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Hey what makes Fuel Altered drag cars so "bad" (cool)? Why did the NHRA ban them? Why do the drivers have to wear gas masks? What are these bad girls running on??? lol. Man you know you got a bad*** car when you have to wear a gas mask! Well, my T-MAXX (avatar) runs on 20% nitromethane and the exhuast is purrty noxious, but to wear a mask! dang! :eek: I have to admit they are the COOLEST :cool: looking dragsters.
So why did they kill them?
-Chris
Safety reasons, mostly. The horsepower just outgrew the handling capability of the chassis. The closest thing to them now is a funny car....The ran on a mixture of nitro and methanol.
just watch some old vid's of Anglia's running, THAT'S why NHRA banned them.
anglia is a gasser. you want to watch a jackson brothers AA/FA video awful awful fuel altereds. that also used ot be a website type in on google : awful awful fuel altereds. that would be my 1st choice behind a top fuel front engine rail if i had the $ to build a drag car.
with the short wheel base, motors sitting high providing high center of gravity, add those two up and you have a semi poor handling car with a S-LOAD of power. as for the gas mask it is more of a filtered breating mask. with eight pipes blasting 4 or 5 gallons of 50 to 80% nitromethane straight into your face the unfiltered air would choke you before the run ended. here are a couple clips of a little altered fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLCGJ...elated&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_QrD...elated&search=
they sure look fun to drive!!! on one of the nostalgic website mousie recalls a story, john force came over and said hed like to make a pass in it. mousie said get your suit john got all suited up sat in it and got right back out and said mousie i just dont think ive got the cahones to drive it!.
it was best when they were running closer to 95% back in the 60s, but they backed them down to 80% for tv purposes.... less blown motors = less wasted tv time and happier sponsors.... a lot of drag racing has been modified to fit tv constraints
I always liked Sush Matsubara and Joe Mondello’s Topolino.
Joe once said the writing on the side of the car was most visible from the starting line.
-Lee
www.atomicpinup.com
One thing the ban those cars because they came up so much horse power and those short wheel base cars can't handle the HP and the speed and it tend to be very swirlly at high speed.
Ah ok. I see. Yea 5000+ ponies in a short wheel base chassis sounds like a crazy ride. Lol you don't drive those cars, those cars take you for a ride! Sit back and HOLD ON!! haha. :LOL:
-Chris.
Fuel Altereds are alive & well in the nostalgia movement. Here are a couple video clips I took of a friend of mine ("Rapid" Randy Baker, from Waukee, IA) in their NITRO MADNESS AA/FA.
This one is @ Eddyville, IA a year ago.
http://media.putfile.com/Eddyville-lap-Rapid
I took this one at the World Series @ Cordova, IL last year
http://media.putfile.com/Rapid--Cordova-06
You just missed the World Fuel Altereds run last weekend at eddyville, but (if the weather str8 ends out you can catch a few Altereds at The 54th World Series back at Cordova THIS WEEKEND.
I took this clip clip of Randy's ''new for 2007'' Fiat bodied Altered a few weeks ago.
http://media.putfile.com/DLNs-II-07-Nitro-Madness-Fiat
Look for other altereds Like Nanook, Chicago Fire, Rat Trap, Drastic Plastic, Dunn & Gone just to mention a few. with nostalgia events gaining popularity, there will be more in the future.
I believe nitro % is dictated by how many parts the owner is willing to sacrifice, not by the rules.
I've dragged a lot of fast cars, but I draw the line when it comes to altereds. Those guys had (and still have) nerves of steel.
-Lee
www.atomicpinup.com
I was fortunate enough to see most of the Fuel Altered racing of the mid to late '60's in So. Cal. They put on quite a show and had an avid following and the argument can be made that they were the precursor to Funny Cars.
All of the early cars were short wheelbase and ill handling unlike the latest reincarnation which appear to be Funny cars without a full body. I don't think they can obtain the times or speed of a Funny car but they should be just as exciting to watch from what I've viewed on the web and it's heads up racing which beats the h*&& out of delay boxes and all of the other garbage associated with bracket racing
From all of the years I've been involved in drag racing, starting in '59, two of the cars that stand out were the original "Winged T Express' and "The High and Mighty". Neither one was the fastest car on the lot, but they got your attention when they fired and held it throughout the run.
Oh, why not one more for the Winged Express fans;
What seems strange to me is they are wearing Laverty Performance shirts and Larry died a few years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by pro70z28
Not strange at all. Laverty did work for them and was close friends of theirs. They wear the shirts and have a tribute on the car in memory of Larry.
Actually I take that back, they had a tribute on the 23T, but I don't think they have it on the Fiat yet. They just got the car done and it's not completely lettered yet. I suspect it will eventually have Larry's name on it someplace when it's done.
I found a pic. from last year.
I miss going down to Larry's shop when it was slow in the winter.Quote:
Originally Posted by pro70z28
I use to give him a hard time about the Vette that sat in his window.
In the early to middle 80's Larry Laverty and Gary Ostrich where both people I would look up to and ask all kinds of goofy questions to and they would both answer them the best they could.
I never met Larry, but whenever his name comes up in conversation, they have nothing but good things to say. Sounds like he was a great guy.
The "Rapid One" won (Fuel Altered) @ the 54th annual World Series of Drag Racing at Cordova last weekend. Setting a new personal best time of 6.34 @ 215 MPH. They go a little faster every time out. Congrats to the Nitro Madness Team.