NSRA Nationals Safety Inspection

[ront49]

Entered my Backdraft in the 2019 street rod nationals in Springfield, MO this past week-end and for some strange reason decided to have it "safety inspected" by the NSRA safety team....after having to install a new brake light switch I was challenged by the "team" because of the factory tie down at the right rear of the frame...There is a "scrub line" rule that prohibits anything from hanging down below the wheel/tire line. I explained to them that the tie down is a factory item and cutting it off was not something I would care to do...finally they said if I let the air out of the tire and the tie down didn't touch the ground they would approve it as is... Ok, I understand that it is a safety issue to have bolts or shackles hanging down could be a bad thing but I'm not going to remove a factory tie down that I or someone else may need later on. Another issue causing my car to loose points was it did not have a "shift pattern" located on the shift knob or somewhere else that could be easily seen by someone besides myself just in case they wanted/had to drive my car...A piece of masking tape and a sharpie would not pass either....That would mean buying a shift pattern sticker or changing the factory "Cobra" shift knob...Again, I'm not buying a shift knob to indicate the shift pattern. I guess I'll find a sticker of some sort if I decide to have it safety inspected/approved next year....if I go back.

[Ron61]

Well my Coupe wouldn't pass that inspection either as I just have a chrome ball form a shift knob. And it is permanently fixed onto the shift arm so to change it I would have to find another shift arm that would work and replace the whole thing.

Ron

[Moto One]

Safety folks are the type that can drive a car with out having written instructions posted on the dash... They would go nuts with mine, no labels anywhere. And I'm sure that he suspension is tight enough that even with a flat it would just three wheel and that tie down would never touch the ground.

Mark

[lcrabtree]

I was glad to see your Cobra at Springfield. I spoke to you a bit at the inspection location and told you I have an SC Motorcars Cobra. That group of inspectors must be tough they failed my Maverick a few years ago for no neutral safety switch (on a stick shift) and no double spring on throttle return. My local inspection team in Arkansas says no switch required on stick and pass me each year with the safety 23 sticker. I would like to bring the Cobra one year but I don't trailer it and the chance of rain is there every year. The inspections are a good think and saved me a few years ago when I first got my Maverick on the road. Tires we so bad that I took the wheels off and took them and had the same size mounted new but failed to see that the side wall bulged more on the new ones and was rubbing really bad, drove it to inspection day and the inspector called the rub to my attention and it was almost through the side wall. Clip on the leaf spring was cutting the tire. Hope to see you there next year.

Lester

[ront49]

Hi Lester, I remember you and glad you responded...Maybe if I had researched the rules and regulations first, I may have corrected my "deficiencies" prior to the show. Very discouraged but rules are rules. One of the inspectors did mention to me that he was glad to see a double throttle spring on my car although I don't think the rules state that it has to be a "double." I may mellow and give it a shot next year, the show was great and always good to see such a wide variety of street rods.Drive safe, Ron