10 replies to this topic

[AW33COM]

I bought my car setup for SM and SSM and I have few questions related to removing parts.

Can I remove these:

1. passenger door windshield (since it is required to drive with the window down)
2. passenger door metal trim (just like it is removed on the driver side)
3. heater ducts from under the dashboard
4. heater "boxes" from under the dashboard
5. center console
6. center console heater switches/sliders
7. dashboard/heater/ac driver side vent/fan grill
8. All other electrical cables that are not used.


I'm asking, because the previous owner did not remove this, so it makes me wonder.
Please help as I want to finish the interior today.

[Mike Collins]

I bought my car setup for SM and SSM and I have few questions related to removing parts.

Can I remove these:

1. passenger door windshield
2. passenger door metal trim (just like it is removed on the driver side)
3. heater ducts from under the dashboard
4. heater "boxes" from under the dashboard
5. center console
6. center console heater switches/sliders
7. dashboard/heater/ac driver side vent/fan grill
8. All other electrical cables that are not used.

Please help as I want to finish the interior today.

1. Only if you have NASCAR style door bars
2. Only if you have NASCAR style door bars
3. Why would you want to do that? You will loose your defroster
4. NO, you may not remove this, you may bypass it in the engine bay.
5. When you say center console, the horizontal one or vertical one? Yes to the Horizontal one, No to the Vertical one.
6. NO.
7. NO.
8. Not really.

I REALLY suggest you read the GCR/CCR several times and become familiar with the rules and after you do that you may still want to consult with a KNOWLEDGEABLE local (someone else who actually read the rules).

[Jason J Ball]

The GCR clearly spells out what can be removed. Read and re-read the rules. The window and mechanism can be removed. The passenger door can be gutted if and only if you have Nascar Style bars that protrude into the passenger door. All of the HVAC must remain, boxes, ducts, and controls. The AC coil can be removed and you can leave the large box or get an AC delete duct to put in its place. The eye ball vents can come out, I have guages in the center eye vents and the sides are cut for the front down tubes. In case of cold/rain, you'll want defrosters. The only wiring that can be removed is the air bag sensors and control boxes. If the car already has a logbook, I wouldn't change any of these items unless the car is grossly overweight. Hope this helps.

Jason

[Keith Novak]

You can't remove all the unused wires but you can remove some. Where there is a separate harness to something else legal to remove you can like the radio harness, antenna, airbags, electric windows (possibly debateable), and I think there are one or two more. It won't save much weight but it will keep a couple useless wires from being zip tied and stashed out of the way. The way I read it, if it says something along the lines of removing the system or X and it's components, the separate harness is one of the components.

[AW33COM]

I did read the rules, but the rules are not clear when it comes to interior for someone new like me.

For example: the GCR does not draw a line on what can be removed and what can not. You can remove most of the trim from the car, but it does not tell you where to stop removing it.

Anyway, I got my answers. Thanks

P.S.

3. Why would you want to do that? You will loose your defroster

- because I do not remember having to use the defroster when driving with windows down.

[wheel]

As for the defroster, wait until you have a cool, rainy race, when the guys with the defrosters can see and the guys without cannot.

[GregA]

1. Only if you have NASCAR style door bars
2. Only if you have NASCAR style door bars
3. Why would you want to do that? You will loose your defroster
4. NO, you may not remove this, you may bypass it in the engine bay.
5. When you say center console, the horizontal one or vertical one? Yes to the Horizontal one, No to the Vertical one.
6. NO.
7. NO.
8. Not really.

I REALLY suggest you read the GCR/CCR several times and become familiar with the rules and after you do that you may still want to consult with a KNOWLEDGEABLE local (someone else who actually read the rules).

As for #6, I put my gauges and fire bottle pull pin there. Allowable in my opinion under "8.e. Carpets, center consoles, cargo bins, seat belts, floor mat, firewall insulation/blanket, radio system, headliners, dome lights, grab handles, sun visors and their insulating and attaching materials may be removed. Other than to provide for the installation of required safety equipment or other authorized modifications, no other driver/passenger compartment alterations or gutting are permitted."

[Tom Hampton]

Shabi-

I have a post on my blog that lists everything I've removed from my car, and how much it weighs. I haven't removed everything legal (wire harnesses remain, and some parts around the engine that I haven't got to yet). But, everything I've removed I believe to be legal per the GCR, I haven't tried to push the envelope in any way. I haven't left anything in the interior that has any material weight, either.

http://www.tomhampto...weight-removed/

I may have a total of 20 lbs left in the car to extract...wish it were more.

Being 75% through my basic build, and having done this very recently: my perspective on reading the GCR for the first time and trying to use it to guide my build may be different from the more seasoned on this board (many of whom are past pr current SM GCR authors) . I agree that the GCR isn't as clear as it could be....but, all the information is there. I specify products for a living, and no spec is ever as perfect as it could be.

I've read the GCR over-and-over-and-over-and-over. I've read each paragraph while looking directly at the car. I've looked at every part on my car and read the GCR looking for a rule that allows me to remove/modify it. Chapter 9 + the SM chapter is where the meat is for this topic. If you haven't read those two section 50-100 times while working on the car...you've got more reading to do.

Also, don't forget the glossary. Understanding the intent of the vocabularly used (even for common words like "remove" and "system") is key to knowing the limits of the rules. Don't assume that your everyday understanding of a word applies to what you read in the GCR. Remember that fundamentally....every part you remove has to have a GCR paragraph that explicitly allows it to be removed. If you can't find one....you have to leave it in. If you have to use a tortured interpretation to convince yourself....leave it in.

Everything you remove (or change) is a risk of a protest (weeny or otherwise)...which may end up costing you reputation, money, time, or all of the above. How much risk are you willing to accept for a $10 trophy? I'm not suggesting that you are trying to push the rules....just trying to guide the thought process to have when interpretting the rules.

We do make a bit of an assumption that everyone here has read the rules a good number of times. There seems to be a preference for questions like "rule X seems to say that I can do Y, is this correct?" So, if you think that a rule allows you to do something (remove a specific part), but want some consensus from the group....that's a much more well received request than...just asking about the part. It shows you've tried to do your own homework and just need some tutoring. Everyone is willing to help, but spoon-feeding isn't the idea.

[Mike Collins]

The center panel (Vertical Radio & Heater Control Surround, is not the same as the center console. The Center Console has the arm rest box and power window switch and surrounds the gear lever. The Center Console is removable by rule, not the center panel. Sometimes you need to familiarize yourself with Mazda's nomenclature on certain parts.

[davew]

The GCR is very clear as long as you pay attention to the fundamental rule: Unless the rulebook specificly says you can, YOU CAN NOT.

I would agree with Meathead. You should spend a lot more time learning about the class, and slow down on tearing into your car. A little more understanding of the basics, may save you thousands of dollar$ and countless hours. Fixing something you did wrong.

Dave

[dstevens]

The old guys say it's clear but it's not that clear to the new guys until they get a handle on the class. Read the rules, get Wheeler's book, search this site and the old specmiata.com and go see some cars and builders. While the rules are clear on intent, it requires the builder to interpret and think about what they say vs. the if it doesn't say it you can't do it. For example, it doesn't say I can change the routing of my rear wiring harness from the PPF to inside the cabin, but that's a common (and handy) mod.

Read up and search more and you'll get it. Go see some cars if you can and talk to some people and you'll get the hang of it.