Thinking about looking for a FED project to play with in retirement. Anybody had one or currently have one. Any pointers , tips pro/cons? What to look for or avoid? Looking for 160" to 180" wheelbase. I know the most sought after is a Logghe or Woodie Gilmore chassis. Would like to find something that would certify for nostalgia drags. Any input appreciated.

I’d start searching RacingJunk. Some usually pop up on there.

i always had an affinity for a competition coupe.
at least i think that's what they were called. an old 30's style body chunk on a FED chassis.
good luck in your search and retirement !

I found a few already. My old friend Al Bergler says they are overpriced. He will be my guidence.

Well, I run in a Gasser class, and they tended to fad away from competition. We had a couple of them that would run with us. They tend to be long and difficult to maneuver, and many didn't have built in starters, and cooling systems....Combine that with bad handling and inconsistent launches.....Well unless they race each other, they don't fit well in other classes.

To run Mopower with a starter, it needs to be 24" between the frame rails...no less. Me, I like the period correct Alterds better, but that's me.

He would certainly know.

I would think the first decision to make is find a real original 60+ year old car and use it, or use an up to date car like S&W builds or a modern nostalgia car.

couple of styles i like

Al would have the scoop. A friend of ours, David Crane, Battle Creek, MI, passed away late in 2019, and his shop (a museum to front engined cars) was full of them.

His widow might could use the money.

I have a weak spot for a fed too. Not a fan of the bodied ones, just the super clean motor on a stick look,

There are some guys that run I think south east something or the other nostalgia whatever that runs a few of them. I love watching them. Not really fast, but I bet it feels like it. They're often all over the track, wheelies, sideways, whatever.

Funny that older guys, myself included talk about running them in retirement. Reality is, they look harder to manage than ye olde door banger lol.

Al's car is now in the permanent home in Speedway Motors Museum in Nebraska.

John Brown tried to send you a PM. Your inbox will not accept Private Messages. Please contact me. Thanks

My late racing partner & I had this one for a few years in the late 70's. This was before there was a nostalgia craze. It was supposed to have been Kalitta's last front-engine dragster. As best I can tell, it was a 70 or 71 Logghe. We had the engine & trans mounted by Wayne Farr. Engine was a low HP 396 Chevy. It ran & drove OK. Not fast. Al Bergler built the scoop. The only real drawback to this car was that the seat was narrow & it took 2 people to operate it at the track.

I don't do private messages at all. Ask whatever you want on the board. I will answer if I can.

John Brown, just wanted to know if you had any contact information for his widow? Hate to bother people but according to Dave's obituary he passed away Oct 2018, two years ago now. Maybe it's sold by now. Got a phone number or something. Thanks

I sent you a p.m. Didn't realize it had been two years. Getting old sucks. Not getting old is even worse.

Sent another p.m. Good luck.

I toyed with the idea of building one, even went as far as buying plans from Mark Williams. The new builds that were fast were the Neil & Parks cars.

https://neilparks.com/

They had a car or two run in Comp Eliminator as well from memory

You definitely don't want anything less than 20 years old. You should consider a SB and not make too much low end power. The traction of 700+ HP will be a handful to drive. Probably would put on a good show but going rounds is a different story. Great for nostalgia events where you are running similar cars. Ran an Altered in the 70's and became frustrated with the inconsistencies. Traded it for a FED and sold that the following year. I had my FED set up so I didn't need a crew. You need at least 1 guy at the track always w'o the mods. Try calling S&W race cars. They might have a lead with someone updated to a new ride.

My small block has gone 9.16 in my Duster.... I’d love to put that in an old school FED! Of course out here in the west that would be like 2-3 events a year. Might be a good exit plan

Not sure how much racing you do now, but make sure you really, really, really want a FED. We had a buddy who did the same thing, spent several years fighting to just get it down the track, and never got a chance to actually enjoy it or racing before he passed away. There's a reason Garlitz moved the engine to the back, and a reason they are few and far between in any form of racing. Killer looks, but their time has passed.