142 replies to this topic

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2-3g

[Modelville Guy]

How about something like a fiddlestick that you push down on the roof and it has bend less than x at reading y? Thus you are checking the stiffness of the body which should be relatable to the thickness. Of course the fiddlesticks would have to be "calibrated" and how you measure the bend, Just thinking. Could also do it with a weight placed on the roof.

 

Why will what was found illegal not be made public knowledge?

 

Give a heads up to all tech inspector what people are doing so they look for it too.

[NJ Racer]

A simple push test on the roof or hood by an experienced tech inspector (rhymes with moose) would reveal whether more inspection  with a caliper is needed. No need to delay the race by testing every car.

 

Makes perfect sense to me, Bill.

[Eddie Fleming]

Exactly what are we talking about here?

 

I started off thinking we were talking about people pulling thin bodies for select people. (Nothing new) Now I get the impression there is more to it than that. did something happen I am not aware of or is this just a Slot Blog tempest in a tea-pot?

[NJ Racer]

Eddie...

 

I doubt that we will ever obtain full disclosure in this public forum of the cause of this specific issue. 

[Eddie Fleming]

Not asking for full disclosure. I don't need or want names or anything like that.

[Racer36]

Exactly what are we talking about here?
 
I started off thinking we were talking about people pulling thin bodies for select people. (Nothing new) Now I get the impression there is more to it than that. did something happen I am not aware of or is this just a Slotblog tempest in a tea-pot?

 

How do you take your tea?

[MSwiss]

Eddie,

 

As I said in our PM, there is nothing more to this than Matt Bruce's post #8.

[Tim Neja]

Why not remove the manufacturer's bodies from the approved list that pulled light ones??  

 

And like someone said – a simple push test on the top of the body will show if it's way out of spec or not.

[MSwiss]

There is absolutely no way to prove that the light body was pulled by that manufacturer and not someone else that backpoured it.

[Danny Zona]

I wonder how many racers will change their tires when a track rubbers up and the conditions change.

Especially at the Premier events.

 

I'm not wondering anymore after I read a few posts on the Retro East Facebook page about this.

[Danny Zona]

So I heard through the grapevine that Stock Car roof bodies were being checked at the recent GRRR race.

I'm just asking because we all know how the grapevine talk can go. The story can easily get twisted around. Possibly not even a hint of truth.

[JerseyJohn]

Wwe ran stock Saturday at Port Jeff. Roofs were examined for the Smoky Yurick body treatment lol 

 

Says Vic Edelbrock, who owns the restored car today, "The front suspension points were relocated and the subframe Z-cut and rewelded to allow for a lower floorpan. The entire body was acid-dipped, the hood and front fenders are reshaped and are wider and lower, and every surface under the body was made smooth and reshaped to reduce drag. The windshield was laid back and the drip rails pulled in flush with the body."

[Eddie Fleming]

e ran stock Saturday at Port Jeff. Roofs were examined for the Smoky Yunick body treatment LOL.

 

How were the roofs examined?

[John Luongo]

we ran stock Saturday at Port Jeff. Roofs were examined for the Smoky Yurich body treatment lol 

 

Says Vic Edelbrock, who owns the restored car today, "The front suspension points were relocated and the subframe Z-cut and rewelded to allow for a lower floorpan. The entire body was acid-dipped, the hood and front fenders are reshaped and are wider and lower, and every surface under the body was made smooth and reshaped to reduce drag. The windshield was laid back and the drip rails pulled in flush with the body."

ole smokey once quipped: "half the nascar rule book was generated for him". when nascar tech officials went out to the parking lot to use body templates on a stock "unaltered" body, the only car in the lot that could be checked was one that smokey had already modified. the templates fit the exact shape of that car and his race car. when smokeys trans am camaro failed tech with 9 major violations including a higher capacity fuel tank which they removed and tested. smokey said, "make it 10 violations", he started it up and drove back to the pits sans fuel tank. very crafty

[JerseyJohn]

LOL his fuel lines  were  6 inchs. rear to front held about 10 gallons. LOL

[Jay Guard]

So I heard through the grapevine that stockcar roof bodies were being checked at the recent GRRR race.


I'm just asking because we all know how the grapevine talk can go. The story can easily get twisted around. Possibly not even a hint of truth.

Danny:

The roofs of the Stockcar bodies were not checked using any kind of tool, but I did press down on each roof to see if any one of them seemed thinner then the others and did not find anything unusual.  I did check the hood and sides of every body and they all passed the present specification. 

[Hot Slots]

Danny:
The roofs of the Stockcar bodies were not checked using any kind of tool, but I did press down on each roof to see if any one of them seemed thinner then the others and did not find anything unusual.  I did check the hood and sides of every body and they all passed the present specification. 

So how thick does the roof need to be? The same as the hood? It's not specified in the rules.

[John Luongo]

as retro racing has progressed, i have observed that it has evolved into a "drivers class" with consistent motors (thank you, mike), exceptional chassis designs and parity in bodies. when you get beat on the track its not because the other guys equipment is better, he flat out drove you. incredibly close racing at all levels. best regards

[Jay Guard]

So how thick does the roof need to be? The same as the hood? It's not specified in the rules.

That info should be posted soon.

[Phil Hackett]

Sounds like someone is volunteering to make a fixture to test roof thickness...

Done.

[Steve Deiters]

I saw a method at a trade show once to measure the thickness of plastic bottles.

It used a ball bearing inside the bottle and a proximity switch of some sort which was held up to the location of where the ball bearing was that interacted with it and provided the thickness.

 

[Matt Bruce]

as retro racing has progressed, i have observed that it has evolved into a "drivers class" with consistent motors (thank you, mike), exceptional chassis designs and parity in bodies. when you get beat on the track its not because the other guys equipment is better, he flat out drove you. incredibly close racing at all levels.

With all due respect, John, this isn't about better equipment, or your opinion about what you think Retro is.

 

Because if you cannot realize the performance advantage a thinner body makes on a Retro car, you are clueless to what has been happening the past few years. You speak of parity in bodies, nothing could be farther from the truth.

This discussion is about addressing those issues, which make no mistake about it, is and has been a problem. We want parity, and we want rules to be enforced to keep not only the competitors in check, but the manufacturers as well.

[John Luongo]

matt, thank you for your insight and opinion. of course there is no parity in slot racing or life for that matter. retro isnt iroc racing. i thought my comment would illicit such a response and i phrased it as a way for me to become more knowledgeable about the degree of the problem and the lack of parity in bodies, thank you. agreed, lighter built bodies can make a significant improvement in a car, but until tech inspection can accurately and consistently determine the construction legality of those bodies, how do you enforce the rules. without an arbitration protocol, what penalties can be assessed to a transgressor or body manufacturer besides failing tech. i am pleased that you and irra are working hard at getting a handle on this issue and i look forward to reading your progress in this matter. warmest regards

[Matt Bruce]

I know what you are trying to say, and I agree that Retro has proven its longevity thru close racing. The single most important reason why it has lasted so long is its rule set. The rules have stayed pretty much unchanged, and those who crafted them deserve the credit of Retro racings success. Rules that become subjective over time however, like the body thickness issue, leads to more and more disparity to the point that if left unchecked, results in nobody knowing what is right and what is wrong. You are correct, failure at tech will self police this, but we need a clear rule so racers understand where the line is. Manufacturers will always make whatever they want, but if racers dont get to race them because they dont meet the rules, that game will get old. Next to tires, the single most important advantage in Retro today are bodies, and IMO should be the most important item inspected at tech. One to two tenths advantage per lap is huge in Retro given the close racing, rule parameters, motors etc. The success of Retro past, present, and future is its rules set and the IRRAs ability to stick to them regardless.