OK, I'm going to voice my opinion here, even if it does put me at risk of being unpopular (oh wait, too late!) EVERYONE should have a diaper on their car. EVERYONE. I could give a crap less about NHRA's oil down fine, or the down time due to the cleanup. All I care about is making sure none of my friends get hurt and/or destroy their stuff.
After a 2 year rebuilding project, and a completely fresh motor, I finally got the car out about a month ago. 3 weeks ago, I was at Atco for the $25K bracket races they had there, and here's what happened first round on Saturday at the starting line:
As I mentioned above, the motor was fresh. All the hardware was replaced (rings, bearings, fasteners, etc.), new pistons, cam, and valvesprings, and the rods and crank were magnafluxed to ensure they were still good. This was pass number 8, and from what I can tell, it appears that a brand new ARP rod bolt broke (I'm not blaming ARP, stuff happens, but it is disappointing to have what is supposed to be the highest quality component of its kind break after being professionally installed by a very reputable engine builder.)
The car wasn't running more than 5 seconds from the first faint sign of something going wrong. By the time I had unbuckled and climbed out of the car (30 seconds maximum), there was literally a lake of oil and water emanating from underneath the car (they were down for at least 20 minutes cleaning the mess up, and I didn't even go anywhere!). If this had decided to break at the top end rather than on the starting line, I cringe to think of the results.
Deservedly, I got a little lecture from Tom Stalba for not having a diaper on the car. The REALLY stupid thing is that I actually own a diaper! I just didn't put it on the car because it is a one-size fits all diaper, and it was a pain in the ***** to put on, not to mention that it was big enough to fit a 900 cid big block, let alone my 383 cid small block. Regardless, for me to own a diaper and not have it the car was stupid with a capital 'S'.
My car won't be back out again without a diaper or a belly pan, and for the love of God, all of you, please put a diaper or belly pan on your cars too. For about $200 you can have DRE build you a custom diaper for your car, and that is just such cheap insurance considering amount of money we have tied up in these things (not to mention the emotional investment as well).
Soapbox mode off.