Ken Etter injured in an accident at Fontana

[W J]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Ken,
First of all, I'm glad you 're doing okay. I'm looking forward to see you racing again one day.

On the brake deal , on those old 66 Chevies I used to race , the manual m/c had a deep recess in them and a 3/8ths push rod going into it, and nothing else. I would always replace the brake pedal up stop rubber bumper with a 3/8ths bolt and double nut deal to keep the pedal from traveling too far.
On my 62 Tempest I'm putting together, I've got a flanged rod in the m/c , plus a split U shaped washer deal I made that's retained by the snap ring, plus a solid up- stop for the pedal, and also a 2" long rubber cup over all of it, as a 3rd backup .
I agree , it's way past time to stick your head up under that dash and see what you've got and how you could improve it.
Do it tonight!

Now that is funny, Mark.....it's probably really hurting Ken to smile as he reads this, but I'm sure he is....... WJ

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by W J

Now that is funny, Mark.....it's probably really hurting Ken to smile as he reads this, but I'm sure he is....... WJ

It's not Ken I'm worried about . I'm sure he knows what to do on his next car!

[Rich Biebel]

I don't know Ken Etter but have to say Ken you are a very lucky man and I am glad your ok.

I don't race a Stocker these days but do have a dragster.......The first thing I did when I bought the car was add a completely seperate brake system. I have two independent sets so if one failed the other is there.

NHRA made numerous cars with this setup disable the hand operated M/C at some races earlier this year........Although this is not a Stocker I am bringing it up to point out how shortsighted NHRA is on safety related items sometimes......

I have read about at least 3 Stockers that have had the brake rod fall out and all 3 cars were totally destroyed. The drivers were all lucky to survive these accidents.....

NHRA needs to pay more attention to this issue and with all the terible crashes due to loss of brakes or stopping ability........they don't need to disable someones backup system because they think they are using it to hit the brakes to hard at the finishline.......That is a nonsense reason to someone like myself who has this option striclty for safety......

Everyone needs to check this issue on their cars.......I have to admit I never gave it much thought before I saw the results in pictures over the last few years....Peter Biondo.....Woodro Josey and now Ken Etter.....

[Mickey Whaley]

Rich a friend said we were maybe gonna be able to put the handbrakes back in our dragsters in 2011 i'm like u what in the hell is wrong with a backup system, seems like NHRA would use some common sense on this issue

[FED 387]

OK with all these problems it is now time for ALL racers to STOP, TAKE A LOOK & EVALUATE your own situation--The next guy might not be as lucky as these folks have been---DO NOT rely on N or I hra to mandate something it's your life/neck/head that is gonna take the brunt if another rod falls out---It's up to the individual racer to make sure he has his "****" together---Do it tonight !!!!!!go look at your car make sure it cannot happen to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! comp 387

[Ed Fernandez]

Maybe someone can enlighten me on this.Would I be correct believing that the rod is falling out when the drivers foot is releasing the pedal at a much faster rate than it is in normal use?It seems that it puts a lot of force on the restraining item that holds the rod in place.I think I'm going to try and install a collar around the rod and some kind of limiter to allow the pedal to go back only as far as a point that the rod has minimal clearance from the piston.I don't think it can hurt.Any thoughts?

[Rich Biebel]

Mickey...I never removed my handlever.....had no problem at 3 Division races this year and have not raced a National event since about 2001.
Makes zero sense to me and I really think they should allow this from a safety standpoint.......If their worried about overly agressive braking....park someone down at the stripe as an observer....maybe they will see who needs to get a warning or a DQ before he causes a crash from diving on the brake pedal.....

[Ken Etter]

one more quick item before I drug up. DRAW and RFC have been two wonderful organizations. DRAW has really stepped up to support and help me alot. When I came to in the emergency room There was a chaplin named Mitch there with me. Its my understanding he baasically pushed his way into the room to be with me and help keep my family informed. If anyone knows how to get in contact with him please let me know. He went above and beyond what he had to to help me and I want to be able to thank him in person. These are two wonderful organizations so support them any time you can. Thanks Ken

[et7333]

Ken if you contact Kat or Mark Dawson at the track I'm sure they have Mitch's phone number.Mitch is a great person and is almost always at the races we attend at Fontana.Take care

Steve Cox

[SSGN]

Their is alot of positives comeing from this thread.If you go onto strange's site you will see the master cylinder uses a rubber o-ring type grommet at the end of the rod where it enters the master to hold in place.Their is also a boot to keep dust from inside the car from entering the bore and to also help keep the rod in.I agree with Mark about taking the rubber return block off and installing a double nutted 3/8 bolt as a more positive return stop.I would imagine many of these rubber stops are cracked or missing anyways.The next thing would be a bracket coming off the firewall from the inside where the master bolts too and make some sort of a hoop similar to a driveshaft hoop to further support the rod.A brace or plate on the outside of the firewall to limit deflection would be another good idea.Just some thoughts.

Kevin