In a message dated 7/26/2006 1:31:37 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
BillB@bnj.com writes:
Of course it is, and your point is...? Of course once I take my
tongue from my cheek I have to admit that the biggest challenge in
getting my cheater TR3 back into some kind of acceptable state is
going to be the chassis. I did pretty much everything described to
it, as any of the FOT'ers that visited my garage can testify.
On Jul 24, 2006, at 4:29 AM, barry rosenberg wrote:
> I thought there was a restriction of 6 points for the roll
> cage to
> contact the frame? with two behind the driver for main hoop, two to
> the rear
> and two under the dash, there isn't supposed to be any going
> forward. Seems
> it is illegal in vintage racing to me.>>>>>
>From my point of view as the rules interpreter at SVRA; we have no
restriction on the number of "points" per se. That is an artificial condition
posed by
some organizations. Esthetically, earlier cars should have simpler roll bars.
Historically there was never a restriction on roll bars. They only had to
meet minimum specifications which were a main hoop behind the driver and a
simple brace to stat with. By 1967, tubing specifications and more specific
design recommendations were published.
"The basic purpose of the roll bar is to protect the driver in case the
vehicle rolls over. This purpose should not be forgotten", (SCCA GCR, 1967).
However, most drivers opted for less, than more bracing in a effort to keep
weight down. It was "recommended" that sedans and coupes utilize a roll cage.
I believe that the Trans-Am teams were the first to recognize that stiff was
good. It was during this period (1969-70) that roll cages started to appear
in open cars.
SCCA inspectors encouraged the safety aspect of these cages and it wasn't
long before the braces where extending farther and farther in the name of
"safety". I think Group 44, Sharp and Huffaker were leaders in this trend.
Obviously, a stiff chassis does make spring and shock settings more
predictable and
hence, ultimately faster.
Bill Warner's TR6 actually represents a car as raced about 1974. By that
time bars to the pick-up points were becoming common. That is entirely
appropriate in SVRA Group 8 which embraces the late sixties and early
seventies
period. At the recent Kohler International Challenge we had the recently
restored
Huffaker Jensen-Healey which won the 1973 D-Production nationals. It has
extensive bracing fore and aft.
In Vintage Racing, the time period is key to what is correct. We consider
TR3s and TR4s to be sixties period cars. Simple hoops and braces are
appropriate, but we certainly don't want to limit door bars and dash hoops.
Sometimes stiff isn't good. I know of one guy with a Morgan plus 4 who was
still competitive during the late seventies. Over one winter he installed a
roll cage with bars to the front and rear suspension points. The car was
undriveable after that and he never did get it back to where it was. Some of
these
old dogs work pretty well with chassis flex. That is what makes them fun,
isn't it?
Jack Woehrle
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