Pit Tips: This is the place to share good ideas with your fellow racers.  You might not want to give up any speed secrets, just the tricks that help keep your rig looking good and out of the pits.

Pit Tip #1:   Take a empty antifreeze jug and cut out one side and leave the cap on.  Then you can use it as a drain pan or a parts bin.  Thanks to Terry Allen for sending his Pit Tip!

Pit Tip #2:     Here is a way to save your good, high-dollar synthetic gear lube when opening up the differential to swap gears, or just to inspect.  Place a heavy plastic trash bag in a cardboard box (a battery box or an empty oil case box), then open the rear end and let the oil drain into the bag.  When you are ready to replace the lube, lift the bag out of the box, cut a corner out of the bottom of the box, and place the bag back in the box.  Now pull the corner of the bag out of the cut out hole.   All that's left to do, is hold the box over a funnel in your refilling container and make a small cut in the bag.  Now there is no messy bucket to clean!  (Be sure to dispose of the bag and all used fluids correctly.)

Pit Tip #3:    Racing gasoline is good for more than just making power.  It is very stable and will last a long time when in your generator, chain saw or lawnmower.  During the winter months, pump gas can turn to pea soup, and ruin carburetors.  Put racing gas in that leaf blower, and forget about it!  How much money would you save in a year of cutting grass?  Probably not enough to pay for that carburetor.  The racing fuel is good for the valves and aluminum bores, and it smells great while doing the lawn!

Pit Tip #4:     After you finish assembling a fresh engine, and everything is clean and dry, give it a good coat of NAPA clear engine enamel.  It is high temperature paint, and it will keep your unpainted fasteners and alloys from corroding and will make dull anodized colors look new again.

Pit Tip #4:    If you are planning on running a mechanical advance distributor, you will want to limit the amount of total degrees to about 10 degrees in the distributor, which is 20 degrees at the crank. Use a pair of weak springs to get the advance in as soon as possible.  To find out how much advance is in your distributor, clamp the gear in a vise, and place a camshaft degree wheel over the shaft. Then place the rotor on the shaft, with a pointer attached, and pull the weights out to simulate rpm.  The degree wheel will show how much advance the distributor will make.  Remember, this is only half of the advance at the crank.   When you don't have access to a distributor machine, this will get you real close without actually having to install the distributor, check it with the timing light, and then remove it again.   With timing @16BTDC, full advance gives you 36* total advance, and it will start better when hot and you will know that the timing is at a safe setting.