Stupid Pit Tricks

[Bench Racer]

Back in the early 80's (before the wife and kids) I was going to all the IHRA races with my brother, (David) and after I got off night shift we loaded up and headed to Rockingham for the weekend with the 58 chevy wagon superstocker. The 3800+ lb wagon broke a converter during time trials and we decided to fix the issue at the motel at Southern Pines, not an issue since we had plenty of time. Later that night in the parking lot we found out that the holes in the new convertors mounting flange did not match up with the holes in the flywheel, and we also found the importance of having a drill and bits with the rest of the racing junk. After kicking our own butts for not bringing the needed tools, finding someone nice enough to loan us the tools, and leaving skin, blood ,and DNA under the car and on the parking lot pavement we finally got it back on the ground some time around midnight. David said we gotta try it out to make sure the convertor fixed it. All I could think of was I will get my first sleep in 30+ hours in jail for a noise ordinance.I mentioned the possible complications of checking the stall speed of the new convertor at the motel but was not convincing enough. He left a pretty impressive set of posi black stripes across the parking lot with the lead sled before pulling the car onto the trailer and chaining it down. We never saw any cops, but I am not sure if we made anymore noise than some of the party animals at the motel! Don Jackson

[Randy Wells]

Was at a point’s race in Sydney Nebraska a few years ago, 1st Qualifying run Bob lost oil pressure and shut the car down, towed it back to the pits, checked the sending unit and pulled the valve covers sure enough it was the oil pump. Drove 350 MI to load up and go home, that’s when Bob had an idea, lets cut the bottom of the oil pan out and fix it, some people were heading into Sydney so we had them pick us up a Melling M55 oil pump, Bob got under the car and cut a square access hole in the bottom of the pan with tin snips, I cut out a square plate, out of one of the tool box drawers, Bob took the oil pump apart and rebuilt it in the pan with parts off the M55. our neighbor in the pits had some #8 self drillers, sheet metal screws. We RTV the plate and screwed it back onto the oil pan, let it sit all night, put oil in the car the next morning no leaks, flushed it once, made three qualifying runs and went two rounds on Sunday. Took it apart when we got home welded the pan up and were still using it. People in the pits were drinking beer, and laughing there ass’s off.

Randy Wells
Well Bros
D/S 5034

[Jeff Stout]

Around 1986 with a 70 Chevelle stick shift car. My open trailer had ramps that were to short and I thought I had the front of trailer up high enough but I didn't. Pulled car forward some and got out and jacked trailer tongue higher. I had left the car in neutral and watched car role off trailer by itself. I was lucky that the header caught the back of the trailer and stopped car as it would have hit the car behind me. Same car at Super Chevy Norwalk I broke an axle in the water and staged and won when the other car redlit. I went back for next round and no burnout but no luck and lost.
My Monte Super Stocker had rubbed a hole in the rear brake line from rim and I was able to down shift and put car in reverse in the grass next to track at Union Grove. Came back to pits with no brakes and put a screw and clamp on broken line and refilled and bled brakes. Worked for the rest of the weekend .

Put a fresh motor in Monte and was wondering why I had to open holes in flexplate to converter now as I didn't have to before. What I had done was that I had 2 flexplates internal and external and had grabbed the wrong one. Needless to say after about 4 runs and wondering what was going on I pulled motor and had beat up the bearings. Then realized I had installed the wrong flexplate. As of today that wrong flexplate is still on the roof of my shop.

[Chris "drooze" Wertman]

Damm you guys and brakes....lol.

I was just talking to a friend who hold the land speed record in his class at bonneville, he was talking about the last outing of the car and said they found a pinhole in the brakes, drained the lines and ran without brakes, 260 mph with no brakes, like he said "its not like there a lot to hit out there" and well....Youve got like 8 miles to stop, the chute stopped the car dead much faster than they expected.

YOU had to have one of those "gut" moments......youre not by any chance one of the guys at 42 who insists on plowing the corn across the road a couple times a year are ya (EVERY Time I go there I look to my rt to see if anyone has been cutting corn, been a couple years since I saw any fresh cuts)

Corn apparently makes for good braking...

Originally Posted by Jeff Stout

Around 1986 with a 70 Chevelle stick shift car. My open trailer had ramps that were to short and I thought I had the front of trailer up high enough but I didn't. Pulled car forward some and got out and jacked trailer tongue higher. I had left the car in neutral and watched car role off trailer by itself. I was lucky that the header caught the back of the trailer and stopped car as it would have hit the car behind me. Same car at Super Chevy Norwalk I broke an axle in the water and staged and won when the other car redlit. I went back for next round and no burnout but no luck and lost.
My Monte Super Stocker had rubbed a hole in the rear brake line from rim and I was able to down shift and put car in reverse in the grass next to track at Union Grove. Came back to pits with no brakes and put a screw and clamp on broken line and refilled and bled brakes. Worked for the rest of the weekend .

[Jeff Lee]

I started my S/ST AMX on the lift at an AAMCO while in gear. I hit the brake pedal fast enough but the lift (this was a drive on lift) was oily. The car slid right off some 8' in the air. I guess I got lucky there was a wall in front which caught the car with the front tires off the lift! Man, did I feel like a moron! Hadn't even been to the track for the first time with the new engine yet. Slight damage to the grille and hood. Ego took it worse...

[Greg Reimer 7376]

The 2004 Winternationals came along, and Tony Janes and I have two nearly identical cars, both red 68 chevelle 2 dr.hardtops, one a Malibu that ran L/SA, mine a 300 deluxe hardtop that runs K. Tony had his good motor in the Malibu, and asked me if I wanted to use his #2 motor, good for about .25 off the mule motor in my car.I took him up on it, put the #2 bullet in the car, fired it up and we went to Irwindale for a Thursday test and tune the Thursday night before Pomona.The car flew, but the water pump sprang a bad leak on the way back, ending the TnT. I put a new pump on it,but noticed that the oil pressure never exceeded 20 psi, and would drop off above idle. Oops, pull the engine, replace the oil pump.Back in the car,same thing. Chuck Norton called, asked what oil filter I used, I told him a Fram, he said"Get rid of it.Use a Delco 1218".I did,instant oil pressure. Great. I stalled the engine against the converter, the car made a bad noise, a big lurch, and wouldn't stall above 1200 rpm. Broke the converter. I called Tony and asked if he still had my spare converter. He said,"Yes,but it's in our wagon."I came down to his house,pulled the trans from the wagon,snatched the converter,went home,pulled the trans out of the Chevelle,swapped the converter,buttoned it up,put it on the trailer late Sunday afternoon, went to Pomona ,ran the car, and on pass#4, it fell off badly.Back in the pits, there's oil all over, blowby out the valve covers, there went the ring job. Tony says," Forget it, you're through, put it on the trailer,you're done". Wrong-o.I took the car home at noon on Friday, drove it around back, yanked the engine ,put the mule back in, and was back driving it around the Pomona pits by 3:30.Round one in the AM- what to dial? I used a number that sounded good,and drew a former world champoin in Stock some years back,and he had won several Pomonas.Right away,this didn't look good. Right at the burn out box, the thought hit me"I can do this.Don't beat yourself now".Sure enough, I got an .015 light,ran it right to the line,bombed the brakes and got a win light. I didn't see the red light in the other lane.There was my time trial. Round two, I broke out more than the other guy,ending the race of the stocker that thought it was a fueler, or the flog of the decade.

[Chris "drooze" Wertman]

Truly awesome story.

I guess you are like us "you dont have enough common sense to know you should quit" (and I mean that in the biggest compliment possible)

I was just telling another DP guy tonight, I wont give up on Pomona till I show up late and beg and they still wont let us run.

To give up is easy, to push forward with slim chances is the hard road.

Rock on.....

Originally Posted by Greg Reimer 7376

The 2004 Winternationals came along, and Tony Janes and I have two nearly identical cars, both red 68 chevelle 2 dr.hardtops, one a Malibu that ran L/SA, mine a 300 deluxe hardtop that runs K. Tony had his good motor in the Malibu, and asked me if I wanted to use his #2 motor, good for about .25 off the mule motor in my car.I took him up on it, put the #2 bullet in the car, fired it up and we went to Irwindale for a Thursday test and tune the Thursday night before Pomona.The car flew, but the water pump sprang a bad leak on the way back, ending the TnT. I put a new pump on it,but noticed that the oil pressure never exceeded 20 psi, and would drop off above idle. Oops, pull the engine, replace the oil pump.Back in the car,same thing. Chuck Norton called, asked what oil filter I used, I told him a Fram, he said"Get rid of it.Use a Delco 1218".I did,instant oil pressure. Great. I stalled the engine against the converter, the car made a bad noise, a big lurch, and wouldn't stall above 1200 rpm. Broke the converter. I called Tony and asked if he still had my spare converter. He said,"Yes,but it's in our wagon."I came down to his house,pulled the trans from the wagon,snatched the converter,went home,pulled the trans out of the Chevelle,swapped the converter,buttoned it up,put it on the trailer late Sunday afternoon, went to Pomona ,ran the car, and on pass#4, it fell off badly.Back in the pits, there's oil all over, blowby out the valve covers, there went the ring job. Tony says," Forget it, you're through, put it on the trailer,you're done". Wrong-o.I took the car home at noon on Friday, drove it around back, yanked the engine ,put the mule back in, and was back driving it around the Pomona pits by 3:30.Round one in the AM- what to dial? I used a number that sounded good,and drew a former world champoin in Stock some years back,and he had won several Pomonas.Right away,this didn't look good. Right at the burn out box, the thought hit me"I can do this.Don't beat yourself now".Sure enough, I got an .015 light,ran it right to the line,bombed the brakes and got a win light. I didn't see the red light in the other lane.There was my time trial. Round two, I broke out more than the other guy,ending the race of the stocker that thought it was a fueler, or the flog of the decade.

[art leong]

We were at the US Nationals with our 71 hemi Charger (B/SA) in 74 or 75 We had borrowed an Olynek truck with long ramps. We were pitted on the oval. The truck was designed for a Pro Stocker (Blevins) and not for the wide Charger. So we didn't have anyone in the drivers seat.
We were winching the car up and the winch cable snapped. The car took off down the ramps with Tex and me trying to stop it. We couldn't stop it and it was going all the way across the infield. Heading for Dick Baker's beautiful Flame painted Buick stocker. The car doors were locked (it's a New York thing) so we couldn't jump in. And we were slipping and sliding trying to stop the runaway car. Well Dick Baker jump in front of the car and got it stopped . And that was the start of a friendship that lasted for decades.

Another Dick Baker story was when we were heading to Seattle in 1979 We were in Cour De Lene Idaho. Dick had his enclosed trailer and a camper topped pickup. I was driving our rig and Tex was driving Dicks rig Dich was in the back of our stationwagon We were intouch using CB's We were going down a mountain and a Volkswagon Beatle was in front of Tex. We heard Tex cursing the bug for going to slow on the radio. He had to ride the brakes, heating them up.
Well we get down to the bottom and there was a road construction project. A guy has traffic stopped to allow a UTE (construction vehicle the size of a house)to cross the road.
Well Tex is just about out of brakes He goes flying by us on our left trying to stop less than an 1/8 mile ahead the Ute crosses the road. Tex stops about a car length from him.
Dick eyes as big as dinner plates then says with a sigh of relief. "I thought he was going to run out"
Those were fun days

[Dwight Southerland]

In 1975, my partner and I were driving home from a points race in LaPlace, LA. We had a '65 Chevelle SW O/S car loaded on a single cab ramp truck. We had taken a helpful kid with us for the weekend to give him the experience of "big-time drag racers". Well, the kid was wimpy tired at dark-thirty in the morning and there wasn't enough room in the cab for three to be comfortable, so we put him in the driver's seat of the wagon to lay down and sleep. Just north of Jackson, MS on I20, we are cruising at about 70 when my partner sees a sign up ahead that says "BUMP". Before he could react, we encounter a buckle in the pavement that could have been an Olympic ski jump. With eyes as big as silver dollars and a death grip on the steering wheel we daylighted the ramp truck over the bump. Everything in the cab bounced off the ceiling, including us. Coffee everywhere, knots on our heads and half the stuff that was laying in the floor is now on top of the dash! Luckily, he maintained control and pulled over a quickly as he could gain his senses. We jumped out to check the car and survey the damage. Whew! Chains on the front and back held and everything was tight. Then he thought of the kid. . . Opened the door to find stuff thrown around everywhere in the car, including the kid! He was now in the back seat, but still sound asleep! The kid later became a partner on the car since we figured that anyone who could deal with stuff that well has got to be worth something.

[Robert Swartz]

Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland

In 1975, my partner and I were driving home from a points race in LaPlace, LA. We had a '65 Chevelle SW O/S car loaded on a single cab ramp truck. We had taken a helpful kid with us for the weekend to give him the experience of "big-time drag racers". Well, the kid was wimpy tired at dark-thirty in the morning and there wasn't enough room in the cab for three to be comfortable, so we put him in the driver's seat of the wagon to lay down and sleep. Just north of Jackson, MS on I20, we are cruising at about 70 when my partner sees a sign up ahead that says "BUMP". Before he could react, we encounter a buckle in the pavement that could have been an Olympic ski jump. With eyes as big as silver dollars and a death grip on the steering wheel we daylighted the ramp truck over the bump. Everything in the cab bounced off the ceiling, including us. Coffee everywhere, knots on our heads and half the stuff that was laying in the floor is now on top of the dash! Luckily, he maintained control and pulled over a quickly as he could gain his senses. We jumped out to check the car and survey the damage. Whew! Chains on the front and back held and everything was tight. Then he thought of the kid. . . Opened the door to find stuff thrown around everywhere in the car, including the kid! He was now in the back seat, but still sound asleep! The kid later became a partner on the car since we figured that anyone who could deal with stuff that well has got to be worth something.

Good story Dwight. I had one of those wimpy kid pit helpers myself once. this is the inverse story.

Muncie Dragway, 1986. We had this kid that thougth he wanted to be involved with racing. What he really wanted was a free ride to the drags and to "bask in the glory of the racing" planted in a lawn chair in the bed of the truck, while sitting and eating junk and drinking pop, LOL! Just like being at home, only more exciting.

I can't recall at what point it happened, either late in practice or maybe prior to the start of eliminations, my partner comes back to the trailer and says, car won't start. OK, it's either fuel or the batteries. I had just filled the tank (didn't have a cell, back then), so, unless it's another problem, it's likely the batteries. I yell at the kid, get down here and help me with the generator, it was one of those old ONAN's, the large heavy ones, not exactly mobile. He grabbed the end of this thing, lifted it up and looked at me like I was nuts. He says, where are we going? I simply pointed toward the staging lanes. We were probably pitted about as far back as you could get that nite, so, it was going to be a long walk.

Long story short, after 3-4 stops for him to rest and catch his breath, we made it to the lanes, recharged the batteries. If memory serves me right, went deep into the eliminator that nite. Funny this was, called the kid up the next weekend, asked him if he wanted to go again. He had something else planned, maybe later he said! He did go a time or two more but don't think he was ever as enthused as the first time.