We Put NITROMETHANE in a Jr Dragster… What Could Go Wrong?

Reed finally got his Jr. Dragster—and today we rolled it into the shop, tore into it, and started getting it race-ready for the season. With snow stacked outside and the Beater Bomb stuck in hibernation, this was the perfect time to go through everything on the little dragster and learn the ins and outs of how these things are built.

We fixed the broken exhaust tab, adjusted the pedal rails, moved the gas and brake pedals, extended the steering setup, bled the dual brake system, changed the oil, and basically gave this Motivational tube-chassis Jr. a full first-day shakedown. Reed and Kaden helped with the wrenches, the impact, the torque wrench, the brake bleeding—you name it.

And then… well… we may have gotten a little carried away.
I didn’t have any straight methanol pumped out yet, so we fired the Jr. up on nitromethane just to warm the oil. The fumes, the crackle, the eye-watering cloud filling the shop… absolutely wild. Nothing goes quite like nitro, even in a tiny 790-engine junior.

This video shows:
• First-day tear-down of Reed’s Jr. Dragster
• Fixing the pipe and welding new tabs
• Adjusting pedals so Reed fits properly
• Learning how to bleed Jr. dragster brakes
• Steering wheel extension experiments
• Draining & filling the oil with the correct Jr. setup
• And yes… starting it on nitromethane

We’ve still got some parts to order before Reed can make his first test hits, but once the snow melts, the driveway passes are coming. This is going to be a fun journey.

Thanks for watching — and welcome to Reed’s Jr. Dragster build!
More nitro, more chaos, and more shop nights on the way.