chassis/class questions

could a guy use a used top fuel funny car for top alcohol class? thats given the car is in great shape and low runs (also name brand car). would there be any advantage/disadvantage to this? What all would have to be changed if a guy bought a complete nitro car roller to make it legal for alcohol? thanks in advance

 

Why?

Don't waste your time and money.(I mean you Dad's time and money) If you want an alcohol funny car then build or buy an alcohol funny car.

 

Yeah, why?

I don't think you'd be able to get a fuel chassis to perform properly with an alcohol setup.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but because of the design and operating differences, a fuel chassis won't behave unless you're throwing 'John Force' horsepower at it. You'd be forever trying to get the car to turn on, and in the meantime you'd be eating everyone's dust. It wouldn't be fun.
If you're that dead-set on the car (is it that good?), buy it, strip it, order an alcohol chassis, transfer everything you can over, and resell the bare fuel chassis. You'll have 'fun' building a car that's yours, with the parts you want from the fuel car. It'll be all that much sweeter when you go racing in a car you built. Much better than racing 'so-and-so's' old car

 

i bought a new kckinney car from murf several years ago and he built the whole car for me but it was a fuel chassis that i ran in top alcohol in ihra and match raced the car was the finest that i had ever seen just had to have it and i had the money the car drove perfect the problem is it was stiffer than an alky car and i always had to really get after it and if was very fast but when you come to splitting hairs and thousands of seconds if i had it to do over i would buy a new alcohol car i think you would be better off and it would be more forgiving than a fuel car tring to run top alcohol with it just my thoughts but agian if it that good of a deal buy it go have some fun and then build you a new alcohol car

good luck

 

not trying to step on anyone's toes or come off the wrong way but a fuel chassis will not work properly in an alcohol situation. for starters, the motor location is different, secondly the chassis is stiffer, and so on and so on... you can absolutely run alcohol with a fuel chassis, will it work? yes. will you compete with manzo, payne etc... NO.

 

exactly what i was tring to say it probley will be cheaper to to get your feet wet with a deal on a used top fuel car but to compete with manzo the other heavy hitters if your planning on racing with those guys look for a good top alcohol car are have one built i know when i had my alcohol car built i could tell the difference right away from my high dollar mruf mckinney car which was as good as anyones in the counrty the alky chassis just worked better than the fuel chassis even thow it wasnt near as trick looking

oh by the way im NOT KNOCKING MURF MCKINNEY it was a great car and very trick piece and it was a great deal for the chassis about half price because chuck etchells had ordered it and had cancelled before it was done so then i had murf finish the car to a complete roller and mount the body very very trick just wasnt flexible enough top alcohol

 

when i worked for murf we did a few alcohol cars like that for people. there were a couple of cars that were left over from scotty cannon's deal, johnny gray etc... i too am not knocking murf in any way. he has ALOT of expensive schtuff that has to be paid for. you could absolutely get more bang for your buck by going to a smaller chassis shop like pro start, neil and parks, myself etc...

 

Jim's right, though. If it's a really good deal, it would be a good way to get started, providing he's not expecting to run with the big dogs. Then build an alcohol car later.

Yeah, I'd love a chassis from Murf as well

 

thanks for the info and opinion guys. I had the same thoughts about the stiffness and having to put so much power to it that it may not be consitantly going down tracks especially questionable tracks.

 

to give you an idea of what it ran with a brad fuel head 526 3.98 in the 1/8 mi and 6.17 in the 1/4 mi that was in 98 so it could still be fast just not 5.60s