Wet Paint....

[Jordan]

Maybe they had more ground clearance/stiffer springs?

[Crazyswede]

Maybe gravity wasn't as strong back then

[Geoff]

I've done plenty of belly dragging at rallycrosses but I've never had to straighten the skidplate afterwards. I've had to straighten it after every rally though. That whole F=MA thing gets it every time Of course a few years back when rallies hosted fields of 120 cars there were some serious ruts for the cars running in the back!

The rallycrosses we run in New England get deep and are sometimes rocky but we change the course often throughout the day so as to avoid damaging cars. We usually run a group of 2wd and 4wd and many times the 4wd cars run a different course than the 2wd cars because the corners have been pulled in so we're not driving on the same ruts.

I think works teams sometimes try to save weight by going as thin as possible while privateer teams beef it up because they want things to last...

[Jordan]

Maybe gravity wasn't as strong back then

I think you're on to something.... I didn't weigh nearly as much back then, as I do now.

[Luke]

I agree the speeds in rally-x are too low to cause significant damage even though the courses tend to get really rutted up. I still haven't seen any rally stage in this country thats as rough as Mortimer Shiff at Rally New York although its gotten better every year due to heavy regrading. There were parts of that stage the first year we ran that would have been better suited to a CJ-5 rockcrawer.

[GRMPer]

last year, we ran a rallycross at night with 3 drivers in the Impreza, after 18 runs (just for my car) through the *huge* ruts, the skidplate was well and truly taco'ed around the engine...hood wouldn't open either

Of course, that cockroach still made it the 3 hours back home.

Anyway, in theory, you should move the course around the ruts...but they weren't really listening when the drivers were saying, "um, yea, there are like holes out there and stuff."

[theoneGroo]

just adding my thoughts... Luke's current skidplate is by far the best design for a 99 out there. don't waste your time , money, or cracked gearbox cases, just beg him for a copy of the design, it will save you a million headaches... as for light bars.... doesn't anyone know anyone who works with composites? i just finished crewing at NEFR for Matt Johnson in a borrowed open class car built by VT Sportscar. The 4 light pod was the simplest and lightest i have ever seen. 2 quick release connectors at the back edge, an aluminum plate hook under the leading edge of the hood and a rod with a spring loaded quick release to tie it down at the front, and a simple twist lock connector for all of the wiring. it went on in about 10 seconds and weighed a few pounds... how much does your 6 light contraption weigh all out front there geoff? can the lenses out of a set of rally 4000's be retrofitted into a composite pod?

[Geoff]

oh that light setup of mine weighs quite a good amount!
I thought about getting one of these
http://www.roadraceengineering.com/lightpodinfo.htm but it would mean buying new lights (because the pod-mount 4000s are different than the standard ones) and then the Historic class was created and light pods weren't allowed.

[Rallyho]

Riddle me this OneGroo-
Where would one put a swanky light-pod on a c900 or 99? Hang them down over the leading edge of the hood? Centered or over the headlights? Do they make those neato 4000 Compacts in a pod model?

Groo, we need some 1.5in pipe dies for the bender so we can do our skidpan frames. We ought to just make two up here in Maine and you can take one back with.

Off topic alert....what grade/thickness alum would folks use for a skidplate that is supported like your Luke?

[Luke]

I would say 1/4" 6061 should be plenty if it has a nice frame to support it.

[sonett]

Riddle me this OneGroo-
Where would one put a swanky light-pod on a c900 or 99? Hang them down over the leading edge of the hood? Centered or over the headlights? Do they make those neato 4000 Compacts in a pod model?

Groo, we need some 1.5in pipe dies for the bender so we can do our skidpan frames. We ought to just make two up here in Maine and you can take one back with.

Off topic alert....what grade/thickness alum would folks use for a skidplate that is supported like your Luke?

Aluminium is OK for a sumpgaurd, but the best material to use is duralloy, when aluminium is bent or pierced it sort of tears, duralloy is more forgiving to impact, it has copper mixed in with the aluminium and of course it's more expensive.

[Luke]

Duralloy is probably just a trade name for a certain aluminum alloy like 6061 (which contains alloying elements of silicon, copper, magnesium and chromium)

[Crazyswede]

Duralloy is pretty good but I prefer Adamantium since it is more durable then any other metal known to man. Its a little pricy but well worth the investment for a safe sump guard.

[Hans]

Inventor of adamantium, I presume??

[matt]

I'd rather be associated with Wolverine's Adamantium myself


of all the comic characters, he's the one I'd want to be. Claws are cool.
http://www.marveldirectory.com/individu ... verine.htm