod Ends Etc.
Also could be a wheel or something out of balance, if you feel it in the steering wheel then it is probably in the front end, if it is the whole car it could be drive line alignment or a rear wheel.
Kurt-Prostart Race Cars 908-479-4098

 

I sold a dragster a while back the guy told me the samething but he said it was almost undriveable. As it turned out there was about a cup of water in the tire . Mostlikely from air hose on shop floor all the time.

Just a thought Rick

 

Are they solid wheels or wire wheels?
Back in the seventies had a top fuel car that shook at speed ahd the balance on one front tire was the problem. Could also be one wheel out of round especially if it is a wire wheel. If it is you can true it up same as a spoke wheel on mx bike.

 

My dragster had the same dog shitting razer blades syndrome also,it turned out to be both front wheels out of balance.A local HD bike shop rectified that for me!

 

Fix a Flat

Buddy of mine had similiar problem. Found out that one of his helpers put a can of fix - o - flat in one of the front tires. Talk about a bucking bronco.

Quick check.

Jack up the front end. Get both tires off the ground. Rotate each front wheel at 90 deg increments and let go. See if the wheel rotates back to the same place each time. This is a simple static type of check and will only work if you have good set of bearings on each wheel. Works even better when you don't have any grease on the bearings and the spindle nut just barely snug.

I would still suggest getting both balanced but this will tell you if there is something really wrong.

Brad

 

they are solid wheels had balance and roundness checked and they are a ok. talked to a local guy this weekend and he said the front end needed to be tweaked. i'm interested as to the caster/camber and toe settings

 

anal alignment counts

Caster has probably not much adjustment, but a frt. motor car with not a lot of front weight should have 24-32 degrees. Toe is very important, 1/8- 3/16" toe in. After any adjustment, tighten (snug) all bolts, then the car MUST roll forward BEFORE measuring again. If it creeps back, it will unload the tire from the forward motion.
If the car has stagger, do NOT measure tire center to tire center. I"ll explain later if it does.
Too much toe will "dart", too little will "hunt", or you might have to slap the driver if all the settings are correct. He may be wiggling the wheel unnecessarly.

 

the front axles have 2" of stagger. and the loose nut behind the wheel tried to wiggle the steering a little because it was better than the shake when held steady

 

Bare with me here

Being a former smoker (40+yrs.), I am aware of the American Lung Association symbol
It is a cross with double bars that happens to be red, you might know it.
This is the picture you need to see in your mind to follow along.
The up and down of the cross signifies the main bar. The two bars of the cross signifiy the front alignment centerlines. If you measure tire to tire centerline, the bars of the cross will be very crooked. If you measure from the inside of the leading wheel two inches back from the face of the tire (the fat of the tire) to the centerline of the back wheel, you will achieve one of the straight bars of the cross.
Now, you will go to the back and repeat the above from the fat of the tire to the centerline of the tire in front of you. You have just completed two bars of the cross which will have 90 degree intersections.
This means, now the front wheels should be square to the direction the car is supposed to go. If you did it 'tire center to tire center', you will see the car will now go right instead of straight.

 

thanks bob i'll give it a shot

 

We always did ours with four builders squares held tight with vice grips. Can be set up anywhere if you know the stagger. Forward tire touches the square, rearward tire is stagger away and touches at the rear, with stagger measureagain at rear of forward tire. Makes everything square and car rolls without preload. Had our fronts on with two inch stagger for four years and the molding mark hasn't even worn off the tire center yet. No shimmy or shake. Balanced tire/wheel assemblies of course. Even our dummmmmest crew guy can check the alignment and get it right.

 

hello would this be the same toe for a funnycar ?
cheers

 

Yes, but not caster.

 

Uncle Bob

You are an absolute wealth of very important information, you forgot to tell that guy to send you a Carton of smokes though......LOL......I still remember seeing Kent Fuller " correct " a very, very ,evil driving Champion Speed Shop Chevy car he built after McClennan bolted in a Fuel Chrysler...He took Sammy's shoe laces out of his shoes and tied them between his wrists and the frame rails after he did the old " turn around " on the line and amazingly the car went straight.......A little tough to turn off at the other end but Sammy was a pretty creative guy........................Hey, how is david S s Flopper going ? ? ? ?When is the first outing and Who the hell is Worms ? ? ? ? Happy Trails, Larry................

 

Body and tin are happening now. Worms is probably going to be my new Dad soon, I'm up for adoption!