2-liter Pinto compliance question

since the club is no longer providing a means for competitors and suppliers to get a binding Court of Appeals compliance opinion on matters of interest, those with questions are left to go it alone or seek qualified opinion(s) from the community accepting the associated risk with that approach. to that end I'm seeking qualified opinion(s) traceable to the GCR on the very specific and limited question:

are needle bearings for the front and rear of the auxiliary shaft and the lower distributor shaft of the 2-liter Pinto compliant with the GCR as currently written?

my opinion is yes, needle bearings for the front and rear of the auxiliary shaft as well as the lower distributor shaft are compliant with the GCR as currently written IF AND ONLY IF the competitor is using an electric fuel pump. under those circumstances the auxiliary shaft is in fact solely a distributor drive and per 9.1.1.B.15.v. (included below for reference) distributors are unrestricted provided they retain the original drive and location. original drive and location would obviously not be altered.

in the hopes of avoiding questions or speculation on motive(s) and opinions on the merit or lack there of to the imagined change AND keeping in mind it has absolutely nothing to do with compliance with the rules as written, the objective of the imagined change is reduced ignition timing scatter from the clearance implicit with journal bearings. with the journal bearings at the front and rear of the auxiliary shaft and the bottom of the distributor, distributor drive geometry is dependent on oil (type and weight), oil pressure, oil temperature, rpm, load, and wear. needle bearings eliminate all or most of the bottom end geometry that is currently contributing to ignition timing variance (aka: scatter). opinions on compliance or non-compliance of needle bearings with a GCR traceable basis will be greatly appreciated!!


9.1.1.B.15.v. Distributors are unrestricted providing they retain the original drive and location. The distributor is defined as the component which triggers the L.T. current and distributes the H.T. current. The Ignition Timing may only be varied by vacuum and/or mechanical means. It is prohibited to use any other method or component to trigger, distribute, or time the ignition.

Art, you can always write a letter to the CRB system that specifically states what you want, including why you think it is already legal. I can assure you that the FSRAC will take a very serious look at it. I suggest that you complete the wording as you think it should be.

9.1.1.
cc. Standard oversize and undersize bearings are permitted. This does not allow reducing the bearing surface area by reducing the width of standard bearings

Obviously says "standard", standard being shell type bearings.

ee. Only modifications or additions specifically covered by these regulations are permitted. All engine components not covered by these regulations shall remain completely standard and unmodified. When a system is specified to be "unrestricted" (e.g. paragraphs r and t), the restrictions of this paragraph do not apply.

Art you may be reading more into the meaning of what used to be a compliance hearing that cost $300.

"since the club is no longer providing a means for competitors and suppliers to get a binding Court of Appeals compliance opinion on matters of interest",

In the previous process the results were only good for that rule year and could be changed for the following year, they could even be protested during that year. While a protest of an issue that had been ruled on through a compliance hearing would have little chance of success the legality and the reasoning would not be published and thus other competitors would not aware it had been ruled on.

It is the competitors responsibility to read the rules and present a compliant car and as always the class competitors have the greatest responsibility to police their class since they know it best.

David

Art ,

I'd put whatever bearings you want into your Pinto distributor and not lose any sleep over it.

If your ever protested for that at an SCCA race let me know and I'll buy you several lottery tickets because you'll have much better odds of winning the lottery than being protested for distributor bearings.... :thumbsup: