Old parts (1 Viewer)

[flapjack]

What do teams do with old parts? I know one thing well funded teams do is sell their used parts to lesser funded teams, but what I want to know is what they do with it when the part is EOL? Send it back to manufacturer? Sell them to scrap metal shop? There is a lot of money in those parts even if they're not usable and I can't see dead parts just being junked...

 

[Larry jr.]

Define old,and why the interest?

 

[Topfuel386]

Scrap Metal, trash can, sold to lesser funded teams, or teams that run in lower classes. That's pretty much your 4 options.

 

[flapjack]

Define old,and why the interest?

Just plain old curiosity. Old in this case means either the team thinks the part is no longer usable for them (even if the part is still usable), or it truly is no longer usable (think of a crank that has too many runs on it).

I guess a follow up question is when does a part become unusable? I have heard some teams only put 12 - 15 runs on a crank, but I also have heard stories that some teams put 30+ runs on one. What about an engine block? Surely something goes out of true at some point, I am guessing the mains take the brunt of it. etc...

 

[Larry jr.]

Tom Hoover comes over to us, (Hawiian Punch car) with pieces of this junk crank in his hands.............one F'ing run He says. 4 grand for one run.

Some of the really used up stuff ends up as autographed collectables sold at the t shirt trailers, at national events , some ends up in Nostagia Funny Cars, some is just left at the track for fans to pick up.

I like the shelves of "new used" parts, what are "New Used Parts" you ask? thoses are the ones that have had the limit of runs on them but still look good and are still with in spec, they get put in the motor or clutch, heads or blower when all the new stuff is used up blown up or just run out of.....to make that last HaleMary pass to get into # 16 spot, and hope The JFR or DSR car you draw in the first round shakes or smokes or goes red.

 

[Nitrohelper]

...... runs on a crank ...engine block....

It's more like 4 to 8 runs on a crank, we get them to use in nostalgia funny cars that use the 496 ci combination - they then last an another 30 runs...
Many of the "old" parts are brand new ,but sold because of a combination change - we bought 70 new pistons for half price - the same for connecting rods...
The same thing is now happening with cylinder heads, I was at a shop in Indy recently that has over 50 brand new heads that are now obsolete for the teams chasing the championship...
The blocks normally get cycled out due to throwing the rods out, but they can be used indefinitely by tractor pullers and nostalgia teams after repair...
The thick wallet teams cycle parts based on run age - somewhat in the area of half their life for the smaller budget teams...
We get one run clutch discs for free, and then put three or four runs on them in a nostalgia car...

 

[cstarns]

Some of the old fuel stuff ends up in TF sand dragsters. We only run 100 yards. "Small" fuel pumps (less than 90 gpm) work great in sand cars. Quite a few cast TFX blocks are running on sand today.

 

[FINAL EFFORT]

a lot go to drag boats, they are running the set back blower and cyl firing swap now