Things you were bounced for in the olden days when there wer

[tony wood]

We were at Memphis nationals ran David Haag first round he red lighted went to scales they decided to 50-50 oops 5pds. light in front. . that was in the era they were about to quit weighing 50-50, didnt weigh anybody in time trials. i was not the only one to get bounced. i was in a 66 nova those cars were really close on 50-50.

[Myron Piatek]

This wasn't in a "class" car, but it was at the 1980 NHRA World Finals in Ontario, CA involving (I'm pretty sure) Jerry Valentine.

After bracket racing all year in Florida, winning the track championship at Orlando Speed World and then the Division 2 championship in Pro ET at Gainesville, I got to go to NHRA's first world championship race for NHRA bracket cars. Once in tech, I was shocked to learn that my 3 or 4 point roll bar wasn't legal because I didn't have a side bar! (East coast/West coast rules? ) I may have been missing the support plates under the floor as well. So here I was on the opposite side of the country, late in the afternoon and unable to race at the biggest event I've ever been to. Luckily an old friend who now lived in San Diego was helping me out and he found a muffler shop that was open. Got some plates welded/bolted in underneath along with exhaust tubing as a side bar, nicely painted and padded. I was nervous, but obviously had nothing to lose. Somehow, surprisingly, Mr. Valentine passed me early the next morning and I made first round. I was exhausted, nervous and redlighted very badly. I had a shot, but I can't help but wonder what may have been if I had gotten a good night's rest. I believe it was a 3 or 4 round race because not all of the qualifying division champions made it. At least I was there and it's a memory I'll never forget.

[jim morgan]

didnt get bounced but was with Jerry Stein at Suffolk VA eary 70's we had the only
Max Wedge choke cables that when thru tech about 6 times, the bumper jack i ithink
when thru twice

[D.Johns]

Originally Posted by Myron Piatek

Got some plates welded/bolted in underneath along with exhaust tubing as a side bar, nicely painted and padded. I was nervous, but obviously had nothing to lose. Somehow, surprisingly, Mr. Valentine passed me early the next morning and I made first round. I was exhausted, nervous and redlighted very badly.

Bad pun intended? LOL

These stories are great Guys!

I've never been bounced but have had rule books reworded a few times afterwards

[Dwight Southerland]

I have been known to intentionally put something that a tech guy would make us change on the car when when going to a different division. He would find it, think he caught "that out of division cheater" and be satisfied. He would then stop looking and miss some "questionable" stuff. You never wanted them to look too close.

Was bounced once at Indy for having the front sway bar installed upside down on Bob Ayres' Grog '65 Chevelle.

Also at Indy in '86, my Camaro was making funny sounds out the exhaust after the semi-final for class. I started looking and found a shattered valve lock that allowed the retainer to push up against the bottom of the rocker arm. I changed the retainer and new locks, won class, and was bounced in the barn for 2 lb. too much seat pressure. Of course, they picked that cylinder by random! The other spring on that cylinder was 10 lb. under!

Lastly, at Memphis in '89, Rosy looked at the Corvette and said I needed a metal cover over the bottom of the plastic fuel cell and that the weight bar I had in the front of the radiator needed to be welded in place. I loaded up the car and went over the Kenny Faulk's place and worked most of the day to fix everything. Went back to tech at the shopping center parking lot to find the tech guys in their trailer playing cards. I handed my tech card to Rosy and he signed off without even stepping out of the trailer. I guess he had more faith in me than I would have. Because of the delay getting through tech, I got a choice pit spot in the mud! I did make it to the semis, though.

[Larry Fulton]

Harsh Warning from Jerry Valentine D6 pts race - 1979 - we had a '67 Chevy II Post that we changed into a '66 (to run the 4-jet 283") J/SA... hindsight said we should have built a q-jet 327" for the car, and left it as the '67)... any way Jerry didn't like these....

- Dual Master Cylinder in place of the o.e.m. single... Replaced w/ o.e.m. single

- Didn't like the Seat Back Lock / safety lever... made us remove the lever right then & there, and put black electrical tape over the slot in upholstery

- too many small factory holes in the firewall... silicone had just become avail... smeared that over the holes

- Too much clearance around the fender-well headers... Added shields over headers

- Thought the narrow, hardly would fit, 7" wide Centerlines put the rear tires (firestone 28.5x9) too close to the inner wheel house... ( now most '66-'67 Chevy II's "Stockers" are running 8"-9" wheels with all kinds of clearance / deep offset, and room for a FULL 30"x9" or bigger???

**The things that are accepted today.... Boy how things have changed.

[mike withers]

NHRA used to have tech at the Eastland Mall for Springnationals at National Trails. I saw a good looking Cobra jet fail tech because he didn't have a GT gas cap. He was so PO"d that he blew drive shaft out of his enclosed hauler when attempted to leave. That same morning, two lanes over I noticed a chevy on the back of a ramp truck that had a long section of fuel line hanging down(with numerous rubber hose splices) below the body and it sailed thru tech.

This one happened to me a few years later at same event(tornado nationals). I was using an open trailer and a tech guy after shoving down on the back of my AMX said I didn't have enough suspention travel. I said ok I can fix that and after getting a few wrenchs I crawled under the trailer and car. After I got back up and while wiping my hands on a shop cloth I asked him to check it again. The tech man checked it again and said "that is much better" and signed my tech card. I actually didn't adjust anything all I did was make some noise and get my hands dirty.