The rule: All cars with clutches must run a stamped steel bell housing or a 1/4″ scatter shield. So what is a guy to do if he's building something that doesn't have any aftermarket options as far as bellhousings? If I am reading this correctly, a cast iron bellhousing is a no-no and would require a scattershield at least 1/4 thick. Is a piece of 1/4 inch thick steel built into the chassis above the bell area good enough or does the 1/4 shield need to fully encircle the whole bellhousing ?
2008 NHRA Rulebook, 2:10 FLYWHEEL SHIELD: Other classes ..."a flywheel shield made of 1/4" minimum steel plate, securely mounted to the frame or frame structure and completely surrounding the bellhousing 360 degrees. The flywheel shield shall not be bolted to either the bellhousing or engine. The flywheel shield must extend forward to a point at least 1 inch ahead of the flywheel and 1 inch to the rear of the rotating components of the clutch and pressure plate."
Look where your toes are in relation to the flywheel and clutch and decide if it's worth the risk if something goes "boom". For the amount of weight added it ain't a bad piece of ballast.
Ours goes 360 and toes aren't even involved, we just figured we didn't want any irritated bleeding spectators in the event of a clutch scatter.
Quote the rule as it is written, NOT as you READ it! "11.49 or quicker" Dont get full of yourself, these are bracket cars, not real fuel altereds. slower than a 12.00 and an arguement can be made for the roll bar instead of a cage!
No tech guy at any NHRA track around here is going to let any front engine, open cockpit, center steer car run without a scatter shield, regardless of what e.t. it runs. Same goes for the roll cage. Since these cars are closer to 10:00 and slower Altereds and Front Engine Dragsters in their design, tis better to meet those rules and be allowed to race than to be relegated as lawn art.
you'll get no arguement from me, and yes the track can always enforce a more stringent rule, BUT misquoting the NHRA rule book does no one any good.
Sometimes logic and common sense should overrule the rule book. Keeping parts contained helps more than just the guy sitting in the car. I remember back in the '60s seeing pieces landing in the stands and pits. Not worth the potential effects to take the chance.
No misquoting done by me. I spoke to the issue of building a scattershield when a commercial one is not available, such as for a Slant Six and other engines that find their way into our race cars. Sure, there probably are drag strips that might let a HA/GR car run without a scattershield. None around here though. As far as I know, all Australian and U.S HA/GR's have double roll bars as insisted on by sactioning bodies. In my discussions with local inspectors, they don't require a scattershield in a "door" car with a stock firewall and floor, running slower than 11.49. Show up with an Altered or Front Engine Dragster, even a very slow one and many safety requirements come into play. S.F.I. /5 jacket, pants & gloves for example. If a given tech guy at a given track lets some of the requirements slide, that's fine. I wish more would do that for our HA/GR cars.Then, we could be more faithful to the spirit of the concept. Likewise, if you live near a track that is not NHRA controlled, you might get to run with less safety stuff. I personally think the requirements are overkill for our cars and the speeds & e.t.'s they run. I provided the information I did to aid someone building a HA/GR so they won't fail tech and have to take the car home and rebuild it. Fantasy Factory, I'm looking forward to your build thread. Will you be starting soon? Maybe some day soon we can meet half way and match race. Bob
Damn, what a shit storm. This is a whole bunch of fighting and ugliness over a class that is supposed to be raced for enjoyment. I go to the HAMB drags every year. I'm the introvert guy that just looks, listens, and doesn't talk much. I figured this to be a fun project and I have certianly got the skill and can scrape up the money. I just don't want to show up and roll off the trailer and get sent right back home due to not being built up to par. I appreciate the answers, as to needing a full 360 coverage.
Ayers Garage, Don't let this exchange trouble you. The guys that race together have a great time. I have yet to run my car. Still waiting for some safety apparel. Even then, the next nearest HA/GR's are about 300 miles away. So, except for a few travels down to the heart of HA/GR country, I'll be sitting in staging lanes with the Camaros and Mustangs. UGH! I'm not going to catch a break from the techs at the local dragstrips because my car is "special". That's why I chose to build it NHRA legal (at least I hope it is!) as a 10:00 second or slower Altered. I'm excited to see you are thinking of building a car. Out of all the crap I've built, this was one of the most fun projects ever. Most of the NHRA requirements are between the firewall and the back of the cage. You can hide a lot of it under the body so it doesn't look too modern. You might want to talk to the tech guys at the tracks you will run when not at MoKan. Bring pics of HA/GR's from this site. Make sure they are going to "bless" your car. Good luck. Bob
Ditto, don't let it get to you. Just keep in mind that the 'net's international and wide open, and that means the entire world's collection of kibitzing wishtheyweres are free to add their .00000000000002 cents worth. Hell, that even includes some misguided actual participants as well. So the useful information's still up to you to ferret out. Fortunately, when you get to the strip you'll find the only ones actually there are the ones who also managed to survive the journey through the bull, and that they're pretty much like yourself. Fantasy Factory, I agree, as the original conceptualization was indeed worked out around exactly those (12+ sec "dune buggy") rules. Unfortunately NHRA didn't buy it that way and has us crammed into the classes we're presently having to deal with, so he's not misquoting the rules as they're being applied to us at this time. Wish you could change their minds. Hell, most of the time I just wish they'd evaporate.
Isn't there a trans blanket solution that would work? Or could be adapted to work in some fashion? http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stor...rtial&Dx=mode+matchpartial&searchTerm=blanket
An intriguing thought. Still, I'd bet they'd have already marketed such a product if they could've done it. Perhaps a flywheel's a bit more of a ballistic problem than a converter.
Automatic Transmissions: All vehicles running quicker than 10.99 seconds need a trans shield. A blanket is ok. Looks like a SDRA car could legally run without a trans shield/blanket. I wonder what their experience is? There is no blanket available to cover a stick bellhousing or transmission. Also, as Fantasy Factory pointed out, it looks like you have to go quicker than 11.49 before a scattershield is needed for a stick car. That hasn't panned out very well though.
Ha/Gr rule 19 states scattershield or stamped steel bellhousing required. So all this is irrelevant,read the rules. I don't want to race anyone without one!!! You are not there alone!
BOBW, how timely of you to ask about my start up, in fact engine was dropped off last nite, well its still in the back of my truck anyway, big fat 2.3 litre pinto engine, I am still researching putting a glide behind it with a fluid dump as in the micro stocks, imitation crowerglide. And everyone rest assured i will be building to 9.90 nhra safety standards, home track will be e-town, hopefully the friday and sat oldies party will take a good root, other wise it will be hot lapping time shots on sunday on the 1/8. see if a can get a run off a JR, Dragster!
Cool, I love the building part most. Picked up my selected block and head last Friday and have'em on the bench now. Working the block over myself and prepping the head for some outside machining. Then back to me for porting and assembly. Won't have it together for August ANRA but still hoping to make October's finals meet.
Maybe nothing overly easy to find in the V8 world. BUT, I've got an sfi rated blanket wrapped around the flywheel part of one of my import drag cars transmissions. and I'm spinning that 22 pound bastard to 9500rpm on a 615whp engine on slicks in a 2400 pound car (soon to be 2050 pounds). car will trap 140's. So far, 50 passes, no catostophic transmission failures to test it... KNOCK ON WOOD. Good news (if you can call it that) is that if it should let go, the shrapnel would go inline with the chassis, and nowhere near the driver or crowd. Just up and down the track. If you'll forgive the link to a "tuner" site, I think there may be some merit at taking a look. This is the blanket I run. http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2515417 I have NO idea if this would work. Just tossing out ideas. I plan to take a look at this solution pretty hard for my gasser.
My rulebook show no requirement for a blanket or shield on automotive manual transmissions. For an after market planetary box, yes. Put a blanket for an automatic or for an after market planetary transmission on your automotive manual transmission if you want to. A transmission blanket on a stick transmission does not satisfy the need for a s.f.i. bellhousing or 1/4" steel flywheel shield. By the way, everything I reference is in the context of HA/GR dragsters cuz that's what I care about and that's what this forum is about. That, and the SDRA brothers. Not going to find too many Lencos in HA/GR's or SDRA's! Your dragster plans sound very interesting. I like your creativity.
For the leaning tower of power guys......I have been told that you can take a small block chrysler "LA" motor 318/340/360 scattershield, and rotate it until the starter pocket is in the right place, and redrill the pattern. There is a guy with a slant six powered rear engine digger that runs a five speed Lenco in NHRA Comp eliminator, and that's what he did. I have my engine and trans, and my rear...now all I need is time. What's the stock width front axle that has the "narrowest" width? I can build the front axle as long as it has the stock dimensions correct? Thanks
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