Safety Inspections
The safety of your street rod is of vital importance. If the street rod does not meet a certain set of guidelines, an accident can cause more than just replacing the parts. The NSRA or National Street Rod Association is the organization doing the safety inspections. Keep in mind that these safety inspections are completely voluntary. In most cases, safety inspections can be done at many of the street rod shows around the country. Generally, when a safety inspection is done, it is good for one year. The following is a list of safety inspection guidelines that need to be considered as a street rod enthusiast builds the street rod.
Required Equipment
- Horn………………….....There must be a horn on the street rod and it must be
2. Speed Indicator…….….There must be a speedometer, mechanical or electrical,
or a calibrated tachometer set at 65 miles per hour.
3. Rear View Mirrors……..There must be a mirror, either inside or outside, on the
driver’s side of the vehicle.
Driver's inside mirror.
4. Glass…………………....Glass must be a safety plate, lexon, or tempered glass.
5. Lighting……………….....There must be a low-beam and high-beam headlight and a tail light,
a brake light, and a license plate light.
6. Windshield Wiper……....There must be an electric or vacuum operated windshield
wiper system.
7. Automatic Transmission Lockout……A neutral safety switch or park start only
switch must be installed.
8. Tires……...……………...There must be a minimum of 3/32 inch tread and tires
must meet D. O. T. specifications.
9. Steering………………....There can be no excessive “play” or binding in the
steering system and the components must be safely mounted.
10. Throttle Linkage…….…..Must not travel past center on linkage and a return
spring is required.
11. Fuel System………….…Must have a vent on trunk and interior mounted tanks.
Also, no clear, plastic lines allowed and no leaks.
12. Exhaust System….……..No leaks permitted and exhaust output must pass rear
edge of front door and exit exhaust away from vehicle.
13. Self-Aligning Rod End Bearings……….No fractures, insert sloppiness or binding.
14. Shock Absorbers….……There should be one per wheel, no leaks, and sufficient
travel (2 inches) in each direction.
15. Brakes………………......There must be hydraulic brakes on all four wheels, no
leaks, sufficient brake pedal travel, no copper tubing, and
sufficient length of flexible tubing to allow for
suspension movement and turning. See arrow on photo below.
5. Lighting……………….....There must be a low-beam and high-beam headlight and a tail light,
a brake light, and a license plate light.
6. Windshield Wiper……....There must be an electric or vacuum operated windshield
wiper system.
7. Automatic Transmission Lockout……A neutral safety switch or park start only
switch must be installed.
8. Tires……...……………...There must be a minimum of 3/32 inch tread and tires
must meet D. O. T. specifications.
9. Steering………………....There can be no excessive “play” or binding in the
steering system and the components must be safely mounted.
10. Throttle Linkage…….…..Must not travel past center on linkage and a return
spring is required.
11. Fuel System………….…Must have a vent on trunk and interior mounted tanks.
Also, no clear, plastic lines allowed and no leaks.
12. Exhaust System….……..No leaks permitted and exhaust output must pass rear
edge of front door and exit exhaust away from vehicle.
13. Self-Aligning Rod End Bearings……….No fractures, insert sloppiness or binding.
14. Shock Absorbers….……There should be one per wheel, no leaks, and sufficient
travel (2 inches) in each direction.
15. Brakes………………......There must be hydraulic brakes on all four wheels, no
leaks, sufficient brake pedal travel, no copper tubing, and
sufficient length of flexible tubing to allow for
suspension movement and turning. See arrow on photo below.
Flexible Brake Line
16. Scrub Lines………...…..There should be no steering, suspension or chassis
components below the scrub line.
Recommended Equipment (Without this equipment it may be reason for failure).
17. Windshield……….….…..Should be AS-1 rating.
18. Shift Pattern……...…......Shift pattern on transmission should be visible except on
3 speed standard shift transmission. See photo below.
Shift pattern should be visible.
19. Fuel Lines:……………....All fuel lines should be safely mounted and routed.
20. Parking Brake………...…Should be able to be activated independent of vehicle’s
hydraulic system.
21. Self-Aligning (Steering) Rod End Bearings...Ball should have 1/8 inch spacer on
each side of the ball if there is any misalignment. Rod
ends should not have more than 10 degrees
misalignment. Rod ends and 4 bar-parallel radius rod
rubber bushed ends should have safety washers at least
the same outside diameter as the housing or larger.
22. Brake Lines…………...…All brake lines should be safely mounted and routed.
23. Chassis Fasteners……...Should include self-locking nuts, lock-washers, safety
wire, or cotter pins.
For Your Safety…..................There should also be a fire extinguisher in the driver/passenger
compartment, seat belts, a third brake light, and a dual master cylinder
on the brake system.
20. Parking Brake………...…Should be able to be activated independent of vehicle’s
hydraulic system.
21. Self-Aligning (Steering) Rod End Bearings...Ball should have 1/8 inch spacer on
each side of the ball if there is any misalignment. Rod
ends should not have more than 10 degrees
misalignment. Rod ends and 4 bar-parallel radius rod
rubber bushed ends should have safety washers at least
the same outside diameter as the housing or larger.
22. Brake Lines…………...…All brake lines should be safely mounted and routed.
23. Chassis Fasteners……...Should include self-locking nuts, lock-washers, safety
wire, or cotter pins.
For Your Safety…..................There should also be a fire extinguisher in the driver/passenger
compartment, seat belts, a third brake light, and a dual master cylinder
on the brake system.
Fire extinguisher in driver/passenger compartment.
Note: Completion of the NSRA vehicle inspection warrants only that the vehicle complies with equipment requirements recommended by the National Street Rod Association. The National Street Rod Association vehicle safety inspection is only advisory and is not to be construed as an official legal clearance, and the National Street Rod Association, its employees, officers, delegates, agents, or anyone assisting the Association assumes no responsibility for the advisory clearance.
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