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I always hated dealing with the inconvenience of safety bellhousings, but boy, having toes can make it all seem worthwhile! Never mind the cost of repair.
I believe it was Don Garlits. This is why Top Fuel cars are all rear engine now.
Joe P, I believe you are correct. There was a period when NHRA mandated grade 8 fasteners to help contain the catastrophic situations after the Garlits incident.. Oddly enough, NHRA went back to Grade 5 fasteners. The "findings" seemed to indicate that Grade 8 fasteners would shear and parts would separate......whereas Grade 5 fasteners would distort and bend without complete separation.
I was surprised at the results, because Grade 8 fasteners had a higher tensile strength than Grade 5.
The whole Grade 5 vs Grade 8 argument is clearly not made by engineers. As you correctly point out, the Gr 5 fastener has already broken before the Gr 8 even starts to yield.
Direct drum explosion. Turbo 400, TH350, and torqueflight transmission are known to do this for various reasons. This is why you NEVER downshift a transmission with a manual valve body and no engine breaking. People think nothing of spending 20k on an engine, but cringe at a 1000 aluminum direct drum. What are your feet worth? Or the damage to the car?
Direct drum explosion. Turbo 400, TH350, and torqueflight transmission are known to do this for various reasons. This is why you NEVER downshift a transmission with a manual valve body and no engine breaking. People think nothing of spending 20k on an engine, but cringe at a 1000 aluminum direct drum. What are your feet worth? Or the damage to the car?
Good point. It's not just flywheels and clutches that go bang.
