inspection holes in roll bar

[reisertracing]

Those of you that have had annual tech, do we have to have a hole drilled in the roll bar for tech this year? Read in the GCR that this is indicated. Where have you drilled the hole if you were required?

[chuck cecil]

NO you dont have to drill a hole , thats what the Homoglation paper is for. It assures that your car met specs when its was built.

[Dave Gomberg]

The current GCR requirement is as follows:

"E. An inspection hole at least 3/16 inch diameter, but no greater than 1/4 inch diameter shall be drilled in a non-critical area of the front and rear hoop as well as the one of the supplemental braces to facilitate verification of wall thickness. Formula Cars and Sports Racers with alternate roll structures are not required to have inspection holes, the wall thickness will be indicated on the back of the homologation certificate."

So, unless your chassis has an "alternate roll structure" (which would be indicated on the homologation certificate), yes you need to drill the inspection holes. Alternate roll structures are those not meeting the SCCA requirements but which have been approved by the SCCA technical department.

Dave

[Larry]

The homolgation paper is semi-worthless. It says that, at one time your car met certain specifications. It is no guarantee that the car still meets those specs. I've teched many formula cars with new roll hoops and chassis members. I've even teched cars (door cars) where the roll hoop structure was the most expensive piece of the car. When the original car was wrecked, the hoop was removed and implanted into a new car. This caused problems matching the hoop # with the VIN and the logbook...

Dave's reading of the GCR is correct!

Larry Oliver
International Racing Products

[EYERACE]

why do you ask........?.........because............
1. you are trying to get a new to you car teched? and don't know if it will pass without the hole?
2. you've been reading the GCR a lot and just got to wondering?
3. you're trying to get a log book issued for a car?

what's up?

the issue of hole has never mattered for any formula car i've seen teched in 10 years.....maybe you need to find a different inspector?

have you bought a car and have no idea what the hoop's gauge is?

i'm waiting to hear one of three things......."the Runoffs winner was DQ'd due to lack of inspection hole" or "DQ-the hole was the wrong size" or "DQ-the hole showed the pipe was the wrong size" ..........anyone ever heard of this in the past? not me....but remember, like eye know anything.

[reisertracing]

Have the GCR next to my toilet and I have been awfully constipated lately, plus when I read it before bed it puts me to sleep.

Seriously, I got a "new" car to me, '89 reynard cfc and need to get it teched.

[reisertracing]

Have the GCR next to my toilet and I have been awfully constipated lately, plus when I read it before bed it puts me to sleep.

Seriously, I got a "new" car to me, '89 reynard cfc and need to get it teched.

[SWMyers]

Your Reynard may already have inspection holes in the roll hoops. Look near the base of each leg. That where I found them on my '89.

[Larry]

Just because Eye hasn't been checked doesn't mean that you don't need them! I drill them in the side of the hoop, just to keep water from collecting. If you want to impress your tech inspector, put a dot of red paint over the hole to clearly identify its location. He may assume that if you've gone to that level of detail that he doesn't need to spend too much time looking closer.

The front of your log book has a place for the OD and wall thickness of the tubes. This is determined by using a depth gauge in the hole and then subtracting that measurement from the OD. The resulting number should be entered in the log book...I don't know how else this could be determined.

Larry Oliver
International Racing Products

[stephen wilson]

A related question. Is it ok to drill holes in the roll bar and/or bracing to fasten aluminum panels? How much do 1/8" or 3/16" holes weaken the tube? Thanks.
Steve

[Larry]

It's done all the time! Most Reynards have a metal shroud between the forward and aft roll hoops. This shroud is typically held on with a dozen rivets.

One of the main reasons not to drill an inspection hold in a curved part of the hoop is that the bend stretches the metal, and the wall thickness will be less than in a straight piece. You don't want to have unnecessary problems discussing why your car doesn't meet minimum hoop wall thickness.

Larry Oliver
International Racing Products

[stephen wilson]

That's sort of why I asked, My VD has a bulkhead riveted to it. How about the 1" forward facing roll bar braces? (straight). Sorry for the slow response, I was away for the weekend.
Steve

[Brian]

When I took the roll bar off my T440 lola to replace/raise it, it had a hole drilled for checking. When I put a mic on the material, it turned out to be .080" I don't think that meets the spec - but then it proves it's hard to measure the wall thickness of a tube through a hole! Or it proves that no one ever checked.

Brian