ITS Bumpers and Damn Airdams

BeerBudgetRacing

BeerBudgetRacing

New member
Okay - I've seen several discussions of AirDams and the one I have is probably illegal (MSA Type 3).

Issue: Front Bumper - ain't got one. I actually have a 2" tube bumper we made (car was originally for lemons, team fell apart - damn kids and college - so I'm retrofitting).
Is the front bumper required? Is the original front bumper required?

Issue: Airdam GCR:" It shall not protrude beyond the overall outline of the body when viewed from above perpendicular to the ground, or aft of the forward most part of the front fender opening. This body outline does not include bumpers or bumper mounts."

So, as I read that, if I modify the MSA3 to tuck it under the body so the lower lip thing is even with the front of the hood, I'm okay?

Thoughts / suggestions ?
 
no question in ITS the body and bumper have to be stock as Ed said. IT is after all a restrictive prep class. now cars that exceed the prep rules can normally run in ITE in most places (or ITEZ where available) but you may have another problem with tech. the safety standards in IT are based on the crush structure of the original car being intact. with limited cages (compared to prod or GT) and stock fuel tanks tech may be reluctant to issue a logbook with out the protection of bumpers.
 
I took a look at the MSA Type 3 and I do not think it is legal.

Type 2 is legal I believe and what I have on my car. You can keep the front valance pan in place with a type 2 with a little modification. If you get the Urethane type you will need to add some stiffeners to the leading edge to keep it from folding downward at speed. Then again a splitter would support the leading edge as well.

Bumpers are available but not super cheap. You may be able to find one that needs repairs that will work fine for a race car. Straighten and paint, DONE!

Paul



BeerBudgetRacing said:
Okay - I've seen several discussions of AirDams and the one I have is probably illegal (MSA Type 3).

Issue: Front Bumper - ain't got one. I actually have a 2" tube bumper we made (car was originally for lemons, team fell apart - damn kids and college - so I'm retrofitting).
Is the front bumper required? Is the original front bumper required?

Issue: Airdam GCR:" It shall not protrude beyond the overall outline of the body when viewed from above perpendicular to the ground, or aft of the forward most part of the front fender opening. This body outline does not include bumpers or bumper mounts."

So, as I read that, if I modify the MSA3 to tuck it under the body so the lower lip thing is even with the front of the hood, I'm okay?

Thoughts / suggestions ?
Click to expand...
 
What car is it? I may have or have access to bumpers.
Also; "Prod" or ITEZ allows bumper removal and air dams . For Prod, If you run without bumpers tho you must have a cell. and fire system .
I would at least add a tube bumper behind the tank regardless of the rules, for ITEZ.
 
dickita15 said:
no question in ITS the body and bumper have to be stock as Ed said. IT is after all a restrictive prep class. now cars that exceed the prep rules can normally run in ITE in most places (or ITEZ where available) but you may have another problem with tech. the safety standards in IT are based on the crush structure of the original car being intact. with limited cages (compared to prod or GT) and stock fuel tanks tech may be reluctant to issue a logbook with out the protection of bumpers.
Click to expand...

We acquired the car as a shell. The previous owner was going to make it a track car. First he stripped it, then he cut out the back spare/fuel tank area (gaping hole), cut some holes in the hood and proceeded to weld the gas door, etc. (See the quality in the pics). Luckily he ran out of money fast.

We added the bumpers (see pics). Much more substantial than stock - by far.
We've added a cage, fuel cell, seat, etc.
I'm satisfied the car is safer than stock, but will the inspectors be?

240zAirDam.jpg
240zAirDamFrontView.jpg
240zRearBumper.jpg
 
pballance said:
I took a look at the MSA Type 3 and I do not think it is legal.

Type 2 is legal I believe and what I have on my car. You can keep the front valance pan in place with a type 2 with a little modification. If you get the Urethane type you will need to add some stiffeners to the leading edge to keep it from folding downward at speed. Then again a splitter would support the leading edge as well.

Bumpers are available but not super cheap. You may be able to find one that needs repairs that will work fine for a race car. Straighten and paint, DONE!

Paul
Click to expand...

I hunted for some bumpers. Basically $200 ea is crappy shape or fiberglass (which I suspect is illegal)......

So, the problem with the Type 3 is the "bumper" that is part of it. Moves the whole thing forward a violates the "extends beyond bodywork" rule which is in a lot of classes.
What I'm thinking of doing is cutting that part of the airdam off. This leaves the lower section of it, the sides and the ducts intact. I believe it could then be mounted back far enough to not protrude beyond the hood which is the furthest forward body part.....

View attachment 3721
View attachment 3722

Just trying to do it right as best I can.
 
Fiberglass bumpers are illegal. I should have a set of stock front and rear 240Z bumpers. I'm thinking $250 for the pair give or take depending on condition. Send me an email if you're interested.

Chuck
[email protected]
 
This is one of those situations where the amount you have to do to make the car IT legal might make it more sensible to build the car for another class. you have so much "racecar" to undo - the rear panel, hood, rear quarters, bumpers, and that's just what we can see from 3 pictures. Not trying to steer you away from IT, but this might end in more frustration than racing.
 
A quick look shows stuff you need to have for IT; headlights and wiring, wipers- motor and wiring, stock bumpers, i ampretty sure that you need most of the stock wiring harness. Along with stock brakes, trans- flywheel etc. Stock glass.

Stuff you cant have; Holes in the hood, non stock intake- carbs etc.,

I dont know where you are in the SCCA country. Maybe check the vintage group and see how much of this can run, maybe check the ITEZ rules ,if you have them in your area.
Call your local race director/chair, and or tech guy and explain your situation to him. He should do his best to help you find a class for your car. Maybe ITE, SPU or some catchall class will get you started.
Last look at NASA rules , WRL rules are very open but have very few races.
 
Well, I knew about the holes in the hood and the carb, etc. - on the list of things to fix. Drivetrain is stock otherwise.

Did not know about headlights/wipers/wiring/etc. Sounds like I'd need a stock dash too.....

Probably wouldn't meet the requirements of EP then either.....
 
EP can have the lights removed- I think you can leave one open for air intake but the other should be covered (there are headlight covers out there). no holes in the hood so you'll still need to fix that. wipers and ETC are open in Prod as well.

Prod doesn't need a dash either.

If you want to get the car on track ASAP, you could run it in ITEZ or something so you can at least run, then swap/add parts as needed to make it legal for the class you choose.

ITEZ and ITE are simply "run what you brung, as long as it passes safety rules" classes.
 
Thanks for the advice. I'm in Calclub (So Cal) and I haven't seen those classes listed but will look into it.

I guess Bumpers might be the issue.

Is the an EP website like this one?
 
http://prodracing.com/prodcar/

Ignore the whine about everything but the weather on this forum, but there are some knowledgeable people. It is expensive to be competitive in Production due to some of the allowances. Dog Ring gear box, composite body and lexan windows, etc. You can have a blast running until you really decide the direction you want to go. Jump in and see what you like before you spend a bunch of money on the car.
 
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