Picking up an old Bracket car. Have some questions
Hello all. I have been a member here for a long time but have not really posted. Here it goes. I am picking up a 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 car that has been a dedicated bracket car since the mid to late 70s. I actually have driven this car about 20 years ago. It is full of old technology and hasn't been down a track in about 10 years. I believe I have the quickest ET in the car running 12.00 back in 1995.
I am going to do some maintenance on it and I would like to take it out and run it again. My questions are in regard to the legality of some of the safety equipment. The car has a 6 point roll bar. Back in 1995 we were told it was not legal for 11.99 and quicker. They said the bar was not the legal diameter. It was built in 1979. I am reading now that you do not need a bar or cage unless you go 11.49 or quicker. Will they hassle me about the bar because it is there or will they not worry until I approach 11.49? The seat belts are the same way. It has a 4 or 5 point harness (I don't remember). They are so out of date that they should be in a museum. They are better than the factory belt though. Also it has a trunk mounted battery. It has never been in a battery box. I do have a battery off switch.
I am excited about bringing this old race car home. There are some things that I want to change but not much. I like the nostalgia of the car. The engine is a 340 with a large cam. I don't know the size. It has forged Pistons and ported heads. There has been some lightening of the rotating assembly. It has an old dual point distributer and a cable driven tach. It is still running the factory cast iron intake manifold and an old 750 double pumper. It has fender well headers and an electric motor to run the water pump. It has a reverse manual valve body with a 4500 rpm stall converter. It has 4.56 rear gear I believe.
After a quick freshen up, and a few bits of modern technology, I think this should dip down into the high 11s
What do you guys think? Thanks and I look forward to your responses.