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.