In Part One of this maintenance to-do list, we went through which chassis components you should check and what you should keep in mind when inspecting them. This installment of our End of Season Maintenance guide goes through some other very key components including safety.
Drive Shaft – If the drive shaft is not damaged, then just remove and replace the U-joints at this time. These parts are subject to high stress and are way too cheap to take a chance on failure.
Inspect the yokes and transmission tail shaft to make sure everything it all right. And check and replace the seal at the rear of the transmission while you’re at it.
Seats, Belts, Window Net – For safety purposes, we need to look over the seat belts and seats. For all of the reasons previously given, stress from hard racing might have done damage to your seat belt system.
Inspect your head and neck restraint system and your helmet. Helmets are designed to sustain damaged at the front from the head moving forward in a hard impact. When this happens, you must send the helmet back to the manufacturer for replacement of the liner.
Don’t forget to recheck that fire suppression system to see if it will work properly when needed. The fire bottle is rarely needed, but when it is, things get real urgent in a hurry.
Wiring and Switches – To insure your car doesn’t stop running at the wrong moment, all wiring and switches must be fresh and free of corrosion. The vibrations that go on during a race can cause the wire connections to break or come loose. Wiring is fairly simple stuff and it would make good sense to have someone rewire the entire car during the off season.
Recheck the grommets where the wires pass through the firewall or other panels. Cycle the switches and note if they feel tight or corroded. Replace the ones that are suspect. Many races have been lost due to the failure of a cheap switch or connector.
Crush Panels and Overall Cockpit Sealing – The driver’s compartment should be isolated from the engine heat, the exhaust fumes and from fire should the engine or fuel cell catch fire. The panels that mate to the fenders, floor and rear deck are supposed to be sealed so that the driver is isolated.
Recheck these seams and reseal if necessary. Replace bent or otherwise damages panels. Now would be the time to add heat barrier material to the panels to reduce heat transfer from the exhaust passing through to the driver.
Rear End – The rear end should be removed, and all mounts cleaned and inspected. Replace all grease seals, axle bearings, and pinion bearings where necessary. Check the axle tubes for damage and to see if they are straight.
Shock brackets and trailing arm brackets need to be inspected for damage or wear. All heims should be looked at and replaced if worn excessively. Don’t forget to look at the third link, or lift arm too.
Look over the panhard bar mounting brackets to see if they are bent or cracked. These mounts take a beating, especially when small hits are experienced during a race. Not much attention is paid to these after the race, but we can all remember incidental contact that was made that might have caused some damage.
Fuel Cell – After removing the fuel cell, inspect the container for rust or damage that might compromise the cell itself. The fill tube assembly should be removed from the cell and the foam removed. Clean the inside of the cell and get all of the dirt or other foreign material out.
The foam should be replaced. The fuel pickup should be inspected and cleaned. If you have a fuel pump that pushes fuel to the engine, as some cars do, inspect the wiring and general condition of the pump.
Fuel cells have a defined life span. Some newer fuels have been known to eat at the seams under certain conditions. Inspect your cell to make sure this is not a problem.
Roll Cage – If the body has been removed, the roll cage can be easily inspected. Look closely at all of the welds. If the car is older, you might try to inspect the inside of the tubing to look for corrosion that would weaken them.
If the car is unfamiliar to you, checking the wall thickness of the tubing would be a wise idea. Some racers get carried away with weight issues and might circumvent rules that require a minimum wall thickness for roll bar material. If you find weak or thin tubing for whatever reason, replace it.
Body Mounts and “Glass” – The overall condition of the cars body can be evaluated during this process. Any panels, fenders, rivets, or body mounts that might have been damaged throughout the year can now be replaced.
Most racers who race hard will have some damage to the body parts. If the parts are fiberglass, they will be weaker as a result. New parts offer more resistance to being “leaned on” in the coming season. Also, loose body parts can ruin your aerodynamic advantage.
If you decide to replace your whole body or parts thereof, take advantage of newer designs of nose pieces, fenders or hoods. When replacing any of these parts, check to see if a more aerodynamic piece has been developed. Don’t settle for last year’s design.
Conclusion – The key points to remember are that we need to find any structural or mechanical problems with the chassis or components that are bolted onto the chassis. We need to correct any driver safety related problems that involve wear or age of the seat belts, restraints, fire suppression system, helmet or seat. And we need to make sure the drivers compartment is sealed properly against heat, carbon dioxide or fire intrusion.
After each season, we need to thoroughly go over our race car during the winter months so that when we hit the track again in the spring, it will be just like a new car. You can avoid failures that might have dire consequences if you do this job the right way. And anyway, getting there is more than half the fun.
Sources:
Allstar Performance
www.allstarperformance.com
269-463-8000
AR Bodies
www.arbodies.com
615-643-8827
Capital Motorsports Warehouse
www.cmwraceparts.com
800-278-2692
Coleman Racing
www.colemanracng.com
800-221-1851
DMI / Bulldog Rear Ends
www.diversifiedracing.com
717-397-5347
Five Star Bodies
www.fivestarbodies.com
262-877-2171
Frankland Racing
www.franklandracing.com
888-873-2736
G-Force Racing Gear
www.gforce.com
Hans Performance Products
www.hansdevice.com
888-654-7223
Hawk Brakes
www.hawkperformance.com
330-722-4295
Moser Engineering
www.moserengineering.com
260-726-6689
Performance Friction Brakes – PFC Brakes
www.performancefriction.com
800-521-8874
Port City Race Cars
231-767-8586
www.portcityracecars.com
QA1
www.qa1.net
800-721-7761
Quick Performance
www.quickperformance.com
515-232-0126
RaceQuip
www.racequip.com
813-642-6644
Race Day Safety
www.racedaysafety.com
770-505-0193
Rod End Supply
www.rodendsupply.com
800-284-2902
Simpson Racing
www.simpsonraceproducts.com
800-654-7223
Superior Fuel Cells
www.superiorfuelcells.com
541-895-4224
The Joie of Seating
www.lajoieracing.com
704-795-7474
Turn One Steering
www.turnone-steering.com
989-759-4206
Wilwood Motorsports
www.wilwood.com
805-388-1188
Winters Performance
www.wintersperformance.com
717-764-9844
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