Snake Pit: There are several systems involved in the building of a

funny car. If one breaks these systems down into their component parts, one
finds that it is really quite easy to understand where everything goes. In this
article I will break the various systems down as follows; 1. Brakes; 2. Fuel;
3. Oil; 4. Water and 5. Electrical.
Each of these systems is responsible for a certain part of the job when a
funny car hurtles down the strip at speeds over 200 mph. Everything must
work well or a great deal of money can go down the drain in a hurry. Since
the brakes play such an important part, we will tackle them first.

Here is the chassis of the Hawaiian, the one they crashed at the Winter-
nationals. Larry Reyes, who was driving at the time, smiles here. As you can
see, the chassis was hardly bent during its wild 180 mph ride.
Here is a side view showing you what the bare chassis of a typical funny car
looks like. This model is constructed by Logghe of Detroit. The new car chassis
is almost identical tho this one.
Here is the Hawaiian on its maiden run at Lions drag strip in Long Beach.
The first run of the new car was an easy 119 mph in 8.90 seconds. On the
second run, driver Larry Reyes cranked it up to 168 mph at 7.90. By the time
you read this, the new Hawaiian should be running in the 200’s at just over
7 seconds in the quarter mile.

Stopping power for the Hawaiian is provided by

two master cylinders mounted on the roll bar
cage. These two cylinders provide a dual braking
system in case one should fail. The master cylin-
ders are activated by a foot pedal which pushes
hydraulic fluid through the brake lines to the disk
brakes following the route shown in the drawing.
As you can see here, the brake lines come out of
the top of the master cylinder and run down the
left front roll bar.
The brake lines curve underneath the aluminum
interior panels and start towards the back of the
car.

Here you can see the brake pedal hanging

down from the master cylinders on the roll Here, you can see the brake lines running along the
Here is another view of the master cylinders, showing cage. Check out the workmanship that is top bar of the chassis, underneath the aluminum inte-
you their location and construction details. apparent on the still unfinished chassis. rior panel. From here the two lines run to.....

1
...the rear of the chassis to a spot just over the rear cross member. Here the lines
separate by means of ‘T’ connections and run to each side of the chassis. Notice how the brake lines are secured to the chassis by means of
metal tabs.

The center parts of the brake lines are rigid tubing, while the end pieces are flex-
ible stainless steel tubing.
Here are the disc brakes mounted on the axle to which the brake line will con-
nect. Notice the intricate castings on this part. Don’t you wish the model kits
would have such super detailing.

Here is the same disc brake assembly

with the rear axle mounted on the chas-
sis. Notice how the brake lines run into
the disc brakes at sharp right angles. This
is made possible with ‘L’ connections.

Here is a straight on rear view showing

how the lines run into the disc brakes. All
of these fittings are aircraft parts adapted
to funny cars by most car builders.

The straight on view illustrates the

completed brake lines. Also notice
how ultra-sanitary all of the welds
are on the chassis.

2
This view shows you the “T” connections for the
brake lines. They are in the upper right hand cor-
ner of the photo, just above the main rails of the
chassis. Notice also the mounts for the wheelie
bars at the very bottom of the photo.

Here is a view of the disc brake with the wheel

removed.

Here is a side view of the same disc brake

assembly. The pads which actually do the stop-
ping of the car push onto the disc which is
attached to the axle.

Last shot in this series on the brakes illustrates

the finned disc which helps to cool the brakes
while they are stopping a 200 mph funny car.
When building this component part of a funny car
in 1/25 scale, I recommend using a soft steel wire
for the brake lines which can be bent and formed
into any shape you want.

Having started with the brakes, which is a fairly

easy system to construct, we will progress next
month to a more difficult system each issue........

Dual Cylinder Braking System

3
 F-2 I guess we will get down to basics and start the
fuel system where the driver does. This is the Moon
foot pedal on the Hawaiian. Notice how the rod from
F-1 The one thing to remember when looking at all these photos is to carefully follow the fuel the foot pedal runs up to the bell crank which transfers
lines from point to point. You will notice in some of the photos that the lines appear to merge. the vertical motion of the driver’s foot to a horizontal
Actually they may be crossing over each other at different places. movement which...

F-3 ...pushes a lever on the side of the injectors,

as shown here. Notice the return spring, which is
attached to the back of the blower.

F-4 Here is another view of the bell crack which

operates the injectors. Notice where the rod goes
through the fire wall and comes out by the blower.

F-5 This is a little closer view of the return spring and injectors. Notice how the spring is mount- F-6 This rear three-quarter view shows you the top
ed on the rod. On a model, this spring can be made by winding some extremely small diameter and side on the Enderle injectors, better know as a
copper wire tightly around the shaft of a pin. Have fun! “bugcatcher.”

4
 F-7 Here is a view of the left hand side of the “bugcatcher” with the rods
that control the butterfly valves and the fuel metering valve coming out the
side. On a model, these rods can be simulated with model railroad rivets
(Which are available from Auto World) and small strips of aluminum print-
ing plate with holes drilled through them. Now that we are on the left side
of the engine, you can start to see that it looks like a complex group of
lines running every which way. While we are at this point, it is a good time
to find out where these fuel lines come from and go to. Line #1 comes
from the fuel pump on the front of the engine and is the main fuel feed into
this valve. Line #2 runs from the valve to the back of the injectors, where
the fuel is them distributed into the injectors. Line #3 runs from the valve
into the back of the blower and from there, the fuel is distributed directly
into the intake manifold which is underneath the blower and between the
two heads. Line #4 is a return fuel line. When the engine is shut down, the
fuel goes back through this line and into the top of the fuel tank.

F-8 The center tank is the fuel tank. All three of

these tanks are constructed of aluminum for
lighter weight. Also notice that all of the tanks can
be easily removed by means of the pins mounted
at the front of each tank. The return fuel line which
was line #4 in the last photo is the right hand line
on the center tank. The line on the left hand side
of the tank is also a return fuel line which runs to
the left hand side of the fuel pump.

F-9 Here is a view of the various water, fuel and

oil lines running from the tanks to the engine.
Notice in the very center of the photo there is a
solitary line running from the bottom of the center
tank up to the fuel pump. For clarity, I will refer
from this point on to the right hand and left hand
sides of the engine, as if were in the driver’s seat
looking forward.

F-10 Now you can see the main fuel line coming
from the center tank right above one of Roland
Leong’s crew members’ head. This line runs into
the fuel pump which is mounted on a shaft
extending from the center of the engine block, The
fuel goes in the right hand side of the fuel pump,
comes out the left side and makes a sharp turn up
towards the valve on the side of the blower. Check
the drawing at this point to further clarify the loca-
tion of this line.

F-11 This photo shows the lines running from the

fuel valve to the back of the injectors, the blower,
and down to the fuel pump and tank. Notice that
the ignition lines are missing so that you can get a
clearer view of the fuel lines.

5
 F-12 This 3/4 view illustrates the various diam-
eters of the fuel lines running into and out of
the fuel valve.

F-13 Here you can see the fuel line running

into a fuel block on the back of the injectors.
The fuel enters the block and is distributed
through eight lines into the injectors.

F-14 Here you can get a good clear view of the

back of the blower and the system of lines
which run directly into the manifold. During a
high speed run, 50% of the fuel is injected
directly into the manifold through these lines.
The other 50% goes through the injectors,
mixes with air, and is compressed in the blow-
er and pushed into the cylinders at high pres-
sure.

F-15 Here we have come around to the right

side of the engine again and you can see how
the various lines run in to he injectors and the
manifold.

F-16 Here the valve covers are removed so that you can see where the fuel lines run directly into
the manifold. They go into the manifold at about a 45 degree angle.

F-17 For clarity, the Enderle bugcatcher has bee removed from the engine and is shown here from
the bottom. Now you can get a good idea of how the fuel lines run from the fuel valve to the block
at the back and into the injectors.

F-18,a, b, c These three views should

further clarify the details of the fuel sys-
tem, as far as the injectors or “bug-
catcher” is concerned.

6
 F-19a, b, c Here are
three more views of the
top of the injector from
different angles to help
clarify this situation. We
would rather give you
too many photos than
leave some stones
unturned in this article.

F-20 Here we switch to Mickey Thompson’s advanced engineering department

and the Ford 429 Hemi for a view of the fuel injection system with the blower
removed. This side view shows how the various fuel lines run from the fuel block
at the back of the blower to the intake manifold. The details on this are the same
as the Dodge Hemi V-8.
F-21 This rear view shows the various fuel lines running into the intake
manifold from the rear. You should have a fairly good idea of where all
of these things go by now.

F-22 Now we will show the return of the fuel lines

back to the tank. The reason for these return lines
is that, in an emergency, the fuel to the engine can
be shut off immediately and the fuel will be
drained directly back to the fuel tank without
dumping any of it on the track. The return fuel line
runs out of the bottom of the valve and down past
the left side of the blower belt. From there, the line
curves directly back up to the top of the tank, as
show in the drawing of the fuel system.

F-23 This view of the front of the engine shows

how the fuel line runs from the return valve, down
beside the blower belt and up the top of fuel tank,
which t the preset time is covered with tools.

7
F-24 Here we will move in a little closer to the fuel
pump so that you can see the main fuel line in the left
hand side of the photo which is actually the right side
the car. Notice how the line curves into the fuel pump,
comes out the other side and goes up the the injec-
tors. Notice the square block on the left hand side of
the fuel pump (right side of the photo), coming out of
the bottom of this block for another fuel return line
which goes to the right hand hole in top of the fuel
tank. This square block is the fuel shut-off valve.
Notice the line running from the front of the pump to
the square block. This line runs.....

F-25 .....from the fuel pump down to the right side of

the engine and back to....

F-26 ...the fuel shut-off handle which is located just to the right the driver’s seat on the floor of the funny
car. The shut-off knob is a “T” shaped piece of hardware sticking up at an angle from the floor.

F-27 Here is another view of the fuel shut-off valve. It is just to the right of the seat and beneath the
Moon foot pedal in this view.

8
O-1 Roland runs Pennzoil 60 weight racing oil
in the Hawaiian and here he is filling the left
front tank, which contains lubricant for the big
fat Hemi. Notice the two lines coming out of
the top of the tank, one on each side of the
funnel.

O-2 At the left of this photo, notice the two

lines running from the top of the oil tank
towards the engine at the right. Both of these
lines return oil to the engine after it has circu-
lated. The line on the right side of the top of
the tank runs directly to the left hand valve
cover. The line on the left side of the tank runs
down to the oil distribution block on the side of
the engine.

O-3 Here is a front view showing the oil line

going into the left valve cover of the engine.
All of these lines are braided aircraft quality
stainless steel.

O-4 Here is a view of the oil tank (at the bot-

tom right of the photo) located at the left front
part of the frame. Here again, you can see
the oil line running to the valve cover while
the oil line on the left side of the tank runs
down past the oil filter and disappears under-
neath the engine.

O-5 Two FRAM oil filters are mounted on the

inside of the frame between the oil tank and the
engine. Just below the bottom oil filter, you can
see the return oil line which goes down into the oil
distribution block on the side of the engine.
O-8 Here is a shot of the underneath of the Hawaiian with the oil distribution block in plain sight. The
return oil line is at the top left hand part of the photo and goes out beyond the blower belt to the left.
Check the drawing at this point to familiarize yourself with the location of these lines. The main oil line
into the engine starts at the lower left hand part of the photo and comes up into the oil distribution block
right where it says “Keith Black.”

9
O-11 Here is another view of the oil distribution block with the lines running up
to the oil filters. Notice the shape of the oil pan which is constructed from alu-
minum.

O-12 The minimum instrumentation on most competition cars is the oil pres-
sure gauge. This gauge tells the driver how many pounds per square inch pres-
sure there is in the lubrication system at any time. Should the oil pressure drop
immediately, he shuts off the engine to save it from damage, for without proper
lubrication, the engine would soon disintegrate. On the Hawaiian, the oil pres-
sure gauge is mounted atop the steering column at the left of the photo. Notice
the oil line running from the gauge, through the fire wall, and into the engine
block right behind the blower.

O-13 Here is a side view of the oil pressure
gauge mounted on the steering column.
O-14 Here is a view of the left side of the Hawaiian just in front of the big M & H slicks. Notice the tank
that is secured to the chassis by a nylon strap. The tank holds reserve oil for the transmission. Check the
drawing to see where these line go to. Notice, at the lower left hand side of the photo, that the trans-
mission is completely wrapped in an armor blanket. This is a safety precaution to prevent parts from fly-
ing up at the driver and spectators, should the transmission fail at high speeds.

W-1 Here we are again at the front of the car looking down on the water tank
which is located to the right front of the chassis, or at the left hand side of WATER LINES
this photo. Just behind the tank is the water pump mounted on the inside of IN
the right hand frame rail. On this tank, there is only one return line and it is OUT
located at the left front of the tank.

W-2 Following the return

line to the engine, we
find that it goes to the
right hand head and
crosses over behind the
blower belt to the left
hand head.

10
W-3 Here is a side view of the water lines, show-
ing where it goes into the head by means of a “T.”

W-4 Here is a view of the front of the engine with

the water line running behind the blower belt and
into the left hand head, which is at the right of this
photo. The vertical line running down the right
side of the photo partially obscures the end of the
line from view.

W-5 Here we can see the water pump with the

line running from the bottom center of the water
tank at left into the water pump and out to the
right.

W-6 Here you can see the water pump at left with
the hose running out and down to a location
beneath the blower pulley at the right of the photo.
Also notice the wiring on the water pump, which
we will get to later.

W-7 Here we are underneath the car looking at

the front of the engine. Notice the water line com-
ing from the upper left hand side of the photo
down to a bracket which hangs from the engine
block right by the blower pulley.

W-8 This 3/4 view of the bottom of the engine

shows the water line coming into a “T” joint at the
bracket in front of the oil pan. The line at the left of
the photo runs up to the right hand side of the
engine block. There is also a line which runs out
the opposite side to the left hand side of the
engine block. This is where the water which cools
the engine enters the block. It is circulated
through the block and exits through both heads
and back into the top of the water tank.

W-9 Here is a view of the left hand side of the

engine block. Notice the two round objects at the
right of the photo. On a regular engine these
would be be freeze plugs which help prevent an
engine from cracking during cold weather by
allowing water to expand and push out the plugs.
On racing engines, these holes are securely
capped. Just to the left of the right hand freeze
plug you will see a small hole drilled into the block.
This is where the water enter on the left side of the
block.

W-10 This is the right hand side of the engine,

showing the location of the three freeze plugs.
Just to the right of the center freeze plug is the
small hole in the block where water enters for
cooling. As with the fuel and oil systems, all of
there lines are stainless steel.

11
 E-1 The two switches shown here are mounted
just to the right of the driver’s seat in the interior
of the Hawaiian. The front switch (at the left)
operates the water pump and the switch at the
right operates the ignition.

E-2 Here are the two switches shown from the

outside of the chassis. They are mounted direct-
ly on the aluminum interior. On the finished car,
these wires will go into the tubular frame and up
to the front of the car.

E-3 Here is a side view of the chassis showing the electrical lines coming from
the ignition switch and water pump switch going to the front of the car.

E-4 Here, we can see the wires running along to the right hand frame rail up
to an area just below the blower belt. One of the wires runs to the fuel pump,
which you can see at the extreme right of the photo and the other wire runs up
to the magneto from this point. Again, remember that on the finished car the
wiring will run inside the frame rail tubes.

E-5 Here you can see one of the wires attached

to the water pump and the other wire running up
to the engine where it will attach to the magneto,
which is missing on this photo. Notice also that
one wire comes up from the side of the water
pump to the top. You can also check this out on
the drawing.

E-6 Here is the magneto in place with the wire

running up to it from the lower left hand part of the
picture.

E-7 Here you can see the wire running to the

magneto and also the two wires at the top of the
fuel pump which is located at the extreme bottom
of the photo.

E-8 Here is a shot of the magneto with the wire

from the ignition switch running up to the upper
right hand part of the magneto. There is a line that
runs from that point to the center of the distributor
cap. From the distributor cap, there are eight
wires which run out to the eight cylinders of the
engine.

12
E-9 Here you can se how the ignition wires run from the magneto to the valve E-10 Here you can see the wires from the magneto going down under-
covers. Notice that they enter the valve covers at extreme right angles. neath the blower and behind the blower belt to the left side of the engine.

E-11 Here is the left side of the engine showing you how the ignition
wires run into the valve cover. Notice the Dodge decal on the valve cover.

E-12 The Hawaiian does not carry its own battery to start the engine, it
does have a starter, however, and therefore needs an auxiliary, or out-
side power source, which is used only when starting the engine. The
power to the starter is transmitted by means of the device at the upper
left hand corner of the photo. Notice the two prongs coming out of the
oval shaped piece. This is where the auxiliary power source is plugged
into the car. The wire which runs from this source can be seen snaking
along the frame rail, just above the frame headers. As with the other
electrical lines, this one will be enclosed inside the frame rails when the
car is finished off. From this point, the wire runs into........
13

E-13 ...the left hand rear corner of the interior.
Here, you can see the starter switch attached to
the aluminum. Notice that there are two wires at
this point. Check the wiring drawing and you will
find that one of these wires runs back to the
engine and the starter.
When Roland Leong travels, he travels in style
with this sharp looking custom built rig. His V-8
powered Dodge truck is complete with extendable
ramps for removing the Hawaiian from the truck.
Inside are stainless steel tanks to carry racing fuel
and water. There is also a mahogany paneled
“bedroom” at the back of the cab. When they get
ready to leave the strip, the Hawaiian is pulled up
on the truck by an electric powered wench. Pretty
neat, huh?
Here is a side view of the Hawaiian fiberglass
body. It has been chopped and narrowed slightly.
Notice the huge spoiler at the rear.
E-14 Here you can see the battery which runs the
water pump mounted at the right rear corner of
the frame. Notice the plus and minus on the bat-
tery. These signify the positive and negative ter-
minals for wiring purposes. Although the wires are
missing from this battery, you can check the wiring
drawing for their exact location. The wire from the
negative or minus terminal runs down to the bot-
tom center of the battery, as shown by the line
drawn in on the photo. The line runs to a bolt on
the bottom bracket which holds the battery. This is
the “ground” wire. A line runs from the positive ter-
minal up to the water pump switch located on the
right side of the chassis which was shown earlier.
Go back to that photo and notice that there is a
wire missing from the upper part of the water
pump switch which is at the right. This is where
the line attaches from the battery. This can also be
checked out on the wiring drawing.
E-15 Here again, you can see the relative posi-
tion of the battery at the right rear of the chassis.
E-16 Here is the auxiliary power source, which
actually does the job of turning over the starter to
the get the engine moving. (This little cart would
make an interesting display piece and could be
easily constructed from scraps found in your
shop.)
14
Here is a close up of the rear of the body, showing the spoiler and parachute Here is the front of the body, showing the spoiler which is mounted into the
mount. As you can see, the body, at this stage, has not yet been finished up body. Also notice the aluminum work on the inside, with room for the injectors
and painted. to stick through the windshield.

Here is the Hawaiian at Lions drag strip shortly after being unloaded for its maiden voyage down the strip.
Here is a close up view showing how the windows
Big John Mazmanian loaned his truck to Roland while Roland’s rig was being upholstered at Tony
are mounted in a typical funny car body.
Nancy’s shop. Here you can get a real good idea of the beautiful lines of the car, with its chopped top
and spoiler.

The M & H slicks are filled to the proper pressure

with this portable tank, which would also make a
neat display item.

Compare this view of the Hawaiian’s roof line with

that of a stock ‘69 Dodge Charger. You will really
get a good idea of just how much the roof has
been lowered. Also notice the healthy 2 inch
diameter exhaust pipes coming from underneath
the body.

After its initial run at Lions, the Hawaiian was taken back to Keith Black’s shop and completely disassembled. At this time, the frame was painted and all of the
many removable parts were chrome plated. The body also goes out and gets its fantastic paint job and lettering. After all this, the many parts are brought6t
back to the shop and completely reassembled by Roland and his crew. The Hawaiian is now ready to meet all comers on the asphalt. Check the May 1969
issue of Car Craft Magazine for color photos of the original Hawaiian and its fateful crash. You can also get a good idea of how you may want to letter and paint
your version of the Hawaiian from those photos.

15