“Turning on Win Lights”

 

Where is bracket racing and drag racing headed??

4/2/2007

Since you are reading this magazine and this column I would guess you have more than a casual interest in some of the same things I am also interested in. Namely, high performance Mopars, drag racing of all types and probably the world of muscle Car restorations.

High performance Mopar street cars have always interested me but I chose a path to put them on the strip and not the street. Restoring cars from the muscle-car era has always intrigued me. As a former body shop owner I know the owners put thousands of hours into these cars to get them as nice as the ones you can see in our new “readers section” called MY MOPAR. Remember, if you want your car featured in MoparMax send me some clear photos in jpeg. Format and a couple paragraphs on why we should put you in “My Mopar”. Check out this month’s My Mopar, we got some great cars for the first month.

Back to drag racing your Mopar. I want to address a group of Mopar owners who race their cars in the No Box brackets. Each division is a little different in rules for these brackets but basically you are racing with no electronic devices or timers. Some divisions allow trans-brakes and some don’t. I have raced both ways and had some success at it. I don’t want to come across as a self-proclaimed expert but I never read anything about drivers sharing car set-up information or “driving tips” that have helped them on the strip.

I read a lot of articles about making more horsepower, tuning the engine, modifying the suspension for better traction and even prepping your car for new paint. I never find articles on how to cut better lights, what helps consistency of the driver and the car and how important it is in turning on win lights.

Some of the Mopar guys reading this month’s column will find some of these “tips” as old news and some of you will find them as new ideas to try at the strip. I wasn’t sure how to break them down but I’ll try to do it by the “car” and by the “driver”. They are in no particular order so you can sort things out, as you want. I hope some of these “tips” can make your day at the track go a little better.

I’ll cover the “basics” this month and go into more details next month as the racing season gets into full swing.

The Car

I am going to take for granted you have read all the articles about building engines, tuning carburetors, installing ignitions, rear gears and suspension systems. I want to deal with what you can do before the race and during the race to improve your chances of turning on win lights.

Pre-race preparation during the week before the race is probably the most over-looked part of winning races. A lot of you have jobs and kids that take a lot of hours in a week. What you need to do is set a schedule for maintaining the car and prepping it for the race events you plan to attend.

1. 1. Number one on the list I use is; check the entire car after every race weekend. Check all suspension fasteners, safety harness mounts and the webbing for any wear or frayed belts. I check every safety item, every week.

   2. I look at the engine, fuel system parts, trans, rear end and brakes for any leaks. Don’t let a small leak ruin a good race weekend.

   3. Check the valve springs to see if any are broken, look at the retainers and keepers, do they all look the same? If not, find out why. It could prevent a catastrophic engine problem.

   4. Check your coolant level now that the engine is cold, as it is hard to get a good reading during a race day. Check your battery voltage and if it is lower than 12.7 volts it needs charging. Don’t be caught with a dead battery on race day.

   5. One maintenance item that gets overlooked a little too often is the Tow Vehicle. Check the hitch, the trailer plug-in, oil levels and the coolant level. You can’t have fun at the races if getting there is a hassle because of tow vehicle or trailer problems.

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