48 replies to this topic

[Weekend Warrior]

Can someone point me to the language for the altering of the floor to accommodate taller drivers?

 

[Bench Racer]

September 2015 FasTrack

 

Recommended Items for 2016

 

The following subjects will be referred to the Board of Directors for approval. Address all comments, both for and against, to the Club Racing Board. It is the BoD’s policy to withhold voting on a rules change until there has been input from the membership on the presented rules. Member input is suggested and encouraged. Please send your comments via the form at www.clubracingboard.com.
 

SM 1. #16474 (Ralph Provitz) Driver Seating Position Thank you for your request.  Change 9.1.7.C.7.a.: a. The driver’s seat shall be replaced with a one-piece bucket-type race seat. All seat mountings shall be reinforced. Factory seat tracks/brackets may be modified, reinforced, and/or removed to facilitate replacement mountings provided they perform no other function. The passenger seat must be removed. The transmission tunnel may be modified for the purpose of installing a competition driver seat.

 

The driver’s side floor pan may be modified to accommodate larger/taller drivers. All modifications shall be contained between the transmission tunnel, driver’s side rocker, rear bulkhead and no more than 24” forward of the rear bulkhead. The modification shall not extend below the factory floor stiffener/frame rail. The steel used in the modification shall be no thinner than .060”. All modifications shall be welded in place. This modification shall serve no other purpose other than seating position.

 

David

 

 

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[davew]

I do not have the pix on this computer, but we will have a Floor Drop Plate kit available early next week.

Dave

[luckymiata76]

Dave-will the kit incorporate the transmission tunnel widening kit that's been around a while? Put me on the list as the first buyer.

 

Jeff L

#76 SM

[Jim Drago]

Dave-will the kit incorporate the transmission tunnel widening kit that's been around a while? Put me on the list as the first buyer.

 

Jeff L

#76 SM

Mine will, it will be in the store next week. The prototype will keep the 45 degree front edge as you can see from the underside pictures, you don't want the leading edge to be 90 degrees. It can and will catch something if you run it over, the 45 degree should deflect.  The final version will come with a welded anchor for inner lap belt on tunnel and welded mounts for sub straps.

 

Here is a prototype version from my new car, the final product will be a little nicer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[davew]

We got the kit up on the website yesterday.  http://www.advanced-...products_id=694

 

Our kit gives a nice flat floor that is wide enough for just about any size seat. Unlike the example shown here a few months ago, we cut out the factory floor stiffener rail and install a new piece made from the same material as the Floor Drop Plate. If your factory rails are badly crushed, you will need to do a small amount of repair to them (wood 2x4 and a hammer are all that is needed). Kit includes 5 page instruction sheet with plenty of pictures.

 

Steel sheet is scheduled to arrive Monday, production will start within an hour of the steel arriving. With the PRI show being next week, we won't be shipping until Monday the 14th.

 

 

Dave

[Steve Scheifler]

Nice. Net weight gain of each?

[davew]

The required steel is thicker than the factory material. I have not weighed the cut out piece versus the new panel. And the metal scrapers have already taken the floor panel away from the picture car. Between the verticle pieces and the overlap,  I would GUESS at 4 pounds heavier. For reference purposes, my entire kit with the new floor stiffener weighs a little over 14 pounds. I assume the cutout to be 10 pounds +/-

 

I would like to point out that we completely CNC manufacture these in house. So unless 16 gauge steel sheet goes on backorder, we will never have a shipping time of more that 24 hours.

 

Once I get the instruction sheet finalized, I will post it as a downloadable PDF file on our website.

 

dave

[RussMcB]

<snip>   The final version will come with a welded anchor for inner lap belt on tunnel and welded mounts for sub straps.

That's a nice feature.  Good idea.

[38bfast]

Ok the irony is killing me. The two guys that shot this down when I submitted to the SMAC years ago are the first two to offer kits before the ink is dry on the rules. Funny how things work out. . Not pissed and glad we finally got it accepted. Ever hear the story of the frog and the scorpion?

[FTodaro]

Ok the irony is killing me. The two guys that shot this down when I submitted to the SMAC years ago are the first two to offer kits before the ink is dry on the rules. Funny how things work out. . Not pissed and glad we finally got it accepted. Ever hear the story of the frog and the scorpion?

Lol Ralph, but thankfully, there are venders like you, Jim and Dave that service our community, I would have never been able to build or repair the cars that I have without your help.

[Jim Drago]

Ralph
Sometimes when you don't know what your talking about its best not to say anything at all. You know what they say about assuming! 😄 What would have been worse is to have passed your request and profited by selling a kit that we approved that most did not feel was necessary. As I have said before and will say again.. Only a complete fool would put this modification in their car unless absolutely necessary as it is expensive and very time consuming and should only be done by a professional imo. The only reason to this would be if your head was above the bar. If I sell enough of these to cover set up expenses I will be amazed.

[Weekend Warrior]

Ralph
Sometimes when you don't know what your talking about its best not to say anything at all.

This is why I rarely post. I rarely know what I'm talking about...

[dstevens]

This is why I rarely post. I rarely know what I'm talking about...

 

That's never stopped me before.  For example, right now...

Ralph
Sometimes when you don't know what your talking about its best not to say anything at all. You know what they say about assuming! What would have been worse is to have passed your request and profited by selling a kit that we approved that most did not feel was necessary. As I have said before and will say again.. Only a complete fool would put this modification in their car unless absolutely necessary as it is expensive and very time consuming and should only be done by a professional imo. The only reason to this would be if your head was above the bar. If I sell enough of these to cover set up expenses I will be amazed.

 

I don't know the back story about how the rule went down and who did or didn't supporting.  I do recall a tall Russian dude in Portland (granola Portland, not lobstah Portland) about 10 years ago that hammered down the floor of his car so he would fit and got DQed.  Long overdue, good call for getting it in the regs.

 

I just did some napkin math cutting and bending these using the Torchmate II.  It's the same one I use when I cut steel.  If someone is cutting these in house at $250 a pop it's not going to be a bad haul.  If you bought the table and brake just to build these I could see where it wouldn't make sense.  For those that already use them in the course of business the fab of the part is ridiculously easy.  Like 10th grade metal shop easy.   If you making several hundred (or even a hundred) contracting might make sense.  I doubt there are 100, if that, who would need this mod.

 

The install is where the cost will be.  It's not a shade tree install.   But a cage isn't either.   It's easily going to be more than the part.  Around here it's $80 to 150/hr for that kind of work.   I'd budget 4 hours not counting paint and what ever new seat mount design and fab is required.  

[Jim Drago]

Just need to install anchors.



Here are the rest...
http://s307.photobuc...p panels?sort=3

[davew]

I did some quick math when I priced the Drop Plate. If I sell 20 pieces it covers the time and materials to design and build the prototypes. On #21 I start making real profit. My guess is about 30 per year. So after a year and thousands of dollars invested, I have less than $1000 in my pocket.

 

I'd be better off flipping burgers at McyDees for $15 an hour. But that is a totally different arguement.

 

Doing the first one would be a 5 hour addition to a cage build. Should be faster the second time around. Doing a retrofit to an existing racecar would be even more fab time.

[Todd Lamb]

Lose $20 on every part, but make up for it in volume.

[davew]

Lose $20 on every part, but make up for it in volume.

 

That is my business model

[Steve D]

... I do recall a tall Russian dude in Portland (granola Portland, not lobstah Portland) about 10 years ago that hammered down the floor of his car so he would fit and got DQed....

Sounds like Bernard.  Christ, I haven't thought about that argumentative bastard in YEARS.  Ahhh, memories.

[Bench Racer]

Sounds like Bernard.  Christ, I haven't thought about that argumentative bastard in YEARS.  Ahhh, memories.

Thanks, couldn't remember his name when dstevens mentioned. Also the Clown, Jim B. has been missing in action, but not as long.