Question for the old guys

[Mark Lewis]

Don't remember how many times, but Years AGO, 1987 to be exact I was #1 qualifier at Atlanta Southern Nats just edging Al Provost out. D2 tech Bill Holt decide to tear down after first rd . Went the next morning to Chevy dealer and tore down. Everything was good until they decided to pour the heads, 1st year of having intake and exhaust runner volumes. Don't remember exact numbers but heads poured big. Mind you I didn't freshen motor up over winter and wasn't worried because heads hadn't been enhanced at the time.
Got home and took 5 sets of heads over to Fultons on Monday night, side job at the time.
None of them poured anywhere close. Called tech line on Tuesday night and discussed findings with Bill Holt, Asked where they got specs for 882 heads at that time and he said he would get back with me.
Two weeks later he called and said the specs had been adjusted and they were more than what I had at the time. I was good to go and asked if I got a free entry to another National since it was their mistake, You know that answer.
They figured since the heads looked so stock they would give me 15hp . Only good thing was John Fowbower won race after he got the bye 2nd rd

[mnmaxwedge]

Was at teardown at Paul Harvey Ford in the late 80's. Was tossed because I had too much valve spring pressure. Open spec was ok, had 5lbs. too much seat pressure. The next year they threw out the valve spring rule.

[Jim Wahl]

Had to look through all my log books. 12 times with the FWD cars.Seems like every other race Rosie (Bill Holt) wanted to see something in the Caddys! 1990 at Indy Buster asked me if I had zippers on the motor for ease of tear down. 3 times with the other Stockers and the SS Demon. So I guess that makes 15 times. Jim


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[Tom Meyer]

Close to 25, 17 for records.2 1/2 at the TRW races the half was it started raining and they told us to put it back together. Three at National event tear downs one was after winning a div 5 race at Douglass WY. Elroy Adams, Wayne Lewis, Bob Blackwell. We tore down 4 weeks in row chasing Records. I once told Wayne he did not have to look at book for my specs because he had done it so many times. 15 minuets to pull the head. The good old days.Tom

[Dave Casey]

Over 30 , most for records , a few times at Indy , once after winning a wcs (lodrs) . Been tossed 2 times, once for having to short of screws on the butterflys on my 4gc , and once for 2 lbs to much valve spring pressure at Indy.

Sometimes we would have a side contest to see who could get thru teardown, back together and running quickest. That was usually at the Dutch when a lot of records were set.

[Mike Gray]

I’m new to stock (1yr) and I don’t have anything to add regarding tear down. I am carrying all my extra gaskets and stuff needed to take apart the engine for tech inspection if needed. I was careful in building the engine and know it will pass.
On another note when I was racing super-gas with no tear down worries NHRA did approach us in the staging lanes at the Winternationals to run their sonic checker over my roll bars. They found 1 door bar under by few thousandths (no +- with NHRA) I was out if I couldn’t fix it before E1. Made a call to Hansen and got it in and back overnight with a replaced door bar.
Luckily Ricky Smith was there at the same time so they had some staff already there working the evening shift.

[Jeff Niceswanger]

Maybe some of you old guys can talk about the crazy items that got you tossed. I was talking to Jim Kronenbitter up at the IHRA event about this. His old Chevy II was tossed for not enough installed height on one of his springs. Elks Head Service had done the heads and under one of them and mistakenly stuck one too many shims under one spring. He laughed and said "One out of 16, and I'm the one that picked that cylinder". He said Westly got'em..
Earl Row was saying one year at Indy while in line to tech.... Someone came back and said they were busting the 69 Camaros with the cowl induction hood for no solenoid on the flapper. He was several pairs back from checkpoint, so he went back and grabbed the blinker relay out of his tow truck. (They were round back then). Someone in the area had a can of black spray paint. He rushed up, crammed that flasher up in the hood cavity. He said he had to hold back giggling as the tech looked up in there and congratulated Earl on having the thing they had been flunking people for all day....

[Chuck Weissberg]

I should think it would hot be hard for NHRA to be able to "seal" an engine following a successful tear down, which could prevent unnecessary repetitive tear downs

[Tom Meyer]

Originally Posted by Chuck Weissberg

I should think it would hot be hard for NHRA to be able to "seal" an engine following a successful tear down, which could prevent unnecessary repetitive tear downs

They do have a tube of it, but if you want the record take it apart.

[John Osborne]

Originally Posted by Lyn Smith

Too many to remember. Had to pull a piston at Indy one year. This is back when you had to use the GM stuff. One year i got my head to the head checking bench and saw 2 Buick valves sitting there. One of my fellow Buick racers supplied the tech guys with valves to compare mine to. Everything was Ok as usual.

That was 1984 Southern Nationals. You, me, and Jimmy Lashley went to tear down. We were all running the same car-engine combination. Our fellow racer was running the same combo and felt since we were quicker than him, we must be cheating. He provided Bill Holt with a pair of correct valves and a pair of cut down larger valves. And as you said, after everything was checked, there was no problem!
The first time I went to tear down was 1974 and the last time was Indy class win in 1987. I don?t remember how many times I went in between!
Donnie Beeler would be another candidate for the most number of times that he has been to tear down!