Driver Compartment Tech Discussion - coupe

[maguromic]

You might want to put it some place you can reach it incase it needs to be reset.  On the Firedbird I helping build, the driver will be able to reach it easily.  Tony

[RichFox]

The inertia switch is fine for shutting off the pump in a crash. You alao need to wire the pump into the ignition switch so that it shuts off with the ignition

[jimmy six]

Craig...Make EVERYTHING you need to operate for normal shut down or in an emergency operable by one hand.(normally your right one). You need the ability to maintain the control of the steering wheel at all times if you can. All items must be reachable with your arm in it's restraint and you in your suit and helmet.

After everything is done and you think you are ready for an inspection and to go racing, have someone strap you in the car (preferably the same person who will help you at the venue you choose) have you look at them and operate each device without looking as they call them out; no peeking. KNOW YOUR CAR...

After all that, practice bailouts fully suited. Don't worry about time.....do it safely and as quick as you can. Practice make perfect...I still do it every year before I leave for Bonneville and I've sat in the car for over 20 years...............Good Luck

[craigibc]

Yes I do have a rule book and yes I have read it many times and yes it does leave alot of holes and questions. I will read more about the inertia switch here as well. If I knew that the inertia switch was what I was looking for I could have searched for it. 

Thanks again for all your help!


Craig


 

[Cajun Kid]

Craig,

on my photobucket link you can see the fuel line routing where it passes the flywheel and trans area.

The black frame is the Vicky and I used 1/4" wall angle iron over tubing,, the Red frame is the Stude and I used the 1/4" wall tubing for it,

Good luck.

Charles

[Bob Drury]

  Just to elaborate on what J.D. said, my starting line procedure actually starts once I am belted in the car.  I ask my crew to keep the doors open, and to not speak to me unless it has to do with something safety wise.  I also ask them to keep any friends and well wishers away as I am trying to concentrate on the task at hand and keeping myself calm and collected.
  Other than thinking about all the what if's, my main concentration is, and has been for the fourteen years I have run at Speedweek, to go over and over in my mind the sequence to shut down, stop, and exit the car in the event of fire.
  The biggest safety hazzard we face on the salt is fire, and as I have stated in other posts, "they have to catch you to put it out".
  In my way of thinking the most important part of driving a race car on the salt is drilling into a drivers head  how the fastest way is to egress the car in a emergency.
  Nothing else is important.........................  Bob

[redhotracing]

In my way of thinking the most important part of driving a race car on the salt is drilling into a drivers head  how the fastest way is to egress the car in a emergency.

Nothing else is important.........................  Bob

Bob has it right. I spend more time practicing the egress procedures than thinking about my shifts, throttle application, etc.
Even with that, you may be upside down and on fire, so preparedness is just a jumping off point. Keep those things in mind
when mounting any and all switches, parachute pulls, fire buttons, etc.

As for the inertia switch, we went pull-a-parting and got everything they had, about $5 a pop from Fox-body mustangs. Two
of the six we pulled didn't work ( a good shake of the switch and it should "pop"), so be prudent in testing before you shell
out the cash. We mounted ours with hard rubber bushings; when we solid mounted, the thing popped on the return road 
That's on a car with almost no suspension travel and a very, very rocky Maxton track, but still...

[hotrod]

Perhaps this belongs in a separate thread on parachute mounting, but as mentioned above in cases of severe engine fires occasionally the flame plume makes short work of the parachute tethers, even though many are covered with heat protective sleeves near the rear of the car.

I just had a thought I would throw this idea out, so that some of you might roll it around in your head.

Has anyone mounted a water fog nozzle near the parachute mount that could be activated by a fusable link (like in a commercial fire sprinkler system) to water fog the area around the chute tether once the chute is deployed? Even if it only bought you 20-30 seconds more survival time for the chute that is a lot less time the rescue crews need to spend chasing you down.

It would only activate if the chute was deployed, and the chute tether area was exposed to high heat for more than a couple seconds. If the system was pre-pressurized (air over water accumulator) it would be independent of any power requirements.

Anyone work in a fire safety business with information about commercial fire sprinkler heads, or heat sensing valves that might work for such a system?

Larry

[MAZDA1807]

Perhaps this belongs in a separate thread on parachute mounting, but as mentioned above in cases of severe engine fires occasionally the flame plume makes short work of the parachute tethers, even though many are covered with heat protective sleeves near the rear of the car.

I just had a thought I would throw this idea out, so that some of you might roll it around in your head.

Has anyone mounted a water fog nozzle near the parachute mount that could be activated by a fusable link (like in a commercial fire sprinkler system) to water fog the area around the chute tether once the chute is deployed? Even if it only bought you 20-30 seconds more survival time for the chute that is a lot less time the rescue crews need to spend chasing you down.

It would only activate if the chute was deployed, and the chute tether area was exposed to high heat for more than a couple seconds. If the system was pre-pressurized (air over water accumulator) it would be independent of any power requirements.

Anyone work in a fire safety business with information about commercial fire sprinkler heads, or heat sensing valves that might work for such a system?

Larry

I work in this business, what would you like to know? Peter.

[hotrod]

I am not in need of the info, just throwing out the idea for the guys that are building cars and running cars that are fast enough that a burned off chute is major issue. When Chauvin Emmons car burned off its chute a couple years ago when he lifted a blower near the 2, it survived only about 30 seconds before the tether burned off. Luckily he was not up to full speed yet and was able to coast out without too much hassle, and he was still coming toward most of the fire equipment. If the same thing had happened at the 4 or 5, where he was at full speed and running away from most of the emergency equipment it might have taken a good deal longer for the fire crews to get there.

If you are aware of any spray nozzles that might be appropriate for that sort of situation, 1-2 minutes exposed to a direct flame plume and able to produce a high velocity water fog that could shield the tether from the direct flame and radiant heating for 30-60 seconds it might be worth while to open a second thread to explore the idea. (not wishing to hijack this thread for a prolonged discussion of it).

Larry

[jacksoni]

I think inertia switch is now required in any car with electric fuel pump. Of course is wired so ignition or FI power or something shuts it off. In addition, NO fuel lines in the drivers compartment. If you want a manual fuel shut off, I have done that couple times.  Regular fuel shut off (Peterson and others have them) as mech injection uses with a push pull cable to a lever in the drivers compartment. 

[fastman614]

I think inertia switch is now required in any car with electric fuel pump. Of course is wired so ignition or FI power or something shuts it off. In addition, NO fuel lines in the drivers compartment. If you want a manual fuel shut off, I have done that couple times.  Regular fuel shut off (Peterson and others have them) as mech injection uses with a push pull cable to a lever in the drivers compartment. 

In your cockpit, you do not actually need the ability to actuate your emergency electrical shutoff - at least not as the rules are presently written. You DO NEED an ignition kill switch and a fuel shutoff...either mechanical or electrical. The emergency electrical shutoff is supposed to be something that is more for killing everything in an emergency (like a crash etc) and have an actuator located at the rear of the vehicle....   DO KEEP YOUR FUEL LINES OUT OF THE DRIVER'S COMPARTMENT THOUGH!

In our cars, in the cockpit, we have an ignition shutoff, a fuel pump shut off and some switches that we turn ON after the car is shut off... cool down circulation pumps (the theory is that they keep your zillion dollar aluminum heads from overheating and warping).... We also use a pull cable to actuate our parachute....NOT a lever....Give a lot of thought to the positioning of ALL of your "shutoff" items and how it will affect the length of your arm restraints. In most coupes and roadsters, you can get away with a slightly longer limb restraint on your right arm than your left arm due to the greater distance away from getting out of the plane of your roll cage in the event of a catastrophe.... try and keep all of the things for which you need hand movement in order to turn on or shut off on that side, if possible. If you are in a lakester or narrow streamliner chassis though, this does not apply. One other thing to consider...make sure that, if you NEED TO SEE THE SWITCHES in order to identify what to shut off, make sure that you CAN SEE THEM WITH YOUR HELMET, HEAD AND NECK RESTRAINT AND SEAT BELTS ALL ON YOU  :oops:AND IN RACE READY POSITION!... ask me how I know this one.... 

[fastman614]

Also, the inertia switch (also known as a "rollover" switch - or other names) definitely is required. Summit Racing lists them as a Mustang part for about $30.00 They look identical to a Ford switch... they also sell the PICO brand connector for about $5.00 (order it at the same time)