quote:

Originally posted by Big Steve:


Dave what really sucks is I finally got a new sticker for it from Meziere, then 3 races later my converter bolts came loose and trashed the flexplate and I had to buy a new one lol

Mine fell off the trans case just after installing it. I had it in a baggie in my tool box. Maybe they need better glue? lol

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by CHampshire:
One thing that should be a safety rule for all cars going down the track is a diaper/belly pan. You want to run down the track in a 20 second honda, it needs one just as my dragster does. It could save you from a wreck and save the track from being oiled down.

I had a belly pan on my dragster. Threw a rod out the side of the block and oiled down the track..
I thought I had broke the planitaries so I didn't stop. Track owner announced the track would be down for clean up because a "dummy" oiled the track..

Dave

This message has been edited. Last edited by: David Covey,

Dave: Just an estimate, what percentage of cars you re certified failed?

quote:

Originally posted by Floyd Staggs:
A perfect example is the SCSN race just held in Vegas. They had no oil containment rules. They weren't able to complete the race because of all the oil downs. Luckily there were no serious crashes. The 0 weight pure synthetic oil is hard to clean up.

Which is one of the reasons I think every track should have a diaper rule and strictly enforce it.

The other reason is it could save your car or even your life.

Around 2002? I threw the rods out of a motor at 140 MPH and it was a handful to get stopped and keep off the walls. Diapers were just coming out then and were VERY expensive then. Now they are cheap, real cheap and no excuse not to have one now.

You don’t need a rule mandating diapers, you common sense! Diapers/belly pans minimize or eliminate track cleanups when an engine blows but most of all they eliminate catastrophic outcomes.

quote:

You don’t need a rule mandating diapers, you common sense! Diapers/belly pans minimize or eliminate track cleanups when an engine blows but most of all they eliminate catastrophic outcomes.

^^ That right there tells you ; yes you need a mandate. I’m doing one right now for the stocker big block and yes it is a pain. And when I broke it - I was very lucky!

When I bought my present dragster, years ago, I added 2 things right from the start...

An SFI diaper and dual brakes with separate hand and foot MC's...

For my safety.....

quote:

Originally posted by 1320racer:
You don’t need a rule mandating diapers, you common sense! Diapers/belly pans minimize or eliminate track cleanups when an engine blows but most of all they eliminate catastrophic outcomes.

The problem with "common sense" is it's not so common anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by 1320racer:

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Scarth:
Believe me "No Tech" will bite NHRA and or the track that does not tech a race car in the Butt. If there is a catastrophic injury to a racer because of a mechanical failure to a race car that could have been found by teching said racecar. In court the judge will ask a simpl question; "why was there tech inspection before and not now?"

It’s happened already as a result of a death at atco over 10 years ago and IIRC, Joe Sway the then owner was found guilty, liable for allowing this racer to race.

www.Casemine.com/judgement/us/...ade5add7b04934744d2d



That said, the rules/requirements as set forth by the NHRA RULEBOOK are not subjective and non negotiable. You either play by the rules or risk not only getting caught, DQ’d, suspended and/or fined but you risk damage to your car, your competitors and possibly serious injury or death. You can be sure if I know you or your car is illegal, I will be informing the NHRA and track management.

I’m all about safety and you can’t put a price on it! If you don’t like the rules, can’t afford to play by the rules, tough shyt, you don’t get to pick and chose which rules you will comply with!!

I had an issue a few years ago when I had to DQ a racer in the first round of a race and it's not something I like to do ! I just can't see why someone would take that chance !

Tough job Bill but this racer got himself DQ’d thinking that rules are for everyone but him.

quote:

Originally posted by SCDIV1:
When I bought my present dragster, years ago, I added 2 things right from the start...

An SFI diaper and dual brakes with separate hand and foot MC's...

For my safety.....

On my old altered I added dual rear brakes with separate master cylinders and a hand brake on the second set. I have not done it on my new altered yet but it certainly is a good idea.

look around at some competitors at some events and what they are allowed to get away with on the track and that will give you a idea of how safe their car is much less their concern for anyone else. FACT. if you don,t like it load up and leave. SIMPLE. .

At the Div III ET FINALS one year a guys balancer caused him to fail tech. He borrowed one and went back up to tech and passed. He reinstalled the old one , won the event and the tech guy remembered him and rechecked it.He was disqualified.

as he should have been

Agreed.

I would have a Diaper RULE if I ran a track.

Common Sense?

Let's look at Seat belts. If they dropped the Seatbelt rule now most of us would still wear seatbelts. But I bet very few if ANY would change them every TWO YEARS. So do we do change them every two years because of Common Sense or because of the Rule? Nope, that would be the Rule.

Which brings up another question are some of those Rules based on Common Sense or Profit? Profit.

And lets just talk Common Sense and Racers. If Racers had any Common Sense there would not be ANY Racers. Yea, Lets spend thousands of dollars on cars that may crash, blow up, costs a bunch to race and can only win a small percentage of what we have in the car. Even smaller percentage of racers are really profitable. Potentially dangerous and definitely expensive lets go race!

Nope, it is NOT Common Sense that makes us Racers. Must be something else but it is NOT common sense.

Last year I worked at the Bracket Finals and this guy can't get his car started ! He gets out of his car with a water bottle with gas in it and primes his carb throws the bottle in the back seat and drives into the lanes ! He was a little surprised when I walked up to his car and told him he had to take it out of the car !

Bill,

Might have that guy topped. We had a guy who had bottle for priming car with it in seat and hose going to back of injector.he would prime it from sat by squeezing it . Could not understand why other thought it was stupid.

quote:

Originally posted by speedwrench44:
Dave: Just an estimate, what percentage of cars you re certified failed?

On a day that I get 20 + cars maybe 2 but not often.
But on those type of days which are certification days I set up with different tracks, almost all of the cars are those who would race division races so they are usually dragsters or super class type cars.
The ones that usually have issues are door cars that either have the 6 a,b and c bars in the wrong configuration or the 6c bar to far back (more than 16" from 6a and 6b).

Other cars that I will fail more often will be those that are in the shop being built. I will get a call from the builder to look at them before they are finished so they can correct them before finishing. That is where I find bars in the wrong place or missing most often.

I have 2 builders close to me that call me frequently.

Just as an FYI, the ex pro stock car I mentioned earlier was a 8 point cage car that had a funny car cage put in it by Murillo's crew who told him welding 3/4 around and gussets would pass SFI.
I would not sticker it quicker than 8.50 but the owner would not accept that so I left. I don't know if he found someone else to put a sticker on it or not.

I know I have worked with you several times on your cars to make sure they were right.

Dave

DC: It was not Murillo telling him that, it was someone in his shop.

Can any one that does tech at a track or anyplace else tell me how many bars in the area specified by the SFI had the welds cracked? Not ugly welds but a nice weld that cracked?

I have found many cracked welds in areas outside of the SFI. Heck, I've even repaired dragsters that were backed out of the trailer broken in two pieces. But have yet to find one broken in the SFI area.

We have already discussed Mr bracket racer continuing to race with a ratchet strap holding his junk together, but that was outside the SFI.

Just curious.

Dave