Tips/Ideas page

Here it is, the basics. Sorry if I have missed something.

Stripping the car:
1. Inside-

*** Try to salvage as much of the car as you can! There is always someone looking for parts to their car.....Ebay!
*** DASH- We like to take out everything that is unecessary, Even the dash (it will just get in the way later). It is easy to start with the dash and get it out of your way, that way you have more room to work in later.
*** BACK SEAT- Taking out the back seat is pretty easy. It is held on by a few bolts...nothing that a set of bolt cutters cant handle.
*** CARPET- Its easiest to take the carpet out after you take out the seats and dash....again more room. We use a utility knife to cut as much as we can out (the less that can ignite later).
*** CEILING- I like to take out all the material that is in the car due to fire hazards.
*** Make sure to clean out your car when your done stripping it....most derbies require you to do so.
*** WINDOWS- Try your best not to use a hammer to take windows out. If you must do it like this (which we do with automatic windows), then put a piece of board or something that will not allow the glass to come towards you. This also makes it easy to clean it...vacuum it. Otherwise.....there are bolts holding in the side windows.

2. Outside

*** TRIM- Make sure to take off the chrome and trim. It usually just pop right off with a screw driver.
*** FRONT GRILLE- This is usually held on by bolts. And some other assortment off odds and ends. You really dont need anything that is attached to the grille
*** LIGHTS- They can be somewhat tricky at times. Most of the time they will come of with using the screw driver, but there are those 'times' when they wont. For those stubborn times, I like to use a sledge hammer.
*** GAS TANK- These are usually held on by metal straps, best taken off with bolt cutters. Be careful...they can be very heavy! It is easiest to use two people, one to hold the tank and one to cut the straps. On some models, there may be a strap betwwen the car and the tank. These are not nice to take out!



General tips:

1. Getting it derby ready-

*** BATTERY- We use a milk crate to hold our battery. we use self-tapping screws to hold it in place. We feel the best place to put the battery is on the floor of the passenger seat in the front.
*** GAS TANK- We use a boat tank. You can buy a used one at a marine shop. If you dont have access to a marine shop, some people use propane tanks and weld handles on them to keep them in place. When the g as tank is ready, we place it into the back, where the back seat once was. We use the seat belts and smaller racheut straps to hold it into place.
*** SPREADER BAR/ROLL CAGE- Our cars have a soreader bar that goes from one side of the car to the next and is placed right behind the front seats. We make it a nice and snug fit. Mine is a metal pole 4" in diameter and cut just long enough to beat it into place. You dont want it loose beacause then it does not support you seats as well. Some promoters will allow a 4 point roll cage. You can just use a spreader bar behind the front seats, a spreader bar on the dash and to poles welded to each along side the doors. Four welds.....four points.
*** FLUIDS- I dont know about the rest of you, but I take the care of my engine pretty seriously. I change the all fluids before the derby.
*** HOLES- We use an air hammer to put the holes in our cars for the #9 wire. Make sure the holes are big enough to get your wire through and not your hand! Most promoters require that you have a hole in your hood about 9-12" in diameter for you carb in case of fires.
*** BODY MOUNTS- Take out the rubber mounts( the hockey pucks) and repace the old mounts with new and stronger bolts and lots of washers.