Dave Williamson wrote:
(not in original sequence)
>Get the rulebook. Read the rulebook. Know the rulebook.
With which I agree. I would also add: "read the original query,"
which was regarding a Stock-Category car.
>You protest the car[8.3] as having an illegal piston, prior to
the beginning
>of last runs for the car's class[8.3.8.A].
>You cite:
>12.4 Standard Part
>(for Stock)
>Appendix F - Clarifications, Stock Category, Factory Recalls
>13.0 Stock Category Preamble
>13.1 Authorized Modifications
>13.10 Engine and Drivetrain
>13.10.B Cylinder rebore and replacement pistons
Which is as far as you need to go for a Stock-Category car. The
reference to 12.5 isn't necessary, and 13.0 covers all the
required ground. I would suggest additionally referencing
Appendix F, Clarifications.
>If it is different than what the factory workshop manual says
(which the
>owner has supplied to the protest committee),
It is highly unlikely that _any_ manufacturer's shop manual has
definitive specifications on pistons (e.g., compression height,
weight, dome/recess dimensions, ring locations, etc). Ergo, the
protest can't be decided at this point.
>then the owner has to supply
>written documentation from the auto manufacturer that this
piston is the
>official replacement for the original, i.e., a TSB that lists it
as a
>running change in production and proper retrofit for service.
Or, far more simply, a page from the parts fiche that shows the
original part number as being discontinued and the new part
number as the correct replacement.
>I see an issue here if the original piston is No Longer
Supplied, and the
>newer piston is listed in the parts book as an alternate, but no
"factory
>recall" per Appendix F has been issued for its use.
This is not an issue. The preamlbe to the Stock rules says "as
specified by the manufacturer." A car manufacturer can change the
specifications of a car and/or replacement parts therefor after
the car is manufactured, and neither a recall nor a TSB is
required. A simple supercede listing in the official replacement
parts documents is all that's necessary.
>Is the mere listing in a
>parts book sufficient to be a "factory directive" in 12.4?
That verbiage applies to dealer-installed options, not to
factory-specified replacement wear parts.
>I could make an argument that the fitting of the replacement
piston without
>a supporting factory recall is illegal in Stock by taking the
position that
>12.4 only applies to the car as delivered.
Except that 12.4 does not apply to this case. See Section 13,
Paragraph 2. Then check the Stock Category Clarifications
regarding recalls for the correct application of the concept of
"as specified by the factory."
>If the car was delivered with the
>original pistons, then it has to use them.
It can either use the original pistons or items specified by the
manufacturer as correct replacements. If the specifications of
the correct replacement parts are not identical to those of the
original, that is allowed.
>In SP, I could also argue that, if the
>pistons are installed by the factory on a later model, they are
still
>illegal, since you can only update/backdate the engine as an
entire unit.
This is not an issue in SP. See below.
>Of course, this doesn't factor in 14.11 (Out-of-Production
Cars), which can
>open a huge can of worms. What exactly is "as similar as
possible?"
For an SP car, all you do is take an original piston to JE,
Wiseco, Venolia, or any number of other piston manufacturers and
have them clone it. That's specifically allowed in SP, as long as
the replacement piston is dimensionally the same and weighs at
least as much as an allowed factory part (which would include a
superceded part in the same manner as Stock).
Jay
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