[gearheadslife]

whats the rules on an auto, before you need shield/blanket

[prostreet6t9]

Originally Posted by techinspector1

The guy who is serious enough about racing to need an SFI clutch will have the SFI paperwork on all his parts, laminated in plastic and kept in the trailer. If they have no paperwork, I start gettin' nosy and will have them take it apart if necessary. But you can usually tell if a racer is legit about the clutch by inspecting the rest of the car. If the car is a rag, I'll put him on the trailer and send him home anyway. If all else is "jake", then I won't worry about it too much. These guys understand that they could die from faulty parts.

Its too bad all the Track Tech's Don't go by the same page and follow the same rules. They can get pretty sketchy in the NW.

[painted jester]

Originally Posted by gearheadslife

whats the rules on an auto, before you need shield/blanket

Trans shield or blanket 10.99 or quicker, SFI flex plate and flex plate shield at 9.99 and quicker. That was 2 years ago when I ran, it might have changed since then? I ran a short blanket but they wanted a long one! I still got to run but was told to have a long blanket next time.


Any non-OEM floor-mounted automatic transmission shifter must be equipped with a spring loaded positive reverse lockout device to prevent the shifter from accidentally being put into reverse gear. Functional neutral safety switch mandatory. All transmission lines must be metallic or high-pressure-type hose. All vehicles running quicker than 9.99 seconds (*6.39) or faster than 135 mph (217.2 km/h) and using an automatic transmission must be equipped with a transmission shield meeting SFI Spec 4.1 and labeled accordingly. "Blanket" type shield, appropriately labeled as meeting SFI Spec 4.1 permitted. All non blanket type shields must incorporate two (or one, per manufacturer's instructions) 3/4-inch (19.1 mm) x 1/8-inch (3.2 mm) straps that bolt to the shield on each side, and pass under the transmission pan, or transmission pan must be labeled as meeting SFI Spec 4.1. Permitted in all classes where an automatic transmission is used. 9.99 (*6.39) or quicker ET cars, and 135 mph (217.2 km/h) or faster ET cars using an automatic transmission must be equipped with a flexplate meeting SFI Spec 29.1 and covered by a flexplate shield meeting SFI Spec 30.1. Air shifter bottles must be stamped with DOT -1800 pound (124 bar) rating (minimum) and be securely mounted (i.e. no tie-wraps or hose clamps.)

Jester

[prostcelica]

Ok guys need some more advice. So it turns out the scatter shield he has requires a smaller fly wheel and clutch. He has everything he can sell me but he wants $900 for the hole works. (tildon scatter sheild with bolt on throw out bearing, Mcleod twin disc clutch (good for 800hp), Mcleod Aluminum flywheel. The problem is with everything I still need to buy to get my car going I dont really have the cash to shell out for everything. Being that there is no way I am going to run without a scatter shield I wanted to see if you guys think I could limp by on what I have till I can get the cash together. When I take it to the track I will be launching it on Drag radials.

Est. 450hp/400ft#
Street occasional strip
2500# car
Saginaw 4 speed
Ford 9" 355
Lakewood Bellhousings 77-150 - SummitRacing.com
This Scatter sheild
Zoom MU Series Clutches MU5505-1 - SummitRacing.com
This Clutch (Already have)
RAM Throwout Bearings 78125 - SummitRacing.com
This bearing (already have)

[vinniekq2]

you do not want an aluminum flywheel.I doubt you want a dual disc.

[prostcelica]

How come Vin. Do you think that clutch ans a stock flywheel will fit the bill?

[carolinacustoms]

JMHO the alumium flywheel and dual disc clutch would NOT be street friendly if it is anything like what we used to run in our late model dirt car. Think of it like putting a 4,000 stall in a auto, not impossible but not very street practical either. Again just my opinion anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong

[vinniekq2]

Im using a single diaphram 11 inch clutch and a semi light weight steel flywheel(all sfi approved parts). Not sure how light of flywheel you need/want? the good stuff is very good quality,nothing has broken yet. I dont drag race but I have done some comparative driving with some of my friends

[prostcelica]

Do you guys think I will be ok with the clutch that I have for what I want to do with the car?

[vinniekq2]

You could probably get away with a jobber clutch with the saggy

[painted jester]

That Saginaw 4 speed wont hold up!!!!

Jester

[prostcelica]

Originally Posted by painted jester

That Saginaw 4 speed wont hold up!!!!

Jester

Yeah, I know. My buddy has a Richmond 4 speed sitting in his shop waiting for me but unfortunatly I dont have an extra 1200 bucks sitting around at the moment. Figured Id run the saggy until it blows up (probably the first time i hit second gear with sticky tires on a preped track). Hopefully buy that time Ill have the cash to buy the Richmond from him

[vinniekq2]

Make sure the saginaw uses the same scattershield as the richmond? and if you plan to make power,consider a TKO 5 speed,brand new retail they are 2200. extra gear,,extra strong,,different scattershield

[techinspector1]

Originally Posted by prostreet6t9

Its too bad all the Track Tech's Don't go by the same page and follow the same rules. They can get pretty sketchy in the NW.

I ended my tech career at Firebird International Raceway after 20 years as Tech Director and trainer.

I never, ever told a racer that he had to jump through a hoop unless I could show it to him in black and white in the current NHRA Rulebook and I taught all my students to do the same. I suggested that they imagine a Judge watching over their shoulder as they teched the car and talked to the owner/driver. I remember teching the Budweiser King and suggesting to Kim that the diaper needed padding in it to absorb oil. She got right in my face and said "show me". I opened the book and read the verbage to her. We were pretty fair friends after that, because she realized that I was a professional the same as she was. Here's the verbage from Top Fuel rules....
"A nonflammable, oilabsorbent liner mandatory inside of retention device"

Word would get back to me pretty quickly if one of the tech guys gave a racer a hard time and a word to the Race Director would have the offending tech inspector squared away or gone. I ran the Tech Dept. as a business, just like any other business where you have a provider and a customer. You must be polite with the racers, yet there is a firmness that is necessary, based on the fact that you know what you're talking about and are able to convey the necessities of the situation to the racers in a non-confrontational manner. It goes the other way also; many times in the tech line when I have seen an exceptional way that the racer fabricated something on the car or the way he installed the seat belts or rollbar or cage "by the book", I would call all the other tech inspectors over to look at the car to see how "textbook" actually looks on a real car. Ask me if the owner/builder would grin ear to ear.

I held a National Silver-certified SFI technical inspection license, a National NHRA chassis certification license and National NHRA Fuel Check license.....all the credentials I could hold without being employed full-time by NHRA. I taught many new fellows to be good technical inspectors, with a dozen or so of them achieving the credentials that I held.

If you're having trouble with tech inspectors at a certain track, then the first thing you want to do is to get together with some of the other racers who have had problems at that track and elect a spokesman who will represent all the racers involved. Have that person contact the Race Director or Track Owner/Operator and explain what's going on and the fact that he/she is representing X number of racers who also have had trouble in the tech line at that track. If the Operator realizes that there is a problem in the operation of the tech line, then hopefully He/She will have enough business sense to correct the problem. If the Operator turns a deaf ear, then threatening a boycott of the track would be the next tactic I would employ. If you start gettin' into their pocketbook, they'll usually listen.

If you feel that you need some help from the big guns, please do not hesitate to contact either or both, the NHRA Division Tech Director or the NHRA Division Director. That's what these guys do, work as a liason to keep everything "jake" for the racers out there.

Jonathan Adams, Division Director
818 39th Ave. S.W., Suite A3
Puyallup, WA 98373
253-446-6594
fax 253-446-6683
email jadams@nhra.com

Dave Schaffel, tech consultant
306-374-3685
fax 306-477-7707
email dschaffel@nhra.com
Monday and Friday, 7-9 PM, PT

Another way around this getting hassled is to do an extended technical inspection on the car. Call Jonathan and ask where you can get an "ETI". Sometimes the Division Director will hold a chassis certification seminar at a particular track and there would be plenty of qualified technical inspectors available to tech your car and issue an ETI that is sort of like a pass for the following year. You just pull up to the tech line, show your ETI to the first available tech inspector and he signs you off to go race. That is unless he is a complete DDICK, in which case he will have to show his authority by re-teching your car. Some people just do not belong in a position of authority.

You racers will not be out of line to ask to see the tech inspector's SFI card. The first entry level is a bronze tech inspector, then a silver tech inspector, then a gold (you must work for NHRA full-time to get a gold card). If your inspector isn't certified at all and is trying to tell you something that you know is wrong, ask to speak to a silver-certified inspector. If that fails, ask to speak to the Race Director or Track operator.

[techinspector1]

Originally Posted by prostcelica

Ok guys need some more advice. So it turns out the scatter shield he has requires a smaller fly wheel and clutch. He has everything he can sell me but he wants $900 for the hole works. (tildon scatter sheild with bolt on throw out bearing, Mcleod twin disc clutch (good for 800hp), Mcleod Aluminum flywheel. The problem is with everything I still need to buy to get my car going I dont really have the cash to shell out for everything. Being that there is no way I am going to run without a scatter shield I wanted to see if you guys think I could limp by on what I have till I can get the cash together. When I take it to the track I will be launching it on Drag radials.

Est. 450hp/400ft#
Street occasional strip
2500# car
Saginaw 4 speed
Ford 9" 355
Lakewood Bellhousings 77-150 - SummitRacing.com
This Scatter sheild
Zoom MU Series Clutches MU5505-1 - SummitRacing.com
This Clutch (Already have)
RAM Throwout Bearings 78125 - SummitRacing.com
This bearing (already have)

Just be aware that most SFI components are dated. Don't buy something that is out of "cert" or will be out of cert soon.
6.1 Flywheel Shield, Spec 1.1 & 1.2
(2-Disc Max, or 3-Disc, 8-inch dia. Max) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 years
6.2 Flywheel Shield, Spec 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 & 1.5 Clutch. . . . . . . . 2 years
(Check with Manufacturer; May Be Only 1 Year)
6.3 Flywheel Shield, Spec 1.2, 1.3 & 1.4 Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . 2 years
(Check with Manufacturer; May Be Only 1 Year)

If there is no SFI tag on the piece at all, walk away.