His methods of making the body panels include panel templates to provide repeatability in panels and the use of jigs for locating the dzus mounting plates. This enables him to make "exact copies" of panels from car to car. If I ruin one of my panels I can just order it. No need to haul the car down to his shop for a custom fit panel. That kind of service is important to me, not that I want to ruin some panels but if something does come loose in the trailer I won't be looking at a long delay to get the body panel replaced.

You can see in the photos that Dragstar uses Cleco pins to hold the panels in place after they have been cut and fitted. Dragstar Chassis even made their own mold for their fiberglass "First There" nosepiece. It has a vertical front edge to reach the finish line photocells before the more laid-back nosepieces on most dragsters. When inches count I think the Dragstar "First There" nosepiece is just one of the innovations that puts Dragstar Chassis ahead of the rest.

The chassis I ordered caused Jim some extra work as it was his first "wide glide," (my nickname for it) 24-inch wide at the shoulder chassis. This meant some new templates were needed because of the wider frame rails. Something else he makes while forming body panels are two mounting trays located above the driver's knees to hold ignition and electronic components. With a small flush-mounted access door, all adjustments can be made quickly.

I am only a week away from picking up the engine at Indy Cylinder Head in Indianapolis, so stay tuned for the next installment of "Project 4-Link" as we should have our first engine building article. The dyno will tell the tale and we will have full coverage of that too. "Project 4-Link" should be rolling by the next issue so we all get a full view of the Dragstar Chassis and the unique 4-link rear suspension.

Race-On … Race Safe!

Project 4 Link: Part 1 | Part 2

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