Wheelie Bars are not needed for Safety on Stockers!

[Larry Hill]

I have a red wagon full of shocks both front and rear, two junk "K" members (Newsome has four), two weight boxes in back, an adjustable weight bar in front, several different sets of travel limiters, four wheel scales, adjustable chip for the starting line, and an October 2002 picture of my car on one wheel on DRC. If the wind changes direction or speed to a head wind a high torque car is doomed if it gets "up", because hydraulic pressure will not let it down without wrecking something.

Gosh I hate getting old. I forgot to mention oil pans, four bent 15X4 wheels, and one firewall that got compression bent when I aborted a run. Most of the damage to my car was done without wheelie bars, but some was done learning how to run with bars.

My car makes in the high 5's for power but makes in the 6's for torque just below the flash of the converter.

Is this a manufactures rule for Factory Showdown? The drive by wire cars do not need wheelie bars but the cable cars do?

I will fix my rear panel before the Chicago race and let the bars starting hitting the paint and bending the sheet metal.

[Bruce Noland]

Larry,

They sent an email that said the notches must be fixed by Aug. 28, 2013. Sounds like you don't have to make the changes before the Chicago National. I know Bruce Bachelder is skipping a few of the Nationals this year but I would ask for a few minutes of his time if he is in Chicago.

[Ed Wright]

It's an insane deal that needs fixed. Maybe they can talk to some chassis shop owners for more information. I don't have a Stocker, but do work with Patterson's COPO some, and know what that thing can do at times. I would not want to drive that thing without wheelie bars. The track can just come around a little and it will decide to go straight up. Very touchy deal. So, they need to tear up the rear fascia when it decides to do that? Makes no sense.

A talk with one of the guys at ATI explained why the local big block 10.5" nitrous cars can hook on one stage of nitrous when my 350" SS Firebird would spin on the same track & tires. Stock & SS converters hit much harder than what they sell to bracket racers and small tire heads up cars. He said with my converter those small tire heads up cars would never touch the ground. But, their cars are just like ours, right? LOL

[1320racer]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

A talk with one of the guys at ATI explained why the local big block 10.5" nitrous cars can hook on one stage of nitrous when my 350" SS Firebird would spin on the same track & tires. Stock & SS converters hit much harder than what they sell to bracket racers and small tire heads up cars. He said with my converter those small tire heads up cars would never touch the ground. But, their cars are just like ours, right? LOL

Don't know who you spoke to but you nor he can make that blanket statement!

My cars equipped with ATI converters have gone 1.28 60 foot at 3880 lbs. and 1.17 60 foot at 3144 lbs. launched of the footbrake and with less gear than a comparable stock/super stocker. Show me one B/SA stocker Chevelle or one GT/AA 4th Gen Firebird that has done the same.

Oh and I agree stockers don't NEED wheelie bars. Plenty of stockers new and old running without them. There are ways to control the front end with shocks and springs. My chevelle launched wheels up for thousands of passes without them too and on small radial slicks...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbKYio6OvKM"]THE PROOF IS IN THE PERFORMANCE - YouTube[/ame]


and this guy don't have them last I saw at ETown...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X91mgz6b7AU"]2012 COPO Camaro Testing - Victor Cagnazzi Racing, Dave Connolly and Brian Macy - YouTube[/ame]

The NHRA screwed up when they allowed you guys to run fuel cells, THAT made running wheelie bars much easier with the removal of the stock gas tank. Now the cry for allowing notches, what's next? These cars are already anything but "stock"!

[Ed Wright]

Do you really think we are interested in seeing ANOTHER picture of one of your cars???
Nobody cares!

[1320racer]

a man of your age showing his jealousy is pathetic.

[Bruce Noland]

Originally Posted by 1320racer

a man of your age showing his jealousy is pathetic.

Sir, I can assure you that no one on the board is envious of anything you have or have achieved in your life. It is you that demonstrates envy and frustration on a regular basis.

It's fine with us if you offer your thoughts but they mean nothing since you are not racing in our classes. You can go out to the track and risk flipping over your bracket cars all you want but the majority of us have more sense than you.

[Signman]

Ed,
You are beating a dead horse.
For years on message boards you have shared what worked for you and have gotten the same responses. Your head must hurt beating it against the wall.
From the point of view of class racers, you've never jumped in just ran a couple of cars that may have been stock or super stock legal other than engine and trans. Have some friends who are or have been class racers. Never ran either of those cars at a division or national event to experience the track conditions which are not the same as a bracket race at the same facility.
For credibility sake why not jump in?
Other than that you are stirring the pot, contributing nothing the original OP issue. But it is fun!

[Bruce Noland]

Originally Posted by Bruce Noland

Larry,

They sent an email that said the notches must be fixed by Aug. 28, 2013. Sounds like you don't have to make the changes before the Chicago National. I know Bruce Bachelder is skipping a few of the Nationals this year but I would ask for a few minutes of his time if he is in Chicago.

During my first call to nhra, on the issue of notches, Pat said that he had participated in a conference call with the srac about this problem. Jeff Teuton should be able to share info on the conference call.

Pat said the letters for correction were a bit premature and for me to sit tight until they got things in order. I asked about posting this information and he asked me not to post until they had it straightened out. I told a friend about this conversation with Pat and he told me not to trust anything Pat said. I thought this seems simple enough to straighten out so I waited. Then the second letter arrived stating that the notches must be repaired by 8-28-13 and I called Pat again and found a much different guy on the phone this time. He was spouting off about wheelie bars and then could not offer any remedies for our concerns. I concluded that he needed to get out to the race track more often. And I now understand that there are folks who are working on getting this problem corrected. We'll wait and see.