Excellent post!! I will add, the wheel studs do not necessarily have to go through the nut..I'd say try & find a test & tune day at your nearest track
have the tech guys look it over
having a tube chassis
they may look it over with a finer tooth comb
may fall in some grey areas in the safety/tech rules
lots of different rules apply
depending on how fast it really is
*good brakes
*nothing that will fall off the car or blow off
stuff pinned or bolted down etc.
*no brake or fuel lines across the firewall
*if the battery is not in the engine bay, they will usually require
a remote shutoff 'manually shutoff' power switch,
that kills all power to the ignition & pumps
properly marked "pull for shutoff" in emergency
*basic safety stuff
(again depending on how fast it is)
sfi rated damper (no cast iron)
sfi rated flexplate & shield
or bell-housing/scatter-shield, sfi rated flywheel & sfi rated clutch for a manual etc.
sfi rated belts/harness
*a helmet, with a 'snell rating' within the past 10 years at least
IIRC 13.99 or faster mandatory
(been a long time sine I raced anything slower)
*seat belts &/or sfi rated (sfi safety stuff 'is dated too') harness is nice
*a sealed 16# or more rad. cap, good hoses etc.
*with an adequate sized overflow vessel for the radiator
like 'a pint or a quart' usually, one with a closeable drain is nice
*any AN stuff is usually good,
if using band clamps, make sure good seals etc., not cutting into the lines
Usually "no more than 1 foot" of rubber hose in the engine bay
for 'fuel attachments', other than stuff like rad., heater hoses & AC lines
*no antifreeze at most tracks now too
makes it hard to clean up if it pukes
*seats bolted down 'with thru-bolts, thru-braces'
& **seatbelts also with thru-bolts & fender washers usually
(if you run 'a harness' they are more strict on how it's properly mounted)
*good tires,
rated for the speed/MPH you're going
'for your own sake' & safety tech
*lug nuts on every stud, torque'd
*no hubcaps allowed, unless screwed down
*usually want you to have the windows all in
"& rolled up" while going down the track
*long studs/thru-lugnuts, like a 1/2" or more exposed stud thru the lugs
*& driveshaft safety loop
if it 'has slicks or drag radials', it's mandatory for both above
*if it goes faster than 11.49 1/4 mile ET, (it may, if you're lucky)
it will need a 4pt. rollbar at a min.
^^^ if an automatic also, a sfi rated trans-blanket or shield
^^^ also mechanical & easily reached/while strapped in/down 'reverse lockout'
on the shifter
(at ETs better/faster than 11.49 it maybe slower even now)
*if a manual trans/clutch, it will need a bunch of specific 'sfi rated' stuff too
*sfi rated bell-housing/scatter-shield & clutch components, within date
*a driveshaft safety loop towards the front 1/3rd of the driveshaft
so it won't pogo-stick if it or the u-joints breaks
*stuff like make sure 'the cell' or fuel tank has a good seal/cap & it's vented
or the cell is vented, so it won't stave for fuel,
no fuel or brake lines by heat sources etc.
tank/cell properly strapped down in place 2 straps min.
**if it has a cell, it will need a 'rollover valve' (1 way valve on the vent port)
so it doesn't pour out on the track, if it were to roll over or wreck
there are lots more safety tech rules
but for a basic T&T session or maybe wed. or fri. night Street drags/brackets,
that'd get you thru "tech" probably
ask questions, if you don't understand
show interest when they are tech-ing it
(if they find anything wrong, that they pointed out)
ask if you can do something to correct it there
they usually will work with you most of the time,
they are car guys too, sometimes you run into a prick here & there
from seeing your truck build, in a couple of threads
I don't think you should have too much trouble
just make sure all the safety stuff is done
I think that covers most of the minutia
hope not too ****-retentive on my part
good luck
& have fun, go kick some ***
Thank your son for his service,
from all of US here
View attachment 1293787
If it's a 1/2" stud,, it has to go 1/2" into the hex portion of the nut.
Whether the nut is open or closed ended.
Just a minor point I have to bring up with the tech guys from time to time.
