WELCOME TO RIVER DAVES PLACE

Piece Of Top Fuel History

dread Pirate

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Bet it's been awhile since any of you have see this,,,
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Tank

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Am I the only one that immediately hears the crackle of those pipes in their head when they look at this???

By the way, Question - How many runs do top fuel dragsters get out of an engine?
 

sintax

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That's a quad can McGee engine. Super cool engineering, wish they had the money to see it through.

spotted that right away, didnt know they were running a setup like this that early on.
 

mash on it

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I guess either. How often they need to crack it open and go through it? After every race?

Typically, after every run.

Often the crank and block are reusable.
The just add new piston and rods, and a fresh set of heads, oil, fuel and go...
In a 65 minute turn around.

Quite impressive, actually.

Dan'l
 

Tank

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Typically, after every run.

Often the crank and block are reusable.
The just add new piston and rods, and a fresh set of heads, oil, fuel and go...
In a 65 minute turn around.

Quite impressive, actually.

Dan'l
That's insane. What HP are they getting out of these huge drag motors? Sorry for my ignorance. I respect the sport, just never followed it.
 

Loony Toon

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Nostalgia Top Fuel and Nostalgia Funny Car Exhibition at 2pm today
Can't wait to watch this and hear the crackle:D
 

Tank

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Ok, don't kill me but I heard about Electric dragsters. Is this a thing? Is it already here? Are they faster than fuel?

Sorry to hijack.
 

ltbaney1

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is that Robert Rheel of the burkholder Altered car? either way cool find. wondering if that is a Hilborn 4 port injector? if so, any interest in selling it?
 

dread Pirate

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Its t
is that Robert Rheel of the burkholder Altered car? either way cool find. wondering if that is a Hilborn 4 port injector? if so, any interest in selling it?

Not for sale. This is the last remaining motor/car and will stay with McGee. He is currently trying to decide which era/driver/paint scheme to restore it too.
 
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monkeyswrench

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Am I the only one that immediately hears the crackle of those pipes in their head when they look at this???

By the way, Question - How many runs do top fuel dragsters get out of an engine?

1 or 2 bad passes
1 pretty decent pass

...or about half of great run:p
 

Tom Slick

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Ok, don't kill me but I heard about Electric dragsters. Is this a thing? Is it already here? Are they faster than fuel?

Sorry to hijack.
Big Daddy Don Garlits has been working on trying to break 200mph in an electric dragster for a few years now. He is getting closer, but to my knowledge he has not done it yet. That said, an electric drag car will never surpass a nitro-methane powered Top Fueler.
 

Willie B

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is that Robert Rheel of the burkholder Altered car? either way cool find. wondering if that is a Hilborn 4 port injector? if so, any interest in selling it?
...Robert Rheel of the Burkhalter Brothers told me about five years ago different Robert Rheel...
 

ltbaney1

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Am I the only one that immediately hears the crackle of those pipes in their head when they look at this???

By the way, Question - How many runs do top fuel dragsters get out of an engine?
it all depends, the 3 pictures below are from last year at Texas i believe. Cameron Ferre' is my best friend and driving for Haddock. sometimes you get less than 300 feet out of a motor. the front engine car is my uncles, motor was fine after the tear down. it went lean and he didnt catch it and hit the throttle at Escondido car show. both burst panels did the job.
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rvrrun

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That's insane. What HP are they getting out of these huge drag motors? Sorry for my ignorance. I respect the sport, just never followed it.
I haven’t been involved for two decades, but it was something to the tune of 1500 parasitic hp just to turn the blower at WOT. I’m sure someone will step in with an accurate number, but that sounded insane when I heard it.
 

SLT Kota

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That is awesome! Got any more pictures of what is in that garage?
 

SoCalDave

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Several years old but here are some facts. HP now is 11-12,000HP

-One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500. They have over half again as much horsepower in one cylinder as a Dodge Viper has in all ten. No one has ever successfully run one long enough on a dyno to get a horsepower reading. Current estimates are right around 10,000 horsepower.

-Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.

-A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster supercharger. The fuel pump alone requires more horsepower to turn than the average street car produces.

-With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.

-The 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane produces a flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.

-Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, disassociated from atmospheric water vapour by the searing exhaust gases.

-Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

-Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After the run, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by running the car out of fuel. There is no way to cut off the fuel; the engine stops only when it blows or the tank runs dry.

-If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

-In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8G's. To put this in perspective; a top fuel dragster, parked next to a Super Hornet on the steam catapult on the deck of an aircraft carrier, would be in the water and sinking before the Super Hornet was halfway down the deck.

-Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this sentence.

-Top Fuel Engines only turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!

-Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load. They only survive about 80% of the time.

-Redline at 9500 rpm.

-Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000.00 per second.

-The engine is entirely rebuilt every run, or every 900 revolutions. New pistons and rings, new rods, new rod bearings. Sometimes a new crank. The crew does this in about two hours between rounds.

-The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile. The top speed record is 333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run.

-Putting all of this into perspective: You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums and within 3 seconds the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1000 foot long race course.
 

Tank

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Several years old but here are some facts. HP now is 11-12,000HP

-One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500. They have over half again as much horsepower in one cylinder as a Dodge Viper has in all ten. No one has ever successfully run one long enough on a dyno to get a horsepower reading. Current estimates are right around 10,000 horsepower.

-Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 1-1/2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.

-A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to drive the dragster supercharger. The fuel pump alone requires more horsepower to turn than the average street car produces.

-With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.

-The 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane produces a flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.

-Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, disassociated from atmospheric water vapour by the searing exhaust gases.

-Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

-Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After the run, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by running the car out of fuel. There is no way to cut off the fuel; the engine stops only when it blows or the tank runs dry.

-If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

-In order to exceed 300 mph in 4.5 seconds dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4G's. In order to reach 200 mph well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8G's. To put this in perspective; a top fuel dragster, parked next to a Super Hornet on the steam catapult on the deck of an aircraft carrier, would be in the water and sinking before the Super Hornet was halfway down the deck.

-Dragsters reach over 300 miles per hour before you have completed reading this sentence.

-Top Fuel Engines only turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!

-Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load. They only survive about 80% of the time.

-Redline at 9500 rpm.

-Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, and for once NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000.00 per second.

-The engine is entirely rebuilt every run, or every 900 revolutions. New pistons and rings, new rods, new rod bearings. Sometimes a new crank. The crew does this in about two hours between rounds.

-The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter mile. The top speed record is 333.00 mph (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run.

-Putting all of this into perspective: You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter "twin-turbo" powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged and ready to launch down a quarter mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line and past the dragster at an honest 200 mph. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment. The dragster launches and starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums and within 3 seconds the dragster catches and passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it, from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 mph and not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1000 foot long race course.


That is simply mind boggling. Thanks for posting. Imma go deep diving on Youtube right now. LOL :D:D:D
 

Tom Slick

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That is simply mind boggling. Thanks for posting. Imma go deep diving on Youtube right now. LOL :D:D:D
If you've never been to a big show drag race like what's going on in Pomona right now, I highly recommend you grab a handful of beer money and get yourself to an event. TV does not do it justice. Drag Racing has to be seen in person to be appreciated. And if you want to see a grown man cry, go get yourself a dose of nitro when they warm one up in the pits.
 

oldschool

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If you've never been to a big show drag race like what's going on in Pomona right now, I highly recommend you grab a handful of beer money and get yourself to an event. TV does not do it justice. Drag Racing has to be seen in person to be appreciated. And if you want to see a grown man cry, go get yourself a dose of nitro when they warm one up in the pits.
You’ll pay for the whole seat, but will only need the edge. (Actually you’ll stand)
 

Gramps

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Back in the late 70's - early 80's Gary Beck tried several times to run the McGee. He was our neighbor in the garages in the back of Keith Black place........fun times then. Lots of rum and coke in those garages!
 

Carlson-jet

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It's almost funny if it wasn't so sad. 4 valves per cylinder have been around for almost a century now.
 

monkeyswrench

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Straight engine porn...I like it!

The banning of the 4cam setup was stupid. The Malicote brothers live in Prescott. They were the guys that got turbos banned in the late 60s. They had a gasser Willys, and then a flopper up until the ban. Then both brothers went to work for Chrysler...go figure. In their retirement, they built a twin turbo new hemi, in a promod kind of muscle car. About 300 cubic inches making 1700+ hp. Not bad for two old guys;)
 

coolchange

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is that Robert Rheel of the burkholder Altered car? either way cool find. wondering if that is a Hilborn 4 port injector? if so, any interest in selling it?
I would guess it's a McGee injector.
Pretty cool my buddies sticker on the deflector.
 

4Waters

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Am I the only one that immediately hears the crackle of those pipes in their head when they look at this???

By the way, Question - How many runs do top fuel dragsters get out of an engine?
There's always this explosion :eek:

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rrrr

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That explosion of Doug Herbert's engine is still the most violent starting line grenade I've ever seen.


 

MSum661

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Aussie Dave Grubnic drove for Mcgee racing back in the early 90's while eeking out a living riding shotgun in his buddies Toyota truck
cleaning swimming pools around Santa Clarita. Our motors we ran in the early days of the Liquid Thunder Top Fuel Hydro were brokered through Robert Reehl and came from Eddie Hill's Pennzoil TF Dragster when Eddie retired.
Reehl eventually ran his own NHRA TF Dragster for some events. I remember Reehl sayin back then it was riunning Him about $60K a race just to qualify to get in the field...lol.
 
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