(Photos: Jeff McDowell via Quad City Drag Racers) Yes, that’s a shrapnel hole in the door of this Plymouth ‘Cuda, one of many after the TorqueFlite let go in dramatic fashion. While we don’t have exact information as to what exactly happened here, our guess is the best educated one out there: there was a sprag failure inside of the transmission, which caused the direct drum to spin up well past the engineered operating RPM, which causes Mopar transmissions, particularly 727s, to become grenades. This usually is caused by doing a burnout in first gear and going straight to hooking up in a car making decent power, instead of spinning the transmission to second gear before rolling out of the water.
If you needed an image on how violent an exploding TorqueFlite can be, there you go. Transmission shields, ballistic blankets, heavy-duty bell housings, and a modified clutch retainer can minimize or prevent this issue. The inside of this ‘Cuda looks like a bomb went off between the trans and the floor, and that hole in the door speaks for itself.
(Thanks to Dysfunctional Veterans Official Drag Racing Team for the tip!)
WOW – That’s some NASTY SHIT.
The photo of the dead transmission and the carnage caused by it is a shocker.
I’ve seen similar but the shrapnel went skyward and cause major damage to that car.
Hopefully the guy/driver avoided injury. I wouldn’t like that to go off near my legs.
Time for a Glide I’m thinking.
What you don’t see is the pair of mangled testicles splattered all over the roof…
He should go out and buy some lottery tickets!
A blown injected hemi with a stock case transmission. He should go out and buy a brain.
This. What a farking moron!
Yeesh. Glad to hear the driver was okay. I’d be stepping up to a Lenco after that.
It looks like the direct drum exploded. It would be right behind the pump and the band is gone too.
probably had too much pressure going to it. Ive seen alot of the dodge diesels do that but not to this extent. Sorry…I reread it and seen you said direct drum
4 lug front wheels ?
That’s taking the Pinto front end thing to the extreme.
I’ve seen a 727 do that in a 12 second bracket car.
The 4 lug is weird, maybe Datsun struts and brakes or Pinto or Vega front suspension with stock brakes?
That car even had a Kevlar shield, for all the good it did. The builder obviously put the money in the engine and not the transmission.
it had a blanket and shield both on when it came unwound. when the sprag fails the drum spins 2x the rpm of flywheel. 7k in water box……..
zip tie that roadkill! stock cases explode under a weedwacker… look where the shield/blanket ends and see how far back the case split… i always nash at the street guys with stock floors and huge hits…. this isnt Afghanistan, and your car shouldnt be an ied…
I’m sure I witnessed that! Alky FC motor up front. I believe the drum cleared the spectators and landed in the front seat of a car about 100 yards away.
Yes Murray you were there. And yes that is a top alcohol engine in a door car, it was not long after that when Len re-appeared with a funny car.
Yes it was the next year the funny car was out.. that was 13 years ago
I have done th same thing to a torqueflite with an inj.alk. 440…mess is not the word…pulled schrapnal out of places never could figure how it got in there….sounded like a .45 cal going off next to my ear inside the helmet….
What I don’t get is why you’d use a TorqueFlite on a blown funny car motor (presumably alcohol motor). They’ve got those SFI approved Powerglides now that mate to any motor and it seems this TF setup wouldn’t or shouldn’t even be legal.
I run a 526 MBR HEMI TAFC setup in front of my 727 with no problems. Steel body Challenger 14-71 Littlefield. It’s built right and survives what I’ve thrown at it.
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