[Wichita-SCCA] was "Solo on March 18???, now Phrog update

[Rocky Entriken]

BTDT, Greg. For a time there was a suspicious dent under the rightside door of my car too from just exactly that cause.

Later, a tech inspector actually flunked my car during annual tech because he was afraid if I got on my head the cage would punch through the swiss-cheese floor. I think he was right (fortunately I've never tested the possibility). So I had actual mounting pads installed for the cage feet (and added the then-newly required front bulkhead extensions and knee bar at the same time, making it now an 8-point cage). My jack point is now right under the cage foot on each side, with a lip under the car at the outside edge so the jack will not slip off. Works great.

Lessee .. winter checklist of things I need to do to the Spitfire. Done: remove hood, yeah, that's about it so far. 

--Rocky
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Greg Laws 
  To: Wichita Region SCCA. 
  Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 6:42 AM
  Subject: [Wichita-SCCA] was "Solo on March 18???, now Phrog update

  <snip>
  Therefore, and strictly as a public service to all bored soloists on the list, I'll update you on the Phrog.  Last fall I looked underneath it because I started to wonder why it was tending to slip off the jack at different times.  It had actually pulled off twice over the season, damaging the cladding and denting the driver's door under the cladding.  The first time was entirely my fault due to inattention -- well, okay, the 2nd one was too.  Anyway, I took a more careful look and discovered that my habit of jacking the car from the side using the rocker panel as my lift point had resulted in the rocker panel being crushed.  Not only that but the floor had separated from the rocker due to rust (never buy a salt-country car to be your race car body!).  The bottom of the rocker panels were crushed into a sloping area that didn't provide grip for the jack so of course the jack would pull off.  The worst part about it, of course, was that the rocker panel provides the bulk of the strength for the unibody structure.  My negligence was turning the Phrog into a flexi-flyer!

  Okay then.  It is time to install an SCCA-legal cage to restore structural integrity.  I'm in process of rebuilding the floor and rocker panels to bring the unibody back to something like original strength.  Then a cage will be manufactured and installed.  Should be done in a week or three.  We'll add a couple of genuine jack pads to lift the car by the cage rather than the car body sheet metal.  Of course I'll have a professional cut, bend, and weld it together since my skills and equipment in that area are lacking.  Fortunately for me there is a fellow working at the same local body shop that I am now (I retired from insurance adjusting last December) who can easily cope with the problem.  My skills were required only for deciphering the scattered, almost incomprehensible SCCA rules and regulations pertaining to what are the design & material standards for installing a legal roll cage into a Street Prepared solo car.  One has to check on different sections of the Solo regs and also the GCR regs.  At least all of the above is available online now.  

  Is it March yet?

  Enjoy, 
  Greg Laws
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