SFI flexplate shield and trans shield NHRA rules?
SFI flexplate shield and trans shield NHRA rules? NHRA rules state:
1. Transmission shield meeting SFI Spec 4.1 (5 year expiration) mandatory on any car running 10.99 or quicker or any car exceeding 135 mph.
2. Automatic transmission flexplate meeting SFI 29.1 (3 year expiration) and flexplate shield meeting SFI Spec 30.1 (5 year expiration) mandatory on cars running 9.99 or quicker or any car exceeding 135 mph.
Two separate rules which must be met to be technically legal.
You need a trans shield at 10.99, you need a flexplate, a trans shield and a flexplate shield at 9.99.
Do I have this correct?
However in an F-body, can an SFI approved transmission shield even fit if using a 4L80E? Not much clearance. Can a blanket fit like an ALL69010 fit?
So assuming the trans shield doesn't fit and blanket won’t fit and you run 9.99 or faster, you need either:
An aftermarket transmission housing that is SFI approved and a flexplate shield that is SFI approved
or
An aftermarket transmission housing that is SFI approved along with a bellhousing that is SFI approved
Just having a 4L80E that is machined for use with an SFI bellhousing isn't going to cut it unless the entire transmission housing is SFI approved right? (again, this is assuming you can't use a transmission shield due to clearance and fitment issues)
There are plenty of 4L80E's in F-body's using stock housings running faster than 9.99, so I'm assuming their track isn't strict and they don't care much about safety or?
You guys that have 4L80E's and are running faster than 9.99 in an F-body, what safety items on your trans are you running (or not) ?
1. Transmission shield meeting SFI Spec 4.1 (5 year expiration) mandatory on any car running 10.99 or quicker or any car exceeding 135 mph.
2. Automatic transmission flexplate meeting SFI 29.1 (3 year expiration) and flexplate shield meeting SFI Spec 30.1 (5 year expiration) mandatory on cars running 9.99 or quicker or any car exceeding 135 mph.
Two separate rules which must be met to be technically legal.
You need a trans shield at 10.99, you need a flexplate, a trans shield and a flexplate shield at 9.99.
Do I have this correct?
However in an F-body, can an SFI approved transmission shield even fit if using a 4L80E? Not much clearance. Can a blanket fit like an ALL69010 fit?
So assuming the trans shield doesn't fit and blanket won’t fit and you run 9.99 or faster, you need either:
An aftermarket transmission housing that is SFI approved and a flexplate shield that is SFI approved
or
An aftermarket transmission housing that is SFI approved along with a bellhousing that is SFI approved
Just having a 4L80E that is machined for use with an SFI bellhousing isn't going to cut it unless the entire transmission housing is SFI approved right? (again, this is assuming you can't use a transmission shield due to clearance and fitment issues)
There are plenty of 4L80E's in F-body's using stock housings running faster than 9.99, so I'm assuming their track isn't strict and they don't care much about safety or?
You guys that have 4L80E's and are running faster than 9.99 in an F-body, what safety items on your trans are you running (or not) ?
Last edited by 5.7stroker; Nov 11, 2020 at 07:08 PM.
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A. Most tracks are not this strict.
B. If they ARE strict...they don't really care what fits your stock floors. If you are going to have a race car...they expect you to be willing to make race car sacrifices. Bang the tunnel, cut the tunnel. etc. MAKE it fit.
C. You can get an SFI bellhousing for the 80e and unless the case is currently touching the tunnel, you can usually fit a blanket. They aren't excessively thick.
B. If they ARE strict...they don't really care what fits your stock floors. If you are going to have a race car...they expect you to be willing to make race car sacrifices. Bang the tunnel, cut the tunnel. etc. MAKE it fit.
C. You can get an SFI bellhousing for the 80e and unless the case is currently touching the tunnel, you can usually fit a blanket. They aren't excessively thick.
A. Most tracks are not this strict.
B. If they ARE strict...they don't really care what fits your stock floors. If you are going to have a race car...they expect you to be willing to make race car sacrifices. Bang the tunnel, cut the tunnel. etc. MAKE it fit.
C. You can get an SFI bellhousing for the 80e and unless the case is currently touching the tunnel, you can usually fit a blanket. They aren't excessively thick.
B. If they ARE strict...they don't really care what fits your stock floors. If you are going to have a race car...they expect you to be willing to make race car sacrifices. Bang the tunnel, cut the tunnel. etc. MAKE it fit.
C. You can get an SFI bellhousing for the 80e and unless the case is currently touching the tunnel, you can usually fit a blanket. They aren't excessively thick.
B. Exactly. A Reid case probably isn't going to fit an Fbody without cutting and modifying the trans tunnel. A 4L80E fits fine no problem in a 68 Nova for example, but the Reid case isn't even close. The tunnel had to be cut and redone to make it fit.
C. Yes, from what I understand you can if the case is machined and an adapter used to fit the bellhousing. CK has one for about $1200 (no core) I'm just wondering if anyone is using a trans blanket that has a 4L80E in their F-body because a search on here came up with nothing.
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Verdad Gallardo Yep I'm aware of the license and chassis certs. Wondering if anyone got a blanket to fit on a 4L80E without cutting in a 4th gen tunnel and just a BFH. Called around, no one knows lol.
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I know, I have seen it myself.
The bigger concern is the maximum velocity a vehicle will reach (and not so much how quickly the vehicle accelerates)...
As track distance is shortened to an 1/8-mile... so is the potential for higher vehicle speeds.
And i know that safety rules are much more flexible at 1/8-mile and non-NHRA tracks.
135-150 Mph is supposed to be the approximate velocity where the more important safety factors are to be implemented (license, physical, SFI certs, parachute, etc.)
Faster classes will actually require regular FAA pilots physical exams to be passed for license renewals.
That is the thing that ended up costing me to lose my A/ Fuel Dragster and TA/ Funny-Car license.
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IIRC didn't Don Prudome prove he could get a car to the same terminal speed in 1/8 as 1/4 ?
Turned out a lot of the really powerful blown cars are almost at full speed by the 100 foot line..
Turned out a lot of the really powerful blown cars are almost at full speed by the 100 foot line..
I have confirmation that a blanket will fit a 4l80e in a 4th gen Part is RCI 7808A. Secured using the bottom straps.
That being said, if you buy the machined pump, SFI bellhousing, and adapter which a few places sell, what all is involved in machining the trans to fit it? It’s just a cut and smoothing right?
That being said, if you buy the machined pump, SFI bellhousing, and adapter which a few places sell, what all is involved in machining the trans to fit it? It’s just a cut and smoothing right?
I'm scratching 9's in my car so I'm in a similar position.
IME, at my track they don't especially look at your ET unless you have a really high 1/8th trap speed
They DO look at your trap speed and as soon as you're over 135 (which is pretty easy for a turbo car) They wanna see chassis certs and the other 9.99 stuff in process.
This year despite the covid and many lifted heads, I got multiple talking tos about my 135+ traps
So next year I'll have a reid bell on my 80e (cost in parts ~800)
trans blanket (100)
pants and gloves (100)
sportsman chassis cert (170)
I am unsure about the licensing. thats the frustrating part about putting your own car up. my car sometimes hooks in the gravel pit and runs hard. sometimes its just skating rink. so to make multiple <9.99 passes for a license is kinda tricky at my home track.
but thats part of the challenge i supposed. if it were easy, everyone would do it
IME, at my track they don't especially look at your ET unless you have a really high 1/8th trap speed
They DO look at your trap speed and as soon as you're over 135 (which is pretty easy for a turbo car) They wanna see chassis certs and the other 9.99 stuff in process.
This year despite the covid and many lifted heads, I got multiple talking tos about my 135+ traps
So next year I'll have a reid bell on my 80e (cost in parts ~800)
trans blanket (100)
pants and gloves (100)
sportsman chassis cert (170)
I am unsure about the licensing. thats the frustrating part about putting your own car up. my car sometimes hooks in the gravel pit and runs hard. sometimes its just skating rink. so to make multiple <9.99 passes for a license is kinda tricky at my home track.
but thats part of the challenge i supposed. if it were easy, everyone would do it
oh and yeah I talked to EA it's doable to the home hobbyist type. basically peeling the case back to the pump face. the bell seats against the adapter which seats against the modifed pump. If I didn't have a mill, i'd just sawzall it and clean up with a flappy disc.