| Introducing RAD |
our Drag Transfer Gearbox
|
|
|
|
| Famed drag car builder Rob Miller asked us if we would help him with his latest PROFWD Drag Car project. The customer, Christian Rado had a vision of a relatively cheap way for newcomers into the sport to build a drag car, and he wanted it realized. The concept uses basically a Pros Stock drive train wrapped up onto itself and driving the front wheels using the live axle. |
|
|
|
|
From the start it was clear that there needed to be some sort of constant velocity joint that could handle the torque while providing enough plunge to allow the suspension and live axle to move through out it's entire range. We made a custom constant velocity joint for the application built right into the middle of the upper gear to get the most compact package possible without canterlevering the joint outside the transfer case. After making a quick design, we made a wooden mockup of the transfer case, fit it into the car, then made some minor design changes, made another mockup to check everything out and then quickly made two transfer cases. Under a tight timeline Rob predicted, "Even though Traction was last to be brought on board, they will be done first." In the series of pictures you can see that the transfer case is in fact the only completed part in the car! |
|
|
|
|
|
The transfer case and covers were CNC
machined from a solid blocks of aluminum.
The
unit is drysumped and is designed to stiffen up the hole in the frame that it
sits in. The simple 2 gear layout spins quite freely by hand.
A very similar transfer case was designed later for Jay Leno's Ecojet. |
|
|
|
|
| Out of the box the car was competitive. At it's debut in the Nopi Nationals it won. Later in the year at the finals in NHRA Sports Compact in Pomona, California, the car was quickest through all rounds of qualifying and eliminations. A little too much wheel spin leaving the line ruined a perfect weekend and Christian narrowly lost the final round. | |
Traction Products,
Inc. & Weismann Marine, LLC.
1728 Monrovia St. Costa Mesa, Ca. 92627
Tel: 949-645-4064 Fax: 949-645-2424
