Off season maintenance

[Travis Miller]

As the off season in upon us, how about we have a discussion as to what you do for maintenance on your racecar, tow vehicle, trailer, etc. Sure the engine/transmission probably gets freshened but what about the other things that get wear and tear throughout a racing season. Do you just put everything away and wait for next season or do you actually disassemble and check for wear? Now is a good time to do maintenance you have been meaning to do all summer.

Share some ideas that others maybe overlooking. It might just help keep a poorly maintained racecar from being in the lane beside you next season.


Travis

(Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by me on this forum are exactly that, my opinions.)

[vic guilmino]

race cars
engine, tran
ball joints
brakes
rear end
shocks
msd box
wiring
shifter

trailer
wheel breaings
clean inside
brakes

mh
wheel bearings
u jionts
change oil engine, gen., and trans
check batterys,wipes, etc.

[SS Engine Guy]

Remove and check all heim/rod ends for binding (meaning bent or stressed) Does the inner rotate freely in a 360 degree arc? If they haven't been replaced in more than 2 years I replace them as regular maintenance. Don't buy the cheapest. If they check good and are fairly new. Put them in the parts washer, dry and back on the race car. If you must use lubricant use something like tefflon spray that is a dry lube and not something that stays wet and attracts dust, etc.

[buzzinhalfdozen]

Travis, you bring up a very good topic, most of the racers a know think the winter maint. is backing off the valves. Most racers make statements like OH well I'll look @ that in the spring or I just looked @ that and so on. What most of them fail to realize is the average "bracket car" is fairly fast in comparison to just 10-15 years ago the added speed increases risk. One of my first trips to the drags ( late 70's) it was very unusual to see a car running in the 9 sec. range, now it's common place, I see many street cars, and I mean street ( no cage no safety harness ect.) running very quick times and I just know these guys do 0 maint. I guess if these guys want to go out and hurt themselves I can't stop them but I sure don't want them in the lane next to me. We all need to look our cars over thourghly they recieve a lot of abuse at the track as well as in the trailer towing, I spent the best part of a Sat. going over my car frt. to back looking for leaks, loose bolts and nuts or anytrhing in need of attention, now I know in the spring she"s ready to Rock. Doing these things in the winter months is really the best that way if you see something you have some time to address it. Maybe someone could make up a check list and post it so guys could print it out and use it on their cars, sometimes our memory escapes us. Joe

[Mickey Whaley]

put in shop, drink JIM BEAM!

[Michael Beard]

"Off Season"? I just call it Christmas break.

If it's broke, freshen/replace it. If the cords are hanging out, it might be time to think about getting new tires.


(In all seriousness, good thread, Travis. I will pay attention, promise!)

[LNorton]

I know that we have a pretty solid routine of going over the car front to back during the winter. We haven't started yet because I like to have a list of everything I want to go over. I have found that to be a great way to ensure it all gets done.

One list for checking the details. Then I will have another list of things that will be upgraded or addressed from the previous year. Half the time it ends up being the week of our first test session when it finally all gets completed.

Hey Michael, Do I need to come over there and give some wrench turning lessons? I'll trade 'em for some Corel tips!

[Bill Harris]

A little off subject but Joe brings up an interesting point about fast "street" and bracket cars and their maintenance and safety. In another post someone brought up Pinks All Out as an example of how to run a race and bring in the crowds. I just ran the All Out in Montgomery a couple weekends ago and I have never, ever, seen so many hobbled together heaps attempt to go down a racetrack in my life. Broken axles everywhere, entire rear ends coming out of cars, middle of the track oil-downs end-to-end, exploding engines, busted trans cases. You name it and it happened within a few hours on that one Saturday. The roll-backs had more track time than the racers. By mid-afternoon I was just hoping my ET range wasn't chosen and I could get the heck outta there (it wasn't, and I did).
If there is one thing that separates NHRA/IHRA regular racers from the bracket crowd it is professionalism when it comes to their cars and equipment. They know their cars and take pride in its construction, preparation and maintenance. You rarely, if ever, see a car in the lanes that makes you shake your head and wonder if it is going to make it down the track. I have never been too concerned about the guy in the other lane doing something stupid or having his heap scatter parts all over the track next to me when I run an NHRA or IHRA event. But it sure crossed my mind when I pulled into the lanes at the Pinks event. I wasn't exactly scared, but maybe I should have been.
Christensen has a hit on his hands for sure, the crowds were huge. But if they don't start doing some sort of technical/safety inspection of the cars that enter, something seriously bad is going to happen at one of those shows. It's just a matter of time.

[SUPER STREET ROB]

It would make it a whole lot easier to check the underneath of you car with a above ground lift so call rob at 443-677-8262 and i will be glad to sell and install one in your garage at a great price

[Stephen & Horace Johnson]

Originally Posted by Bill Harris

A little off subject but Joe brings up an interesting point about fast "street" and bracket cars and their maintenance and safety. In another post someone brought up Pinks All Out as an example of how to run a race and bring in the crowds. I just ran the All Out in Montgomery a couple weekends ago and I have never, ever, seen so many hobbled together heaps attempt to go down a racetrack in my life. Broken axles everywhere, entire rear ends coming out of cars, middle of the track oil-downs end-to-end, exploding engines, busted trans cases. You name it and it happened within a few hours on that one Saturday. The roll-backs had more track time than the racers. By mid-afternoon I was just hoping my ET range wasn't chosen and I could get the heck outta there (it wasn't, and I did).
If there is one thing that separates NHRA/IHRA regular racers from the bracket crowd it is professionalism when it comes to their cars and equipment. They know their cars and take pride in its construction, preparation and maintenance. You rarely, if ever, see a car in the lanes that makes you shake your head and wonder if it is going to make it down the track. I have never been too concerned about the guy in the other lane doing something stupid or having his heap scatter parts all over the track next to me when I run an NHRA or IHRA event. But it sure crossed my mind when I pulled into the lanes at the Pinks event. I wasn't exactly scared, but maybe I should have been.
Christensen has a hit on his hands for sure, the crowds were huge. But if they don't start doing some sort of technical/safety inspection of the cars that enter, something seriously bad is going to happen at one of those shows. It's just a matter of time.

again, not trying to get off topic, but Bill I know what ya mean. I am sorry that we didnt get to come over and chat with ya. It was cold!!! We were thinking the same thing about not gettin picked. Dad was ready to go after our last pass...lol. We''ll never do that again!!! Man there is a big difference between those racers and us class racers




Stephen Johnson #2162
Horace Johnson #2167
SS/D 427 Ford Fairlane NHRA-IHRA