What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

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Christine Grice
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Christine Grice »

http://www.scca.com/documents/Solo%20Ru ... ules_2.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Stock Rules on Roll bars:
13.2.H. Roll bars and roll cages may be added (See Appendix C). It is strongly recommended that roll cages be constructed according to the GCR, though they must be bolted (not welded) into the automobile and be contained within the driver/passenger compartment. Roll bars may be welded in. A roll cage has more than four attachment points to the body or frame, or has bracing both fore and aft of the main hoop.


Appendix C (pg 217-219) includes a lot of basic roll bar guidelines but I think that this line is more about what you are asking about:
"The basic purpose of the roll bar is to protect the driver in case the vehicle rolls over. This purpose should not be forgotten."


a lot of the time for a Stock class car, the weight of a roll bar/roll cage is a greater deficet than any stiffness that might be gained (like Steve said)



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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Jayson Woodruff »

You're allowed to have a roll bar in any class, and it may be bolt or weld in (see 13.2H). You'll have to do some research to find the actual specs. Our normal referance guy around here is John Coffey.

In an open car, you're not required to have one until you get to 'Prep' level.

In any class you can't run a harness in an open car without an adequately tall roll bar.

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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Cam Correa »

Jayson Woodruff wrote:You're allowed to have a roll bar in any class, and it may be bolt or weld in (see 13.2H). You'll have to do some research to find the actual specs. Our normal referance guy around here is John Coffey.
I would assume 1.75 x 120 mild steel is ok for the tubing
Jayson Woodruff wrote: you're not required to have one until you get to 'Prep' level.
Good to know.
Jayson Woodruff wrote:In any class you can't run a harness in an open car without an adequately tall roll bar.
Well your talking about a rollbar with a shoulder height bar for the harness I assume.
well, they can be mounted to the floor. not recomended maybe, but it would keep you in better than the fatory shoulder belt.

Either way if I'm legal with the factory belt all the better.
The less money I have to invest before I even start the better. :thumbup:
I'm sure once I do, I'll start wanting to do lots of stuff. :roll:

Are Poly suspension bushing & such allowed?
mine are probably due for replacement anyways.
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Jayson Woodruff »

Blanco .. wrote:I would assume 1.75 x 120 mild steel is ok for the tubing
Don't assume, look it up. It could end up costing you a lot to redo.
Well your talking about a rollbar with a shoulder height bar for the harness I assume.
Not really. The intention (requirement) is to get the roll bar above your helmeted head. An upper body harness keeps you upright even in a roll over. You really want it to be the bar holding the car up, not your head.

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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Bob Beamesderfer »

A bolt-in roll bar is legal; backing plates are required. Appendix C in the Solo rule book has more information.

You don't have to have a roll bar in stock and the weight penalty is probably not worth the stiffening effect. Also, the dual exhaust isn't worth the weight either. Something that flows better and bolts to the back of the cat is what you want.
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Chuck Fowler »

Blanco .. wrote: The less money I have to invest before I even start the better. :thumbup:
I'm sure once I do, I'll start wanting to do lots of stuff. :roll:

Are Poly suspension bushing & such allowed?
mine are probably due for replacement anyways.
then for your first time, just add some air to the tires to help keep em' from rolling over and bring your helmet. 2 ways to think about car mods,
1_figure out what class you want to be in (take a year and see what you like) and mod it to fit the rules
2_do what you want to the car and land where ever. biggest problem with that is you add a bunch of suspension adjustments, and if you don't know what your doing, you end up going slower and get frustrated. or the car ends up un competitive for ANY class.
the polly bushings would bump you up
it's only paranoia if your wrong
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Steve Ekstrand »

The rules are strange sometimes and very much in conflict often with what the common mods are for a particular car. So, assuming anything is dangerous.
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Steve Ekstrand »

If you want to mod the car for fun. The car would be STX legal I think. It would NEVER be nationally competitive there. But it would make a nice fun car.

You add a better header, air intake, computer tuning, high flow cat, any diameter wheels up to 8" wide and 140+treadwear tires up to 245 width, camber plates, strut bar braces, seats, steering wheel, short shifter, shorten struts, shortened higher rate springs or coilover setups and more. Oh yeah, and good for that particular car, an aftermarket limited slip. The stock one wears out FAST.

It can get expensive though, and you still don't get to many of the common stiffening mods the mustang folks use.
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by David Avard »

There are several people who are or have run Mustangs, especially convertibles, in the LA area.

My advice to Mustang drivers is usually to put it in 2nd and leave it there for the whole lap. If you have enough power to break loose the tires in 2nd, you don't need 1st. And the throttle pedal is an analog device, not a digital one. Many Mustang drivers are either foot-to-the-floor (and sideways) or they are off the gas completely. Sideways is fun, but it isn't fast.

And we had a competitor years ago who did run his Mustang in STX.

And you forgot the Panhard bar, Steve.
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Cam Correa »

Hey! :o
I just noticed I forgot the N in the title. :lol:

Can a Mod or Admin fix that for me.
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Leonard Cachola »

Blanco .. wrote:Hey! :o
I just noticed I forgot the N in the title. :lol:

Can a Mod or Admin fix that for me.
... and the 'a' that should be an 'i'...
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Steve Ekstrand »

I thought it was a spy car???
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Aaron Goldsmith »

Leonard Cachola wrote:
Blanco .. wrote:Hey! :o
I just noticed I forgot the N in the title. :lol:

Can a Mod or Admin fix that for me.
... and the 'a' that should be an 'i'...
Oh come on leonad, you missed the easy, "...and the M should be an R."
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Ashley Armstrong »

Steve Ekstrand wrote:I thought it was a spy car???
:lol: :thumbup:
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Leonard Cachola »

Aaron Goldsmith wrote:Oh come on leonad, you missed the easy, "...and the M should be an R."
:lol:
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Sebastian Rios »

Aaron Goldsmith wrote:
Oh come on leonad, you missed the easy, "...and the M should be an R."
You did that on purpose right?
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Cam Correa »

Leonard Cachola wrote:
Blanco .. wrote:Hey! :o
I just noticed I forgot the N in the title. :lol:

Can a Mod or Admin fix that for me.
... and the 'a' that should be an 'i'...
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Cam Correa »

Aaron Goldsmith wrote:and the M should be an R."
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Kurt Rahn »

And the throttle pedal is an analog device, not a digital one.
Good one, David. I'm gonna have to remember that.
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Cam Correa »

The SCCA rule book I have is from 2002, Is that out dated for the Stock class rules?
Or do the same rules still apply?

After this weekend at El Torro, I'm wanting more of this & worry about building self out of the stock class accedently. :cry:

& thanks to all you guys that helped me out & taught me alot this weekend. Image
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Kurt Rahn »

The SCCA rule book I have is from 2002
I'm emailing you the latest version...

...whoops, your email isn't in your profile. Shoot me an email and I'll respond. Or you can go to the scca.com website to download it.
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Cam Correa »

Kurt Rahn wrote:
The SCCA rule book I have is from 2002
I'm emailing you the latest version...

...whoops, your email isn't in your profile. Shoot me an email and I'll respond. Or you can go to the scca.com website to download it.
Thanks, PM with e-mail sent. :thumbup:
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Christine Grice »

The current SCCA rule book can be downloaded from the SCCA.com website:


http://www.scca.com/contentpage.aspx?content=61" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: What will it take to start racing my Covertable Mustang?

Post by Cam Correa »

Christine Berry wrote:The current SCCA rule book can be downloaded from the SCCA.com website:


http://www.scca.com/contentpage.aspx?content=61" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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