One problem with the shop manual rule is that it is an old rule that has
been around forever.
Way back then, you could get a really nice factory shop manual for your car
for $35. It was a book, perhaps looseleaf binder (mine are), printed on
actual paper. I have two of them for my 40-year-old LBC, and have had them
ever since I had my car.
But I'd hate to try to have to acquire one today! Probably the best I could
do would be a Haynes manual (I have one of those, too), which has been
officially sneered at as "not factory" and therefore useless as a reputable
source (like Haynes had some intent to circumvent SCCA rules?) IMHO,
commercial aftermarket manuals should be accepted as best available source
if a better one cannot be produced, BUT if a factory manual is produced and
it is in conflict with the aftermarket manual, then factory manual takes
precedence. It's like the FIA yellowbook is printed in French and English,
both are The Rules, but if there is a conflict the French takes precedence;
says so right in the front of the book.
In later years -- but not all that much later -- many shop manuals ceased to
be paper. They're microfiche, computer disks, even Internet hotlinks to the
factory -- and cost to the individual, especially for newer cars, has
multiplied beyond reason. It's a '70s rule in a 21st Century environment. At
basic it is a good rule, but it needs to be tempered to the times.
For example, other sources I have which could be used to argue a point range
from the GCR sections referring to my car (note that basic measurements like
track, wheelbase, etc., are there), to the "official" Triumph competition
preparation manual to Kas Kastner's bible on Triumph prep. Some of these
would not be bases for legality, but would be indicators of the "way things
are done" and a standard of the (performance) industry would at least be a
good benchmark. Is my widget legal? Well, if I configured it the way
everyone else does, then probably yes. Oh, it's possible ALL of us are
illegal, but if so at least we are equally illegal. More likely we are all
doing it the accepted legal way.
So you have a protest and the protestee provides his factory shop manual for
verification -- tosses a stack of microfiches on the table. Is he also
expected to provide the machine to read them? The shop manual rule needs a
new-century reality check.
--Rocky Entriken
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Salem" <eric@mail.brown911.com>
To: <Smokerbros@aol.com>; <autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 12:01 AM
Subject: RE: The death of prepared?
>
> Okay, that's fine for newer cars, but there just aren't all that many
> factory shop manuals out there for a lot of the prepared cars. Maybe if
> the rule specifically said the manual doesn't have to be a factory
> manual there would be some chance of making the rule workable.
>
> But if the SEB is asking an FP 914/6 driver to produce a factory manual
> or go home what you're really saying is don't run national level events.
> Certianly the same situation exists for other cars in other classes. I
> should consider myself lucky as I'm slow so a protest is unlikely and my
> 911 is only a '72 so the manuals were only $1300. I'd hate to be a
> Fordhal, Leeds, Jackson or Huffman with a 914/6. It's a lot cheaper to
> just go run open track events and local stuff.
>
> Certainly the early 'vettes, Italian stuff and Lotus's are in the same
> boat.
>
> e
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