SL posted the below in another thread. I decided to share one of the things I've been working since getting the car back home.

Since I borrowed the Price family Chevelle & did well with it. I decided it was time for a change on our car! The Chevelle had its transbrake button/switch mounted to the right of the steering wheel coming off the dash. The switch travel is horizontal & was the same button I use; The Biondo Terminator long travel.

My button is mounted on the floor on the passenger side of the drive shaft tunnel. The switch travel is set-up vertically.

What I noticed between switch set-ups was the number of spacers needed & the reactions I'm looking for. The Chevelle I needed 4-5 spacers. On our car I use no spacers & sometimes some button weight. Yes, I know the cars' reaction plays a factor.

Anyway, I was do for some testing & changes in my driving. So, I decided to mount a different long travel switch in the same position & travel as the Chevelle. I'm glad I did this because I found an issue with my Biondo button. The switch was missing a fastener & allowing it to move when depressing the button. I wondered why my reaction variance was getting wider. I attributed it to getting old!

2BKING

quote:

Originally posted by DragRaceResults:
Stories abound. Bart had his Dad with him who goes to the majority of the races with him. Assuming he's 80 plus. Bart came to my trailer Thursday night after the 100k saying how much he was struggling and bought a new transbrake button, said he was changing that and the solenoid. Had to do something because he was struggling so bad. Fixed it! Because he didn't struggle after that.

Back in the 90s I used to have it on the tunnel to the right of the seat, It was actually was a very comfortable and relaxed spot but I was inconsistent and have had it on the steering wheel since

While I have driven other vehicles with the button on the steering wheel. They were all short travel switches used for top bulb or pro tree racing.

I have never used a long travel switch on the steering wheel & only seen few doing it that way! Maybe someday I'll try it.

I have been very comfortable with the button on the floor/driveshaft tunnel & been very successful racing that way.

This whole exercise is to try something different & see if it works out good or bad.

2BKING

I don’t like buttons on the wheel. It’s there in my dragster because there’s nowhere else to put it.

I’ve always found that my lights seem to be better on the rare occasion that I’m driving someone else’s car. I’ve come to believe it is from the higher level of concentration required when everything is new/strange.

I'm a foot feeder but have pro tree raced some off the button. I got some info from someone who teaches classes on racing and what I got from it is to have your button in a location that uses the least amount of muscles to release. If you are using more than one muscle it takes time and can cause inaccuracies as each different muscle starts to move.

I do have my button on my wheel, short throw so it doesn't completely apply to BKing's set up, but I do it in a way that I only use my bicep to pull off the button.

Full dis-closer though I don't do it enough to say if it's better than any other set up but it all sounded like solid advise to me. LOL

I always thought the long throw buttons that use spacers had to be mounted horizontally to work correctly.

quote:

Originally posted by Eman:
I always thought the long throw buttons that use spacers had to be mounted horizontally to work correctly.

I believe that is true for those with interchangeable springs. My Biondo Terminator has always been dead vertical, mounted to the back of my switch panel which essentially puts it "far side of the tunnel".

8:7 SWITCHES & BUTTONS
Transbrake and/or line-loc switches must be NHRA-accepted
for use in Comp, Super Stock, and Stock. A current list of
NHRA-accepted transbrake buttons is available on NHRARacer.
com. All switches and/or buttons must be standard, mechanical
connection type. Infrared, laser, light source, or any other non-mechanical-type switch and/or button prohibited in all NHRA
classes.

I have all my NHRA legal transbrake buttons/switches mounted in the car today. I have always had two: 1 long travel (bottom bulb), 1 min. travel (pro tree/back-up) & now have the 3rd button/switch mounted.

I have always worried about having 2 working buttons (never an issue) & now I have 3. I have searched the NHRA rules & have found nothing in my interpretation that I can't. Can anyone see a problem in the rules that prevent me from having 3 buttons in the above rules or elsewhere in the NHRA rulebook?

2BKING

quote:

Originally posted by B KING:
I have always worried about having 2 working buttons (never an issue) & now I have 3. I have searched the NHRA rules & have found nothing in my interpretation that I can't. Can anyone see a problem in the rules that prevent me from having 3 buttons in the above rules or elsewhere in the NHRA rulebook?

I also have 3 buttons. Never had an issue.

Byron Dragway had a rule for No-Box that you could only have one, so I'd just unplug and tie the wires for the fast buttons. Not sure if they still have that rule. But that's the only place I've ever done anything like that.

They also had a rule for a time that your button could not be adjustable. I put RTV over the screw on top of my Terminator.

quote:

Originally posted by Lenny5160:
I also have 3 buttons. Never had an issue.

Byron Dragway had a rule for No-Box that you could only have one, so I'd just unplug and tie the wires for the fast buttons. Not sure if they still have that rule. But that's the only place I've ever done anything like that.

They also had a rule for a time that your button could not be adjustable. I put RTV over the screw on top of my Terminator.

Thanks for the info, Tony!

2BKING

quote:

Originally posted by Lenny5160:

quote:

Originally posted by Eman:
I always thought the long throw buttons that use spacers had to be mounted horizontally to work correctly.

I believe that is true for those with interchangeable springs. My Biondo Terminator has always been dead vertical, mounted to the back of my switch panel which essentially puts it "far side of the tunnel".

OK, I thought it was all, I remember reading it somewhere but it must have been the spring design.
I surely don't need a button that slows my reaction down, I need one that speeds it up.