35 replies to this topic

[Tom Hampton]

Kinda what I figgerd. That's why I hadn't bought it already. Probably better off buying pre-drilled bolts. Maybe a local machinist would do the actual caliper bolts...and other non-COTS bolts? ...Or use loctite. For some bolts, I just like the idea of seeing the wire as a positive check.

[dstevens]

A link for safety wire pliers...

http://www.summitrac...parts/MRG-8023G

In karting safety wire is everywhere. Kind of important when you're driving a 115 mph kart an inch or two off the ground with no restraints. Stock cars use it as well. Pretty common in all forms of racing.

You can drill your own bolts, I have for years at one point with a 39 buck HF drill press. You must use quality cutting tools, fluid and the proper speed. There are jigs to make the job easier. Or you can make your own.

http://www.pegasusau....asp?RecId=1192

[wheel]

Both these are good tools to have. I've never used the cool vise deal. I'm sure it would make it a lot easier.

wheel

[Tom Hampton]

My dad does motorcycles, and they safety wire everything, too. But, all his bolts are predrilled.

Yeah..."drill press" has always been on my list of "desired tools". But, it never makes it to the top. I have several hand drills, and I have a woodworking tool called a mortiser...which does most of the job of a drill press (it just doesn't do variable speed). So, I can almost always get buy with what I've needed to drill...and, therefore buy something else as a capitol expense.

Yep, those were the catalogs and items I was referring to above.

[dstevens]

After burning up a few cheap HF drill presses (well, one the chuck fell off) my wife bought me a 10" Craftsman drill press for Christmas. They come up on Craftsman Club sales a few times year for under a 100 bucks.

http://www.sears.com...=2&blockType=G2

It's plenty good enough for what I do. It's not a Jet or Dake but it's far better than anything HF has and has served me well for about a year and a half at this point.

Dake
http://www.vansanten...ill_presses.htm

Jet
http://www.vansanten...ill_presses.htm

I've had good luck with cobalt drills from Norseman ( http://www.norsemandrill.com/ ) but they are a bit pricey compared to the big box and HF but they are way better. The little ones for the wire holes (IIRC 1/16th ") do break but I can get a set of bolts out of them.

Garden project got rained out today, off the the garage to get a few bonus hours on the car before my lovely wife's birthday party tonight. WOOT!

[Juan Pineda]

The ballast rule has been re-written, already, to allow for the use of the seat mounts.

Effective 4/1/11, in 9.1.8.C.8.i.2, add the following: "Alternatively, ballast may
be secured using all 4 Mazda factory passenger seat mounting bolt holes."

 

What is the status of this rule change? Looking at 9.1.7.C.8.i in the 2013 GCR, this text does not appear.

[Alberto]

What is the status of this rule change? Looking at 9.1.7.C.8.i in the 2013 GCR, this text does not appear.

In case you haven't seen it, this ballast system is awesome.

http://mazdaracers.c...ballast-system/

[Cy Peake]

What is the status of this rule change? Looking at 9.1.7.C.8.i in the 2013 GCR, this text does not appear.

 

This is how my ballast has been mounted for the last 5 seasons...stock passenger seat bolt holes.

[Keith Novak]

In case you haven't seen it, this ballast system is awesome.

http://mazdaracers.c...ballast-system/

I built a nearly identical system from scratch.  When you figure the cost of the base plate as raw material, cutting to size, bending the edges to match the car, placing the holes to match the seat mounts, welding the captured nuts, match drilling all the ballast plates, and painting so that it doesn't look like a pile of rust...Jim's price for a ready built system is pretty reasonable unless you just want to make one yourself for spits and giggles.

[mhiggins10]

Question- can a passenger seat be used as ballast? I looked for the definition in the gcr and it only notes that ballast must be a fixed mass, so I would assume so...

[Keith Novak]

Question- can a passenger seat be used as ballast? I looked for the definition in the gcr and it only notes that ballast must be a fixed mass, so I would assume so...

Nobody would bat an eyelash over it.  It doesn't weigh much so it's not really effective ballast as much as stuff you didn't gut out of the car.  An extra 1/4 gallon in the tank would probably be more effective balast for weight distribution.

[Randy Thieme]

Question- can a passenger seat be used as ballast? I looked for the definition in the gcr and it only notes that ballast must be a fixed mass, so I would assume so...

Legal or not a seat has too high of a center of mass. Ballast should be as low as legally possible.

[Todd Green]

Question- can a passenger seat be used as ballast? I looked for the definition in the gcr and it only notes that ballast must be a fixed mass, so I would assume so...

9.1.7. Spec Miata Class Specifications

8. Driver/Passenger Compartment - Trunk
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.

[john mueller]

NASA rules have been updated to allow passenger seat mount usage for Ballast.

 

http://www.nasaproracing.com/rules/spec_miata_rules.pdf

 

10.2.1.3. All pieces of ballast must be bolted

within the passenger compartment, through the

floor pan on the passenger side of the cockpit

or ballast may be secured using all 4

Mazda OEM passenger seat mounting bolt holes

[DrDomm]

Seems silly to me that if you mount the ballast thru the floor you only need 2 bolts, but if you use the seat mounts you need all 4.

[RussMcB]

What's the reason SCCA rules require passenger seat removal?