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Re: Fair Classing for everybody is ridiculous? (was Fiero classing)

To: Mark Sirota <msirota@isc.upenn.edu>
Subject: Re: Fair Classing for everybody is ridiculous? (was Fiero classing)
From: Iain Mannix <mannix@privateI.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 13:48:47 -0600 (MDT)
FWIW, we're in the process of converting an SP car to a P car - it 
is not a direct progression in the sense that we simply add 
more stuff to the SP car to make it Prepared, but a *lot* of 
the parts do translate from the SP car to the P car.  We have to 
do the following, basically:

Buy new wheels(as opposed to just slicks).
Remove the interior/glass.(progression)
Add a rollbar/stiffen the chassis(progression)
Build a motor - even if the SP motor(size) were the one to 
use, I'd have to go through it anyway - a low compression 
stock motor is not the hot ticket for EP.
Final drive change?  Don't know it to be necessary.
Manipulate the suspension - I can now add things that let 
the car get lower w/o sacrificing geometry.

Dunno.  IMHO, if one is to start with a good SP car, a *lot* of 
the parts translate.  I suppose the wheels are a big financial 
"setback," but in the overall scheme of things, converting from 
SP -> P is not terrible; no matter how you slice it, if you start 
with a stock bodied car(S or SP), there's going to be a lot of 
cutting/welding/fabricating.  A motor is a prerequisite, if you ask 
me; and I do not believe it to be in the spirit of the rules 
to allow SP cars to have P motors - the silly motor has to be 
illegal somewhere, which means the "progression" from anything 
to Prepared is going to include a motor.  

We plan on re-using:

shocks
springs
transmission
chassis
seats
swaybars(unless we find that the SP swaybars are not appropriate)
Ignition
header/exhaust
carbs(some SP cars have aftermarket injection, which gets 
chucked when you go to SP.  In thinking of going to Prepared, 
I bought carbs.  The ignition portion of Kevin's FI is probably 
going to be reused).  
bushings/other stuff


All I have to *buy* are wheels, tires and rollbar/stiffening 
bits, plus the motor(if your SP motor is good enough for P, 
I'd guess it is a REALLY good Huck & CHuck model....;).

Not too bad, really.  Maybe not a _progression_, but with the 
amount of stuff that gets ditched in the process, I'm not 
complaining(interior/glass/bumpers).   

I'll have to get fiberglass fenders/hood, but that's 
"progressive."  Ducting.  Cutting.  Welding.  Fixing.  


I can't think of a realistic way to make a "progression" from a 
stock-type car to a Prepared car - Prepared cars are a LOT different 
from S, ST, SM or SP - the chassis modificaitons are going to be 
the biggest chunk of time/money, IMHO; a motor is fairly 
straightforward, wheels are spendy, but they're not going to 
kill us, ehh, I don't think the situation is broken, either.

"Adding goodies" does not really build a fast car, either - I'd 
venture to guess that going from Stock to SP would involve 
revalving the shocks(a revalve for a stock spring is not 
likely to work on a SP spring), the swaybar size will possibly get 
smaller in SP compared to Stock, the airfilter may change if induction 
changes, etc.  Most SP cars are going to get lighter when they 
go to prepared(not _all_, but a lot, I'm sure) - that can change 
spring rates, swaybar rates, etc.  

Wheels are sorta a drag, but they're the only thing I can think of 
that really changes from SP - P that might not otherwise change.  
The cost of wheels is *small* compared to the rest of the work 
involved, and going from a wide wheel in a popular size to a 
narrow, less popular wheel should be easy.  I could probably 
make money on wheels if I chose to sell my SP wheels to 
buy P wheels(they're not for sale, FWIW:).

Iain Mannix(I think we'll be taking more *out* of the car than 
putting it back in....)




On Mon, 17 Jul 2000, Mark Sirota wrote:

> George Ryan wrote:
> > One more thought. There have been several threads about going from
> > Street Prepared to Prepared, and how it can't be done. That is the
> > progression I am talking about. One can't take a Stock car, set it up
> > for Street Touring, add a few more goodies and have it in Street
> > Prepared, gut it and mod the engine for Prepared, then go full blown
> > with a blower for  the Mod catagory. There is no progression.
> 
> And many of us believe there is no need for such a simple, linear,
> single-path progression.  Just looking at the four basic categories,
> there are already two obvious progressions:
> 
>       S -> SP -> M
>       S -> P -> M
> 
> Add in the "new categories", and there are more possible progressions.
> Isn't choice good?  Why is the S -> SP -> P -> M idea so important?
> 
> Of course, maybe I'm just one of those egotistical national field staff
> types you just love to hate, so you can feel free to automatically
> naysay my opinion.
> 
> Mark
> 


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