Do Stockers need correct year seats?

[herbjr]

The issue is this. We have a set of 70 and later HIGH BACK bucket seats in a 67 Dodge wagon. The Duster seats as I will call them are the heaviest Bucket Seat made. The B Body seat is a lower back seat with a head rest. Its LIGHTER. The Bench was quite a bit lighter. Our seats have the track and they work if we pull one bolt out. They tilt forward as they dont need to in a 4 door wagon but they do. There is no Center Console which they are to have. I also have a 1967 Parts catalog which shows an optional bucket seat like they used in all Dodge Chargers as an optional seat for the wagon. They also built 383 4 speed wagons in 67 with Bucket seats STANDARD. Oh yea and lets not forget Lee Smiths car, with one with a hood scoop and the battery moved to the trunk per the NHRA classification guide. Guess what it ran SS/G in NHRA with you guess it Bucket seats. We were told we could notch the bench seat. Well I guess now Ill have to take it to one of the best fabricators in the USA (My DAD) to notch all but maybe 4 inches out of the factory bench, guess what then it will be almost 25 lbs lighter than the 2 buckets that are in there. Keep in mind we were using the HEAVIEST buckets made. So the track lost an entry, IHRA lost a membership, and we have factory documentation that 67s came with buckets. Have a nice day. I remember now why I quit in 96.


Herb Jr

[Bob Mulry]

It's OK if IHRA wants to let you race with a feather duster stuffed up your butt...

Leave NHRA STOCK alone because we knew the rules when we built the car....

If you don't think that putting every lightweight component that you can find forward of the rear wheels then you better take up another hobby....

Bob

[Mike McCandless]

Originally Posted by Bob Mulry

It's OK if IHRA wants to let you race with a feather duster stuffed up your butt...

Leave NHRA STOCK alone because we knew the rules when we built the car....

If you don't think that putting every lightweight component that you can find forward of the rear wheels then you better take up another hobby....

Bob

Well good for you. In little IHRA, nobody is in my class. So rather than dump a ton of time and money into a car, I got a car that will never have a heads up run. Like I said, I ran .5 under the index, last year I never had a car in my class. I work smart, not hard. Maybe you should choose a different combo and not worry so much?

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Mike McCandless

Well good for you. In little IHRA, nobody is in my class. So rather than dump a ton of time and money into a car, I got a car that will never have a heads up run. Like I said, I ran .5 under the index, last year I never had a car in my class. I work smart, not hard. Maybe you should choose a different combo and not worry so much?

Travis is the NHRA Div 3 tech guy and a damn good one at that. One of the best and VERY knowledgeable when it comes to stock and S/S class cars. Its evident that you dont know enough about stock or class racing to even know who your talking to or why stock is required stock seats. If my friend from Md. hadnt sold his 65 Red Ply. K/CM classed car you woud have plenty to worry about in a heads up race. Right now he is looking for another car to install his drive train in so you might as well "sell the **** house" as they say. Put the right seats in the car, make it run quicker by working on it and quit whinning.

[Adger Smith]

Travis or whom ever,
I would like to know how you identify the exact year-model of seats. Is it just looks or is there some numbers/pictures (what ever)?? In other words: is the decision of the seat legality subjective or objective?
I have a friend building, piecing together, a car and we were wondering if that was something else to look into..
Thanks

[herbjr]

Originally Posted by X-TECH MAN

Travis is the NHRA Div 3 tech guy and a damn good one at that. One of the best and VERY knowledgeable when it comes to stock and S/S class cars. Its evident that you dont know enough about stock or class racing to even know who your talking to or why stock is required stock seats. If my friend from Md. hadnt sold his 65 Red Ply. K/CM classed car you woud have plenty to worry about in a heads up race. Right now he is looking for another car to install his drive train in so you might as well "sell the **** house" as they say. Put the right seats in the car, make it run quicker by working on it and quit whinning.

Terry the point is the car came with bucket seats and I'm told I have to replace them. High Back or Low back its not the point. THe car will have a 383 in it for NHRA stock for my son, I guess I will have to figure out what Travis wants. I personally met Travis in 94 at VA and he teched my lebaron with no problem.

I'm only bitching because the car came with something and I cant run that.

[herbjr]

Originally Posted by Bob Mulry

It's OK if IHRA wants to let you race with a feather duster stuffed up your butt...

Leave NHRA STOCK alone because we knew the rules when we built the car....

If you don't think that putting every lightweight component that you can find forward of the rear wheels then you better take up another hobby....

Bob

Thats about the stupidest post I have ever read. A feather duster stuffed up your butt....what the hell does that mean.

My car is 450 lbs heavy on the rear wheels if I put a lighter seat in then its 475...I dont give a rats *** about more weight on the rear of the car.

Herb Jr

Oh yea we have 12K in a stocker that is only .5 under...The car made 37 runs in 3 days at Piedmont in November for the 20K race....Nobody has more fun racing than we do, that is why we do this and we do it as a family with my kids as well.

[Jeff Lee]

So they insist on identifying the correct seat for the car but don't seem to care if the foam is 1/4 the thickness or half the springs are missing, or it has fixed CM tubing to hold the seat to the floor instead of a track.

I would think if the people that write the NHRA rulebook were REALLY concerned about the correct appearance it would state in the rule book "must be correct seats for make, model and year of vehicle that is claimed" It really would be that simple as they use this phrase many other times when deemed important.

In the current writing, it wouldn't last a second in court if somebody had 1967 Camaro Buckets in their 1970 Camaro (Stock class). The rules says very explicitly "must have full factory type upholstery.......and front and rear seats" (I skipped the part about carpet, door panels, etc). Doesn't say seats must be from make / model / year claimed.
If it's a concern, change the wording in the book.

This was the same issue a few years ago about radiators. Basically a 1967 Camaro could get away with a 2002 Camaro (lite-weight) radiator as it was "the same model". The rule was revised to spell out the radiator must be from the make / model / year claimed. It's that simple.

[Adger Smith]

What doe the NHRA TECHNICAL POLICIES & PROCEDURES
say about seats in the upholstery section?

Anyone have a copy and be willing to quote chapter and verse?

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Adger Smith

What doe the NHRA TECHNICAL POLICIES & PROCEDURES
say about seats in the upholstery section?

Anyone have a copy and be willing to quote chapter and verse?

2009 rulebook (newest one I have )
Page 110, Interior:6, paragraph 2, Upholstery, Must have full factory-type upholstery, including factory-type floor mats or carpet, door panels and headliner, and front and rear seats".
It then goes into rear seat removal for roll bar.
Page 271, section 19, general regulations, interior:6:2, upholstery, seats, paragraph 2 "All seats must be upholstered, or as noted under Class or SFI requirements".
See my previous post.