Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN (Post 179163)

Well I know about you and I do know your dad and have my connections. I did meet you several years ago at Maple Grove when you were dring the "Box Top" coupe. To bad your so sensitive...lol. I do know that you are a very good driver. You are just one of the new breed of racers. Several on here can drive like a robot but can not even lash valves or set the timing. Your dad builds beautiful cars and I wished I had his talent. Hang in there...this racing crap isnt life or death.

Originally Posted by Racer 6x64 (Post 179173)

I feel a need to respond to this. An oil retention device would have saved me a lot of pain and damage last season at my local track. I threw a rod at the top end and put a lot of oil on the track and under my back tires causing me to have an impromtu meeting with the wall. In the process i crossed in front of my opponent and he had to do some quick driving through my oil to avoid hitting me and the wall. A diaper would not have saved my engine but it most likely would have prevented a very unwelcome ride into the wall and almost causing damage or injury to my opponent. My theory is that no matter how good your engine or your engine builder is, they didn't build the parts, if a rod cap breaks you are going for a ride. I say this as I would never want any harm to come to any racer. As far as a short clean up time, mine was only 2 hours that could have been avoided for a mere $300 diaper.

Have a fun season.

Originally Posted by Racer 6x64 (Post 179213)

Yes, there will be a brand new DRE diaper on my engine as soon as it finished and dynoed. You can guarantee that I would never even consider going down the track again without one.

I know they are optional in some classes and I wasnt infering that everyone should use one but my point was that they are definately cheap insurance against a really crappy day at the track.

Have a safe season everyone.

Originally Posted by Jeff Lee (Post 178803)

Another issue I have not seen addressed is oil temperatures. This often does not relate to the bracket or Super Class racers as they are not "typically" running as us; the "performance based class racers".
I think you'll find a lot of the former running 50wt oils and changing the oil once or twice a season. The later will often run 10 wt oils and change it as often as every race. But maintenence, although an issue, is not the real concern I have, it's oil temperatures. Personally, per my engine builder, I don't want to see oil temps above 150 degrees based on the oil and clearances I have in the engine. He says if it hits 200 degrees, park the car until it drops. Even if it means loosing a round. Some may have a differing opinion but it's my engine and that's what I go by so I really don't care what Smokey Yunick said 30 years ago. Hardblock or similar products retain heat already.
Call it a diaper, call it a blanket, but no matter what, it's serves to retain heat in the oil pan. I see no way around this. I'd like an independent party to analyze the change in oil temp and the amount of time to cool down with a blanket as opposed to without a diaper.
And I'm with everybody else on this, I see no problem in the class. The issue in the sportsman ranks is the classes that seldom maintain their engines and continue to race when performance is suffering. A Super or Top racer that slows two tenths is more likely to adjust the throttle stop or ad more NOS than to pull the pan and inspect the engine. That always leads to trouble.
I'm sending this post to the S/SS committee
Tech@nhra.com