Dumb move of the day.

[creek]

Telling on myself. Put my car up on four jackstands in my 10' wide shop and pulled all four shocks off the car. Then started pulling the front sway bar and realized there is no room to pull it out to the side. Bright Huh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzU9F...eature=related

[creek]

Here's what I'm doing. I want to upgrade the suspension on my R Pack without losing it's R Pack status and staying as TCB as possible also staying E stock legal which means no spring change. The shock boots are totally gone and the bump stops are rock hard.
My plan is to pull the Bilsteins and send them to the factory for rebuild/revalve to Fast Mike specs, replace the bumpstops with a setup from Fat Cat Motorsports and upgrade the sway bar to a '99 Sport bar.
I pulled the shocks yesterday and inspected all the bushings and the ball joints, everything looks OK. Is there anything else I should do while I have it all apart? It will probably be on the jack stands most of the winter waiting for the parts and revalve, so time is not an issue. I will be autocrossing in tire class this year on Azenis, does anyone have any recommendations for alignment specs after the car is back in one piece?

Thanks.

[sammm]

staying E stock legal

replace the bumpstops with a setup from Fat Cat Motorsports

I think the after-market bumpstops bump you out of E stock legal.

[Miatamaniac92]

Icehawk's alingment on the board is a pretty good street/track compromise.

Chris

[POS Racing]

I think the after-market bumpstops bump you out of E stock legal.

I thought you could change the bumpstops, but they had to be the OEM height?

[jrj512]

I thought you could change the bumpstops, but they had to be the OEM height?

I believe that you're correct.

[sammm]

I thought you could change the bumpstops, but they had to be the OEM height?

Can anyone decipher this SCCA rule?

D. A suspension bump stop is considered to be performing the
function of a spring. Therefore, the compressed length of the
shock at the initial point of contact with the bump stop may not
be increased from the standard part, although the bump stop
may be shortened for the purpose of installing non-standard
shocks. Bump stops installed externally and concentric with the
shaft of a shock may be drilled out to fit a larger diameter shock
shaft. Bump stops may be substituted for the purposes of installing

non-standard shocks.

[POS Racing]

More stuff - http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread...top+scca+stock

[MadMerv]

re-valving shocks is not legal either.......

[Titus]

re-valving shocks is not legal either.......

It is for stock class autocross.

[POS Racing]

re-valving shocks is not legal either.......

It is for stock class autocross.

I may not have been back when Merv autocrossed.

[Nails]

Can anyone decipher this SCCA rule?

D. A suspension bump stop is considered to be performing the
function of a spring. Therefore, the compressed length of the
shock at the initial point of contact with the bump stop may not
be increased from the standard part, although the bump stop
may be shortened for the purpose of installing non-standard
shocks. Bump stops installed externally and concentric with the
shaft of a shock may be drilled out to fit a larger diameter shock
shaft. Bump stops may be substituted for the purposes of installing

non-standard shocks.

I interpret this to mean anything can be done to the bumpstops to accommodate shock change but the compressed shock length cannot vary from stock length. I guess.

[mikeytx]

Telling on myself. Put my car up on four jackstands in my 10' wide shop and pulled all four shocks off the car. Then started pulling the front sway bar and realized there is no room to pull it out to the side. Bright Huh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzU9F...eature=related

And you didn't even invite the rest of us to watch. "Where's the love ?"

[mikeytx]

I may not have been back when Merv autocrossed.

Great pic !

[creek]

I have been talking to Fast Mike and Shaik about this setup. The purpose of the SCCA rule is to prevent the use of long soft bumps to act as a secondary spring for a higher spring rate. The FCM bumps I am getting are shorter in the front and the same length in the back but are progressive. I have been assured that they are legal. Mikey you are welcome to come over and watch it all go back in. Just bring your tools.

I don't have any power tools so removing the springs with a Harbor Freight spring compressor and a socket wrench is a good upper body workout!

[Miatamaniac92]

I have been talking to Fast Mike and Shaik about this setup. The purpose of the SCCA rule is to prevent the use of long soft bumps to act as a secondary spring for a higher spring rate. The FCM bumps I am getting are shorter in the front and the same length in the back but are progressive. I have been assured that they are legal. Mikey you are welcome to come over and watch it all go back in. Just bring your tools.

I don't have any power tools so removing the springs with a Harbor Freight spring compressor and a socket wrench is a good upper body workout!

Yikes! Spring Compressors aren't fun even with (weak) air tools.

Chris

[sammm]

I have been assured that they are legal.

Good to know!

[ken o]

Did you see this?
http://sccaforums.com/forums/post/335616.aspx

[creek]

Did you see this?
http://sccaforums.com/forums/post/335616.aspx

Yes, the opinion in that post is modified as you read further and gets off topic and stays confusing. All I can do is go with the recommendations of a couple of experts and know that I am trying to stay within the rules. If I get protested, and lose the protest they can have my coffee mug or whatever. I would be just as happy if they gave me a time slip and a "Thanks for the entry fee".