I have to marvel at guys who are willing to sit their rear end over the rear end of the sling shot, and then uncork all that power into the final drive gear set. I did like/enjoy the video, especially when the thing hopped clear off of the ground on the start of the burn out. Thanks.
Even though the run was not very fast, it's still way more entertaining to watch than a modern front engine carbureted big block dragster. It'll be killer once the bugs are out and its dialed in.
Absolutely Love the Nostalgic Front Engine Dragster! Awesome Car, Awesome Burnout! Oh' did I mention the Car is Awesome! Thanks for Posting! Long Live the Slingshot, the Grand Daddy of All Dragsters!
Yes that brings back of my drag racing that's when drag racing was drag racing your life was on the line not a whole lot of safety equipment back then I still love the slingshots the best
Looks like the car was pointed a bit wrong and immediately drove straight out of the groove. I ran one of these cars for about 10 years back in the day and there is nothing more fun! Great job!
So cool to see this! My family lived in Niles, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago, from 1956-1960, the early years when this care would have been active! Thanks!
shanepinfist......I have to agree....just a small guy ...having fun. Very cool...not everything in life has do with major corporate money and major sponsors
@@ernestsomereve1555 it's a clutch car! Chevy Corvette manual with first and reverse removed. Real deal not fooling anyone. They didn't use powerglide back then!
I enjoyed your video, cool car! I also read the comments below and realize that youngsters today really don't have a clue. First of all, any concern about driving that 301" Small Block Chevy with maybe 350 hp, in a car weighing maybe 1400 lbs including driver, is totally unfounded. The cars that were blowing up transmissions, clutches and converters "back in the day" were blown Nitro burning beasts. There is no comparison between the two. The bumps downtrack do make for a pain in the ass ride. I put a well used ZZ4 crate engine (355 hp) on pump gas into my 186" car weighing 1435 lbs with me in it and it went 5.90 eighth mile. I added a small air compressor on top and it goes 4.80's with ease. There is no safer or cheaper way to go moderately fast and it's a lot of fun.
I was just amazed by Del Worsham's 10,000 horsepower nitro funny car making a 4 second quarter mile pass...and yet, this gave me a bigger rush and a bigger smile.
I grew up in the 90's reading Hot Rod mag, and there were plenty of articles about 60's racing and plenty of black and white pics. This video was awesome, to hear the engine and see car car in color, not to mention actually see it run.
the dudes that piloted these front engine rails had balls of steel. especially if the drive train blew up in their lap....better men than me I'd be to chicken shit to even try that...lol....thats a real driver..
I give it to those early drivers of these rails. I have done some crazy things but sitting over the rear differential in a open rail with both tires at your side is just too much for me. Nice car. Prayers for nothing but safe runs for you.
In this car it appears your legs slide in under the axle. Which some slingshots were designed for. And that’s even worse. You now have the differential sitting directly in your lap with zero room to spare. I’d have never done it.
Impressive run. It looked like because of the oscillation of chassis he had to pedal about half way down the track but still ended up under 10.00. Lots more potential there if you could get it to handle a little better.
In those days... you got together with your buddies and actually created something by the seat of your pants... you went up to the line with both your works and your ideas... A hot rod was a hot rod and no two of them were alike... you had to love that... Creativity was alive and well and the drag racing scene was a world onto itself. Most people don't know this but several of the Detroit exec's and engineers were quietly involved for the love and appreciation of it but kept a low profile simply because it would create a bad PR image as hot rodders were looked upon in the same way as motorcycle gangs... but they were in truth among the most creative people ever... those days are gone for good. I know... I was there... and I loved it...! Look up these names: Herman Mosser, Tommy Ivo, Don Garlits, George Montgomery. Learn.
Yep. I remember when there were dozens of these slingshots lined up in the staging lanes. They ran them off two by two all day long. But no burnouts in those days. And no wrinkle walls, only hard case slicks. They just pulled up to the lights and stabbed it. Thick tire smoke halfway down the quarter and front wheels hangin' in the air sometimes the same distance. Now THAT was exciting drag racing.
I still have my ticket stubs for the 1966 Fuel and Gas Championships at Bakersfield. I also have trophies from Lions. Drag racing was fun in those days. My humble opinion NHRA ruined it. @@ThomasDeLello
My brother and his driver competed in the 1966 Bakersfield March Meet with his AA/FD and DNQ's with a low 7 second 200 mph + run. Paul Gommi was on the crew.
Small block injected slingshot dragsters winding out down the strip have thrilled me since the mid '60s... Keeping it simple and going as fast as you can on a small budget kind of thing...
My dad & his friends ran a BB/GD w/a 392 Hemi & a 6-71 blower til' 73' (Bernier & Hoyt). It was a cast iron 392, not a Donovan, & they were running low 7's at over 180mph when they quit. Man I miss those days. Still remember push starting it up the track.
In the UK, many years ago, 2 cars stood out, 1 had a 2.5ltr blown Daimler hemi on nitro (Russ Carpenter) and ran with the big boys the other ran a BMC A series engine 1275cc on nitro (John Whitmore)
The main take away for me was how extremely dangerous those old rails were, watch the video and you can see how difficult to control that thing was, it did not want to go in a straight line at all! The chassis and "suspension" were all conspiring against a straight line.
You are right, I have watched some other videos of similar old rails recently, and most of them do not jump and squirm around on the track like that one!
I frequently run Byron Dragway and I will personally testify that the track is far from "terrible" at any time of the year. BJ ( guy is grey hoodie) is the owner and does an extremely good job prepping and maintaining that track. the rail in the video is jumping around because that's just what they did back in those days.
This is the second video this week I have seen where the nostalgia FED car has a Ford "Banjo" rear end. This amazes me because the first old dragster I purchased (1975) had one as well. i thought it was a one-off. I got almost two seasons out of it.
Jason Metler Very cool jason, I'm from Dixon Il. and my uncle has raced at Byron for years I am 52 an have been going to that track since I was 5. my uncle had a fed in 1970 after he sold his fiat topalino big block hilborn injection in my opinion the coolest thing ever out on top of a motor. Thanks im.considering buying one myself, just love them.
Awesome. A massive mill bolted to a skateboard! I know zero about drag racing, but I have to agree that is by far the purest form of it. Can anyone give the rundown on the lack of a cooling system? Is it due to weight, simplicity? How long does a motor last in that configuration? Watching the rear get airborne was freakin insane, I was wondering about cold tire pressures, whats the ballpark numbers for cold pressures? Sorry for the noob questions.
It's amazing how the differential was in between the legs and the clutch by the feet. Garlits got the tip of his toes cut off when the clutch exploded in his front engine dragster.
Wow, with those motorcycle wheels up front, it's amazing you get enough grip to steer it, especially as the torque from the rear wheels is taking most of the weight off the front...
I'm surprised they let him run it at all 3 point roll cage no helmet laws NHRA will be all over that but I love the front engine cars I have a rear engine car now but I had an old t Bucket that was crazy to drive
Those early dragsters set up this way were known for being difficult to handle and fronts snapped off or engines exploded because of the nitro mix. As you see watching this video, this early dragsters hopped and flexed something awful. Still, this was as good as it got for many years and as a teen in the early to mid-60s, I was taken to many drag strip contests on dates. I found it quite exciting.
what do you get if you take a go cart, put a racing v8 in it, some big tires in back and small tires up front ? I'm not sure....but I think this is a video of it.
I LOVE OLD SCHOOL FRONT ENGINE RAILS, AS A KID I WAS ALWAYS AROUND THEM...SUMMER NATIONALS FROM 1964 ON. HOWARD JOHNSONS NEW BRUNSWICK N.J. WASHED THEM, SAT IN THEM MET ALL THE BIG BOYS. AND ONE YOUNG LADY WHO SHOWED THEM ALL. cool run...a little shaky.
That's most fun you're ever going to have with your clothes still on and still be conscious.
Man!! Love the old-style slingshot dragsters! Takes me back to my teens!
Love the push back after the burnout. That's how it was back in the day.
I have to marvel at guys who are willing to sit their rear end over the rear end of the sling shot, and then uncork all that power into the final drive gear set. I did like/enjoy the video, especially when the thing hopped clear off of the ground on the start of the burn out. Thanks.
In my humble opinion , the most pure and beautiful race car ever built .
Thx for the upload !
Yes
Agreed
Just beautiful. I love slingshots.
An Econorail! Thanks for bringing back memories of my early dragracing day. The rail for the regular people
Even though the run was not very fast, it's still way more entertaining to watch than a modern front engine carbureted big block dragster. It'll be killer once the bugs are out and its dialed in.
Vintage cars and racing is a fav of mine...being there then and still here now is a blast.
its nice to see that people are still crazy to run slingshot rigs
Absolutely Love the Nostalgic Front Engine Dragster! Awesome Car, Awesome Burnout! Oh' did I mention the Car is Awesome! Thanks for Posting! Long Live the Slingshot, the Grand Daddy of All Dragsters!
+Texas Muddog Thanks, watch for more to come
I'll be looking out, and a Big Thanks for the Reply! Good Day Mate!
+Texas Muddog Thanks you too!
Yes that brings back of my drag racing that's when drag racing was drag racing your life was on the line not a whole lot of safety equipment back then I still love the slingshots the best
Looks like the car was pointed a bit wrong and immediately drove straight out of the groove. I ran one of these cars for about 10 years back in the day and there is nothing more fun! Great job!
Watching dragsters do their thing is pure joy.
So cool to see this! My family lived in Niles, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago, from 1956-1960, the early years when this care would have been active! Thanks!
These slingshots were just too cool....real racing...no big corporate sponsors...true aficionados..
shanepinfist......I have to agree....just a small guy ...having fun. Very cool...not everything in life has do with major corporate money and major sponsors
Quintessential dragster classic. Nice job on the build Holy cow.
THis is absolutely mental. A metal coffin with the diff in your crouch. So rad!
I love it! Finally a direct drive front engine dragster with a clutch not a powerglide. I love it the real deal!!
He was using a Powerglide that's why he did his burn through in low gear what makes anybody think that is a clutch car
@@ernestsomereve1555 it's a clutch car! Chevy Corvette manual with first and reverse removed. Real deal not fooling anyone. They didn't use powerglide back then!
I enjoyed your video, cool car! I also read the comments below and realize that youngsters today really don't have a clue. First of all, any concern about driving that 301" Small Block Chevy with maybe 350 hp, in a car weighing maybe 1400 lbs including driver, is totally unfounded. The cars that were blowing up transmissions, clutches and converters "back in the day" were blown Nitro burning beasts. There is no comparison between the two. The bumps downtrack do make for a pain in the ass ride. I put a well used ZZ4 crate engine (355 hp) on pump gas into my 186" car weighing 1435 lbs with me in it and it went 5.90 eighth mile. I added a small air compressor on top and it goes 4.80's with ease. There is no safer or cheaper way to go moderately fast and it's a lot of fun.
Air compressor?
That was fun to watch!
Thanks, Guys.
I was just amazed by Del Worsham's 10,000 horsepower nitro funny car making a 4 second quarter mile pass...and yet, this gave me a bigger rush and a bigger smile.
I used to own a 125" wheelbase, 1962 FED, Ran a small block Chevy 355 ci. That car was SO much fun to run! I miss those days!
Michael Copeland. nice!!
Nothing beats Nostalgia
Mr.Gasser edlt xfusd
nuts!! i would be terrified to drive that!! it's freaking awesome though!!!!
Thanks for posting. The guys that drove those old sling shots - had some big ones!
Until the rear diff let go?? Ouch!
I grew up in the 90's reading Hot Rod mag, and there were plenty of articles about 60's racing and plenty of black and white pics. This video was awesome, to hear the engine and see car car in color, not to mention actually see it run.
the dudes that piloted these front engine rails had balls of steel. especially if the drive train blew up in their lap....better men than me I'd be to chicken shit to even try that...lol....thats a real driver..
I can smell the 'testors glue' just looking at it !!!
Now thats an 'Old Shcool' Dragster! Killer video.
+Mac B Thanks, have some more videos coming from this event and Meltdown Drags
victoryredcolorado
NICE!!! Cant wait - Lookin' forward to it. :)
Bombed out with that one speed Transmission!!!!
Quite some R's for the old girl! So great to see stuff that is amazingly 100% original, thank you!
I give it to those early drivers of these rails. I have done some crazy things but sitting over the rear differential in a open rail with both tires at your side is just too much for me. Nice car. Prayers for nothing but safe runs for you.
In this car it appears your legs slide in under the axle. Which some slingshots were designed for. And that’s even worse. You now have the differential sitting directly in your lap with zero room to spare. I’d have never done it.
At least I’ll add I’ve seen pictures of slingshots with the drivers legs under the axles. I was not around in the heyday of slingshots.
Brings back memories of Thunder valley in South Dakota. Looks like a good time..
i drove one of those back in the 80's for Betz Automotive in Mendota il. what a wild ride. great memories, thanks for the video.
Impressive run. It looked like because of the oscillation of chassis he had to pedal about half way down the track but still ended up under 10.00. Lots more potential there if you could get it to handle a little better.
I'm old enough to remember when cars like that were the vanguard of drag racing... I liked the sport better then...
In those days... you got together with your buddies and actually created something by the seat of your pants... you went up to the line with both your works and your ideas... A hot rod was a hot rod and no two of them were alike... you had to love that... Creativity was alive and well and the drag racing scene was a world onto itself. Most people don't know this but several of the Detroit exec's and engineers were quietly involved for the love and appreciation of it but kept a low profile simply because it would create a bad PR image as hot rodders were looked upon in the same way as motorcycle gangs... but they were in truth among the most creative people ever... those days are gone for good. I know... I was there... and I loved it...! Look up these names: Herman Mosser, Tommy Ivo, Don Garlits, George Montgomery. Learn.
Yep. I remember when there were dozens of these slingshots lined up in the staging lanes. They ran them off two by two all day long. But no burnouts in those days. And no wrinkle walls, only hard case slicks. They just pulled up to the lights and stabbed it. Thick tire smoke halfway down the quarter and front wheels hangin' in the air sometimes the same distance. Now THAT was exciting drag racing.
Yes... and we had the push start and the flag starter. The real action was at Bakersfield's Famoso Raceway at the infamous "March Meet"
I still have my ticket stubs for the 1966 Fuel and Gas Championships at Bakersfield. I also have trophies from Lions. Drag racing was fun in those days. My humble opinion NHRA ruined it. @@ThomasDeLello
My brother and his driver competed in the 1966 Bakersfield March Meet with his AA/FD and DNQ's with a low 7 second 200 mph + run. Paul Gommi was on the crew.
Man, that thing is out of control! Very cool!
wicked cool video. love the slow motion. nice job.
Thank you!
So cool and that you showed in normal speed also unlike most videos …
He actually let me sit in the car this last fall. I'm 5'6 and I couldn't have been more comfortable. It's a truly amazing car.
the golden age of drag racing
Small block injected slingshot dragsters winding out down the strip have thrilled me since the mid '60s... Keeping it simple and going as fast as you can on a small budget kind of thing...
beautiful oldtimer and that elky too ;-)
My dad & his friends ran a BB/GD w/a 392 Hemi & a 6-71 blower til' 73' (Bernier & Hoyt). It was a cast iron 392, not a Donovan, & they were running low 7's at over 180mph when they quit. Man I miss those days. Still remember push starting it up the track.
In the UK, many years ago, 2 cars stood out, 1 had a 2.5ltr blown Daimler hemi on nitro (Russ Carpenter) and ran with the big boys the other ran a BMC A series engine 1275cc on nitro (John Whitmore)
That was old school cool
The main take away for me was how extremely dangerous those old rails were, watch the video and you can see how difficult to control that thing was, it did not want to go in a straight line at all! The chassis and "suspension" were all conspiring against a straight line.
That's how it was back then ....
I'd be more concerned about having a bomb next to my johnson.
If you'll look closely you see that the track was terrible too and that does make a difference.
You are right, I have watched some other videos of similar old rails recently, and most of them do not jump and squirm around on the track like that one!
I frequently run Byron Dragway and I will personally testify that the track is far from "terrible" at any time of the year. BJ ( guy is grey hoodie) is the owner and does an extremely good job prepping and maintaining that track. the rail in the video is jumping around because that's just what they did back in those days.
Old dragsters look the best !!!
When you launched you scared 8 of the 9 lives out of my cat who was sitting on my lap, never seen him move so fast. lmao
Lol I bet that was funny
Cat's spook quick. My cat at times just "Spooked" about little things. That burnout sounded like 8000 rpm
So, let me get this right, 🤔
Jason's dragster does the burnout and your cat's drivetrain ends up all over your junk.
Makes sense somehow.
At 2:54, it's so loud he needs his sunglasses on.
Superbracey Fuck yeah
snapped those motherfuckers on real quick
I think it’s cos the alcohol fuel makes ur eyes burn real quick
Lmao
@@stevenroth5424 iiuuiddd
These a nostalgic. Dude you gotta have balls to sit with the differential between your legs like that . That's crazy !!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful car!
This is the second video this week I have seen where the nostalgia FED car has a Ford "Banjo" rear end. This amazes me because the first old dragster I purchased (1975) had one as well. i thought it was a one-off. I got almost two seasons out of it.
Cool!
I made a few mistakes on that run. I did my burnout in low gear instead of direct. that was the first time running those slicks and they were too big.
Jason Metler nice rail though my man!
Jason Metler Very cool jason, I'm from Dixon Il. and my uncle has raced at Byron for years I am 52 an have been going to that track since I was 5. my uncle had a fed in 1970 after he sold his fiat topalino big block hilborn injection in my opinion the coolest thing ever out on top of a motor. Thanks im.considering buying one myself, just love them.
Lord I'd love to see when you make a full pass that thing was moving
very serious balls of titanium to both of you to be able to drive one of these beasts very nice cars well taken care of!!
@@miketammie
I see the trailer hitch on back for the trailer to haul them.
What a raw machine.
Real racing....wheelstands n full pass burnouts , and nitro in ya eyes
My dad and his friends used to build this kind of rail cars back in the early 70s
Glad to see an old car. That wall reminds me of a jet blast deflector on an aircraft carrier.
Great dragster Great video Great quality
Thanks!👊
Yeah no problem man
Awesome. A massive mill bolted to a skateboard! I know zero about drag racing, but I have to agree that is by far the purest form of it. Can anyone give the rundown on the lack of a cooling system? Is it due to weight, simplicity? How long does a motor last in that configuration? Watching the rear get airborne was freakin insane, I was wondering about cold tire pressures, whats the ballpark numbers for cold pressures? Sorry for the noob questions.
All good questions, maybe the owner can chime in.
Absolutely love the sound of that engine at full song during burnout.
ALL MOTOR! LOVE IT.
It's amazing how the differential was in between the legs and the clutch by the feet. Garlits got the tip of his toes cut off when the clutch exploded in his front engine dragster.
No, he lost most of his right foot.
Such a nice looking car ...
That was badass!!!
Wow these guys back thin where crazy drag in death trap crazy.
Wow, with those motorcycle wheels up front, it's amazing you get enough grip to steer it, especially as the torque from the rear wheels is taking most of the weight off the front...
Wow , back to basics !
Man, that was awesome!
It takes an absolute madman to go face first into that "plant". I don't care if you're a Cheevy boy, Mo-man, or FoMoco..... Dude is insane........
I love that El Comino too!
On what track can you run a fuel dragster with an old 3 point cage?
...some drag motorcycles go a lot faster...and you sit ON them...not IN them...no cage ...no belt...nothing...
I'm surprised they let him run it at all 3 point roll cage no helmet laws NHRA will be all over that but I love the front engine cars I have a rear engine car now but I had an old t Bucket that was crazy to drive
I suppose that this was not a competitive run, just a 'demonstration' pass'. Otherwise the NHRA would be all over you like a bad skin disease.
Lovely sound!
for an old survivor dragster - it is still a small beast. Wish I had something like to learn with.
Definitely not a good 1 2 'learn with'
That's soooooo cool !!!!!!
Love the short wheel base FEDs but that's the shortest one I've ever seen...
OH MAN,,NICE TO SEE A BOUNCING RAIL AGAIN. THESE THINGS TO REAL BALLS TO RUN.
9.93 in a bath tub lol that is crazy as hell.
Hell yeah!!! Great video
Big BALLS Man !!!!! : D
what are you using for the over all drive train?
Those early dragsters set up this way were known for being difficult to handle and fronts snapped off or engines exploded because of the nitro mix. As you see watching this video, this early dragsters hopped and flexed something awful. Still, this was as good as it got for many years and as a teen in the early to mid-60s, I was taken to many drag strip contests on dates. I found it quite exciting.
The driver is so wedged into the machine that I would dare call him a drag racing cyborg.
holy shit thats scary man.... you sir have big balls
great dragster, can the chassi take more power?
a pity there were so few fans
That must've been the end of the event. The place packed friday and Saturday.
classic front engine slingshot!!
dig the digger and the cool camino tow truck...
Yeah. That El Camino was sweet!
What causes that bounce at 4:50?
Makes me think of harmonics in a bridge failure.
great video!
Great car, and nice photography. What camera did you use?
R.I.P. Mr. RON LEEK
Race In Peace ✌
Yes brother!! RIP!
what do you get if you take a go cart, put a racing v8 in it, some big tires in back and small tires up front ? I'm not sure....but I think this is a video of it.
John Milner comes to mind;American Graffiti 2
She is a beauty.
I LOVE OLD SCHOOL FRONT ENGINE RAILS, AS A KID I WAS ALWAYS AROUND THEM...SUMMER NATIONALS FROM 1964 ON. HOWARD JOHNSONS NEW BRUNSWICK N.J. WASHED THEM, SAT IN THEM MET ALL THE BIG BOYS. AND ONE YOUNG LADY WHO SHOWED THEM ALL. cool run...a little shaky.
Power to weight ratio GOD. Dude lifted and still ran a 9 second pass.
Mannnnnn that thing is so cool
very very cool
I would like to ask the gear ratio ? it seemed very high speeded.