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vintage groups

To: sol@hoosier
Subject: vintage groups
From: xgg2356@dcmdc.dla.mil (James Fuerstenberg)
Date: Wed Jun 30 08:51:51 1993
I agree with the various comments re the entrants policy of VSCCA.
That is probably one of the reasons that they run basically no
events in this part of the country.  Everyone runs with SVRA, VSCDA
or some other independent organization which has more reasonable
rules.

My 67 mini vintage racer has been raced with SVRA, HSR, VSCDA, CHR
(really very few rules in this group), MCSCC and MBHR.

I did run an SCCA vintage event at Blackhawk Farms last fall, but
they seemed to completely ignore the VSCCA rules and let quite a
variety (if small number) of cars participate.  

There really is no impetus to run any VSCCA events since so many
other organizations run events...On that note, I recommend the SVRA
Mid-Ohio event on the 9-11 of July.  I intend to be there.  Assuming
we get the engine back in the car and ready (in theory, no problem),
look me up. Red Mini, #42 (probably parked near some teutonic
bathtubs)


jfuerstenberg@dcmdc.dla.mil or
jfuerste@zz-link.dcmdc.dla.mil

"giving money and power to congress is like giving whiskey and car
keys to a teenage boy."

P.J. O'Rourke from Parliment of Whores.


From  rwg1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu Tue Sep 11 11:40:46 2001
From: (Roger Garnett) rwg1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu
To: William Hartwell Woodruff <woodruff@engin.umich.edu>,
Date:         30 Jun 93 09:46:38 
Subject:      Re: Calipers

>     What is the purpose of honing cylinders?  As I understand it, its to
> roughen up the glazed surface so the new seals can wear in.

No, rubber seals don't need to wear! The purpose is to make the cylinder

1) round
and
2) smooth

So that the seal can seal. A finely polished surface is best. Final
polishing can be done with crocus cloth, or a buffing compound, and
should be done with a circular motion, rather than along the axis of the
cylinder. Anything but very light honing is to be avoided on Aluminium,
in order not to overly enlarge the bore. Any pitting, scoring, or ovality
makes it harder for the seal to conform to the surface, and any roughness
may actually cause wear on the soft seal.

> could I use a bead blaster and blast at low pressure

NO. This acomplishes neither smooth, or round.

Roger -this subject is boring- Garnett


From  rwg1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu Tue Sep 11 11:40:46 2001
From: (Roger Garnett) rwg1@postoffice.mail.cornell.edu
To: gerry@hostel.att.com, british-cars@hoosier
Date:         30 Jun 93 09:24:46 
Subject:      Re: Letting off steam

> Subject:       Letting off steam

> For those that are unfaminliar with VSCCA (Vintage Sports Car Club of
> America, they are a club which allows only cars "produced
> in limited quantity, with historic racing heritage" - which bsically means
> that if you did not pay pay at least $50,000 for your vintage race car,
> than you can't take part.
> The strange thing is that that they allow MGA's to run but there were NO
> Triumphs,  Sunbeams, Frogeyes at all. They allow Fiat/Abarths to run
> but do not  allow Mini Cooper "S"

I still haven't heard the low-down on TR2's, but Cooper S's are certainly
too new. Every vintage club has it's own rules and qualifying. That's why
there are different clubs... VSCCA's elegibility rules generaly call for
Pre-1960 cars, or models that were in production before that. (MGA's are
somehow an exception, they have just allowed some 60-61 MGA's in. Don't
ask me...) Their intent seems to be to get field of interesting cars, and
avoid all out racing. They seem to succeed in this. The VSCCA only events
I've been to have been friendly, and club like, and less comericial than
some others, like most SVRA events, and the Fall Festival. (Which is a
VSCCA event, but is open to drivers with a license in other clubs) Just
a bunch of guys out running their cars, not putting on a show so much.
VSCCA also does a much better job of getting pre-war, and unique cars out
and running, without much fear of hotshoes causing damage to others. And,
they're LESS picky about having fresh, shiny paint than SVRA.

Groups like SVRA and others, who allow production cars through '67 (or
later), some even through the 70's, often allow or at least ignore all
sorts of modern modifications on a regular basis.

> Also what I found REALLY strange was that they allowed NON-period
> modifications to cars

VSCCA usually frowns heavily on this stuff. Non-period body mods, wide
tyres, later engines, modern wheels, etc. are all taboo. Saftey mods,
like roll bars, fuel cells, belts, minor brake changes, are allowed or
encouraged, of course. Entrants are often warned at one event, but need
to make corrections before the next. As with many clubs tho, some
enforcement is left up to club members, and drivers of similar cars who
know the differences.

> (Sorry for rambling - I had to let off steam because VSCCA would not let me
> run this week-end !!!)

Well, this was a members invitational race, even if it was open to the
public for viewing, that doesn't let anyone with an old car show up and
run. VSCCA runs a drivers school each year to license new members, and have
been known to fail a well known pro driver for racing *too hard*, as well
as incompetents who can't get around the track reasonably.

All that said, I've also heard that this event had much more politics
going on than normal, which is almost always bad for those who want to
just enjoy themselves and race...

Roger -all's I've got is a NY State License- Garnett


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