Stupid Pit Tricks

[Bobby Zlatkin]

This one is funny, but also embarrassing. First time I've told it publicly, but it's been so long ago all involved parties are probably no longer around.

1971, first Div. 2 points meet of the year. Phenix City, AL. A friend & I had a new, first time out, 1969 Covrette F/SA we had just finished the night before. Accell had a pretty neat booth set up in the pits, They had a distributor machine there and were offering free testing. I don't remember why, but I drove the car right up to the booth and pulled the distributor there. Didn't notice when I pulled the dist. that I also accidently pulled the oil pressure gauge line off the fitting. After finishing on the machine, I put the dist. back in and fired up the car to set the timing. Remember, a Corvette hood hinges are in the front and it was a wide open shot. It was windy out and the wind caught the oil and absolutely wiped out the Accell booth/display including and whole rack of yellow Accell jackets and the big banner.

As soon as I realized what was happening, I shut the car off. The Accell rep was talking to a couple of guys and none of them saw what had happened. We quickly and quietly pushed the Corvette back and then to our pit spot which was quite a ways away. The Phenix City pits were unpaved, with lots of trees and, almost, above ground roots, but we were running on adrenaline.

I didn't walk by the Accell booth the rest of the weekend.

Remember, this was 39 years ago and I'm sure the statute of limitations will protect me.
.

[Robert Swartz]

Oh alright, I'll play. Like the above, most everyone that was around probably doesn't remember anymore.

Likely April 1974, Indianapolis Raceway Park. My buddies had just finished their W/S Pinto. We had only had it out maybe one other time and were preparing for the division 3 points meet the next weekend.

We'd made one or two passes and the car wasn't running well. We changed both the points and plugs (how many remember doing this, LOL) and needed to reset the timing. Guess what, we forgot to bring a timing light! We borrowed one from some guys a couple spaces over.

So, we proceed to get everything hooked up. My buddy tells me, "hit the key". Now, I had one of those real bad brainfarts, I forgot to take the car out of gear. It fired, anyone want to wager a guess as to what happened next? I was dumbfouned, this thing just took off. Here we were chasing our racecar across the pits. Thankfully, there was nothing in front of us, it made it a fair distance before we caught it and got it stopped. Also glad we didn't damage the other guys light. Felt pretty sheepish taking it back to them.

As well, learned, DON'T check the spark of an MSD-7 with the coil wire held by your fingers. That hurt! Nuff said.

Guess I can end this with an old saying:

"What's the point of doing something stupid, if you can't share it with your friends".

[Tod Lane]

[QUOTE=Robert Swartz;167176]As well, learned, DON'T check the spark of an MSD-7 with the coil wire held by your fingers. That hurt! Nuff said.
QUOTE]

Hey, you said "Bump it"...lol
Seems I recall you sizzling on the end of a plug wire attached to a 67 Mustng once....

[Dion Hildebrandt]

[QUOTE=Tod Lane;167998]

Originally Posted by Robert Swartz

As well, learned, DON'T check the spark of an MSD-7 with the coil wire held by your fingers. That hurt! Nuff said.
QUOTE]

Hey, you said "Bump it"...lol
Seems I recall you sizzling on the end of a plug wire attached to a 67 Mustng once....

Reminds me of a guy I saw pull into the pits one day in edmonton at a bracket race, 1967 cuda with this huge promod wing off the back. Real hippie lookin guy, he opens the hood and has an instant crowd. I wander over to see what the fuss is about and this guy is talking about the advantages of having 6 coils hooked up to the distributor on his 340 ci. One guy pipes up and asks 'how fat is the spark off those wires?' so the hippie lookin dude pops off a lead and cranks the engine and be damned if he wasnt thrown back 20 feet and had to change his drawers, shoulda ground the wire hahaha still see the smoke out of his ears.

[Dion Hildebrandt]

I got one more, been around a race track since before i could walk seen a lot of stupid s**t! So the ole boy and I are hangin in the trailer early one cold sunday morning after unloading his car,we had the lawn chairs all set up too. We are looking directly at this pair trying to fire up a super pro mustang, one guy bumping the key , the other guy holding a 10 gallon jerry can......................over the carb. Long story longer this jerry can is flying thru the air with the greatest of ease.....................in flames, the ole boy and I couldnt hold our laughter back. These two guys couldnt chose between the car or the jerry can with which too dose the flames. this was also at a track north of calgary. To this day I still chuckle to myself when I see the perpetrators. hahaha awesome. no one was hurt in the stunt depicted above and should only be done by trained PRO-FESSIONULS!!!

[Dion Hildebrandt]

I got time for one more, way back in the day we had a trailer to tow the family race car. it was a mobile home axle with a fabricated deck that was low and went up over the axle,not high tech by todays standards but then you either drove your car or flat towed it . Now the ramps were way too short ,about 2 feet long if i had to guess. The ole boy is backing the car off, and gets the chevy II headers hooked on the trailer, now the pits at Saskatoon were gravel and actually still are, the slicks spun a little as he tried to go back up. The spin was enough to dig a hole and make the situation worse the headers now are bent, I think dear old dad spent all day saturday and most of sunday trying to get the headers off the car thats how bad it was stuck. Instead of fixing the car after we drove the 8 1/2 hours home dad spent the next week fabbing 5 foot ramps for the trailer. Dad still talks about that one.

[Dwight Southerland]

Another one . . . The very first points race I ever went to in Jackson, MS. Same '65 Chevelle SW 283 but a year earlier when we had to run treaded tires. We tried to set the record on Saturday and made three passes dead on, but could not go under. We took the car back to the motel (back in the day when you could not leave your car at the track) and decided over supper to retard the cam to try to control some wheelspin. Back to the motel, back the car off the trailer and do our adjustment. Since this was the "first big race", we had a circus of friends with us - talking trash, drinking beer, being hosers - and we were having a big time. When we finished, it was late and we did not want to disturb the motel by driving the car back on the trailer so we got the crew around and pushed the car on. Next morning, we drove the five miles or so to the track, into the pits and find our parking place. My partner was driving the truck and borrowed trailer and I was directing him where to put it. He pulled into a nice place between two trees and then backed up to straighten the trailer. When he braked to stop the backward motion, the car just nicely rolled backwards off the trailer, bounced as it made the leap from the ramps to the ground and came to a stop with the front wheels at the back edge of the trailer. Seems in our testosterone delirium of the night's activities, no one bothered to cinch the car down after it was on the trailer!! How it happened that we got to the track without losing the car on way is still a mystery to me.

Incidentally, on the first pass I went a full tenth under the existing record and went on to win the race!

[Robert Swartz]

[QUOTE=Tod Lane;167998]

Originally Posted by Robert Swartz

As well, learned, DON'T check the spark of an MSD-7 with the coil wire held by your fingers. That hurt! Nuff said.
QUOTE]

Hey, you said "Bump it"...lol
Seems I recall you sizzling on the end of a plug wire attached to a 67 Mustng once....

Da&$, now you got everyone else picking on me, LOL! Ah well, it's a sorry man that can't laugh at himself now and then. Not to mention you're picking on my old Mustang again, too. I guess, come to think of it, there weren't any "GOOD" stories associated with that car!

That was with that trick Accel electronic ignition system I had on that car. Really a pretty neat set up, actually a forerunner to the MSD systems. Real nice distributor, it had a spark box and those big Super Coils. That was a tach drive system as well. Looked really cool with the Moroso tach sitting up on the dash. You have to admit, that old 67 Mustang had some really nice parts, just didn't have enough of them. Funny that we just sold all those old Liberty transmission parts a few weeks back. Still can't believe that guy from Ohio wanted that stuff!

[mtkawboy]

Saw a guy at a Div 2 points race in Orlando in the late 70's that had just bought Marty Snowballs CJ 69 Torino that was so excited after his first pass that he pulled the top hose off to run the water hose in it & cool the motor down. He unfortunately neglected to remove the pressure cap and drain the existing 220 degree water first and emptied the motor & radiator full of steaming hot water straight into his crotch. We were all speechless and it was very ugly. It was nearly a month until he could put a pair of pants on again. He shall remain nameless, this is funny now but wasnt then.

[Tod Lane]

[QUOTE=Robert Swartz;168116]

Originally Posted by Tod Lane

Da&$, now you got everyone else picking on me, LOL! Ah well, it's a sorry man that can't laugh at himself now and then. Not to mention you're picking on my old Mustang again, too. I guess, come to think of it, there weren't any "GOOD" stories associated with that car!

That was with that trick Accel electronic ignition system I had on that car. Really a pretty neat set up, actually a forerunner to the MSD systems. Real nice distributor, it had a spark box and those big Super Coils. That was a tach drive system as well. Looked really cool with the Moroso tach sitting up on the dash. You have to admit, that old 67 Mustang had some really nice parts, just didn't have enough of them. Funny that we just sold all those old Liberty transmission parts a few weeks back. Still can't believe that guy from Ohio wanted that stuff!

I was just glad the doors still locked on the stang, you were kinda worked up over that one lol