For those of you that had a door car for years and then went to a roadster how did you adjust. And same for the ones that ran a Roadster and went to a door car. Did you win more rounds / races one way or the other. I have a 5.90 door car and am looking at 27 Roadster. Also I am a day and night time racer How did that effect you.

I’ve ran dragsters, door cars, roadsters, etc.

You have more of an unobstructed view in a roadster of course than a door car, but I honestly see little difference in my outcome of the race, or finish line driving, etc. A light and short wheel based roadster can throw out a wild run at you from time to time, especially on a cold and marginal track

I ran a '67 Nova with a series of big block Chevy's (468, a 496, a 540 finally with a 565) for many years.

In 2002 I bought a Don Davis '27 Ford Roadster. With each step to a bigger engine (468, 496, 540 and finally a really good 582 the car became less consistent and more challenging to drive. Fun yes to drive, but harder to make it consistent. Frankly there is zero room for error. When this one starts to get out from under you, you're done! The key difference between the Nova (107 inch W/B) and the Roadster (112 inch W/B) was visibility and the general "Feel" of an open wheel car. It took me a long time to finally make the car competitive (consistent), the door car was competitive from day one.

Actually I've won more rounds and races in the Roadster, but I would suggest limiting the engine combination to no more than a 540. It'll be fast but not scare the crap out of you on a marginal track.

Bob

Bob really nailed it. With the Roadster / Altered you can go faster with same power because they are lighter. As you go faster chassis set up becomes more critical and less forgiving and can be less consistent. Keep it conservative and they can be killer. That is same with door car to as you get closer to the edge it is harder to stay consistent.

Visibility. I like the door car better. You are in the shade and I tend to be able to see tree better. Sometimes in an Altered or Roadster the sun is in your eyes and nothing you can do. In open wheel car when it is cold visor can fog up and that is a problem on the tree. Also you can have a good rear view mirror in your door car.


Fun to drive - going faster is always fun but the big wheelies in my Camaro was fun to. In that car it was not as consistent when I had it set up doing big wheelies. Calmed it down and turned on more win lights.

In the end it is not a big deal, you will quickly adjust and learn as long as you are not trying to rotate the Earth. Get what ever you want.

won a ton in many different roadsters over the years and the last one i had ran 4.90,s and 9.90 at 170 plus on the stop with zero handling issues and the more hp you threw at it the better it liked it also i have a friend that has been deep in the 6,s at over 200 in the quarter with zero issues in his roadster. a roadster 4 link strut chassis is no different than a door car and the handling is all in the setup same as a door car if it handles badly you need to work on the setup. if you run a short instant center and 60% weight on the rear you can expect it to handle badly. neither a door car or roadster will solely win more rounds than the other.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 67TSCHEVY2,

If you look other than the 27 style roadster you have a door car chassis under it. After all my years in one I wouldn’t race anything else but I’m just a lowly footfeeder.

Thanks to all of you for your input. Little back ground here about getting bit by the Roadster bug. I have been a door car guy for over 35 years had a good friend that had a 27 back in the day drove it one night and was a for sure different ride but I liked it , the wind in the face thing was a distraction at first but it handled OK. He did well with it.
IM starting to get long in the tooth here 68 and have some medical issues last 2 years that kept me out of the seat. So during all this time I have seen several Roadsters I like rolling for decent money. I like the idea of easier ability to maintenance , my legs dont hold up as well but I am on the mend. So to much time to think I suppose My car now I know every bolt squeak and noise and to be honest its sort of like one of the family. Thanks much to all of you that have taken time to share your knowledge.

Here in Texas both of the Pennington bros run 4.8x in their left hand steer Pennington 32 roadsters and Jarod Wilson also runs 4.8x in his 27 Brogie roadster. all have won a bunch over the years proving you can do fast and win, it's all about the set up

I've driven both, I prefer my corvette roadster over a door car. I like being outside. No smoke or fumes when staging, you can see great. Plus I can pop the body off for major maintenence. Not all roadsters are bad on the top end. It really depends on the builder and chassis set-up. My car is fairly fast for 9.90's and it drives great.

Is a roadster hard to get in? I'm 65 with a sometimes bad back but can get around ok. Interested in one as well.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Allred:
Is a roadster hard to get in? I'm 65 with a sometimes bad back but can get around ok. Interested in one as well.

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Well they can be. I would say it’s similar to getting in and out of a dragster. Stepping over the side is the issue. Some have a step/rod that pulls out to give you a boost getting in. I have to step over the body side and onto my seat then put my foot down into the floorboard. My car is a spread leg ‘27.

I’m a pretty skinny guy with long legs so I don’t have many problems with it even when my back is stiff, which is most of the time now. LOL

Getting in and out of a Roadster:

I have a Don Davis '27 Ford Roadster with a 3 inch tall windscreen. To help me get in and out of the car I bought an original Roadster antique running board step plate through Eckler's Antique Parts. I fabricated a 3 inch tall, 6.5 inch wide by 16 inches long (tapered at both ends) raised extension to help spread my weight distribution over a larger area. I then had everything polished. If I was to re-make the step plate extension I would probably make it 5 inches tall.

I'm a little under 5/10 with a 31 inch in-step so getting in and out of the car was too difficult, this fixed that problem.

I also bought a 9 inch lithium battery powered fan with a clamp that I attach to the top of the roll cage. It points downward and provides a constant flow of air onto me during 100 + degree weather. I would like to find a "Cool Suit" lining that fits inside my helmet for those hot summer days.

One last item: Foggin the helmet shield at night:

This IS a constant problem on some late evenings, I'm still trying to find a better way to deal with it. I've tried spraying the inside of the helmet shield, using diving mask treatments but NOTHING has worked effectively. I've resorted to keeping the shield up until I release the brake but that just complicates my focus process. Still looking to fix this issue.

Bob

It sounds like roadster entry and exit hazards can be mitigated with some ingenuity and fab work. Cool. There are more of them up for sale at reasonable prices and it looks like fun. Hmmmm.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Allred:
It sounds like roadster entry and exit hazards can be mitigated with some ingenuity and fab work. Cool. There are more of them up for sale at reasonable prices and it looks like fun. Hmmmm.

I've also noticed a lot of roadsters for sale lately. I wonder why that is? Lots of those borderline altered roadsters like the 27T and stuff where the seat is just off center enough to not count as an altered.

The engine in my '27 T Roadster is offset approximately 2 1/4 inches to the passenger side to account for the driver's weight. That required a few considerations.

(1) Installing and/or removing the starter can be a bit challenging because it's located very close to the frame rail.

(2) The carburetor air cleaner and base had to be off-set to align with the hood scoop.

(3) A 3 inch tall bump on the right side of the hood to clear the passengers side valve cover.

(4) Oil pan selection, especially with a big block is a consideration, (no passenger side large kick-out), it wouldn't clear the frame rail and you would probably have to remove the engine to get the starter in and out.

(5) Routing transmission cooler lines and mounting a cooler take a little planning. Jiffy-Tite fittings really helped.

Other than these small issues there is't a need to use any pre-load in the four link, until you get to a large stroke/cubic inch engine. It drives like a Cadillac in high gear and visibility is great.

I've also noticed a lot of cars for sale over the past year, roadsters as well as door cars and dragsters however the car count at our local track is increasing.

Bob

Bob, what brand is your car?

Heavy door car, 3,000 pounds plus.