UKDRN

Do you own or know the whereabouts of a piece of UK Drag Racing History or just want info on a particular machine.

Moderators: timetravel, ukdrn

 #39415  by ahensman
 
Glad to be of help, if only that it was to highlight some of the tripping hazards.

You were lucky your previous snafu happened in the "Republic of Texas" and not in some other state where law enforcement is more like your description of "The Old Bill" and probably have done nothing. There's a reason why when you drive into Texas they have these big signs that simply say "Don't mess with Texas".
Texas has some interesting quirks, but I loved living there and will eventually retire back there.
For example:-
Texas is one of only five US states that does NOT have State income tax. Residents only pay Federal (national) income tax. Unlike here in Colorado where we pay Federal (28%) and state (6.5%) income tax.
Texas controls in excess of 90% of all oil used in the US so it has a lot of industrial clout.
Texas was once it's own country (Republic) and residents are quick to remind the other 49 states of the fact. They talk of "Texas Proud" and they truly are.
Teas is the only US state that is permitted to fly its state flag at the same height as the US flag. All other states are required to fly their flag lower down the flagpole. Another Texas proud factor.
Texas has a level of law enforcement that no other state has, The Texas Rangers. These are as near to national police that you will ever come across in the US. Even though they report to the state of Texas, they can (and do) operate in all 50 states. It's not uncommon to see Texas Rangers arresting a criminal (wanted by Texas) as far away as New York.
If you ever visit Texas, don't pick a fight with a Ranger, but if you do please remember that at the very least, that Ranger will be packing at least 3 loaded guns you can see and (probably) three you can't.
Texas and Colorado are the only two states that have the "Make my Day" law (named after the famous Clint Eastwood movie line) where it is perfectly legal to shoot to kill if someone enters your property after sundown and before sunrise and you feel threatened by their presence.

So all in all, the guy who messed with you wasn't too smart if he did it from Texas. That's the one state where it pays to behave yourself. If you don't, there's no point in running because wherever you go, the Rangers will seek you out, find you and haul your arse back to Texas. Those Rangers even haul crooks back from 300 miles or so into Mexico and the Mexican government won't prevent them from operating in their country.

Any way, I digress.
The fact that the car you're looking at hasn't run for three years or so probably means it doesn't meet present day US safety regulations. NHRA pretty much dictates those safety requirements and they change/upgrade every year. From what I have read, and talking with Steve Warner (SPR's two seat dragster pilot) over an excellent coffee at the Poddington Garden Centre during my recent UK visit, the British regulations pretty much mirror the NHRA ones over here. Steve used to crew for me when I ran bikes in the UK and before his days of Blue Blazer dragster.
You might want to ask the seller what it would take to bring it up to specs.

I took a quick look on Racing Junk today and it seems that there are a lot of dragsters coming on the market which is odd because the racing season here is not even half over. Typically we get a lot of cars for sale from September onwards as racers start to plan for the next season, but presently there are some 450 dragsters available and that's not counting the 50 funnies and 600+ door slammers that are listed. It may pay for you to take a look at some of the cars that are for sale, but actually racing as there are some good bargains to be had.
Also, there's in excess of 500 posts under the "Drag Racing" sub section in the Engines section so there's a lot of good stuff out there.

Anyhow, best of luck with your endeavors
Andy