As we were getting ready for the 2012 racing season, we decided that it might be fun to change up the look of ol' Project DLM a little bit for the New Year. You know: New Year, new look, new wins (hopefully). Anyway, we kicked around a bunch of different ideas but ended up going back to where all of this began. The old Rayburn that started my association with this great magazine had a black body on it, so we decided to go back in black. To do that we designed a new wrap with our friends up at Firestorm Graphics. You get to see that in a later issue. Now before we could put that wrap on the car, we needed to give our Roush Yates–powered MastersBilt a nose job. A necessity thanks to a little…uh…incident we had late last year.
<STRONG>1</STRONG> The nose actually comes in four separate pieces that easily fit together. You can see the lip on the left side of the nose here; each piece has a lip similar to this one.
Anyhow, we wanted to check out this new Dirt Late Model nose design from the folks at Dominator Race Products out of Lyons, Ohio. The nose features an integrated airflow tunnel effect. Dominator says that this design maximizes the downforce created by directing air over the nose and across the hood and deck of your car. Immediately, something that stood out was the fact that the Dominator flares tuck under the nosepiece for a seamless fit. There are also triangular braces molded into the lower nose to add strength and support in the event the track ruts up or you enjoy running the cushion. Dominator also offers a two-piece Lower Nose Support which I thought was really beneficial and strengthens the whole front of the car even more. As you can see in the accompanying photos installation is quick and easy, with all of the assembly done off the car before dropping the nose onto the chassis. The nose is available in seven colors and has already been approved by most sanctions including IMCA, UMP, Fastrak, NeSmith, Lucas, and others.
While talking with Dominator's owner, Bentley Shaw, he convinced us to take a look at his new sail panels and pillar posts that go with their two-piece roof. The advantage of a two-piece roof is, you guessed it, it's easier and cheaper to ship--so it saves you money. The whole set up saves a bunch of time and allows you to keep the sheetmetal brake in the corner of the shop. That's right no more bending and cutting sheet aluminum for sail panels or pillar posts.
These panels and posts, as well as the roof, are all made from high-impact plastic and are designed to take the punishment of dirt track racing without showing wear. Since they're molded plastic they're all uniform in appearance so your racer will have a really professional finish and look to it.
Putting the whole deal together is actually pretty easy. It's done off of the car and is a little like fitting a puzzle together. The flares and nose fit like a glove to each other. You simply bolt or rivet the two pieces together and then attach them in the center. Once the nose is together you can angle cut the right side to help put yaw into the car. I chose not to do this, but it's something I can always go back and tackle at a later date. Now, follow along with me as we tackle a little rhinoplasty!
