Challenge Supreme Court (Questions Answered Here!)

A question from a friend. It's almost more of a What Would You Do? situation.

Their car is based on a Mazda Miata, which in stock form has its battery in the back corner of the trunk. The rear end of this car has been chopped off and turned into a pickup bed of sorts. (It's all very custom.)

So, where to relocated the battery? 

Many road racing rules allow the battery inside the passenger compartment provided that the battery is sealed in the appropriate box and secured. However, NHRA rules state that the battery may not be inside the passenger compartment and must remain inside the trunk.

But since this car no longer has a trunk, what should they do? The easy thing would be a battery box inside the passenger compartment, but they don't want to cause any issues.

Thanks. 

This may have been addressed already but I figured I would ask.  

Can a convertible be run with no top?  Is there a certain speed where I would need a roll bar?  Are cut down windsheild legal?

Car probably runs a 14.5

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I researched this one a couple of years ago. At that time, there was only 1 battery box that met the requirements for both NHRA and SCCA- it was a Moroso sealed plastic unit vented to the outside of the car.

However, you could actually mount it anywhere, as long as it was sealed from the passenger compartment .  So, a hole cut in the floor to vent, and a metal box that fit over it with a seal should suffice for NHRA - you just can't call it a "battery box", you have to call it an"firewall"  

Note that any battery relocation from the ORM location also requires a kill switch accessible from the rear outside the car that kills BOTH the battery and the alternator, clearly labeled for the "Off" position.

pimpm3 said:

This may have been addressed already but I figured I would ask.  

Can a convertible be run with no top?  Is there a certain speed where I would need a roll bar?  Are cut down windsheild legal?

Car probably runs a 14.5

Nhra rules 13.99 or quicker convertible requires roll bar.  I recall talk of arm restraints for open cars like the ghettocet and running with windows down after last year, so it might be a good idea to bring them.  

So physically having no top is ok as long as car is slower than a 13.99?

Is it possible to see the class es that  will be  judged ?

In reply to Karl La Follette :

http://www.grmchallenge.com/stuff-you-can-win/

   found it

Parachutes and their hardware are in budget. 

SVreX said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I researched this one a couple of years ago. At that time, there was only 1 battery box that met the requirements for both NHRA and SCCA- it was a Moroso sealed plastic unit vented to the outside of the car.

However, you could actually mount it anywhere, as long as it was sealed from the passenger compartment .  So, a hole cut in the floor to vent, and a metal box that fit over it with a seal should suffice for NHRA - you just can't call it a "battery box", you have to call it an"firewall"  

Note that any battery relocation from the ORM location also requires a kill switch accessible from the rear outside the car that kills BOTH the battery and the alternator, clearly labeled for the "Off" position.

 

This is correct. 

And yes, no top is fine and you’ll need a roll bar at 13:49 ET. 

Given SFI flywheels are budget exempt, why aren't SFI clutches? 

In reply to boostedcabbage :

Because people like me would exploit the loopholes in that rule. 

As would I. Now I have to run an Audi pressure plate. Also limits most quarter mile times to between 11.49 and 11.99

In reply to boostedcabbage :

Read your NHRA rules. 

If your are not going 11.49 or faster, you do not need an SFI flywheel or clutch. 

...and I don't know what you are building, but if you go faster that a 10.99, an independent rear end is ruled out unless it has upper and lower control arms. 

So, there is a very small window for an awful lot of cars. 

How do most people price things that you trade to yourself? For example, I've replaced the stock rods with eagle rods. Figure the eagle rods used are worth 150 or so.. Not sure how to price the used stock rods

In reply to SVreX :

Reread my post

In reply to boostedcabbage :

I read it. 

In reply to SVreX :

As long as we're on the same page :)

In reply to boostedcabbage :

Maybe we are, maybe we are not. 

The page I am on is that you may want to consider the car you are building, because some cars cannot run fast at the Challenge within the NHRA rules under budget without being handed budget loopholes. 

If you have chosen to build one of those cars, bad choice.  

In reply to SVreX :

A dodge neon :) the underdog :)

In reply to SVreX :

My car is within the spirit of the rules. Just want to self trade a couple items.  Others will abuse it way more 

SVreX said:

...and I don't know what you are building, but if you go faster that a 10.99, an independent rear end is ruled out unless it has upper and lower control arms. 

So, there is a very small window for an awful lot of cars. 

I thought our previous discussion of that determined that the rule was prohibiting the axle being the upper arm, not all IRS cars without an upper arm from going that quick.

In reply to MrJoshua :

Not sure of the discussion. 

Also pretty sure that even the NHRA doesn't know how to interpret it. I have dozens and dozens of emails in my inbox discussing this with about 20 different people. No consensus. 

I just don't want to see people start protesting because of it. 

Of course, the NHRA rules also say no cast iron flywheels. That should pretty much eliminate all of us with manual transmissions!  

In reply to SVreX :

It was on the forum at some point but my memory is foggy about when. I left the discussion understanding that the rule meant to limit cars where a failed axle caused the loss of a major suspension link. The goal being to prevent the subsequent spontaneous high speed rear steer issues involved.  

Of course that's my memory/opinion which is worth exactly what I was paid for it.