a properly set up 2wd will be faster off the line and in overall time. But with that being said, its hard to "properly set up" a 2wd and much easier to work with a 4wd. If youre going for an all out drag truck then go with 2wd with some big fat slicks on the back. I cant say whether or not to go with a dually or srw because youll have to modify the axle a lot for a link suspension setup and bracing, so it shouldnt matter what you start out with. Just curious, but what are you planning on spending on this?

 

2WD is the only way to go. Weight is one of the biggest issues with drag racing. Roughly every 100lb = .1 sec so, if you could get your weight down to 3800 like mentioned above and I have a pretty light 4x4 at 7300 your power to weight advantage would put you 3.5 sec ahead of me. If you take the time to set up the rear suspension you will cut better 60' than a heavy 4x4. I bet with a good stack and suporting mods a 600hp engine would get you to your goals. That would not take a lot of cash and you could concentrate more on your suspension set-up.

 

Not including the cost of the truck.. $30k ish... the goal is to have a few finincial sponsors.

 

OK........ and when can we expect this project to get started. Without the sponsors how far can you get going on this. I started talking about mine like this 5 weeks or so ago and now im 98% done, hope to bust it off this week adn will be trying a shack down run no later that next weekend. IF your really going through with this dont hesitate to ask questions during the build, ive just gone through all of it and it was a really fun build. Hope it runs good, should also get to see it in Diesel Power before to long...... Ryan

 

I would look for a high milage 3rd gen ST work truck in 2wd. You can get them for 8-12k. I paid 13k for my '06 with 84k. I think for 30k you should be able to do 10's pretty easy on a stock motor (well a cam and valve springs would be a good idea). If you can do a lot of the work yourself it would be even easier. The safety equipment, roll cage, tranny, and rear end work will be a large portion of the expense though.

 

Strip only? Get a regular cab short bed 1500 2wd.

I have been told I am nuts for this next statement, but I am sticking by it because I know I am right.

You do not need 3/4 or 1 ton axles for a diesel drag racer. A Ford 9" based rear can be built to handle any amount of hp/torque you could possibly throw at it. People confuse housing strength with component strength. Sure a 9" wouldn't last five minutes in a 3500 towing a 4 car wedge up and down the road, it lacks the housing strength to withstand such loads. You don't need the housing strength provided by a Dana 70 or 80, your not gonna be towing, you need component strength, and for that a 9" is hard to beat, can you find 45 spline axles and carriers for a Dana 80? From trophy trucks to NASCAR to dragsters, almost all of them use an axle that can trace it roots directly to the Ford 9", just about the only major wheeled motorsport where you won't find a single 9" is monster trucks. Why? Not because a 9" would not hold the power, but because they need housing strength. Add in the benefit of much lower weight then the 3/4 and 1 ton axles and the 9" is tough to beat.

Sorry for the rant, anyway a 2wd 1500 reg cab short bed is the way to go for a dedicated drag truck.

 

fiveology That is what I am doing,I have a 74 pro street D100 that weight 3400lbs with a 318 and 727 trans. I am putting a 1st gen cummins out of my 91 (in my sig) with an A518 over drive trans I am hoping for it to weight less then 4000lbs and run in the 11s on stock turbo and injectors

 

No more old blue beast? I love watching that truck run, and the reaction it gets from the crowd. Of course a old pro street D100 would be pretty sweet too.

 

I agree the 9" is hard to beat, i sold the 12 bolt out of this 81 and narrowed a 9" housing to 42". Got custom 35 spline mosers, full spool and a strange nodular case with a 3.50 gear set. You can only put up to a 33 spline in a factory third member. Im hoping ive got nearly a bullet proof engine and rearend im just hoping the ol' GM powerglide will hold up. I did go with all the good parts inside, and changed it over to a turbo shaft to make getting convertors easier. Also went with a 1.81 gear rather than the 1.76 for a little deeper gear getting out of the hole. But ya racing is ALL about weight- power is great but if your heavy your just given up free time. You just simply dont have to have as much power if your light enough- but once your light then More power is what we all want--fast fast faster-- sick isnt it

 

There are some people with enough power to break 9" rear ends on a regular basis. Nascar or not they aren't strong enough to take big power from a diesel truck IMO. I'll wait until I can afford a 10". Until then I'll use the factory rear end.

 

Same here. 9 inchers won't even hold a decent 9 or 10 second big block bracket car without replacing all of the internals and axles. And they have no where near the torque of a diesel. Much cheaper to run a 70 or 80 and not have to re-invent the wheel. There's already trucks out there running mid 10s on a 70 without spending 3000.00 on internal improvements. My Dana 70 has 240,000 miles on it and has never been apart and has numerous 1.6 to 1.7 60 foot times on it in a 7100 pound 4X4. It still has the stock factory U-joints even.

 

Yup and I bet the same truck would run closer to 10.0s with a 9 inch. There are just as many guys breaking Dana 70s pulling as there are guys breaking 9"s drag racing, if your dumb you can break anything. I am just saying if I where building a dedicated drag truck it would not have a Dana 70 or 80 in the rear, but it is not my truck so do whatever you want, just remember it would be faster with a 9".

 

What's a 10 inch???

 

That was a Typo. I meant a 11".

 

Doing all the work myself, i ended up with a little more than 1/3 of that 3000 you mentined. And yes the third member and axles need to be upgraded for serious race duty but... thats just part of racing. I feel my 9" is up to the challenge, if im question any of my components its the glide. Lots say it will work fine and others say the panets will fail???