[vin63]

A friend of mine is into and builds A/FX and straight front axle AWB period hot rods and has always wanted a nostalgia style Nomex driver jacket that was SFI-rated. He really liked the vintage white suits and jackets of the '60s and asked me if this was something I could help him out for an upcoming Mooneyes nostalgia show in Japan that he and some of his friends are shipping their cars over for and will be attending. Anyway, I'm a retailer for DJ Safety and I do a lot of custom safety equipment stuff for customers as it is. So, this is the prototype. I used some of the vintage Deist suits and jackets I had, including old photos and tracked down the nomex material...it uses those old jacket patterns. It carries a 3.2A-1 SFI rating, but I can do them in -5 and up. I'm also doing a version with the vertical stripes on the left front for the road race guys in the UK. Just thought you nostalgia guys might find it interesting...

As you can see in the background, he has a couple of vintage cars getting the AWB treatment in progress.

[mechanickeith]

Vin,,,Pretty COOL!!! I still have my old Hinchman Nomex jacket I used in high school when I built a Olds powered, hilborn injected dragster. Wore it at Beeline Dragway on the late 60's. This jacket has the Hinchman Nomex patch on the right shoulder, Goodyear across the back & Goodyear patch on left breast with red/white/blue stripes going down the left under the breast patch. Angled zippered pocket on right front. Still has the velcro inside of the collar that held the mask into the jacket. This thing is so old the stitching is starting to come apart!! Will see if I can get some pics posted up.

[Silver Judge]

That's cool stuff Vin !


How do you get these garments SFI certified? Is it based on the nomex you use ?

I think I see a Coronet back there getting the AWB treatment, that's cool !

[vin63]

Look forward to the photos of your vintage jacket. We compiled tons of photos for the jacket design. I was a little limited to get the SFI rating, but it came out pretty nice, and since my friend races his cars, it's functional. When I was a dealer for Deist in another life, I collected a few items that were going to get tossed out, including this old white one-piece nomex suit. I used it to compare the nomex material.

Originally Posted by Silver Judge

That's cool stuff Vin !
How do you get these garments SFI certified? Is it based on the nomex you use ?

I think I see a Coronet back there getting the AWB treatment, that's cool !

Thanks...yes, working with DJ Safety, they have the specs and access to the nomex material. So it was a matter of getting as close to the old designs while staying within the SFI spec. Yep, he's got a Coronet on the jig...nice catch!

[mechanickeith]

Here they are,,,

[mechanickeith]

More!!! IIRC,,,,I bought the complete set when I was 15. I used to have the pants, gloves, socks & hood but they are long gone. Dont even know what happened to the rest of the set.

[vin63]

That's really cool, Keith! Thanks for posting those! It was a little tough to find the material that had that bit of sheen to it. Most of the materials available today have a matte surface.

[mechanickeith]

Color as you can see has yellowed some with age but the sheen is still there!! Used to wear the jacket all the time in high school during the winter. man does it keep the heat in!! I would rip out every seam on this thing if I was to try & put it on now!!!

[mechanickeith]

Vin,,The guy in the pics looks a bit like Jesse james!

[zeebo]

you gonna post any for sale here?

[vin63]

Originally Posted by mechanickeith

Vin,,The guy in the pics looks a bit like Jesse james!

That's my friend, Dale Snoke - he's a better fabricator than JJ.

Originally Posted by zeebo

you gonna post any for sale here?

The part number is being confirmed, but the introductory SFI 3.2A-1 price is $130 for sizes up to XL (slightly more for the 2XL and larger). Working on the SFI 3.2A-5 price.

[mechanickeith]

[QUOTE=vin63;4746323]That's my friend, Dale Snoke - he's a better fabricator than JJ.

JMHO,,,But most on this board are a better fabricator than JJ!!

[vin63]

Originally Posted by mechanickeith

JMHO,,,But most on this board are a better fabricator than JJ!!

LOL...I totally agree. Here's a link to his new shop. He used to build hot rods under the name "Funny Car Farm," but ran into some legal issues with the business name, so he now operates under "Snokes Metal Shed."

http://www.snokesmetalshed.com

[mechanickeith]

I try & not pay any attention to what he's doing ever since he took the vintage FED chassis down from the rafters & cut it up to make a junk street rod.

[Jack Gifford]

How about also posting a ballpark price for a -15 (or -20) suit?

[6567GTO]

way cool...

[vin63]

Originally Posted by Jack Gifford

How about also posting a ballpark price for a -15 (or -20) suit?

Just got the updated pricing and the -15 suit (1- and 2-piece) will start at $955 (slightly more for sizes 2XL and up). The -20 suits will start at $1130.

By the way, these are my basic starting prices for any of the -15 and -20 DJ Safety suits I sell.

[Jack Gifford]

Thanks. A vintage-look suit would be great for when I [eventually] get to drive my retro-style lakester. Sure wish the rules allowed me an open-face helmet, though...

[vin63]

Very cool! The fresh air helmet systems really help if that can be accommodated on the LSR car.