Big Scale Drag Racers?
07-16-2005, 12:23 AM
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Big Scale Drag Racers?
Is anyone else racing 1:4 or 1:5 scale drag cars? I'm building a new 1:4 scale funny car, and was wondering about which motor I should get . I used to use a Solo, which was pretty good, but I hear the new Zenoah's are really great? Recommendations for a torque-monster motor, anyone?
07-16-2005, 12:55 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Mr Ogle 1/4 scale dragsters arn't mentioned too often here yet mabe that will change they look pretty cool. as for your question, the zenoah is the benchmark for both power and torque these days and there are some tuners out there that really get these things to hum.
You won't go wrong with a ZENOAH
You won't go wrong with a ZENOAH
07-16-2005, 01:07 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Thanks... That's what I've been suspecting... Here's some pics of the car with the Solo in it at Rialto, CA....
http://www.wildhobbies.com/news/defa...&articleid=170
Movies......
http://www.wildhobbies.com/news/defa...&articleid=352
http://www.wildhobbies.com/news/defa...&articleid=170
Movies......
http://www.wildhobbies.com/news/defa...&articleid=352
07-16-2005, 10:42 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
That was scratch built by Jeff Walker of Yorba Linda, CA. I'll send him a link to this thread and we'll see if we can't get him to come on here.
07-16-2005, 12:57 PM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Mike, I think the large CC solo motors are still the best! Real hard to come by though. Rialto is racing again and will be doing their thing this next weekend. I am going to see what motors these guys are running and I am sure it will be the same stuff they have been running for years! Good to see ya here.
07-19-2005, 10:03 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Have a couple of friends in Ohio who built a 1/4 scale drag bike last year with a Zenoah 230 in it. Had some pictures of it but not sure where they are.
M.R. OGLE,
Have you raced down in Indy? If so, you should know Fred Murry and John Boccher.
M.R. OGLE,
Have you raced down in Indy? If so, you should know Fred Murry and John Boccher.
07-19-2005, 10:22 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Haven't been over to Indy yet, as I just moved to Illinois (from California) this year. I think I've heard from these guys, but have never seen any of their cars... or bikes... there seems to be just two active quarter-scale racers at Indy, that's all I've seen from their website.
07-19-2005, 06:29 PM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
They race both 1/4 scale sprint and stock cars and also design and race the drag cars and bikes and John had designed, built and flown a full size P-31 Mustang I believe it was. They float between the Great Lakes clubs hitting races close to every weekend. They will also be at the Royal Oaks Charity event and RC car races held each year in Royal Oaks, MI.
07-19-2005, 06:58 PM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Here is a pic of the 1/4 scale bike with the 230 in it. Also a link to the Indy R/C Drag site with more pics. The bike is a nice piece of work.
[link]http://www.indyrcdragway.com/gallery.html[/link]
[link]http://www.indyrcdragway.com/gallery.html[/link]
07-19-2005, 07:39 PM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Thanks for posting the pictures! The yellow 1/5 scale Mini Cooper and 1/4 scale bike belong to Fred Murry and the 1/4 scale yellow/red/gold(?) #777 rail belongs to John.
07-20-2005, 08:05 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Not sure what engine John has in the 777. He did a lot of small detail on it, driver's arms move with the steering and the butterflies on the charger open and close with the throttle. Driver bodies on both the bike and dragster were made by a women in Canada to size. Have some video someplace around of the 777 doing a demo burnout for club members at the West Liberty Ohio track while waiting for the track to dry out.
07-21-2005, 04:47 PM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
We had about a dozen drag cars on the West Coast a few years back, but a change of venues and crash attrition dwindled that number down to just a few active cars. It was great while it was going, though! I hope to see more people building these in the future!
07-26-2005, 01:23 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Well. I've sold a half a dozen of those new-style quarter-scale Funny Car bodies to guys all over the US (and one to Canada) so I'm thinking that they must be going on either (1) newly-built drag cars, or (2) they're re-bodying old Pacesetter cars. We'll see!
07-27-2005, 12:22 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
I remember checking out the Cali web site on the drags...I even went to Primm once to see them....I went so far as to buy a 31cc 4 stroke Honda alky motor outta a truck to build around when the Cali deal fell apart.....I sold the motor (stupid!)....The '55 Chevy looked prime for an old Gasser touch....Straight front axel and all.....(oh well)[
]
Or a raco gear box flipped w/motor in rear of a truck for wheelies..............
]Or a raco gear box flipped w/motor in rear of a truck for wheelies..............
08-08-2005, 11:24 AM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
Yea, but it sure looks pretty awesome with that blower on it! Its a clean car. What dragster do you think was the best performer? One that was produced and sold to the public? FYI, I have been buying a bunch of mags and you are right about the older ones. There is a ton of 1/4 scale info in them. Real good stuff!
08-10-2005, 04:16 PM
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RE: Big Scale Drag Racers?
First off, a big HELLO to my friend Angel at VS Modellsport! Thanks for your help, info, and advice on getting my car back together.
Which quarter-scale drag cars actually produced actually worked? Tough question. As one general observation, though, any car that drove off the center of the rear axle, be it through a QC rear end, centered belt, or gear, had a lot better chance of working than any of the oval cars drive trains that drove (usually) off the left rear wheel. On launch, those things would bind up one side of the rear suspension and drive over to hit the wall.
Don Foos out at Rialto has a car... I think it's an old RACO Sidewinder... that works pretty well as a drag car. Seems everything is weight-distributed nicely, and not left-loaded as much as some of the other cars.
I had an old Pacesetter car that had a tube frame... very stiff and heavy. Too stiff, in fact, as the car was always trying to skate down the track on three wheels. That car would have handled a LOT better if I would have thought to chop out about half the frame-stiffening support tubes. The problem I've seen again and again with the tube frame drag cars is that they get bent and STAY bent. Even if you can't see it, they'll want to go anywhere but straight.
QuarterScale Racing had a ladder-frame Pro-Stock prototype out at Rialto one time.... it never made it a full pass without throwing a belt or smacking the wall that I saw. Horrid car.
Some of the East coast guys really massaged their 50+ cc New Era cars and got them running really quick, but I couldn't verify that they were actually handling good, just that they were REALLY packed with horsepower, so they pulled some impressive speeds.
Most of the drag cars I've seen that worked were at least 50% scratchbuilt. Most of the "produced" cars looked pretty, but were not exceptionally pleasant to drive.
Just my observation...
Which quarter-scale drag cars actually produced actually worked? Tough question. As one general observation, though, any car that drove off the center of the rear axle, be it through a QC rear end, centered belt, or gear, had a lot better chance of working than any of the oval cars drive trains that drove (usually) off the left rear wheel. On launch, those things would bind up one side of the rear suspension and drive over to hit the wall.
Don Foos out at Rialto has a car... I think it's an old RACO Sidewinder... that works pretty well as a drag car. Seems everything is weight-distributed nicely, and not left-loaded as much as some of the other cars.
I had an old Pacesetter car that had a tube frame... very stiff and heavy. Too stiff, in fact, as the car was always trying to skate down the track on three wheels. That car would have handled a LOT better if I would have thought to chop out about half the frame-stiffening support tubes. The problem I've seen again and again with the tube frame drag cars is that they get bent and STAY bent. Even if you can't see it, they'll want to go anywhere but straight.
QuarterScale Racing had a ladder-frame Pro-Stock prototype out at Rialto one time.... it never made it a full pass without throwing a belt or smacking the wall that I saw. Horrid car.
Some of the East coast guys really massaged their 50+ cc New Era cars and got them running really quick, but I couldn't verify that they were actually handling good, just that they were REALLY packed with horsepower, so they pulled some impressive speeds.
Most of the drag cars I've seen that worked were at least 50% scratchbuilt. Most of the "produced" cars looked pretty, but were not exceptionally pleasant to drive.
Just my observation...