Update: Recertify my chassis or don't bother?

The Daytona I bought in 2019 has a NHRA chassis certification for 8.50 and slower, that expires Feb 2020.
Since I put a tow truck engine in the car (570 hp) it runs 6.40 or slower 1/8th, and 10.00 or slower in the 1/4 mile (132 mph).

I don't think the chassis inspection will be required for the racing I will be doing. Should I have the chassis reinspected anyway?
Opinion and reason why appreciated.

See update below, 2/25/2020

I wouldn't until you step the motor up to run faster, why spend the money and time now when you don't need to

If you don't plan on running fast enough to need the cert than I wouldn't bother with it. The only reasons I'd get it cert is when you decide you want to go faster or you want to sell it. Saying it has a current SFI cert might be able to help bring in more $$ than saying it has passed cert. Just my 2 cents.

10.0s at 570HP? Must be heavy. Will it always go 10.0? No plans to step up? No plans to ever sell?

If it's that close to going in the 9's, if you think you may step up at some point, and/or if you think you may sell it someday, yes, get a tag on it. Then it's done if it goes into the 9s for whatever reason. That and the car is about worthless without a good tag. Otherwise, not needed.

I’m sure a after few hrs with a die grinder on the heads...... and it would need the cert.

I would get it re certed

1. you bought the car used, make sure its OK and it will cert for later resale and you don't want any surprises later when you want to go fast

2. Be prepared that now they want a tag on the chassis, it has to have manf, manf date and a serial number. I went to a local PETCO and they have a machine that prints dog tags. You can make all the info up , they just want to see the tag riveted on the cage and they log that info with the serial number of the sticker.

I agree, it’s worth the money if you ever want to sell, last car I sold wouldn’t happen til I showed him current cert. especially if inspector is close. I have to drive 300 miles to get mine done, or line up 10 or 15 cars, then the guy will come down from Saskatoon and do them. Jim.

I would absolutely keep the cert up, much easier to re-certify when still current and like others said resale is a much easier if that time ever comes. If the car was once a production car and still has a VIN attached they will use that for a tag, that is what they do with my tube chassis Challenger as the builder had the VIN re-affixed to the door jamb by NHP so it would still have a title, ect.

I'd get it certified if the process is fairly painless. If it is going to involve a long tow and a bunch of time then I might not do it. If you're planning to sell the car in the near future I'd get it certified, if you're going to keep the car as is for a long time then I wouldn't bother.

Save your money.
If it was certified before, you'll have no problem getting certified again. No reason to recertify if you're not going to run in the 9s or faster.

I wouldn't want to guarantee that. Not saying anyone is not on the up and up. But, it's sort of like a state inspection. A little gray area here, a little in a hurry there, a little hard to get to over here, a buddies car over there.

It's like the insurance guy, we've seen a few things.

Do you have a wife in your life. Just thinking aloud here but God forbid something would happen to you and you would leave behind a wife or even kids. That car being certified would probably bring in maybe up to if not more 1/3 value more being certified. I personally wouldn’t even look at a car like that without a chassis certificate and many others I know wouldn’t either.

If it will certify today, no reason for it not to certify later. The fact that it already has a tag should mean zilch when it recertifies. Unless you're in the boonies where getting to a person to certify in a reasonable amount of time, I wouldn't waste my money. If you went to sell and its a sticking point, then do it. Hell for all we know NHRA may change the regulation in the future anyway.
Doug

Nice looking car. Always liked that paint scheme.

Way above my pay grade but just from a CYA standpoint I can't see it being a bad thing having a second set of eyes go over a peice of equipment that has the potential to kill me should something go horribly awry. This is assuming they actually do a diligent inspection and the inspector knows a wounded chassis when he sees it.

How much does a cert cost?

Kevin

Thanks for the inputs. To answer some questions:
1) I plan to keep the car for many years. But if I sell it in 2040, a cert then would be a smart selling point. The current cert was a buying point when I looked at this car.
2) It won’t have an engine upgrade this year, and unlikely in the next 3 years. The easy driver requirements for 10.00 and slower was part of my plan (in retirement). My IHRA license is 9.00 class D.
3) The car does have a title, and the factory VIN tag is on the dash. But the previous owner didn’t know what shop built it (all round tube chassis), and didn’t know of any chassis tag. I have not gone over every inch, but I haven’t seen any chassis maker tag.
4) It does have the “funny car” style cage around the driver.
5) If I can talk to the “local” inspector, I will ask about the VIN tag, and if he cares if the last cert expires next month or years ago (2040 recert before sale).
6) I didn’t make many passes this year, but the best in 69 deg wx was 6.41 in 1/8 th, 10.10 1/4 mile (different tracks). So it will be easy to keep slower than 6.40/10.00. The converter is real tight (at my request).

I will look at who inspects around here. A couple hundred bucks won't stop me.

If the cert is redone each time the tag expires, they usually don't look at it quite so hard as they would if the tag has been dead for 10 years or it's not there. Sportsman tag will go to 8.50. SFI 25.x will go to 7.50. That's a funny car cage and some more bars in the floor. Also weight is part of it at that point.

Like a competition license. It's easier to keep it up than let it go and have to get it all over.

1) I plan to keep the car for many years. But if I sell it in 2040, a cert then would be a smart selling point. The current cert was a buying point when I looked at this car.


That means youll be recerting it 7 more times to have a current tag at 2040. a mere $1225 out of pocket. A decent car will cert 8.50 easily unless it was built with thin tube. If it was, it would've never certed to begin with.
Doug

I wouldn't bother. I had mine cert'd in 2008. I debated on getting it recertified when it was close to expiring, but never did. I don't plan on running any races where it'll be checked. I don't see why waiting a few years will jeopardize it's recertification when it was done previously.

Don’t bother.... and enjoy that light jacket on hot humid days!

Neat looking car

OH how great it is to live down south ! lol

This

I had my car re-certified last spring 2019. Its an older build and has no info tag riveted anywhere. The chassis shop that built the cage has since gone out of business. Any idea on how to fix this before the next cert?

I agree.
When I had my Dart (9 seconds) those double layer pants and jacket are sweaty.

Wont matter, just go to a Petco the have a nice machine. I bought a square stainless steel tag.
After you buy the tag you can use the machine.
It will do three lines.

Just put the name of the shop or just make it up " Tony Chassis" , "Action Ang Chassis" etc lol
manf date xx-xx-xx
Ser num XXX

Rivet it to one of the door bars or the main hoop.


you can make up all the info, they log it in a book now with the serial number on your tag

It fits my desires.
Full round tube chassis, strut front end, etc. for traction on the starting line and straight down the track.
Lots of stock appearance stuff like dash (with VIN tag & title), all steel body except 1-piece fiberglass front-end & hood. The steel doors, hinges, latches and rear hatch with factory hyd arms add some weight, but make a nice solid feel and not fragile.
Pic of dash with "Mopar" style Autometer gauges, and "funny car" style cage, Jaz seat.

if you want to sell that daytona let me know,on your cert depends where you race,and nhra or ihra might check,outlaw tracks dont have tech and dont care,its a 170.00 for a recert sportsman

I wouldn't bother with the cert right now and I would be interested in buying it too if you ever sold it Jim. And if anyone happens to know of one similar to this for sale drop me a PM.

Its exactly what I am looking for.

I'd like to have it too, could sure make these local boys squall in the street car shootout stuff. LOL

While it is much cheaper and more practical to run the car at 6.40 and avoid the cert and license and the safety gear, when I decided to race in Box class I went ahead and did it all because I think I'll have better luck running 5.90 against the armada of 4.90 dragsters in the class.

When they start this? Just had my cage certed in September 2019 and didn’t have to do any of that.

The rule has always been there, that a roll cage needs a manf tag. I went to a divisional event at Lebanon Valley and they told me I had to have it. He certed the car and had me email him a pic of the tag riveted on the cage. And yes I got I certed in Sept 2019

Is this an NHRA rule or IHRA rule because it’s news to me but my last NHRA cert was before 2010. My last IHRA cert was 2 years ago.

Been getting my chassis NHRA certified for 23yrs and not once has anyone asked for a chassis tag. I could be wrong,but I thought that was only for chassied cars.

My Daytona was a chassis car and I was never asked about a tag from NHRA

I just looked through the last NHRA rule book that I had and could't find anything about a chassis tag. Its possible it could be in another place other than were I looked.

its an NHRA rule , and if it matters my car is 25.5

NHRA doesnt ask for a tag from where it was built.
I do know that some chassis builders put a tag so NHRA recognizes who built the chassis. Sometimes makes their job easier. Tags are like a trademark.

Per my copy of SFI Spec 25.x "The manufacturer must label each chassis with the manufacturers name & serial number, as well as the date of manufacture"..."Such identification shall be on the driver side Primary Door Diagonal"

I see no such wording for a sportsman cert - 8.50 and/or 180MPH and slower.

Looks to me like they want a tag - name, date, serial #, even if it was home built - for an SFI tag.

My back half 1965 Dart that is certified to 7.50 ET has a tag on it that Forest installed after he finish the car, 1970 Cuda all tube chassis car I had him upgrade to meet 7.50 SFI specs doesn't, but it is at least 10 yrs old or older and was SFI certified to 6.00 before SFI change the rules on the funny car cages needed now for faster than 8.50.

Certify it

Makes sense now, my car is only a 8.50 cert.

I am just trying to make a conclusion from what is posted here, not sure.
It seems the chassis tag is an SFI requirement, not an NHRA requirement. But since NHRA requires an SFI chassis for faster than 8.50; it is required for those certs.

I am looking for local info on chassis inspector in NC. I have one lead (name) and a big racer is checking his contacts for me.

True, the ID/serial tag is part of the SFI spec.

9.99 - 8.50 is an NHRA sportsman certification which needs to meet the specifications in the NHRA rule book, period. To go 8.49 or quicker requires a certification that meets the SFI spec for your particular situation (ET, weight, car construction, etc). Apples and oranges, depending on ET.

IF you decide to get the car done, go to the source. Inspectors work for NHRA. Call your Division office and/or head tech man, ask them schedules, locations, contacts, etc. They are who you need to deal with. Call your local track or check their schedule. Often, an NHRA track will schedule an inspector to come in for a day or 2 and do certs for local cars. Usually you need to make an appointment to take advantage of that.

Update.

I talked to the NHRA chassis inspector in NC. He told me $170 plus $35 for him to come to my shop/garage.
Today, the IHRA Division Director answered my email. There is an IHRA Sportsman Spectacular at Farmington, NC March 21-22.
He said there will be a chassis inspector there, and the cost is $100.

I plan to run the IHRA Summit Super Series points at Farmington this year. I have the IHRA license, and car number. So this looks like the way for me to go.

Sunday was 57 degrees and sunny. I brought my Daytona to Piedmont dragway for testing.
1.419 sixty foot
6.417 at 108.7 mph 1/8 mile
Sunday, Funday !

My car did not have a manufacturers tag, inspector told me to go to a sign shop and have one made:
Year manufactured, I knew what that was.
Who built it. Put “Unknown “ there.
Serial Number, 001.
I have mine certified to 6.0. Jim

My Daytona has the factory VIN (dash).

Nice car! Got to run Piedmont in Nov. for Footbrake Frenzy, all one day they were able to have it.

Funny story about ID tags and certifications. Guy I worked for on his cars throughout high school and part of college bought a Vega that had a current NHRA 8.50 cert. Got the car back to the shop and realized that it was a pile of crap, should never have passed. Had to rebuild almost everything on the chassis just to make sure the car would at least go straight. He decided that he didn't want to deal with getting the car re-certified so he cut the bars out that had the tags and pieced them back in the new cage. No one ever questioned him and when it was time to finally get it re-certified, it passed again. I have no idea where that Vega went to, nor do I really want to know. My old boss is also now in jail, so

this is exactly why they want serial number tags on the chassis now, AND they log this info along with the serial number of the tag they put on your bar now

Good news Jim, sounds like you're all set and ready to go.