jikelly wrote: Why do miata's have to be so good and so cheap?
A Japanese company took a basic concept developed in Europe, perfected it by putting the time and effort into making it solid and dependable, then sold a whole lot of them.
It was a car designed with a definite function/goal in mind then built as simply as practicable.
jikelly wrote: They said my car, even with all the mods I've made, should still be able to run in the Street Modified class which doesn't require a roll bar.
Yes, Street Mod will keep you from being required to have a roll bar as long as you do not add upper body restraint. If you add upper body restraint to any open roofed car in any class, then you will need a bar that clears the helmet.
Keep the car. You'll kick yourself for years to come if you sell it.
Buy a beater Miata. Wrench on it, bleed on it, bond with it... then drive the snot out of it.
You'll be glad on both counts.
jrw1621 wrote:jikelly wrote: So I await to hear word from the SCCA officials...What have you proposed to the officials? They way the rule is written now, you can not even use a torso belt (aka Dick Strap) unless you have a clear roll bar.
Yes you can. Lap belt is not an upper body restraint.
Here is an Upper Body Torso Belt
http://www.gforce.com/products/netsanres/4290.php
In years past, They were sold by the popular Autocrosser named Dick Turner. For that reason they picked up the name of, "the Dick Strap."
If you have ever used one they can be a good, cheap ($17) alternative to a harness for autocrossing. The proper use is to place the entire strap around the drivers chest and behind the seat. The clasp should be right at your chest, going under your arms and keeping your shoulder blades planted against the seat. Unfortunately, if you use one in an open top car (this includes both convertibles or cars with the t-tops or sunroof removed) then you are required to run a roll bar that clears the helmet. Conversely, the strap can be used in any hard top car (or car with the t-tops or sunroof left in place while competing) with no modifications.
Yes, a lap belt is not "upper body restraint" but a Dick Strap is.
What the rule does not clearly state is if you can run a convertable with the top up along with upper body? The rule does state that you can run a t-top car with the t-tops in place to avoid the requirement.
Repeat of rule:
3.3.1 Driver Restraints Seat lap belts are required in all cars, and must be installed in cars with passive restraint systems that do not include a lap belt. Installation and the use of shoulder belts or harnesses is strongly recommended,
however non-factory upper body restraints may only be used in open cars, cars with targa-tops in the open position, or cars with T-tops in the open position when two conditions are met:
a. The roll structure must meet either the requirements of Appendix C or Section 9.4 of the GCR.
b. The top of the roll structure may not be below the top of the driver’s helmet when the driver is in the normal driving position.
Personally, in my Miata, I can not fit with a helmet and roof closed and even if I put a roll bar I can not keep the helmet under the bar. Because of this, I can not run upper body restraint. I have not tried altering the seat by taking out foam.
Glad to hear you have some time to consider...buying a Miata. 
Have some fun with the 'Stang and then think "I'm really beating this very, very nice car up. Maybe I should get something I don't car about so much?"
See you at Deal's Gap in a year or so for the Miata meetup!
can you canoe
jikelly wrote: I actually just heard back. They said my car, even with all the mods I've made, should still be able to run in the Street Modified class which doesn't require a roll bar. Whew. I can put off the decision a while. :) You guys bring up some good points. For sure there is no way I could sale my car. :) Why do miata's have to be so good and so cheap? My brother's got a 85 mustang that I briefly thought about turning into a track car. Looking at the car and driving it I can tell that it's been hit and the frame has been tweaked. I don't know how hard/expensive it'd be to get straight again.
The 85 is a unibody, not body on frame (which is what your 73 is). The 85 consists of a front and rear subframe bolted to a center section, which has the strength and consistency of a wet noodle (this can be fixed however, which I'm in the process of doing). If it was hit in the rear, there are kits to replace the damaged torque boxes and get everything square again. I don't know of any kits for fixing the front end short of your local body shop. Welcome to the forum. Your brother's lucky, I'm jonesing for a four eyed Fox at the moment (automotive or human, don't matter).
errr, brought back from the dead by a trolling salesman
The 85 is a unibody, not body on frame (which is what your 73 is). The 85 consists of a front and rear subframe bolted to a center section, which has the strength and consistency of a wet noodle (this can be fixed however, which I'm in the process of doing). If it was hit in the rear, there are kits to replace the damaged torque boxes and get everything square again. I don't know of any kits for fixing the front end short of your local body shop. Welcome to the forum. Your brother's lucky, I'm jonesing for a four eyed Fox at the moment (automotive or human, don't matter).
Actually there has never been a body on frame Mustang. Unibody since the beginning.
In reply to red5_02:
Had a brain fart. Sorry about that.
I still have the Mustang, but it's in pieces at the moment. I tried installing an old Holley EFI system and got it wrong. The result was something breaking in the engine and I don't yet know what.
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