# T-Jet racing rules - Help Wanted



## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

The same day that the Mini-Indy is run we will have a twin 250's race using T-Jets. Around here we generally lump all TJ's into the same catagory, with the wider tired cars generally smoking everyone else with one exception. We've tried classes by body style but that really don't play much on overall lap times as much as tires.

I have two cars running on RRR wheel/tire sets and one car running on original mini-skinny's. All of them have lap times that are within a few tenths but it's the handling that is the question, especially on long races like the one we're planning. Should the tires be the tell of the story here? Have a Stock mini-skinny class and a modified class with any allowed tires? What do you guys with organized T-Jet rules do?


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

You can run a stock class, where everything must be oringinal Aurora or replacement parts, with copper electrical components, skinny tires (which may be trued for smooth running), slip-on silicones allowed, and tjet gearing (9-tooth cluster gear meshing with the crown gear on the rear axle), and stock Aurora hubs.


A TO class for Aurora TOs/JL/AW cars. Again allowing for slip-on silicones.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

We have one skinny silicone tire car that runs extremely consistant laps and close to the wider tires, my concern is with the consistancy of the thinner tires. We'll have a couple of testing sessions between now and then to see. Martin has a new '65 Impala painted like Smoky Unicks black and gold #13 Chevelle from like 1967 that is a screamer on skinny tires too.


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## dlw (Aug 17, 1999)

Very possible that guy found a freaky-fast chassis.


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## noddaz (Aug 6, 1999)

*All I can suggest...*

All I can suggest is to run simular width cars together.
Stock style TJets, one inch width
Tuff ones style TJets, one & 3/16s width (I think)
VHORS/Fray, one & 5/16s width

Of course if someone wants to run a narrow chassis against a wider one...
Why not...... It can all come down to the driver anyway...

Scott


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## mking (Apr 25, 2000)

*hey pete*

a while back i said i would mail you some skinny silicone tires for t-jets

sorry, i got distracted by life (looking for a house with a big kitchen for wife and lots of room for slots)

anyway, i seem to remember you moved recently? is the Argyle address still correct? i have the tires packed and ready to mail

mike


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## coach61 (Sep 6, 2004)

mking said:


> a while back i said i would mail you some skinny silicone tires for t-jets
> 
> sorry, i got distracted by life (looking for a house with a big kitchen for wife and lots of room for slots)
> 
> ...


Pete moved to Argyle? As in Texas? Like 1 mile from me? if so AWESOME! if some other state, poor Pete lol...


Coach


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Coach, the street name for my race shop is Argyle.  Closest I've come to you is Kilgore for a year or so in the 1970's.

Mike, yeah, same address. I guess I forgot too. So much happening around here, I have to make bodies today to fill some orders. I finally got my shop bench done and partially set up, next is moving the layout into the garage and building a fold-up set up for it. I had a local renaissance fair over the weekend, got way too much sun and I'm paying for it now. That and my daughters apartment complex has been on lock-down all day because someone decided to shoot someone else over a stolen PS2. So her and her kids are hanging out here all day. That's Fresno for ya. 

After talking to the participants they have agreed to be lumped into one class for the race. From those results we'll see what to do as far as making it more equal. But Martin Simone's "Olde Skool" brush painted MEV '65 Impala on skinny tires is running within a hundredth of what the fat tires are running. I don't get it but the car is legal. Here's the car:


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Tire testing was done today with 7 of the anticipated 15 cars running in the T-Jet 250 on Memorial Day. 3 of the 7 were running on the wider RRR steel wheels and ran about .25 seconds faster than the best skinny tire car. Fast time was 2.67 seconds on wide tires compared to 2.95 seconds with the thin tires. So agreement was made to require the thinner OEM style tires but skinny silicones are allowed. Any kind of wheels were allowed so I can run my cool MEV chromes.










Also a few other rules were finally laid down. Body styles will be any American made sedan, model year 1960 through 1969, and must have raced in a NSACAR Grand National event within that time frame. The body cannot be modified in any way other than to allow clearance for the stock tires. They expressly cannot be lowered or have their stance changed. Full glass must be present and you can't add any aerodynamic fixture like a spoiler. 

The body rule pretty much makes Martin throw out his #13 Smokey Unick '65 Impala (seriously lowered) and John's #57 "Pumpkin Racing" '57 Chevy (lowered). My #68 Galaxie is allowed because only the wheel wells were opened to allow tire clearances. AJ's #42 Camaro is beautiful but as an early '70's model and non-NASCAR it won't be allowed. We also re-drew numbers and I finally traded for #28 Fred Lorenzen's car so I will be building another Galaxie. I also got the #11 so I can do a '67 Fairlane with Mario's Daytona winning paint scheme on it.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Mike, got the silicones on Friday I believe. I'm assuming the width is 1/8th" because they fit the MEV wheels. Thanks for them!!! We've decided on the tire rules now, and will require MEV aftermarket wheels. We've also pretty much decided that MEV will be our body supplier too due to the variety of 60's era Grand National cars. I'm still waiting to hear from the rest of the guys, tomorrow night all of the rules will be voted on.


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

keep it simple... two classes

1: stock class, no mods except silicone tires

2: unrestricted open class.... ANYTHING goes. All mods, all bodies are legal. This would then become an engeering competition as well as a racing class. 

If you can't keep up with the jones and compete in the open class, just race in the stock class.


I think only two classes will eliminate much of the dopey fighting I've seen. What's more pathetic than grown men being reduced to petty, insecure whiners over toy cars and the rules for racing them?


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## mking (Apr 25, 2000)

*Hi Pete*

Glad you got 'em, and glad to help. Ive appreciated all the bodies youve sent. Your a class act, unlike MartyB or Bill Hall (j/k). 

Those are Wierd Jacks' slipons, and I really dont know what size they are or are supposed to be. 

They work well, but if you store your car for extended periods, you might want to take the tires off, as they have a tendency to stretch over time.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Jimmy, we're just going to go with one class: Run what ya brung with a few rules. No body mods except for tire clearance and tires no more than 1/8" wide. 

Mike, they fit the MEV wheels perfect but I had to glue them onto the chome wheels for the obvious reasons. We've decided a few things about what bodies we will be running, and I just ordered a book about the old days of NASCAR that will give me ideas on cars I want to do. MEV has been named our body supplied, bascially because they offer more for the period (1960-1964) we will be racing, and Mike offered us a price break for larger orders. Of all the cars offered in those years we've decided to use all but the Edsel, Valiant, Corvair and Nova. That's 16 body styles approved covering Ford, Chevy, Buick, Pontiac, and Plymouth. 

We pushed back the beginning of a dedicated T-Jet season to late July because of my accident. Since I'm building most of the cars up it was the only logical thing to do. We hope to have 12 cars running by then, we have 7 now.


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