How bad is it to do a "Neutral Drop"?

Probably almost as bad as doing a Drive to Reverse shift at 40 mph.

 

Brings back memories. I think I was around 17, driving my dad's one year old 1977 Dodge van -- the only car he ever bought new. It had a nice 360 and perfect 727 Torqueflight.

I was very bummed that I couldn't get it to burn rubber. Then, goofing around, I discovered the HOLY GRAIL -- THE NEUTRAL DROP. I tried it three times. It was pretty cool for the first two tries. Smoked the tires going 30-35 mph.

Then, on a trip to the local pizza shop to pickup ingredients for our church group's pizza party, and shortly after teaching my buddy (who's now a respected doctor in the community) how to dump the clutch in his dad's Saab... Anyway, to make a long story long story short, I then showed him how to do a neurtal drop in the van. As bad luck would have it we were right in front of our scoutmaster's home -- I would not have planned that.

BANG, what the heck was that???!!! I slowed down to a stop, but I kept hearing this tink-ta-tink-ta-tink sound of the driveshaft clanking on the street. And the speedometer was still going until I cranked into park. The tow truck driver was amused. My scoutmater was amused. My dad, however, (after he found out everyone was ok), was infinitely NOT amused. That was the only time I ever heard him use the F-word.

That was in the late 1970s and the LAST time I did a neutral drop.

That engine and ****** lasted at least 160k miles, until we sold the vehicle.

THEN, in the late 1980s my dad had a similar experience -- ACCIDENTALLY, of course. He accidentally knocked his Chevy van into REVERSE going around 65.

Here is an approximation of his story:
"I wasn't sure if it was in overdrive or not, so I nudged the lever."
"That popped it into neutral."
"I'm not sure how it went into reverse."
"Wow! "Did those tires ever squeal!"

That ****** was **** from then on, even after a dealer mechanic rebuild.

 

Back in 1966 when I was 16, I performed my first, and ONLY "Neutral Drop" on my 283 Chevy/ PG equipped Rambler Cl***ic, va-room! VaROOM! KA-BOOM! blew the rear U-joint all to hell, drive-shaft rolled into the ditch, Town cop pulled up grinning, and said "Don't leave that sit here all night"

 

Gas pedal+Brake pedal=good fun
it's all about the power jacking!!!

 

Ain't it the truth....

 

I say install a trans brake and have some real fun!

 

Neutral drops are for dumb**** highschool kids in their parent's four door beaters who think that BURNING RUBBER is the ****.

Anybody with a real car with real power knows that all you need to do is tap the throttle to burn the tires to the cords. yeah.... your POS with the ****ty muffler car spin the tires, but my car will disappear in smoke after 10 seconds at a quarter throttle.

if you really want to know about what a neutral drop is, look in mags from about 67-68. It was actually the recommended way to launch an automatic during a very short period in the late 60s. hold the tach at 4 grand, in neutral, then jam the shifter into 1st. this was in the days before torque converter technology was really around, so a good launch was hard to get out of the ****ty converters. the NHRA banned this type of launch, namely because one third of the time, the car would leave a pile ****** guts on the starting line.

That was almost 40 years ago. It's 2005, and the only people doing neutral drops are ****ING RETARDS.

 

Not bad at all you should have seen my old O/T p.o.s. '86 olds fwd cutl*** due some wicked burn outs, hahahahahahaha. I can only recommend doing that with a rental cars. It's kinda in line with going in reverse and pulling the parking brake. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

 

I did a drop once (DRUNK), and it ripped the pinion, the yoke, and a big part of the rearend case out of my 68 Elcamino some years back. Also wadded up the driveshaft. So, no, i don't see anything wrong with doing it.

 

Hey, there is absolutely nothing wrong with going in reverse and pulling the park break...especially in a wheat field...in your work vehicle...which is consequently owned by a state university...with your boss a half block away unbeknownst to you... Too bad she didn't keep track of how many 360s I did...

 

I welded the clutches on a 85' Fifth Avenue when I did a Neutral drop. I was young and hadn't broke a car yet and thought they were impervious to mechanical damage. It welded a clutch and every gear was a forward gear including Park and Neutral! I still drove it for a few months until I got tired of looking for a parking spot I didn't have to back out of. So it does hurt cars! Johnny

 

The year 1974, 17 years old, the car 1970 Pontiac Grand Prix. 400 with turbo400 trans.
A neutral drop was the mildest thing I did to that car and I never had a drive train problem. That trans was as indestructable as I was
Those were the days (sniffle, sob)

 

Neutral drop? What about hitting reverse at 60 intentionally?

I once had '64 Chevy convert. (Impala if memory serves) that I picked up at auction - after selling a car there - for like $150. No one was bidding so I did. The electric top even worked! Right away I made the only rule: no opening of the doors! It was halarious when a bunch of us pulled up someplace & everyone hopped out over the doors, & walking across the trunk & hood!
Anyway, one of my favorite things was to get up to 60, drop it in neutral, then throttle it & grab reverse! It would slowly start to turn over the left rear, & get faster & faster untill it it was wound up just smokin' the hell outta' that left rear! It would take close to 1/4 mile to come to a stop, then slowly start to back up. The entire area would be completely engulfed with smoke! Did that about 6 or 8 times before dropping the front u-joint.

Then there was the guy in high school with the '69 GTX (383) that loved nuetral drops - untill the front of the driveshaft stuck through the floor!

BTW I got that convertable back in the '70s when 'verts weren't popular yet & worth literally nothing (obviously). One of many cars that I wish I'd kept...

Ah; the good ole' days...

~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Giggle Cream - it makes dessert *funny*!

 

Sure... You start out small.
Saying things like, "I'll just do it one time".

Just a little chirp, here and there. Then, you get immune to the effects, so you have to go for more. The smell of rubber and burned transmission fluid creeps into you. Soon, you find yourself craving wheel hop. Then, before long, you're reverse dropping and then it's all over.
When you find yourself on your knees, in the middle of the road, picking up pieces of U-joints and ring gears, you'll know you've hit rock bottom.

There is help, however.



Once you've beat the addiction, you'll understand why life is so much better with a clutch.




JOE

 

Where do these people come from?
If you had any mechanical ap***ude you wouldn't be asking these questions.
Spend your time reading books on the mechanics of cars instead of trying to act cool burning tires.

 

If it feels so good, how can it be so wrong?

 

*****.

 

So, tear me a new ***hole, but what the **** is a 'neutral drop'????

Remember, I come from the land of tiny four pot motors, expensive gas, and silly little ******s that you have to row back and forth in continually to make the car go along.

If an alien came to the UK and saw a zillion people continually changing the mechanical gear ratio of their car JUST to be able to drive it along, he would ask: what the ****????

 

Taking a car with an Automatic ******, reving it to 6000 grand and dropping the shifter to drive. Great for keeping the dust down on gravel roads.

 

find yourself a Nisan Micra with an automatic
1) start car
2) place transmission into neutral
3) rev the motor until the valves begin to float
4)quickly shift into low
5)impress all your wide boy mates in the car park next the corner shop
6)extra style points if you yell "Booyakisha" while doing the neutral drop

respect!

It's basically a way to "dump the clutch" on an automatic. Very hard on parts.

 

I Had A Friend That Had A Late 70's Impala That Used To Do Neutral Slams. The Funniest Was When He Took Off In 1st Then When Shifting To 2nd He Would Go Up Into Neutral Then To 2nd To Make The Tires Chirp. Needless To Say The Car Did Not Last.

 

I think I just "neutral dropped" in my shorts...

 

Welcome to the "old HAMB!" numb-nuts...

Which is funny cause 9 wasn't even there.

 

N.H.R.A. banned neutral starts in the sixties. They got tired of sweeping up ****** fluid and shrapnel at the starting line. It was fun watching 727s explode into smoke and debris at the nationals.

 

NEXT Question

 

I agree. This has to been one of the funniest posts to happen in a long time.
Hotrod28AR Please ask another question.

 

Mom and dad were getting divorced. Dad new she would get the 87 Camero so he and I took it out one night and he would run about 25-35 in reverse and then kick it into drive. He did this about 5 times and quit. Mom got the car and about 6 years later, I got the car. The only thing she had ever done to the ****** was put in a new torque converter.......I drove it on to about 170k miles.....

it can't be good for em...

I used to have a buddy in high school that had one of those ugly, ****py little 70's mustangs that looked like a pinto. He would do this on a regular basis. I told him and told him he would tear it up. He just laughed and said I was nuts. He sold it shortly, so I don't know if it went out or not. He wouldn't have admitted it anyways....