Prominant FC chassis builder speaks his mind. (2 Viewers)

[Randy]

It would be interesting to see if anybody is going to invest in destructive testing of chassis. Seems like with the right setup, a delaminating outof balance rear tire could be duplicated in a test facility and see what fails first.

Destructive testing was done on two dragtser chassis at great expense with alarming results. It was posted on the Dragster chassis thread. All of the results were of no interest to the rule makers. There is the problem.

 

[Randy]

Stay tuned. This may very well be the strongest article that Jon Asher has penned in 40 years of drag racing journalism.

 

[handsome]

Nothing against anybodys chassis building but is it possible that JFR is producing more power and more downforce than anybody else and loading the tires and chassis more? Just seems to me that they (JFR) might have hit the area that things start to fail. Maybe not. Maybe they just have poor quality parts?? Not likely with unlimited funds. I am sure there is lots of testing going on and lots more changes coming.

It would be interesting to see if anybody is going to invest in destructive testing of chassis. Seems like with the right setup, a delaminating outof balance rear tire could be duplicated in a test facility and see what fails first.

i doubt john force's team is making THAT much more power than everyone else. i have been told that most all of the big teams make around the same power, it's just how you manage that power is how you win races.

 

[Randy]

i doubt john force's team is making THAT much more power than everyone else. i have been told that most all of the big teams make around the same power, it's just how you manage that power is how you win races.

Excellent post.

 

[Nitrohelper]

Bruce, I have NO idea what the rules are for Heat treating on these cars.

Heat treating isn't required for F/C's, and for T/F, heavier tubing can be used instead of the heat treated.
Steve & Grant use .065 pipe in the lower frame rails. Murf uses .058 , the minimum SFI spec. Also the slip tube is what some guys want too!
I hear that Steve has just finished a new frame for Densham , and thats his last modern F/C .
I hope he just keeps building CLASSIC funny cars for years .
" Two mags for too much power" "Kill the down force, Save the tires "

 

[handsome]

Heat treating isn't required for F/C's, and for T/F, heavier tubing can be used instead of the heat treated.
Steve & Grant use .065 pipe in the lower frame rails. Murf uses .058 , the minimum SFI spec. Also the slip tube is what some guys want too!
I hear that Steve has just finished a new frame for Densham , and thats his last modern F/C .
I hope he just keeps building CLASSIC funny cars for years .
" Two mags for too much power" "Kill the down force, Save the tires "

i am pretty heat treated tubing IS required in top fuel dragsters for the back halfs . i remember vandergrif's car couldn't test at vegas last year because the back half was not heat treated.

 

[The Counterfeiter]

So is NHRA supposed to come up with a 'common' chassis for everyone to use? Or are they supposed to redo everyone's chassis b/c JFR has had problems? Is it NHRA's responsibility to 'correct' the chassis problems for teams that are not having problems???

David - A McKinney chassis failed, seriously injuring a driver. Teams other than JFR run McKinney chassis. I think it would be reasonable for NHRA to determine what went wrong and inform those teams. NHRA is SUPPOSED to be in charge of safety. As far as any of us know, there has been no report on chassis issues from NHRA or any plans for testing or new chassis rules.
Is NHRA supposed to come up with a common chassis? If that is what it takes, yes.

And . . . does anyone know how to actually access the current FC and TF chassis rules? There certainly is a lot of confusion here!

 

[handsome]

the (SFI) chassis spect are not posted anywhere i know of in the open. you have to buy a copy from sfi.

 

[McGyver]

go here: SFI Web Site
$35.00 and you can own the spec.
God I love this sport, nothing that money can,t take care of, or fix.

 

[Stroker]

David - A McKinney chassis failed, seriously injuring a driver. Teams other than JFR run McKinney chassis. I think it would be reasonable for NHRA to determine what went wrong and inform those teams. NHRA is SUPPOSED to be in charge of safety. As far as any of us know, there has been no report on chassis issues from NHRA or any plans for testing or new chassis rules.
Is NHRA supposed to come up with a common chassis? If that is what it takes, yes.

And . . . does anyone know how to actually access the current FC and TF chassis rules? There certainly is a lot of confusion here!

With this being said, could it be something done to the chassis after it leaves the builders shop!

 

[Nitrohelper]

. I remember Vandergrif's car couldn't test at Vegas last year because the back half was not heat treated.

And because it didn't have the thicker wall tubing.
The teams didn't want to run the heavier tubing because they thought it would make the cars too stiff.
The new SFI rules for 2008 T/F cars call for the thicker wall tubing. IIRC it's around .071 wall, and has to be special order.
Rooman add any info please ? ?

 

[Tony]

With all due respect to Grant Downing, Steve Plueger, et al; I believe the reason that more Murf McKinney cars have experienced failures is because there are tremendously more Murf cars being raced. It's the law of averages. If Grant Downing has 2 cars entered in an average qualifing field of say, 20 cars, Plueger has 1, and McKinney has 11 or 12, the opportunity for failure of a McKinney car is a lot higher than any other manufacturer.

 

[Big John]

I have a friend that said that he would not get out of an electric chair to get in a Murf McKinney car. He has driven and work on many fuel cars.

 

[Just Paul]

I have a friend that said that he would'nt get out of an electrict chair to get in a Murf McKinney car. He has driven and work on many fuel cars.

I think that is pretty harsh and has no business being posted here. I agree 99% of the time, message boards like this are ment for open discussion, but I don't think people need to get thrown under the bus when it comes to this subject matter.

 

[The Counterfeiter]

I have a friend that said that he would'nt get out of an electrict chair to get in a Murf McKinney car. He has driven and work on many fuel cars.

Well John - is your friend one of the majority of current fuel drivers who strap themselves into a Murf chassis? Pleuger is apparently done, Grant will build chassis for the single car CSK effort and (I think) Kalitta will be running the only Attack FC chassis.
Think about this . . . if McKinney gets fed up with being slammed it would be close to Goodyear giving up on producing tires. If you have a solution to this problem, bring it on or SHUT UP. And learn how to spell -

 

[Tom]

I have a friend that said that he would'nt get out of an electrict chair to get in a Murf McKinney car. He has driven and work on many fuel cars.

Oh yeah? What's his name and who does he work for?

 

[Big John]

Well John - is your friend one of the majority of current fuel drivers who strap themselves into a Murf chassis? Pleuger is apparently done, Grant will build chassis for the single car CSK effort and (I think) Kalitta will be running the only Attack FC chassis.
Think about this . . . if McKinney gets fed up with being slammed it would be close to Goodyear giving up on producing tires. If you have a solution to this problem, bring it on or SHUT UP. And learn how to spell -

Jim I posted something that I thought was funny and to the point. Many people on this board disagree with Murfs idea of heat treating. See if NHRA dose not rescind its ruling. Murf lobbied NHRA and got the spec installed about the heat treating. It was his baby. All of the chassis builders I know have said this was wrong from the get go. Team owners I know also disagree. To name a few Gunnerson, Worsham, Bill Miller. Those I have personnel knowledge of there dislikes of this rule. I have friends that work in metal testing at a steel mill that makes molly tubing and they also say that it can not be welded after heat treating.
The problem is not with the cars but the heat treating has made the failure catastrophic. If one tube cracks the rest fail.

PS I corrected the spelling for you.

 

[handsome]

someone correct me if i am wrong, but isn't murf on the SFI board. seems like mcdonalds telling all the other fast food joints how to make hamburgers.

 

[TJ]

Bruce...you are correct about the SFI board situation...Same thing when sending in the can for inspection/sticker renewal...

 

[Ugly one]

Bruce,
It's true that Murf is the SFI chassis "guru". At the CHRR this past weekend I spoke with two very well season chassis builders that were told by SFI that their 90+ years of experince was no longer needed. Reason being that they didn't build enough current chassis to fully understand how to do it anymore. Amazing how you can wake up one morning and forget everything you've ever known. Someone better inform Densham & Dunn that their chassis don't work anymore. Wosham & Head better throw theirs under the bus while they still can. And as for Kalitta, He needs to use all of that useless tubing as wheel blocks for he's planes. The line for the "GURU'S" chassis should be getting longer, now that he is the only voice the SFI committee is listening to. AAAAAAH, but just wait until the next SFI meeting. The can of worms has been opened.

The pin has been pulled, fire away!
Kevin