Can any one answer a couple of simple elligibility questions?

[Al Weyman]

1) If a tyre is not listed currently in the Blue Book but it has been in the past is it still legal to use that type of tyre if the series regulations have no problem with its use.

2) I have fitted the battery in the boot of my Camaro coupe style car (not hatchback), is it OK in a sealed boot for that not to be fitted inside a battery box as indeed it would not be if left in the original position under the bonnet.

[carsreunited]

Hi Al,

Probably stating the obvious here but is your tank in the same place? Just thinking of sparks and fuel!

Scott

[Chris Y]

I'd quite like to know the answer to question 1 too.. For example, if a tyre is 'E' marked (so road legal), but not on the list 1a, is it still legal for, say, the roadgoing class of a sprint?

[graham bahr]

Originally Posted by Chris Y

I'd quite like to know the answer to question 1 too.. For example, if a tyre is 'E' marked (so road legal), but not on the list 1a, is it still legal for, say, the roadgoing class of a sprint?

basically no, well not in most of the se based sprint championships anyway

[Al Weyman]

The tank is in the original place under the boot floor and isolated.

As far as the tyres go they are Hoosier Street TA's which were legal fair for the old Classic Saloon Car Championship and recommended to me when I started modifying this car to those regs a few years ago. They are basically virtually brand new and I was thinking of sticking an entry into one of the Clasic Sports Car races just to try the old girl out, their rules state 'any moulded treaded tyre' which these clearly are. It looks like they should be legal as far as they are concerned but what about the MSA?

[Anuauto]

Battery: Under MSA GRs, yes if boot "bulkhead" is sealed. Doesnt matter if tank is in boot too. Cant answer for any specific race series SRs. Only GR requirement is for earth lead to be marked (yellow tape will do). Slightly "grey" area is need to cover terminals (eg.with rubber).

Tyres: (First questioner) Depends on series/event SRs.
(Second questioner) Depends entirely where you are competing in speed events. Few regions use the exact MSA GRs for roadgoing. In general, the south west does not use List1a so any road legal tyre can be used in roadgoing. Most of the remainder use List1a but with the rider that it is on the current year's list or the previous year's list (see championship or event SRs). The south east have for 2005 screwed this generalisation by allowing List1b too for road kit cars only but not road "production" cars (note south west does not just allow List1b but allows any road tyre). Confused? You soon will be by the continuing saga of the mad cap world of roadgoing classes in UK speed events...

[MikeBz]

Just to confuse things further for UK listeners, I don't think the South West allows crossplies does it? So no ACB10s, despite them being in List 1B...

Anyway, the point is the SRs often override the Blue Book.

[zefarelly]

Lotus Cortina has tank, batery and fuel pump all in the boot, seems ok, although I have mine in the engine bay as its a GT, probably saves £5-10 kg it battery leads !!!

[Tim Falce]

Don't know about the tyres but I used to have my battery behind the front wheels, then in the boot, now in the passenger footwell (although now it is a dry cell battery). At no time has it been in a box and I have never had any trouble with the scroots except for the cable colours.

[graham bahr]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

2) I have fitted the battery in the boot of my Camaro coupe style car (not hatchback), is it OK in a sealed boot for that not to be fitted inside a battery box as indeed it would not be if left in the original position under the bonnet.

a battery in the boot doesn't need a sealed box as long as the bulkhead is sealed.

[Al Weyman]

Thanx guys for the info and zeferelly are you allowed to move the battery into the boot area because the extra weight would be negligable to the better handling achieved by shifting a dead weight rearwards, I read in Fred Puhns book 'How to make your car handle' that can be equivalant to moving the Centre of Gravity back over 10%.

[zefarelly]

the LC has it in the boot as it won't fit under the bonnet, as I'm [recrossflow I could get a scania truck battery in the spare space.

unless your running one of those I'm not sure about 10% . . .I use a varley red top15 which works a treat and only weighs 5 kg so its only 0.6% of the total weight anyway

[Al Weyman]

Oh I see, I don't think one of those little red tops would spin a big V8, I have a big old truck battery in the chev, tell me if the battery is under the hood well surely you still have to run a lead up to the cut out in the cockpit which would mean more or less the same amount of cable required by the time you have gone from the battery to the switch then back down to the starter motor.

[graham bahr]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Oh I see, I don't think one of those little red tops would spin a big V8, I have a big old truck battery in the chev, tell me if the battery is under the hood well surely you still have to run a lead up to the cut out in the cockpit which would mean more or less the same amount of cable required by the time you have gone from the battery to the switch then back down to the starter motor.

those little red tops will spin over a V8, i had a customer with a gtd40 with full race big block that was clocked at well over 200mph at le mans and that used a little old red top for starting,

they have lots of cranking capacity but only a small AH which is fine if you dont have stuff switched on without the engine running, or you dont want to start the engine a dozen times within a few mins without either a slave battery or letting the engine run long enough to put the charge back in

[Al Weyman]

Thing is Grahame, I have prepared the car to Classic Touring car Pre74 regs and they say it has to weigh in at 3181lbs so I have a little weight in hand and it may as well go in the boot as a nice (cheap) heavy battery to help the weight balance a bit. Actually I have just fitted one of Real Steels excellent Hitachi mini geared high torque starters and the big battery is probably overkill now and I will probably change once I have shook the car down.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

As far as the tyres go they are Hoosier Street TA's which were legal fair for the old Classic Saloon Car Championship

Um,

I think you'll find that to run in CTCRC (as the CSCC became) pre '74 you need to run Dunlop D84s.

[Al Weyman]

I am aware of that Peter but I was thinking of an entry in one of the other series where they are not specific on tyres, Classic Sports Car Club or Top Hat. I had to build it to a set of regs so I thought best to stick to the CTCRC. Incidently why did they change the name, it is all a bit confusing, I liked the old name better, who was it who said 'If it ain't broke then don't fix it.

[Peter Mallett]

Well Top Hat specifically requires D84Js. Not sure about the Classic Sportscar Club.

[Al Weyman]

i think they are free if moulded, treaded, mind you they let in kit cars and all now so chances are i will be an also ran in this tank.

Tell me another thing Peter, this FIA stuff. I am trying to put as much FIA compliant stuff as possible TRS 6 point harness, proper FIA helmet etc. but do they keep changing the spec? Because I bought an OMP FIA compliant seat off eBay secondhand but unused, has the FIA badge and all, I phoned up DT's for a subframe preferably FIA spec and they said the OMP one is not FIA as it has to be side mounted now to comply??? They sent me an OMP subframe kit and it is a nice stout piece that I have fitted today, I think this FIA thing is going OTT myself as there is nothing wrong with what I have fitted in my opinion. No doubt a side mounted seat would be a bit stronger as the bolts are in sheer and not pull but is that all really neccessary because to get a car to comply with all this is one expensive excercise.

[Peter Mallett]

Tyres.

Definitely D84s for 70's saloons and for CTCRC pre 74.

Seats. Hmm, I've got an OMP side mounted seat. But then I've always used side mounts so I've had no need to question it. I suspect that DT will be correct.

[zefarelly]

I bought my seat old but new . . .they did change the rules a few years ago re mounting, and things do move on, 2" main hoops, 6 point harness, 3" straps etc etc. BUT I think the trick is to check before you buy, if its dirt cheap its probably because it WAS FiA until last year or the end of this year . . . .note race suit changes this year.

In all honesty even the FiA realise we're not all multi millionaires, things relating to safety rarely chenge more than once every five years, and I would expect to be changing things after that amount of time anyway. especially if your using them a lot

[Al Weyman]

Sorry Peter I think I confused the issue there re tyres, I meant in the Classic Sports car club.

As far as FIA things go, I have done my best with in budget and if it is not acceptable I am afraid it will be another old car you won't see out there cause I ain't changing it all again I tell you. I'll just stick to trackdays which is a shame. I think it is all a bit over the top myself.

[Richy_Rich]

It will be difficult for us in ickle cars. I tried to fit a side mount seat when I was building the car and had to send it back (or cut a hole in the roof for my head). As far as I know there is no easy way to do this on a Spitfire without fairly significant modifications to the floor...

[Al Weyman]

Well on that subject Richy I think it would be very hard to fit in the Camaro as the floor is uneven and rises up on the tunnel side quite steeply. I looked into side mounts and decided they would not work so I now have a seat that was FIA legal and no longer is with some substantial fixed alloy subframe that presumably is not FIAable either so if you don't have a flat floor what do you do? In my opinion it is very solid so I can't see what the problem is as it is my neck at the end of the day but I am not that stupid to fit something marginal and I don't recon the part would fail anyhow. Oh if I modified the floor the exhaust would not fit!