First Time At The Drags: Doing A Pre-Tech Inspection

First time racers, Garrett and Austin are ready to take their first shots at an actual drag strip to establish some baseline numbers on their cars. But, before we can do that, we need to go over the basics to make sure each car will pass a typical tech inspection.
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[@2112slee]

“The shop is yours for the evening...” Man, I hope these guys realize how awesome that is.

[@markd2322]

A real shop and guidance from Uncle Tony, couldn't get better.

[@katiehall5177]

A true honor when a man even better UT welcomes u to his kingdom and entrusts you with his tools .I don't know if could help but brag. Lol

[@ScottKenny1978]

That's one hell of a statement of trust!

[@frankjones4950]

I've been down the track thousands of times and still watched till the end. I just think it's so cool to see you help these youngsters. Can't wait to see the results of Sat night 👍

[@varmintgetter]

There is hope that the young can carry one a good car culture tradition.

[@01trsmar]

@@varmintgetter ..Lots want too,but the cost of old cars drives them away...There are a lot of modern Mopars ripping around,and they still want old Mopars..So,yes there is hope! We have to help them out!

[@varmintgetter]

@@01trsmar That's true about the cost. It even does drive me away getting one. As well as now we have to pay for higher Gasoline costs.

[@googlesucks5318]

Double throttle return springs required at my track. First thing they look for every time. The gas station up the street from the track has a shelf full of them, lug nuts, battery hold downs, and generic catch cans.

[@kenleppek]

Uncle Tony is for sure that "cool uncle" to these guys, hell he's the cool uncle to most of the folks watching this.

[@TonyGeneseo]

My 2 cents : 2 younger guys like older muscle cars / hot rods. …. Seem to be fast friends and giving each other grief about whatever after each helping each other work on their own respective cars ! And you seem to be the common denominator Tony ! Life’s short ! Live it every F’n day and make great friends along the way ! Take care T

[@davidleonard8369]

Most tracks that tech want to see two throttle return springs.

[@JimmyLoose]

Excellent point, very true. At my 1/4 mile track, they test the neutral safety switch on these old cars. I'm sure Tony knows how troublesome they can be on old Mopars. After 40/50 years, they get hard and brittle and don't stay on via friction anymore. A lot of people, I've been guilty of this, got fed up with the 3 prong plug working its way loose, so they jump wire the starter relay.

[@Welcometofacsistube]

Actually had a spring break on me half way down the track. Very scary I now always run two springs

[@bobroberts2371]

From the 70's , many cars used 2 springs however they were intertwined and look like one spring. If there are 2 hooks on each end, it is a double spring.

[@JimmyLoose]

@Ray Jones I don't know. All I know is the on the older Mopars, the ammeter gauge wire was/is hot at all times. Found that out the hard way when I was unbolting the gauge cluster and touched the terminals with a wrench. But that was on my '69. Don't know if that changed by '84, but I had that cause a wire meltdown once in a different '69 I was working on.

[@fukemallgarage]

Great series UTG, seeing everyday guys getting after it like that means humanity still has a chance. Keep it up, stay safe

[@AtZero138]

Build Anything Race Everything!!

[@mexicanspec]

Hey At Zero. I bought a new 2005 Mustang with a stick shift and took it to the track soon after. that was a learning experience. In Hermosillo I was told I could only have water in my cooling system. Is that a normal thing at tracks?

[@AtZero138]

@@mexicanspec Maybe just in case of overheating.. they don't want coolant spilling onto track surface.. other wise brother.. kickass.. have fun

[@mexicanspec]

@@AtZero138 That is what they told me, but they let me pass because my car was brand new. Do they do that at the tracks in the US?

[@AtZero138]

@@mexicanspec I'd say yeah.. like my old ass car would need a Over flow.. which it don't .. never cane with one.. if it needs to dump some.. she gives it right back to the earth . Where coolant belongs hahahaha..

[@johnweaver8470]

Gotta love the ruger 45

[@sski]

Way to go Uncle Tony! Helping the younger folks is a good thing. They learn valuable stuff to pass on. Somewhere that circle got broken.

[@ZacVaper]

It's outstanding how Tony passes on his knowledge and is happy to do it.

[@chaddavis7228]

Instead of a pistol grip shifter he's got just the pistol. Good luck guys

[@hippydippy]

Gonna be a ton of fun to watch them go down the strip for the first time!

[@natevanlandingham1945]

Love how Tony says "the shop is yours for the night"!

[@ScottKenny1978]

That's one hell of a statement of trust!

[@danielkuchenberg7046]

When I raced in the early 70's at Wisconsin International Raceway in Wisconsin, if I ran Trophy Class there was nothing.( but they would look in the trunk, you couldn't have a lot of junk in the trunk(and not in a good way)) If I raced in money class I had to have a blow proof bell housing and a driveshaft loop. Same car, different rules. Love your channel because "If it's a show car, If it's a go car, It's a MOPAR"

[@katiehall5177]

Remember boys it's after the last yellow goes out... Go on green and u might as well be making a samich bcuz ur too late lol

[@_Peremalfait]

Garrett's car reminds me of my 78 Cordoba. Loved that car. And Austin really has a gem with that Plymouth. Best of luck at the track, guys.

[@lilmike2710]

Had a Cordoba about that same color. Looked great with 5 spokes and white letters. That front grille though.

[@CamaroAmx]

My neighbor up the road has that car’s near exact twin (his has red interior), charger Daytona. Been trying to sell it for years. Has yet to sell it because he wants dumb money for it (over $6k and it’s only a little nicer then this kid’s). He also has a 70s Power Wagon, a Warlock, a Lil Red Express, a gold mid-late 70s charger (his daily), a ramcharger, and he just bought a newer Chrysler 200. I’m guessing he’s a mopar guy.

[@lilmike2710]

@@CamaroAmx Sounds like a Mopar guy.. But he's grossly overvalued that Daytona. Sounds to me like he's proud of it and dosen't really wanna sell it.

[@jamesadams4304]

Tony you forgot to mention the techs also check your neutral safety switch to make sure it's not starting in gear , And sometimes they'll check your brake pedal make sure there's enough brake pressure on older cars.

[@Sc2ner]

My 64 Plymouth didn't come with one or seat belts. They were options that year. So what does one do then?

[@barryrussell4106]

Tony it is admirable that you have made a channel out of teaching people what you spent a lifetime learning. Training up the young ones is what the older generation needs to be doing. Thanks

[@01trsmar]

I like what Tony is doing for the young guys...Helping them out,that's great!! *I will go now as I write too much,oddly I am not a big talker! Strange? Must be the Coffee,as I sit down with a big mug of it...No drugs,no booze!

[@Sludge73]

Wow, these guys are living the dream. Letting them use the shop, Damn, UT is good people. Can't wait to see the drag strip video. Thanks for sharing, UT!

[@sprocket9200]

So glad to see you helping/mentoring these guys! Keep up the good work!!

[@Anthony-qj7qe]

The plastic fuel filter on the 66 Fury is a fire waiting to happen...

[@HOTRODRICO]

I would never have that there like that...

[@2lotusman851]

Rubber gets hard due to the heat and splits--fire. The fuel filter on the suction side of pump--contribute to vapor lock, and if it splits--fire.

[@Fleetwoodjohn]

Fix that battery! Making me nervous just looking at it! Good video!

[@joeteejoetee]

A battery that is not held down will make the terminals loose with time - especially with side terminal batteries! You'll notice when the battery goes dead and won't start the engine because it was not being properly re-charged after a long road trip. Don't replace the battery - clean the terminals and jump-start it!

[@fritzcaddy]

Uncle Tony a real teacher who walks his talk.

[@kenleppek]

There is no doubt about that.

[@bigbear5510]

ROLL UP YOUR CIGARETTE!!! LOL GREAT VIDEO UTG!!!👍 HELLO ULTRA KATHY!!! I have 2 rolls of duck tape that will hold them batteries down!😉😉😂😂😂

[@NathansMoparGarage]

It's always fun going racing with your friends.

[@jondoes7836]

Bring a helmet. Some tracks a helmet is required regardless of how fast the car is.

[@miguelcastaneda7236]

if you expect might run 11s cage as a joke at pomona we took a 70 cadialic..stripped down flex tubeing from pep..ahh that year had a 515 in it we did a 11.3 in quarter guy timeing smiled then realized what we did kicked us out

[@ScottKenny1978]

@@miguelcastaneda7236 I bet they were shocked, 11.3 in the quarter is damn fast! I know I'd be apologetic about kicking you out. "Damn, dude, that car's fast. Too fast for the setup, you need a roll cage and ... before you can run again."

[@2lotusman851]

Probably decided by the insurance company.

[@wheels-n-tires1846]

Yup...PIR required helmets. It was so cool to see four girls with helmets in their stock Chevette....😁

[@CamaroAmx]

@@miguelcastaneda7236 my cousin has a GNX. Looks bone stock other then slightly bigger rear tires. It’s doesn’t sound stock at all. Runs low 9s. He only makes one pass and they kick him out because he doesn’t have the required safety equipment. He refuses to add them because he feels then it’s not a street car. They know him well and let him run one pass. Doesn’t hurt that he is also a cop.

[@petermandics1517]

Outstanding video UTG. This brought back so many memories of me fumbling through tech inspections at Bandimere Speedway's High School Drag Racing series in the late 1980's. A missing battery tie down was a tough lesson to learn and I can't wait to see how the gentleman do this weekend!

[@Welcometofacsistube]

Remember; race against yourself not the guy in the next lane Way more enjoyable, At least for me

[@01trsmar]

Until the pass you just at the end..DAMMIT!!

[@deliveryguyrx]

Pray nothing breaks, prepare to lose, and get ready to make a new friend or two.

[@davidleonard8369]

I race pro et once in a while. Still just race myself.

[@1080sucks]

New blood. Without them the sport/hobby dies

[@america1723]

Nice to see younger lads going racing. I don’t care how slow the car as long as they have fun and are safe. Burn rubber my friend’s

[@Nowherenotime]

T Man good job helping the young pups with real info on what to expect at the Track and how to be safe and have fun .

[@andrewelliot5516]

I remember the tech guy at Cayuga checking to see if the brake pedal felt good as well as everything tony said - the pedal in my duster was a bit soft at the time - I pulled the emergency brake on partway and went back and he passed it because the pedal came up bit. On a street night they are pretty lenient, race day not so much.

[@kylemilligan752]

On the 1st car, filter on the suction side of pump is no good. Also, it appears to be a plastic filter near the header tube. No good.

[@richardturk7162]

Packing some protection I like that .

[@Thomas63r2]

All the safety rules are the result of someone paying the price. Things happen, be proactive and avoid obvious danger: have everything bolted down etc. Many years ago I did what Uncle Tony is doing with these guys. Some young guns knew I regularly ran my hot rods at the drags, I ran about 100 passes a year. They asked a lot of questions and I helped them get started. Lots of fun!

[@01trsmar]

Uncle Tony needs to race Ultra Kathy in the 360 Dart... 273 Dart vs 360 Dart Uncle vs Ultra..that would be Epic!!

[@johngreen5570]

Any chance of an at track video with the cars making a pass?

[@ScottKenny1978]

I expect so.

[@TheTehman]

I went to my first drag race/ car show/ swap meet event last week. "Mega Mopar" at Bandimere speedway. I was very impressed with the people there. Everyone was just so cool and happy to see another car guy. I 100% agree that the safest place is the drag pit. NO ONE will f*** with your stuff there.

[@Sprotdude17]

GOOD LUCK

[@AustinRBa]

Great video, good information. I'm really busy this summer, but looking to take the truck down to the strip at least once, glad to see a video go over the basics of what to clean up before showing up.

[@hamishfullerton7309]

Looks like it's going to be fun, good see Tony helping to give confidence to guy's starting out ,"map gas/propane torch welder and petrol/Gas container in trunk 🤔😬look what happened to a plumber in Australia who keept a map gas torch in a van it might be on you tube, with out adequate ventilation it was ugly, I d only store those in area with open ventilation and that's not being paranoid or nanny state I just wouldn't ever keep one of those in a boot/trunk ever unless it had holes drilled in the bottom and was short distance and even then wouldn't be worth the risk ,because if they leak it's like having a mini bomb in the back🔥☄

[@Shutchohole]

At least separate the torch and fuel bottle. Way less of a chance of leakage then

[@WaybackTECH]

Seems like good things to be doing on a car anyway.

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

Waiting on Saturday nights video now. Good luck guys. STAND ON IT!! Nice explanation UTG!

[@mattdavis822]

Good stuff

[@jontrudell7529]

CULT LEADER UTG!!!

[@superrodder2002]

A couple of friends of mine do Tech at our local track. Some of the janky stuff they see and tell me about boggles the mind. Remember when you are starting out you aren't going to be fast, your there to learn the fundamentals and get comfortable with what happens at the track. Your car will always feel different running at a track than it does on the street. Good luck and have fun.

[@hotrod4d]

I like you friends choice of anti-theft device!

[@Cheeselandnews]

Automatic thumbs up for that from me.

[@mccoma11]

Samesies.

[@bobroberts2371]

But that does not work if you are not in the car.

[@whatchacookin1096]

Uncle Tony, you are a great man. I cant wait to see the boys drag race.

[@robbyddurham1624]

that note about being with fast cars on the track is no joke. I had a 17 second plymouth in trophy class. A guy in kansas City had a really fast Pontiac station wagon. I can't remember maybe around 11 or 10 seconds. I got that big head start, I heard him coming up behind me, it was like a freight train coming up behind me. It was kind of scary.

[@davidleonard8369]

Try running pro et on a sportster running against busas and zx14 s. Lol!

[@sbf_fox2434]

Sometimes my local track looks for bald tires on street cars. Also they frown on cars leaking oil on the starting line. The put on the PA system for the racers to turn off their AC systems.

[@thedodong4268]

Great video Thanks for sharing love this content- UTG your the best!!

[@allenlarabie8854]

Good luck and have fun.

[@georgebonney90]

The Legendary Miata 👍

[@scottrussell4488]

Good luck gentlemen, Tony you're awesome dude 👏

[@markd2322]

God bless Uncle Tony and the other old school car guys who are sharing the knowledge with today's generation to keep the car culture going.

[@tomcarlson3913]

It always kind of blows my mind whenever I see someone driving with missing lug nuts. Even off track that's fairly dangerous. If you're going highway speed and the rest spin off letting the wheel come off can, worst case, cause loss of control and a fatal crash, best case you catch it before the wheel comes off, but if you don't catch it and retain control after the wheel falls off you're still probably going to be paying north of $50 for a new brake drum or rotor. Most stock lug nuts are cheap and wheel lugs cheap, cheap enough to be worth the preventive maintenance of running a full set.

[@Zchef85]

Agreed, plus the wheel could hit somebody else or cause an accident

[@lb9gta307]

Running 4 out of 5 isn't a big deal safety wise. If it was about the threat of the wheel nuts loosening you wouldn't have cars coming from the factory with just 4 or 3. In fact, most driver's handbooks will mention doing that to get you home if you loose your wheel nuts while changing a tire on the side of the road. But it is easy enough and cheap enough to memedy that there isn't any excuse to be missing them for a significant length of time.

[@animoetprudentia2865]

What the world needs now is an abundance of uncle Tony's, and uncle Kathy's. (and everything in between). People are awesome.

[@bobroberts2371]

Some details on the cars On the Plymouth, install a valve on the heater hose supply side, this will reduce interior temps dramatically. I use a 1/4 turn water ball valve. 3/8" threaded steel pipe works for 5/8" and 3/4" heater hose. 1/4" threaded steel pipe works for 1/2" heater hose that is found on Chryslers. Overflow bottle, I tend to run a closed system cap in the rad and a bit of water in the catch can just like most any modern car. This way the rad stays completely full eliminating air pockets. A closed system cap is designed to allow water to pass from the rad to the overflow when hot then from overflow to rad when cold. Lugnuts. For this type of car and steel wheels, don't use 1" oval track lug nuts on stock wheels because the taper angle is different at 45 degrees. Most no Euro cars use a 60 degree taper, so a 45 degree oval track lug nut won't fit properly. If you are using aftermarket steel wheels from Aero, Bassett , Diamond or others, be sure to check the taper. Even with a slow car, watch this vid. " Track Safety: Questions You Need To Ask " on the channel " Tim McAmis Performance Parts "

[@marcoceccarelli6415]

By far this is the best Channel on KZbin.

[@79tazman]

Bottle Rocket don't even have a baseline pass on it yet so these guys will be doing so much better by the end of saturday night LOL!!

[@Pegleg302]

The NHRA rule book is 10 bucks, and is a great reference too.

[@lb9gta307]

IIRC it's also available for free online as a PDF

[@Ticeracing33]

Good things to be reminded of!

[@campesinoplastic6169]

The tech guys here have been cracking down more lately. I am all for it. I really don't want something flying off some guys car and hitting me or causing me to lose control and eat the wall. And yes! It happens. Stuff falls off of cars all the time. Finger tight bolts, things cracked or held on with tie wraps. Sketchy muffler mounting.

[@jhammy444]

I'm watching because I remember what it was like. I had an '86 Omni GLH. I remember most, how much further a quarter mile was compared to light to light racing. Have fun boys and good luck!

[@ralphcelentano8563]

This is GOLD! Nothing else like this on KZbin! I'd love to see like a season 2 after you release these guys into the world and get 2 new guys...or chics.

[@kycountry84]

This is and awesome video series, Please do more of these! 👏

[@crossingkey4978]

Lol thats how we ride down south got the heat right in the seat hahahaha

[@kevinpyne3339]

Good info...thanks

[@shaggydogg630]

You’re a great guy Uncle.

[@QWERTYZ1CATS]

Good luck to them both

[@tracychaffin4410]

May all go great for ya guys. Way to go to UTG.

[@randalljames1]

Good stuff... and then the historic plate on a car I remember working on when it was new....

[@petermontagnon4440]

Good luck boys!!!!

[@mudduck754]

Yeah mount those batteries down, sez the guy with a positive post on the main battery two inches from the fender, bungee cords, looks like hell but holds them in place somewhat.

[@CharlieBrown-pb9xn]

Great info and video!

[@pauldulworth2768]

I’ve been to test and tune nights maybe 20 times in my life. I crewed for a few buddies at the drags a time or three as well. Does that make me an expert? Hell no. Can I learn more? Always. Is Uncle Tony dispensing wisdom yet again? ALWAYS. This man just wants to spread the gospel of the car hobby to anyone willing to listen. I’m willing to listen and so are thousands of others here on KZbin. Thanks, Uncle Tony & Uncle Cathy. I come away from all your videos knowing more.

[@brianfloyd5510]

UTG gives soo much back to the community!!!!!

[@Bikerbob59]

Thanks Tony I have only done Bikes at the strip.KZ1000 J model.

[@MoparMan-ff8fb]

This is good because when I finally get my project street n strip 65 dart 2 door post together with the racing 360 , tranny and the 8-3/4 🙏 I'll need all this info. I already have 2 different helmets to wear . I converted my battery to the driverside of the trunk and the battery box is bolted down and I also have my RCI 16 gal fuel cell in the truck and it's strapped / bolted down as well 😎🏁

[@ScottKenny1978]

Wire the kill switch so it's between the battery negative post and the chassis ground. Grab the switch and the whole car is dead.

[@francfurian8215]

Go guys. Good luck Cheers😊

[@daviddahlgren8522]

You're the best Uncle Tony!

[@larryjessup266]

Good video series

[@wheels-n-tires1846]

Used to hit the track every weekend... But Im still watching, cuz its UTG!!!👍😁 FYI: One thing tech caught my first time out was plastic lines to my aftermarkey positive oil pressure gauge. Thats a no-no. Copper or steel lines only. Was a bummer to get sent home that first nite!! But I went home with a rulebook and made sure everything was legit after that!!

[@jondoes7836]

At one track; I had to show the tech guy that my neutral safety switch was operational.

[@superduty4556]

That pretty much rules out most 70s cars with headers

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I really need to get my POS to a drag strip. Might take me 15 minutes to make it an 8th mile. But I still want to try it out

[@fury211]

I usually pack sunscreen, portable air compressor, lug wrench, wheel jack, jack stands, air gauge, basic tools, plenty of fluids, and a lunch. Interesting the difference from what we teched for autocross, we looked for wheel bearings, suspension oddities and height vs width ratios.

[@jimjungle1397]

The side terminal AC Delco batteries are lighter weight for their cold cranking amps than traditional top terminal batteries. Back in the 1970's, if we didn't have the battery in the trunk, we'd run an AC Delco battery for less weight up front and often with fewer cold cranking amps than stock for an even smaller AC Delco battery.

[@ScottKenny1978]

Huh. Didn't know that about the weight!

[@jimjungle1397]

@@ScottKenny1978 In the 1970's, the side terminal AC Delco Freedom Batteries had lead-calcium grids rather than the conventional lead-antimony plates. This made for more cold cranking amps in a lighter weight battery. Another 1970's street race gimmick was the then new Hush Thrush mufflers. Shops would have cutaway mufflers on display the Thrush sale rep would advise them on the special feature. Older Thrush and Turbo mufflers were loud and sometimes too loud for inspection in certain locations. The Hush Thrush muffler internals were are galvanized EXCEPT the thin, perforated sheet metal baffle. With leaded gas, this baffle would soon rust and be blown out by the exhaust. This quickly turned the Hush Thrush muffler into a high flow Turbo muffler in a short time.

[@cod8140]

GM side post battery NOOOOO! 1st thing to fix!

[@greeceuranusputin]

Throttle return springs are closely checked around here.

[@oldtimerf7602]

Pleases me to see Garrett has the Ruger.

[@AryDontSurf]

Blackhawk in .45 LC is a serious rig lol

[@oldtimerf7602]

@@AryDontSurf I have an HK .45C for personal defense. Has the LEM trigger. Outstanding pistol.

[@MrStrollerisme]

I had a '71 Satalite w/ 440 mag and slap stick. I took it to our local track once and they went over it with a fine tooth comb. They told me the studs needed to protrude past the nuts at least 1/2". They were happy to see I had steel lines at both ends of the trans cooler and no rubber. And yes any carb had to have period 2 return springs. They even picked over my headers and exhaust.

[@lb9gta307]

Usually they only want the studs to protrude like that if you're running sticky tires. I've gone to a few tracks on street tires and never had my wheel studs looked at.

[@vadenk4433]

Gotta have dual return springs at every track I’ve been to. My first high school drags I was flagged on the return spring and the loose battery and my janky rubber fuel line. Haha.

[@jjargon1456]

A couple of good looking lads we got right there…..

[@FreedomInc]

Guns do you no good anywhere other than on your body. Don't use those cheap car "holsters" people. Spend the money ans go get some traing. Being in Nashville there is no excuse. Those are the people who believe just having firearm makes you safe. It means you have a gun. And under stress it is almost useless. Especially if the person you are facing has any amount if traing whatsoever

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

That Plymouth (Fury?) is so cool.

[@jamesblair9614]

Man, that sure takes me back, remembering my early years at the track. Lots to learn, like your when you see how much fat is on your first reaction time. But once you’ve done it, you’ll be able to quote actual real world performance numbers for your car, and you’ll also start thinking of ways to go faster next time. Hope you get to enjoy many passes down the strip.

[@95Sn95]

I've only gone down the strip two times back in mid 90s and it was fun but I was a bundle of nerves going up worried I would do something stupid but I pulled it off. a buddy had a cool full old school home built drag car with tube chassis 2 speed powerslide with trans brake and big tires with Vega wagon body, but his built up 406 SBC developed bad blowby from cylinder bore out of roundness, so I took his old malibus bone stock 283 put 5.0 ho heads ,crane 302 fireball cam and old xcellerator intake with the optional plenum divider topped with a 650 dp Holley but in the 1/8 it only ran mid 8s the 283 was still pretty soft but it was a fun. It ran pretty good doing low 6s with iron headed 406. I just remember how the sheet metal floor and stuff rattled from the open headers what a racket but was cool.

[@jr78racer]

Nice

[@kimberlyparrish1316]

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