Driving with rockers removed, is it ok?

[cfiiman]

Sorry if this is a stupid question but thought I'd ask before doing it. I want to move the Viper and don't want to just start it, move it and then turn it off. The rockers are inside curing before putting the protective film back on, can I drive it without damaging anything if they are off the car? Thanks for any help.

 

[LifeIsGood]

I've read posts from owners driving without them while working on their exhaust systems.

 

[Steve-Indy]

You should be OK...A Chicago Member drove his Gen I that way for years! d Don't burn your legs getting in and out !!

 

[plumcrazy]

i drove mine with them off to get to the exhaust place. its no big deal. theres nothing there to hurt

 

[cfiiman]

Great thanks guys!!!

 

[Dom426h]

What, Like this?

 

[cfiiman]

LOL, awesome pic, I'm assuming you removed them to prevent damage on the track?

 

[jdeft1]

Don't do it.

You're probably OK since you have no cats but there's alot of heat there and the sills are also heat shields. Get stuck in traffic and that heat might do some damage.... I wouldn't tempt fate. Just be patient and wait untill your paint work is finished.

 

[01sapphirebob]

What, Like this?

Thats awesome!

 

[cfiiman]

Don't do it.

You're probably OK since you have no cats but there's alot of heat there and the sills are also heat shields. Get stuck in traffic and that heat might do some damage.... I wouldn't tempt fate. Just be patient and wait untill your paint work is finished.

Yeah I drove it tonight, within a few minutes the exhaust were not even hot, what damage could be done? I'm trying to think about what could be damaged in your scenario, are you saying doors or something Everything seems fined, and I was only driving to get all the water out of oil/etc. and put it back so traffic wasn't an issue, but just curious what you mean could be damaged. It seems like Dom's car on a track would REALLY heat up so i'm curious???

 

[REDSLED]

The Shelby Cobras have exposed mufflers, enough said

 

[DrumrBoy]

I've seen lots of 'em run without the rockers....I've also "heard" stories of heat damage (slight) to door bottoms by running no-rockers in the summer with cats. Never seen pix of the damage......so may be urban legend. Either way, in the winter, without cats, you should be fine.

 

[ViperGeorge]

Ok, so my car was a Gen 3. But while competing on the Cannonball One Lap of America my exhaust got so hot at No Problem Raceway in Louisanna (car was supercharged) that the insulation near the exhaust started to melt. Fumes made my eyes water and I originally thought the car was on fire. Pulled into pits where there were like 4 SRT engineers also competing including a couple of Viper engineers. They told me they've seen this happen and that they actually had a few go up in flames because the exhaust overheated some insulation. They advised me to pull the rockers off for the duration of the event and in fact helped me take them off. They said the airflow would keep the exhaust cooler. They also recommended high flow cats or no cats at all. Not sure if a Gen 3 would be the same as an earlier Gen but my guess is that pulling them would be no problem. But as stated watch the legs getting out!

 

[Dom426h]

LOL, awesome pic, I'm assuming you removed them to prevent damage on the track?

nope, that owuld be as corny as the prettyboys who cover their entire front end in painterstape for performance events to protect their front end.
I had my sills off for a couple weeks while swaping out exhaust components and driving back and fourth to the dyno. The night before the trackday i went to put the sills back on and they didnt fit : Even though my muffler that i was replacing the cat with was the same outside diameter it didnt fit behind the sill because the cat has a tapper and is located in the exact spot of the sidsill buldge where it fits.

Thanks for the compliments on the pic. It was my first trackday, a day ill never forget

 

[RPHJR]

I drove mine without sills, its not a problem. Although, it does look a little "trailer park" LOL. It will not damage anything,...

 

[Fatboy 18]

Oh boy, some of the terms used in these threads are confusing, 'Rockers' Well in the UK that would mean the Engine Valve lifters! Hence Rocker covers, Running without those covers would create a hell of a mess under the hood! Ive never heard of Side sills being called Rockers!

 

[Viktimize]

Oh boy, some of the terms used in these threads are confusing, 'Rockers' Well in the UK that would mean the Engine Valve lifters! Hence Rocker covers, Running without those covers would create a hell of a mess under the hood! Ive never heard of Side sills being called Rockers!

You beat me to it by minutes. Driving without rocker PANELS might be ok, but driving without rockers would be impossible. You would shoot a pushrod through the hood as soon as you cranked it over.

 

[eucharistos]

Oh boy, some of the terms used in these threads are confusing, 'Rockers' Well in the UK that would mean the Engine Valve lifters! Hence Rocker covers, Running without those covers would create a hell of a mess under the hood! Ive never heard of Side sills being called Rockers!

fb18, you must be a young 'un

this is where i 1st learned of the nomenclature:

http://www.zimbio.com/watch/bCOtMZmJ_uI/Panels/The+French+Connection

 

[klamathpro]

I drove without my side sills when I was getting my ROE exhaust welded together. It ran cooler because of more air flow. Nothing wrong with it.

 

[v10enomous]

No problem !

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[jdeft1]

Yeah, no problem for most. I wouldn't do it with mine because I have catalytic converters under the sills. Those things get really hot. Not just exhaust pipe hot, they actually heat up again because they essentially re-burn the unburned fuel in your exhaust stream. Hence the cleaner emissions.... If you look again you'll see the stainless metal shields rivited to the insides of your sills, once again, a heat shield and it's there for a reason.

Sittin' in traffic, with no sills will damage the plastic door sills and the bottoms of the doors. Will it happen quickly or in cold weather? Probably not..but why tempt fate?


There are pics of doors that are discolored along the bottoms someplace...(can't find 'em now). And removing the sill insulation will definateley cause the clear chip guards on the sills to wrinkle (due to heat)...

Just sayin'..

Cheers

 

[Darth Menace]

not trying to rob this thread, but how do you take the side sills off?

 

[cfiiman]

4 screws up top under the plugs, and 4 or 5 underneath I think too (could be more can't remember it was a few weeks ago). I took them off in about 5 minutes, just be careful b/c they can strip when you put them back in I read.