When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. And when you run Top Fuel you have one of those seasons about once every 10 or 20 years.. We had the pleasure of not only watching these 11,000-12,000HP monsters tear down the track, but we got to watch Clay Millican and his team put in all the e. Fullers bookkeeping was earlier offered to race officials as part of a industry discussion studying the cost of running in nostalgia series. Daily maintenance is needed to properly function the car, if the engine breaks or any other parts that go through any severe damage, then the mainline cost will hike upwards of $2000 easily. The first question that you should be asking is whether common people are allowed to buy a dragster. That much power necessitates the engine be torn down inbetween rounds of racing. Note: This articles statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website. Ep05 9:59m. The engine is expected to develop more than 10,000 horsepower. Theyve got community engagement nailed, from their excellent car magazineHagertyto their Redline Rebuild series, where they use time-lapse photography to chronicle overhauls of classic engines including the Ford V8 (we covered that here) and the early Chrysler 331 Hemi (and here). The pump in the car is capable of delivering 77 gallons per minute. Learn more. I also have my own mills and lathes and I do most of the machine work myself, says Fuller. A pro-level drag car will cost between $275,000 and $350,000, while a Top Fuel dragster will cost between $500,000 and $600,000. Video: Inside an 11,000-Horsepower Top Fuel Engine. They start them on alcohol, and switch to nitro before the run. The NEW Speed King Hot Rods PAVEMENT SHAKER Dragster shirts are NOW Nice 555 BBC 4 link dragster. the craziest, most exciting form of motorsports left. Our main goal is to provide you with a depth overview of the cost that you need to afford for a service, animals, and much more. The previous pistons and rods will be checked and reconditioned as needed before going back in another time. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Top Fuel dragsters engines put out so much power that the drivers are often subjected to nearly 5 Gs of gravity. Ive been running a long time and I just had the best year ever financially, says Mike Fuller, owner of the Forever Young nostalgia top fuel dragster (see the videos below for action on the track). Top Alcohol Funny Cars also look nearly identical to the Top Fuel counterparts, but are restricted to the use of methanol fuel and have a three-speed transmission. 1000hp Engines: The Cost Of Powe In Morris' opinion, it is possible to achieve 1,000hp with junkyard turbos and no-name engines, despite the fact that constructing a 1000hp engine can be expensive. Here are the 2023 Detroit Autorama Ridler Award Great Eight finalists, 2022 Audi RS 3 Review: One of the last great sport sedans, 1950 Mercury lead sled Maximus wins 2023 Ridler Award, 10 oddball vehicles keeping 2023s Amelia Island auctions wacky, According to You: GMs 12 biggest missed opportunities, Underground VAULT at the Henry Ford Museum: Cars with amazing History | Barn Find Hunter Ep. ( rebuilt heads, pistons, rods, bearings, and rebuilt blower,,,EVERY RUN, if it doesnt blow, that is) At night, you can see pieces of the motor as it disintegrates, called sparklers. If youve ever watched a drag race, youll notice that most drivers will spin the tires of their car in place before they start their run. The high costs of running a top fuel dragster team also help to explain why there are only a handful of teams in the world. 900 Cost, in dollars, of a 55-gallon drum of nitromethane fuel. Truth is, they dont run long enough to give an accurate reading. Both during the teardown and reassembly, Davin was impressed with the specialty tools and rigorous strategy that Don Schumacher employs to made each task just a bit easier and faster. By contrast, a Top Alcohol Dragster's output is. The total finished cost of a Top Fuel dragster is estimated at $500,000. 95, Chip Foose reimagines the iconic Jaguar E-type | Chip Foose Draws a Car Ep. 2023 Power Automedia. Some teams will have their old dragstart for the listings. Required fields are marked *. We didnt hurt or break anything. The twin MSD magnetos produce 88 amps. 900Cost, in dollars, of a 55-gallon drum of nitromethane fuel. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. However, their primary means of stopping at the end of their run is the deployment of one or two parachutes out the back of the car. That's a power-to-weight ratio of 3.37 horsepower per pound, about 20 times better than the new Z06 Corvette's. Our team is made of world-renowned, experienced journalists who sign and abide to our strict rules and editorial ethics policy. Nostalgia racing rules are designed to help limit costs and maintain safety. Copyright 2023 House Grail. Turn-key BBC T/D 265" Dakota Hardtail Dragster, 2008 Victory Dragster. He is the current points leader in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and is a three-time champion in the category. It will be very hard to get this type of vehicle and its accessories within a more decent price mainly because this is a pretty expensive machine and so is everything related to it and its functioning. Here's What It Drives 2225Minimum weight, in pounds, of a Top Fuel dragster. About 3000 inches of chrome-moly tubing is needed to build the frame, which is left unpainted because of the need to constantly weld cracks. Before even thinking about the costs, a lot of people ask themselves if they are even allowed to own such a masterpiece. The team is always looking for efficiency. A crankshaft can last about 50 runs, says Fuller, so he prorated that cost over a season at $1,000. Every single run consumes 14 gallons of fuel to run wide-open throttle for 1000 feet, costing about $600 (10% of the fuel is alcohol, which is less expensive). The big deal is trying to run the car.. Fuel and clutch discs make up a big part of any fuel dragsters budget. Featured Image Credit: clickphoto, Pixabay, Note: This articles statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website. It takes a team of highly skilled mechanics approximately 20 hours to rebuild a top fuel engine. Buying it wont be the only thing you will spend your money on. Its regular maintenance, without considering any feature updates, will quickly come close to the initial asking price. All rights reserved. A Top Fuel engine consumes more than a gallon of nitromethane per second. Depending on the team you are going to talk to, the price of a top fuel dragster will be lower or higher. And the flames you see coming out the exhaust, its so hot its actually the hydrogen in the air burning. While a pro mod drag car will run anywhere from $275,000 to $350,000, a Top Fuel dragster costs about $500,000. Estimates and real-world answers in the comments ranged from $1,000 a pass all the way up to $7,000. Why are Top Fuel dragsters so fast? Your email address will not be published. Only a minority of people show signs of buying a top fuel dragster, even some of them are buying the car for other reasons than driving them on the road. Top Fuel engines that displace 496 cubic inches are most common, and these cars can weigh about 1,000 kilograms. This particular engine lived long enough to earn itself a rebuild, while other less fortunate engines suffer catastrophic failures that force early retirement. This is something that most people wont realize. We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request. Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from EngineLabs, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! They inspect for microfracture after each run to hope for 3 runs. While modern Top Fuel engines are loosely based on the Chrysler 426 Hemi, the hardware has since departed a far distance from the original 1964 production V8, and good looks inside these exotic beasts are rare. Of that total, $22,218 was spent on the engine and tires. The engine itself is not the only expense; the car also needs a high-performance transmission, driveshaft, and differential, which can add another $50,000 to the bill. If you pay attention at the 2:54 mark in the video, youll notice the supercharger inlet is blurred out. If youre worried about licensing issues, then forget about it. Essentially, nitromethane is different from gasoline in that it carries its own oxygen, so it doesnt require the same type of intake. The cost of a complete top fuel dragster engine is in the $58,000 range depending on options. A typical top-fuel dragster engine will cost between $100,000 and $250,000. Depending on the race you want to participate in, you will have to have different certifications from racing organizations, but those will only be earned with experience and time. This is mostly because this isnt something you would drive to the grocery store, but on professional tracks. So when Schumacher invited us to work our magic on one of its beasts at company headquarters in Brownsburg, Indiana, Davin wasnt about to hesitate while the offer was on the table. It is based on a Chrysler Hemi block of about 500 cubic inches. 16Spark plugs per engine. So, what makes these engines so expensive? The engine runs on 90 percent nitromethane, which packs about seven times the potential energy of regular fuel. Too early and the parachutes impede his time, too late, and he risks not having them stop him in time. If you want to get the parts separately, then you should know that at least the chassis can be found easily on the market, where some drivers will sell their old one for a decent price. Hot Rod & Drag Racing themed Wear an Original. + The sorely abused forged aluminum pistons, coated all over, deck and skirts, with a special thermal and anti-friction barrier to help them survive their impossibly violent surroundingsfor a few seconds at least. Are people allowed to buy a top fuel dragster? An interesting discussion on the per-lap cost of running a nostalgia AA Fuel Dragster popped up on the AAFD and Nitronic Research Facebook pages recently. I sincerely hope you got to be with friends and family during the holidays and that you all had a safe and fun end to 2021. House Grail is reader-supported. PRIMARY PRODUCTs BILLET ALUMINUM CYLINDER HEADS FORGED BILLET ALUMINUM BLOCKS AJPE Comprehensive Parts List Get Parts Superior Support Winning is a team effort. (ESPN). Its because nitromethane burns slower than gasoline. Now they've topped themselves, if you will, with a time-lapse rebuild of a nitro-burning, 11,000-hp Top Fuel engine from Don Schumacher Racing, one of the leading teams in drag racing. Engine Builder Attends SBIs 40th Anniversary Gala, UNDERSTANDING OIL CLEARANCES IN ENGINE BEARINGS, Ryan Millikens Turbocharged 6.8L Cummins Engine, Nitrous-Powered 7.3L Ford Godzilla Engine, Pauls High Performance Nitrous-Powered Ford Godzilla Engine, Building Drag Racing Engines and Modification Work. However, dont think that every part of the engine isnt taken apart and at the very least inspected between rounds of racing. If you are preparing your vehicle to enter some sort of competition, then these are some of the details that will help you figure out the cost of running a top fuel dragster in a race. The supercharger will build approximately fifty pounds of manifold pressure. Thanks to the team at Hagertys Redline Rebuild series, they have condensed the already fast process into a much more palatable package, with this time lapse video of Don Schumacher Racings Top Fuel dragster engine being torn completely down and reassembled in seven and a half minutes. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. That is about the same amperage as an arc welder. The fuel pump is capable of delivering 77 gallons per minute through a 2.5 diameter fuel line. Stuff you have to use every run, no matter what happens.. Its all about timing because the driver has a lever inside his cockpit that he must pull at just the right time. All Rights Reserved, Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Nothing to do with how good the old technology is. You need just 12 more to power your MIG welder. The engine will consume 22.75 gallons of fuel during warmup, burnout, staging, and the quarter-mile run. As the old saying goes, if some is good, more is better, at least in theory. Were admirers of Hagerty, the collector car insurance people. The remainder was needed just to get to the track. Each stroke of your engine generates more power because its burning more fuel without needing extra space for as much oxygen. And why are they not??? Engine Bearing Replacement Cost | Is It Expensive. When Hagerty resident wrench Davin Reckow called Don Schumacher Racing with the idea of doing a Redline Rebuild for one of its Top Fuel engines, we werent sure what the answer would be. In a single year, the rebuilt process happens around 184 times to a race engine. And for your viewing convenience, they've condensed the process down to an info-packed seven minutes. On average, a pair of slicks only lasts for four runs. The pump in the car is capable of delivering 77 gallons per minute. Incredible machines.If this post interested you, you simply must see them in action. The block and heads are CNC-milled from solid billets of aluminum, and the oil pan is titanium. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Now theyve topped themselves, if you will, with a time-lapse rebuild of a nitro-burning, 11,000-hp Top Fuel engine from Don Schumacher Racing, one of the leading teams in drag racing. In addition, the team will need to purchase tires, fuel, and other parts on a regular basis. Sign up for the latest automotive news and videosin short, everything for people who love cars. Which itself was based on a 1954 engine! We can do the chassis and body maintenance. Related Articles . Before deploying his braking system, he had the car traveling 336.57 miles per hour. Thanks to the incredible power of its engine, Antron Browns dragster is one of the fastest cars in the world. PRICE REDUCED TO $7400 CASH !!! 6The maximum number of clutch discs in a Top Fuel car. Because when you tear down a hot engine, studs mitigate thread damage after multiple disassemblies compared to bolts. Australia is the sixth largest country in the. With the engine at 8500 rpm, just turning the supercharger soaks up 900 horsepower. So they will resolve the problem without making it bigger. When you account for how many times the engine will likely have to be rebuilt in a year, that puts the average cost in excess of $1 million dollars per year for rebuilds alone. 131, Vincent Rapide, Velocette Venom, and 5000 other motorcycles | Barn Find Hunter Ep. It will be followed by noticeable maintenance expenses, out of which the cost of an experienced service team is among the most important ones. A new top fuel engine will cost around $100,000. Weights vary according to combination but are generally between 1,975 and 2,125 pounds. 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Custom newsletter with the content you love from EngineLabs, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE diameter. Fuel and clutch discs make up a big part of any fuel dragsters engines put out much... Is in the car traveling 336.57 miles per hour is good, more is better, least. Was needed just to Get to the track the fastest cars in the NHRA Mello Drag... And lathes and I do most of the engine isnt taken apart and the! They start them on alcohol, and he risks not having them stop in!