September, 2003

Vintage Sedan Racers Group

Our Rules Discussion in our last newsletter prompted a number of people to inquire about where to find the “Recognition” forms mentioned in the rules.   This has been a recurring question in the vintage sedan community over the years and with the formation of VSRG it seems to come up more and more.  It seems like a good time to clarify what these forms detail and what they do not.

Simply put these forms detail the Manufacturers specifications for a particular model and some of the allowed modifications that were specified by the SCCA during the period.  This seems pretty straightforward at first glance but where things get sticky is where the SCCA allowed a part, particularly a motor, that was not originally installed in the model.  These “allowances” are often the most difficult to document as the forms went "MIA" years ago.  Many might recall that we put out an urgent message a couple of months ago for just such a case where the SCCA allowed a later motor to be used in a model that did not originally have the motor.  In that case we did locate what appears to be a form that allows a later 1750 in the early "two headlight" Alfa.

As a starting point lets take a look at what comprises a period Recognition Form.  Firstly the copies we have seen of these consist of more than one page, typically four.  There is an overview page followed by two pages of photos that show various angles of the car and motor components.  The final page is often the one most in need and the focus of the remainder of this section. Please note that there are forms for many SCCA classes during the period however his discussion and the examples apply to the Sedan classes, not Production classes.

Below is a list of items that appear on ths page.  As you read this be aware there is a gotcha.    The specifications page doesn’t have a date!  At least the copies we have seen do not although there is typically an embossed stamp that might have had a date however these are usually unreadable. 

Page Header

• Manufacturer and Model of the car.
• Class the sheet refers to such as B-Sedan or C-Sedan.
• Minimum weight.  Note this is not relevant to the VSRG rules as the rules expand on the original formula and allow for the fuel and driver where the original did not.

Material used/allowed in the Chassis and Body

• Front and rear fenders;  coachwork;  doors;  hood;  deck lid.  These always state the original materials and in some cases allow for the use of fiberglass replacements.

Windows (all forms we have seen shown the same values)

• Door  -  this will read “Glass/Remove”
• Rear Quarter - this will be “Glass/Plexiglass”
• Rear - this will be “Glass/Plexiglass”
• Rear Door - this will be “Glass/Plexiglass/Remove”

Engine (note this is the STOCK specifications);

• Type, number of cylinders, location, cooling, valve operation
    As an example the Datsun 510 is listed as “Four, In-Line, Water Cooled, Single-overhead-camshaft
• Bore - Stock bore for the engine
• Stroke - Stock for the engine
• Total Displacement (stock specification)
• Material of Block -  Stock for the engine such as “Cast Iron” etc.
• Number of Main Bearings and Journal Diameter
• Connecting Rod Material - (such as “Ferrous”) and Journal Diameter
• System of Lubrication - “Oil-In-Sump” is most common

Cylinder Head (again mostly stock specs).  Note that If an Aluminum Cylinder Head is allowed it will be typed in.

• Intake Port Diameter and Exhaust Port Diameter is generally left blank.
• Number of Valves per Cylinder - (stock number).
• Type of Valve Spring, (stock type, ie ‘coil’)

Ignition System

• Type (coil or magneto), (stock such as ‘coil’)
• Number of Spark Plugs per Cylinder (stock)
• Fuel Injection, “(Only Permitted If Listed” and other specs if allowed are:)
      Make
      Location & type of air throttle
      Injection pump

Transmission

• Make- Stock / Option (note this is a typed in title line and may differ)
  No. Fwd Speeds (will line up under the above title such as ;   “4     5”
• No Reverse Speeds (lines up under above two lines such as;  “1     1”

Flywheel

• Diameter - (stock dimension specified)

Final Drive

• Type, i.e “Hypoid”

Steering

• Make, name of manufacturer
• Type - i.e. “recirculating ball”
• No. of Turns to Lock,  i.e “3.2”

Suspension

• Front Type, i.e “Independent-McPherson”
• Rear Type, i.e “Independent”
• No. of Front Shocks, typically “2”
• No. of Rear Shocks, typically “2”

Now to digest all of this.  First note that much of what appears on this form can be found in most repair manuals for a particular car as the values come from the stock specifications.  In some cases the values are a starting point such as the engine bore as the rules allow for a maximum bore size that is .080 larger than stock.  In other cases the rules do not allow for anything other than stock, such as the stroke. 

In some cases the VSRG rules override those show on the original forms.  A good example is call for the use of Plexiglass, VSRG rules require the use of a shatterproof material and specifically allow Lexan.  Below is a list of VSRG that replace or modify those found on the specification form:

• Minimum Weight, VSRG utilized most of the original formula to calculate the weight based upon actual displacement.  Since VSRG rules include the driver and fuel they are in fact more liberal in that the empty car can be lighter than originally allowed.
• Windshield/Side/Rear windows, Lexan allowed.
• Bore may be increased to a maximum of .080 over stock where the original rules allowed .047 over stock.
• Transmission manufacturer is free so long as the transmission used has the same number of forward speeds that were originally allowed and must have a working reverse.

A couple of more areas need a little more clarification; It might not be clear that valve size was originally “free” as they are in the VSRG rules.  This applies to the Intake Port Diameter and Exhaust Port Diameter as well.  "Free" means there are no restrictions on these items.

Hopefully this helps clear up much of the mystery surrounding the forms.  As we locate Forms we will be posting them on the website (next to the car in the Rules Appendix as well as on the “setup” page.

Next month … A real piece of the history of the 2.5 has been found and we will document it in detail.