Booger bushings. Legal?

[marka]

Howdy,

Preparing my car, and ran across another "I'm not sure that's legal" part...

The car is an ITA Neon. It has the standard, in the Neon world, 'Booger Bushings' installed on the transmission shift cables. These are poly bushings/washers that replace the factory rubber bushings / washers that are at the end of the cables attaching to the shifter and transmission levers.

The only thing my newbie eyes can see in the rulebook that might allow them is:

4.d: "Hardware items (nuts, bolts, etc.) may be replaced by similar items performing the same fastening function(s)."

These washers/bushings are a press/clip fit that connect the end of the cable to the trans or shifter levers.

I figure this has come up before though, and wondered what the group answer was.

Thanks!

Mark

edit: Info on these with pictures is here: http://www.boogerracing.com/boogerbushings.html

[pitbull113]

my thoughts are not legal. it's a bushing not hardware.

lol you said booger

[Greg Amy]

IMO, not compliant to the regs.

I'm entertained that our panties are all in a wad over guibos and booger bushings. I wait with bated breath for the next iteration...

[marka]

Howdy,

Ok. Are they legal if I color them black with a sharpie?

:-)

Mark

[Greg Amy]

Are they legal if I color them black with a sharpie?

That's called "Spec Miata Tech Shed Legal".

[ShelbyRacer]

EXCEPT, as Mark said, these particular bushings (both stock and Booger) have a ridge that fits in a groove on the pin on the shift lever, and a shoulder that prevents the end of the cable from sliding off. This is the only "fastening" method that retains the cable on the lever...

I'm NOT saying that makes it compliant, but if confronted with paper, I'd certainly make the argument.

[mtownneon]

I've had a set of Boogers in mine for some time now, never even thought about the legality of them. I just didn't want to shell out the money for a set of cables only because the bushings were shot. Never had anyone question them.

[Knestis]

... Never had anyone question them.

Evidence not of legality but instead, of apathy.

K

EDIT - Pandora would have lots of fun with the half-dozen VW shift linkage bits that "fasten" wherever they connect, until they get cooked by the header and have to be replaced every year.

EDIT^2 - Not to put too fine a point on it, Mark, but it would be a wee bit inconsistent, pushing on this one while squawking about Chris's engine mount idea that's equally compliant with carefully parsed language of the applicable rule. You aren't actually doing that but...

[marka]

Howdy,

EDIT^2 - Not to put too fine a point on it, Mark, but it would be a wee bit inconsistent, pushing on this one while squawking about Chris's engine mount idea that's equally compliant with carefully parsed language of the applicable rule. You aren't actually doing that but...

:-)

I'm not 100% sure what Chris's engine mount idea is, but there's absolutely no question that I'm trying hard to read into the rule what I want to see there.

And Greg, the hardware aisle in my Home Depot has plastic spacers and rubber bushings both. :-)

Mark

(if the end result of this is "most everyone thinks they're illegal", then I'll probably get around to changing them out after I've got the rest of the car sorted. Depends on how much I want to push the rules. I was really hoping that I'd missed the clear allowance though.)

[marka]

Howdy,

Letter:

Please consider adding an allowance to the transmission section, 4: "Shifter linkage cable bushings may be replaced."

The intent would be to allow the common 'booger bushings' and similar products that replace the factory rubber bushings on shift linkage cables.

For example: http://www.boogerracing.com/boogerbushings.html

These bushings tend to break down on older cars, rendering shifting imprecise and sloppy. For many older IT cars, new replacement OEM cables are hard to find. Sloppy and imprecise shifting is a recepie for an expensive 'money-shift'.

As an alternative, consider opening up all shifter related bushings: "Shifter and shifter linkage bushings may be replaced. Replacement bushings must maintain stock geometry." This would allow cars like the E36 BMW to replace the sloppy factory shifter mounting bushings, again helping to reduce the chances of a money shift.

Costs for these bushing replacements generally are very affordable and this allowance seems consistent with the other bushing allowances in the IT category. Indeed, many ITA Neon owners seem to already run the booger bushings, presumably thinking that they are already legal (which is arguably true, under the 4.d hardware allowance, though I don't feel that is very clear).

Thanks for your time.

Mark

[marka]

Howdy,

Grrr.

1. #6503 (Mark Andy) Allow alternate shift linkage bushings
Thank you for your input, the rule is adequate as written.

What the hell does that mean? That its legal via 4.d? Otherwise I'd have expected something like "That change isn't consistent with class philosophy" or whatever.

Mark