David, I think your odds of getting in an accident are considerably
worse in your 'street' car on the highways and byways than on a race
track / course in a well built and thought-out race car ....... I do
not know if you are speaking of a dual purpose Street & Race car here,
but why not run whatever safety equipment the racing association
requires as long as it doesn't hinder the car's use on the street ?
We all know we aren't supposed to race on the street, or try to 'top
end' our car out ..... but I think the vast majority of us here have
done a lot of very fast street driving in our past ...... 'Nuff Said
on That !!! If you do intend on " trying it out "or just plain
driving it hard on the road, don't you think some of the same
malfunctions and breakages can occur right there on that road ? A
connecting rod or U-joint or hi-revving clutch/flywheel or pinon gear
doesn't know or care where it is when it lets go ...... the metal
exceeds its' limitations and just lets go !!! Ask the pros who do
dyno-testing about the pure havoc that an engine can wreak when pieces
start flying ...... they protect against just such unscheduled
disasters. A fuel leak can occur anywhere : street or track, and the
results are about the same in either case, so Build Safely and Use the
"Good Stuff ".
You shouldn't need or run a parachute on your street car, of
course, but the other less obvious safety equipment just makes COMMON
SENSE to build into your car, and that includes scattershields, top
notch brakes, protection of brake and fuel lines and also any wiring
or cables near the flywheel's plane area ...... we discussed this here
recently.
Using undersized or improper grade bolts for their intended
purpose can also be an invitation to trouble. Roll bars and extra body
bracing can be found in many street rods and street muscle cars .....
a little added insurance ! I don't know if you have ever personally
looked over a car which had a clutch and/or flywheel explosion
.... but if you have, you will realize the amazing amount of
destruction that they can do to the car AND ALL OF THE OCCUPANTS
THEREIN ..... It all boils down to Common Sense, Knowing the Rules,
and Building with an eye to overkill on the side of Safety
..... those rules and safety solutions that all the racing
associations mandate for their members' cars have been arrived at by
events that happened, things that broke, and drivers that got injured,
somewhere in the long past history of auto racing; ie: the School of
Hard Knocks ! Who ever realized the severe results that could arise
from a broken U-joint, or the driveshaft itself ?
A longtime national record holding drag racing buddy of mine had
his driveshaft go out thru the back window of his split window
Corvette coupe, and one of my oval track pals from way back lost his
racing partner on the WAY TO THE TRACK one Saturday evening when his
driveshaft broke and "pole-vaulted" him off the road with disastrous
consequences ...... two of the many of thousands of accidents which
resulted in drive- shaft safety loops being a very wise requirement !
This is a perfect example of a streetable safety device you could be
very glad you added, even for the highway .....
IF you are a new builder( I don't know .... ), I suggest that
you spend time around some good shops where racing vehicles are built,
and, as you already have, ask some of these folks on this LSR list who
have a Huge Collective Pool of Talent & Knowledge on Building, Tuning,
and Racing some Very Fast Cars !!! Some of the Senior Folks aboard
here have been around since Hector was a Pup ...... and if you never
heard that old expression, you must be in the younger half of our
membership ! Good Luck and Build Wisely and Safely ..... it's YOUR
body there in your car ...... on the track OR on the street !!!
Bruce
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