112 replies to this topic

[dstevens]

Side note on fixing body damage re: time/costs...

 

In preparation to sell the Miata as a Heritage class base build I decided to take care of the body and paint.  The car had some midwest hail damage and while it looked good for 50 at 50 I figured for a hundred bucks or so and a few hours I could put a bit of a shine back on the car.  After about 40 hours with a body hammer and stud welder and now $300+ in material it's back to all (mostly) clean lines and fresh paint.  Were I to replace panels I would have needed a deck lid, hood and fender in addition to the rear quarters.  If this car were going to run SM or SSM I wouldn't have gone into the effort though under a body damage rule I wouldn't have run it.  Even if you were to get salvage parts locally it'd still be the better part of a grand plus labor and paint.

 

That said, you guys need to be careful with this existing body damage rule particularly at the regional level.  It could screw many otherwise good racers that just want to have fun.  I don't see how someone's dirty car impacts anyone else's race.

 

This is just after the tub sprayed.  It was shot with paint code Ford SZ Flame Blue.

 

[Johnny D]

I know your a DIY'r.

 

Just throwing this out

https://www.maaco.co...ummerpaintsale/

 

J~

[dstevens]

If you don't shoot paint the cheapy Maaco jobs are great for a race car.  That cheap Maaco job I could have shot for well under $100 all in with better quality material.  No bodywork, cheap acrylic enamel single stage.  A few years ago we had Maaco shoot a Toyota Matrix.  A few light dings, not quite as cheap acrylic single stage.  They did a great job.  $800.  To do what I did to the NA with like material it would have been closer to what others have quoted in a few grand as they would have replaced panels or I would have had to replace them.  Doing things like this keeps me off the streets and makes Vegas a safer place...

 

The only reason I'm not working out in the shop right now is the only thing I hate more than converting a 20 yr old car into a race car is working in 115* heat converting a 20 yr old car into a race car.  I've got a street legal Class 7100 off road truck in progress right now, my wife and I want to run the 2019 Mint 400.

[Johnny D]

Here's another.

I was happy with the paint these guys sent me. Rattle can.

http://www.automotiv...barnoslider.htm

 

J~

[Bench Racer]

That said, you guys need to be careful with this existing body damage rule particularly at the regional level.  It could screw many otherwise good racers that just want to have fun.  I don't see how someone's dirty car impacts anyone else's race.

 

And if folks at all levels of SCCA racing have a desire to race cars with body damage and other disgusting dirt similar to the car Dave Wheeler mentioned, maybe they should go race crap can chump car. The SCCA GCR rules don't differentiate between levels (regional/divisional/majors/super tour) of racing, we all have full competition licenses. 

 

There was a LOT OF VERY SERIOUS DAMAGE to cars at the June Sprints. Per say the Spec Miata drivers are looking for support to eliminate the on track car-to-car contact, I wonder how many log books had damage write up, from the normal GCR  rules. If the current GCR rules are understood, everything is in place, except the car-to-car contact drivers MUST be required to go to impound and the corner workers MUST call in what the view. A new wheel is not required, just tweak the existing wheel. If we wait for electronic log books we all know that'll happen next year. Sure, when is next year. 

[Rob Burgoon]

And if folks at all levels of SCCA racing have a desire to race cars with body damage and other disgusting dirt similar to the car Dave Wheeler mentioned, maybe they should go race crap can chump car.

 

 

Maybe a car show would be a safer place for your sensitivity to dirt

[Bench Racer]

Maybe you should look at the SCCA podium cars, car-to-car damage and disgustingly dirty, NOT.

 

From my perspective these ^ drivers take equal pride in their race-craft and their race equipment. 

[Danica Davison]

LOL if a tech guy or steward told me I had to clean my car ... I would tell them to get a rag and do it themselves because I have more important shit to do like drink beer

[Danica Davison]

why clean it when it will be dirty again in half a lap

[dstevens]

Maybe you should look at the SCCA podium cars, car-to-car damage and disgustingly dirty, NOT.

 

From my perspective these ^ drivers take equal pride in their race-craft and their race equipment. 

 

I think most of those guys should have advanced to MX5 Cup at this point.  SM has lost focus on grassroots club racing and has basically morphed into a pro level class.  That negatively impacts the rest of those as costs have increased dramatically.    I'd agree that body work that is not securely attached or that has damage that is dangerous to the driver or other participants should be meatballed.   No bear bond, duct tape, the operational geometry of parts that open should be as shipped and unobstructed.  IOW, if you have to open the passenger door with a pry bar then it's time to fix it.  Excessive dirt on a part that requires a visual inspection should be cleaned.   The situation at the Sprints was exactly how not to handle it and to the sanctions credit the reversed the decision.

 

Now you are counting on people enforcing a strictly subjective standard.  What's to say it won't morph into paint schemes, the quality of livery?  Is a crease you can't see from 10' away relevant because you can see it when you are up on it?  You are projecting your personal opinion and values on others in a case where what they are doing in no way impacts your participation. You need a better reason than "I don't like it and it doesn't meet my arbitrary standards".

[Bench Racer]

And why and what are you doing to your race car.

[Johnny D]

I would speculate to get it nice enough to sell so someone else can crash it up and get it dirty.

 

J~

[dstevens]

And why and what are you doing to your race car.

 Just to impress you Dewey...    

 

The car is going to be pitched as a Heritage car.  I was just going to spray it and be done with it but I decided to use it to learn better body work techniques and it was only a few hundred more in materials to use the real stuff.  As stated above, were I going to race it I wouldn't have been concerned.   A vintage class is different from a club racing class in that part of vintage racing is a clean car, restored to original glory or used as an original, intact survivor car.  It's part car show, part exhibition race.  Basically a racing museum.  That's not what club racing is.

 

My point in sharing was that body work is expensive and time consuming.  Paint is relatively easy.  Go the Maaco route, bag your garage and shoot your own or get some rattle can touch up (or if it's like the 3 time champ hobby stock I did some fab work for roll on latex house paint after every race...).    Body work is panel replacement or hammer and dolly and stud welder, high build primer and glazing or light filler if you want to smooth those lines out and a bunch of labor.  There's a well worn meme in the custom paint world that it should be called custom sanding.  Between blocking the body lines and cut and buff there is much more sanding in a job than painting.