At 04:17 PM 11/07/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Vintage racers,
>
>OK, Now I'll bite.
>
>Ive been listing this list server for over a year.
>
>As a new member of VARA, I see that there are a lot of "questionable"
>modifications performed as standard prcatice. I am sure that other
>clubs are more strict about internal mods, but what exactly constitutes
>allowable mods?
>
>Feel free to resond by club.
>
My interpretation of VARAC's rules (I'm really curious to see what Mike
thinks of the same rules, BTW) are divided into two groups - engine and car.
The following describes our production rules - pre 1962, for sports cars,
and sedans up to 1965. Formula Juniors should be per their rules (and
Monoposto rules now) and our Historic class - up to 1972 - can pretty much
run Trans-AM, or CANAM, or whatever rules the car fits in to. All cars must
meet CASC safety rules, which for VARAC are a little relaxed from current
CASC reg's.
Engine: you can do just about anything to the engine as long as you use the
original type castings for block and head. Extensive head porting is
allowed but don't actually move the valve locations (much). Compression is
as much as you can afford! Cams and valves are free. Cranks are free but
must use the stock stroke. Journals may be increased in size. Rods are
pretty much free, although I'd question changing rod length. Bore can be up
to .065" over. The engine must remain the same basic size as originally
sold in the car that you have - so that bugeyes and midgets must use 948cc
for pre-62 class, for example. Dry sumping is not allowed in production
classes, unless it came that way stock. Speed equipment available in the
era of the class is allowed - so a mini could run an 8 port head unless the
head design was different than what was available then. Roller rockers
weren't available then, so don't use them now. Carbs are anything that was
available then, so Webers are allowed.
Car: Transmission has to use the original casing, and gears must be the
same ratios as available in the era - OEM or aftermarket. There's a really
good argument to be made that synchromesh must be as original, so dog boxes
would be illegal. Rear ends must use the original housing but ratios are
any that fit, so swapping in a 9" ford ain't allowed. (This has caused
problems for some guys who had cars with poor rear ends as stock).
The bodywork of the car must remain in the original material. Replicas of
neat cars that had much modified bodies aren't allowed (no sebring sprites
that didn't run at sebring, for example). Flared fenders not allowed except
for Minis, which must run grp 2 flares only. Inner fenders shouldn't be
modified although most people do. Roll cages are allowed - max 6 point and
the roll cage must be contained within the passenger compartment. Roll
cages should not be designed to stiffen the car materially, and they can't
be multi-point attached to the car. Two door bars are allowed. Hoop must
be two inches over the drivers head on open cars, as close to the roof as
possible on closed cars, no detachable fiberglass tops allowed.
Suspension must be as stock, but bushing material can be upgraded. No
adjustable heims allowed (welding them up after they're adjusted ain't
allowed either). Pickup points can't be moved. Shocks and springs must be
as original (no tube shocks replacing lever arms, no coil overs). Windows
can be Lexan, in the original thickness of the glass, but windshields must
be laminated glass. Aero screens can be lexan. Wheels can be up to 1" over
stock in any dimension, track can be up to 1" greater, ride height can be up
to 1" lower. Brakes must be as original, or availble as an over the counter
upgrade.
Common rule breakages? Lot's of cars have the ribcase BMC gearbox rather
than the smooth case that they should have. Lots of cars have 1/8" lexan
windows rather that the 3/16" that is the proper thickness. Quite a few
cars have one or two heim joints, primarily to ease installation rather than
any nefarious intent. I suspect that few cars in our club have illegal
engines, but every single Mini is a dry suspension Cooper S 1275cc car,
which rather boggles the imagination - that's actually a rather rare
combination in the history of Mini's! The aforementioned inner fenders,
roll cages that extend into the trunk, and so on - mostly fairly innocuous
but some cars have ALL the common stretches, so they puch the edge as far as
I'm concerned. I think that a fair number of the faster cars have Dog gear
tanny's, and that they are starting to have weird LSD's that definitly
weren't on the dealers shelf in 1959!
Brian.
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