new 2011 rule changes

[Cajun Kid]

All this bickering back and forth and all this rule change banter has me wondering a few things.

1. Am I even Legal to run a SCTA event ?
2. Should I even plan on spending a ton of cash to get me, the crew and the car to the salt?
3. Do I want to be "bashed" on how my car is built ?


Before this post  "I thought"   I knew the answers to the above 3 questions.. now I don't.

Charles

[Buickguy3]

Is it within the rules to have all those pesky bugs that completely block my radiator, or do I have to clean them out before I get to the salt? Is this within the intent and "spirit" of the rule?

 

[Bob Drury]

  Charles, if your Stude has all stock replacement glass, you are okay.
  If or what you have for lateral head restraints was built for last year, I doubt it.  I forsee one hell of a mess during inspections at Speedweek. 
  It has taken The SCTA three years to play with this rule, and I will bet my A-- that they still won't have a definitive drawing in the rule book.
  I am about to "can opener" a hole thru the roof to get in and out of the car.  Maybe I can prefect the John Force "butt slide" coming out.
  The good news is that if you and I both lose 150 lbs., we may be able to egress the car in, oh, say two minutes give or take........................... Bob

[Bob Drury]

  Buick, that obviously is their intent.  The Spirit means they think they thought to add it to the rule but forgot.  At least thats what I think they thought when they thought up the thing  in the first place.

[thundersalt]

 Charles, if your Stude has all stock replacement glass, you are okay.
  If or what you have for lateral head restraints was built for last year, I doubt it.  I forsee one hell of a mess during inspections at Speedweek.  
  It has taken The SCTA three years to play with this rule, and I will bet my A-- that they still won't have a definitive drawing in the rule book.
  I am about to "can opener" a hole thru the roof to get in and out of the car.  Maybe I can prefect the John Force "butt slide" coming out.
  The good news is that if you and I both lose 150 lbs., we may be able to egress the car in, oh, say two minutes give or take........................... Bob

The escape hatch sound like a good Idea, however, when Greg Everitt's 749 stude blew an engine at WF and had a fire he couldn't get out through the roof hatch do to the longer helmet support extensions he installed.

[jl222]

 

  Dynoroom...If bitchen about the Thompson video having anything to do with their process your right, as far as
the rule committee and board I don't have any problem with the process. Just the outcome somtimes.
  Maybe you should reread your statment.
  ''I think that was due to the efforts of all the committee and board members doing there homework, trying to make concise rules and being prepaired''
  There are a lot of racers that this rulling will effect not just me yet the rules committee thinks it has a better design than the latest nascar seat [which would never pass SCTA inspection. [ they would never be able to get out]
  As far as race car design we went with a full body off Alston prostock chassis with funny car cage which exceeds
SCTA requirements without the cage and Your remark about getting in and out being up to the builder, when SCTA hasn't GOT A CLUE about the room involved, but adds requirements like this after the build...

  Still waiting on a board member or committee member on how far from edge of helmet side support to front of roll cage.


   JL222

   Rule committee and board homework my  ASS
  
,

[jl222]

All this bickering back and forth and all this rule change banter has me wondering a few things.

1. Am I even Legal to run a SCTA event ?
2. Should I even plan on spending a ton of cash to get me, the crew and the car to the salt?
3. Do I want to be "bashed" on how my car is built ?


Before this post  "I thought"   I knew the answers to the above 3 questions.. now I don't.

Charles

  Charles anybody that would '' bash'' your car has a bad case of ''rectal cranial intrusion'' its one of the most well built cars around, we all know that.
  The only problem is this helmet support rule.

              JL222

[Bob Drury]

  Believe it or not, I appreciate what the rule makers try to do, its the vagueness of the "lawyerese" that makes it hard.
  I feel that every year, ALL proposed rule changes should be sent to EVERY member of the SCTA with a questionaire to be returned to the SCTA office.
  This questionaire should ask for input on the proposed rule changes.
  After revue by the Rules Committee, the changes should be put up to a vote of the membership before being adopted, but only after the proposed new rules are again made public.
  If any new or last minute language is added after the membership has read it, the rule should be removed from the ballot until it goes thru the process outlined above.
  The vote should be by mail.
  For those who think this sounds ridiculous, you probably won't be making your third annual attemp at building a new lateral helmet restraint into your roll cage in a attempt to meet probably the most poorly written rule in the book.  Don't believe me?  Pull out your 2009 and 2010 rule books.  
  Otto VonBismark once said "the less people know about how sausages and laws are made, the better off they will be".                                              
  I wonder if EACH member of the rules committee has a WRITTEN copy of the FINISHED rule proposal to study at home BEFORE the evening of the vote, or are last minute proposals and alterations allowed?    
  And yes, I bitched about this rule last year and the year before.... not because of the rule idea, but because of the ambiguous and vague deffinitions and lack of roll cage type drawings  in the book.
                                                                                      Bob

[oldracer19]

All this bickering back and forth and all this rule change banter has me wondering a few things.

1. Am I even Legal to run a SCTA event ?
2. Should I even plan on spending a ton of cash to get me, the crew and the car to the salt?
3. Do I want to be "bashed" on how my car is built ?


Before this post  "I thought"   I knew the answers to the above 3 questions.. now I don't.

Charles

I am with you.  I enjoy working on my car, but not thrilled with cutting out, or otherwise removing equipment I was required to install for 2010. Not to be overly dramatic, but going back to my dirt modified is starting to sound good. Another good point that has been made hear is that a seat legal for installation in  a  NASCAR vehicle would not be legal in SCTA.  I DO appreciate that the INTENT is to make racing safer, but REALLY, can those doing the rule making , at least consider that the officials in NASCAR, INDY car, NHRA, etc might know something too?

OK, I have it out of my system now. 

[WildBro]

Can we hear some complaining from the bike guys now 




 
Bill

[saltfever]

All this bickering back and forth and all this rule change banter has me wondering a few things.
1. Am I even Legal to run a SCTA event ?
2. Should I even plan on spending a ton of cash to get me, the crew and the car to the salt?
3. Do I want to be "bashed" on how my car is built ?
Charles

Charles I read and enjoy your posts and you are always cordial and often witty. But I am going to use your post to bring up something that needs to be said.

We are not bickering, arguing, or criticizing. We are just a bunch of guys trying to build, or keep a car legal. If all of us were sitting around Starbucks with a cup of coffee and rule book in hand, we would not call the discussion bickering. It might be called bench racing but ultimately it would be a brain-storming session prevailing on the wisdom and experience of everyone there. Good (or bad) feelings and friendships develop through social interaction. Email thwarts non-verbal social communication. Because of these missing ingredients many posters loose patience with a thread. But is it fair for any individual to decide thread value for all? A thread will die a natural death when the last post doesn’t get a response. Prior to that point there are interested parties that are receiving some value. Anyone can leave at any time. There is never any reason to criticize the value of a thread.

Many of us don’t belong to SCTA clubs or are thousands of miles away. We can’t possibly have the knowledge that is gained simply by assimilation with the So Cal network. This forum bridges that gap in a significant way because some very caring and unselfish people are willing to share their experience. If an absentee builder, owner, or driver, is struggling with anything on this list it is usually how to  (1) build it safer or (2) build a legal winner. Asking and re-asking is the only way if the rule book creates uncertainty rather than clarity. Obviously the goal is to always create a clear rule. However, no posting or individual should be faulted if they are drilling toward a better understanding. 

[saltfever]

Another good point that has been made hear is that a seat legal for installation in  a NASCAR vehicle would not be legal in SCTA.

The point of that posting was the SCTA escape issue. A NASCAR seat is illegal. Only if its installation thwarted the escape requirement would it be illegal.

[Bob Drury]

  On another thread, the question is asked about a source for the new window film.
  This rule is a classic example of a well written rule.  Unfortunatly, the cart got ahead of the horse.
   When this rule was written, to the best of my knowledge, no one had produced a name or example of a approved product or source.
  Yes, it sounds like 3M may have the answer, but if that is the case, why in h--l isn't it listed as a example of a product that is legal.
  It makes one wonder if other rule changes such as the lateral head restraint change was the result of watching the Thompson video.
  Did anyone check to see if he had extra padding in the seat.  Did anyone personally inspect the seat belt mounts.
  Two years ago I sent a email on how the lateral restraint rule could be rewritten for clarity.
  I sent it to the rules committee chairman, amongst others, and was told that they really didn't know what to write because of all the different cage styles. 
  As I stated in a earlier post, I am all for safety, and believe that the rules committee is overall doing what they think is right, but we don't need knee jerk solutions without having the solutions at hand.
    Don't arbitrarly make up rules without having the solution in hand.                                                                                          Bob

[Cajun Kid]

I just checked,,, the opening between my seats lateral head restraint (side to side) is 4.09 inches wider than my helmet.

So all I have to do is add a sliver of padding to be a 2" per side max movement.

Charles

[SPARKY]

There are a ton of cars that had to double pad to get legal in the past. ME for one.

I have known or heard of very few folks that couldn't run as long as they, their driver or crew chief didn't cop a 'tude when they were in inspection.