Can I use my car ?

[hanes]

HI All,

I'm hoping to become a member this coming season. I am wondering about my car though

I have a 1966 Mustang with its stock interior and LAP belts. I don't want to change the characteristics of my interior.

The car is a 289 V8 car, that was warmed up, with bolt ons. Ones like you'd find on some of the shelby cars of that time. 4 Barrel, headers, alum intake, better ignition.

Do you have a place in Solo I i can use my car as it sits? :confused:

Thanks in advance

Hanes

[haniforama]

The SOLO rulebook says:

"A three point restraint system, typically the OE seatbelt (or better), is acceptable for vehicles equipped with/without roll bars in all classes, excluding 'modified' ".

I presume the stock lap belt to be sufficient but I would wait for a more official answer.

I would say though, that with lap belts and stock seats, you'll be thrown around quite a bit in your car with the cornering forces.

Hanif

[Chris P]

Have you upgraded the brakes(drums?) and suspension? That might be the bigger safety concern.


Hopefully theo will chim in.......?

[hanes]

Well, there are some upgrades, but nothing really serious. The car already has front Disc (GT), and minor suspension mods, but car is relatively stock.
It is a cruiser, but i like to push it a bit.

Thanks
hanes

[Dave]

I would say that for safety purposes a driver's seat with a back that locks in position (I seem to recall Theo's driver seat back flopping around) and at minimum a three-point seat belt should be required. You'd be insane to track your car otherwise.

With older cars like this we'd need to assess them on a case by case basis IMO.
If you're serious about bringing it out, I'll touch base with the Director and the rest of the rulebook committee and get back to you on it.

Cheers,
Dave

Rulebook guy

[hanes]

Yeah i was hoping to just have some fun. If I have to customize the car. changing seats, adding bars, and belts. I probably won't want to join. I really don't want to deface the car that way.

Thanks
Hanes

[ctheo]

Hey guys! I'll chime in on this tomorrow afternoon as I'm in the middle of a project here and I don't want to post a half ass reply.

Hanes, I own a 66 Mustang 2894bbl, 4-speed and I've been planning a track build-up for the car.

I'll post my thoughts and a bunch of links to different cars/set-ups that you could consider.

I'll say this much for now... it's expensive to make the car a safe reliable Solo 1/open lapping machine. At least by my standards.

You can however do some simple, unobtrusive mods and have a fun Solo 2 car.

[JAYh]

I'd hardly call installing seatbelts, etc. "defacing" the car - you're only adding stuff that should have been in it in the first place. :P

I just thought I'd chime in here for no reason... My dad has a 1965 fastback with an automatic, "351" 5.7L engine and a 4-barrel Holley. I've driven it on the street a few times. 275 HP, NO seatbelts (you're lucky you have any lap belts - they were optional!), no headrests, non-assisted drums at all four corners, no traction bars, original 1965 leaf springs, etc. makes things interesting even when you're just cruising.

Definately cool cars though!

- J

[hanes]

Sorry i should have mention it, Mine is a GT car. It came power disc on the front.

I was under the impression Solo 1 was a run what you brung type thing. Go out have fun, beat the clock.

[DECH_92]

You guys make it sound like they did not race cars in the 60`s and 70`s
Sure better springs ,coils ,brakes would help ,but that’s the same as any car.
Drive the car to its level and have fun
Of corse the car has to be mechanical sound and a good seat is mandatory, unless you have a strong back and arms. Plus good 3 point or better

Wednesday June 16th 2004 Ford day at the track
There we be lots of older Mustangs there this day
Mosport Big track

[Marsh]

Yea go ahead and track a car with a lap belt only. Hell don't wear a helmet. I mean it's not like there wasn't a time when people didn't wear helmets. Brilliant.

Oh and look at these before you make any decisions:
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-1.jpg
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-2.jpg
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-3.jpg
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-4.jpg
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-5.jpg
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-6.jpg
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-7.jpg
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-8.jpg
http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-9.jpg

http://www.cockyracingguy.com/pictures/Misc/bmw-roll-end.jpg

I don't care who you are, or how easy you think your going to take it, but if you track your car you WILL eventually do 4 wheels off, and roll overs can happen to anyone. Walls and trees also have a nasty habbit of not asking how many straps your belt system has before you hit them.

[AirCooln]

Solo1 is run what you brung...If I can toss my little 44 raging horsepower classic Mini around, you can certainly toss your classic Mustang about! Hopefully Dave will get a final ruling on the belts soon.

I can certainly attest to the good seat/belt thing though. Although I did have a 3 point OE seatbelt, the shoulder strap was almost useless due to my height and my needed seat position. I had aching arms at the end of the day trying to keep my self in one place. It did work though.

Do you have rear belts in the 'stang? I too didnt want to make any permanent changes to the car. I picked up an aftermarket seat with mountings that where compatible with the stock ones. Also a 4 point belt system and mounted it to the stock front mounts, and used the rear seatbelt mountings for the shoulder straps. Worked a treat saving my arms, and when I was done racing for the year, it all came out in an hour.

Yes, accidents can happen, but dont let it scare you off.

[ctheo]

It's not quite as simple as "run what you brung" guys. We're talking about a car that's likely running some critical components that are 37 years old with an uncertain past.

The car will be driven in a manner that is WAY beyond it's intended use, and its nowhere near as safe as a modern car.

The safety features of a classic Mustang consist of lap belts (if you ordered them, or added them after the fact) a padded dash and a "safety glass" windshield. That's it. Hit the brakes hard enough and the seats fold forward. Get into an unfortunate situation with the wall get friendly with a non-collapsing steering column. Any idea how ugly things can get if you get into a front end collision with lap belts only?

I'm appologize but I'm up to my arse in work and I don't have the time to put a good post together. But search "Classic Mustang" at Corner-Carvers (http://corner-carvers.com/forums/index.php).

There's LOTS of tech there and it's where I'd be gathering all the info I would have posted here anyway.

Anyhow, you should be able to find a modern seat that will bolt into the car with no drilling, possibly just a set of rails fabbed up.
Without a rollbar I wouldn't advocate installing a 3 point harness. To add to that I wouldn't suggest a bolt in roll bar, unless there a good way to ensure it doesn't tear itself out in a crash.

You'll probably need to upgrade you brake pads and shoes at the very least.

The thought process I'm going through with my car is;

1) Protect the driver - I don't want to get injured, especially if it was preventable.

2) Protect the car - The car is more or less irreplaceable. Sure there are lots of 66 Mustangs out there, but I bought this one when I was 15 and there some sentimental value to it.

3) Make it reliable - Nothing short of physical injury ruins a weekend like showing up the the track with a car that won't run (or stop or turn)

I wish it was as easy as showing up at the track and doing a few hot laps with the car, but it really isn't IMHO. The bright side is the car would probably be a very fun Solo 2 car with no serious mods.

[Dave]

hanes, I'll get back to you on this thread with an official ruling on the safety concerns raised here, but please note that section 2.1.1 of the Solo 1 Rulebook states that "A three point restraint system, typically the OE seatbelt (or better), is acceptable for vehicles equipped with/without roll bars in all classes, excluding Modified". So you'd be within the rules if you had a fully functional three point seat belt system installed. This system would prevent your seat back from folding forward in case of a front end impact, unlike the lap belt that you've likely got in the car.

[RacerRick]

I have done a little vintage racing, and would not hesitate to say that you need something better than a lap belt in those old cars! Upgrade the seat also, because it will, make your laps sooo much more enjoyable.

I am building a 80 Z28 for solo 1 right now and have already tossed the belts and seats for aftermarket.

And you can put the stock seat and belts back into the car in about a half hour. No harm to the car.

Other things you will want to look at is brake pads and tires since these make a huge difference in how the car reacts at the track, and are some of the best bang for the buck parts. A good racing type alignment is also a big help.

You can get the 16" steelies off of 98 and up ford cop cars and they bolt right onto early stangs. They are 16x7 and heavy duty to boot. Stick some modern sticky rubber on them and you should have a reasonably fast (enough to scare ya) and fun car.