I decided to send in a request to remove/replace wires in IT cars

[shwah]

Kirk, I think that the black or white view you like to take on these types of topics is healthy for conversations like this - really a big part of what makes them good for everyone involved and spurring us to consider extremes of the topic when discussing them, but when someone takes a fundamentalist view like that and applies it to the actual rules review/update process for a category it becomes counter productive. IMO this was a huge underlying factor in the big turnover that the ITAC had recently. Not picking on you individually, just making a general observation that picking battles by everyone involved rather than digging heels in on issues in a fundamentalist manner may have benefited IT racing more than what went down. You see, for instance, there is a huge difference between asking if we can remove wires that don't do anything on our race cars, because the item that they connected to on one or both ends is no longer there (or never was there from the factory floor), and asking for adding a new functional device to the race car - like air jacks. The problem is that just over a year ago we had a group of people on the ITAC that made a decision to draw that fundamentalist line in the sand on any and every item, rather than talking it through. Or at least that is what it looked like from the outside.

As far as this specific topic, just let me clarify, that the intent of the request was only to allow removal of wires that are no longer connected to something on one or both ends, either due to allowed modifications (aftermarket ecu) or OEM configuration (optional power antenna lead). I don't think it would be legal to remove, for instance lighting harness wires if an allowance were made to remove wires, because removing those particular wires would perform a prohibited function - disabling the lighting system.

The request is not intended to enable a GT car wiring harness to work in IT, just to let us remove the stuff we don't need, within the IT rule set, and do a nice clean re-wire of what is left if we choose.

I have read comments about 40# coming off a car if this were allowed.
1. I call B.S. If anyone proves to me that they can do this with a current logbooked IT car, and all of the gain is due to this allowance, I will give them EDIT CONSIDERING THE POTENTIAL WIFE IMPACT OF GIVING AWAY $100, I'M GOING TO REVISE THIS DOWN TO $25 .
2. Even if we could all remove 40#, BFD. We all have a minimum weight, and if we can meet it, I for one would be leaving the 40# in the floor of my car, and if we can't meet our spec weight, it would be a nice way to help those cars reach the condition under which they were classed. More competitive cars are good for IT racing IMO.

I don't see how this impacts any first principle, considering that everything that would be removed is already non-functional within the rules today.

[RacerBill]

The request is not intended to enable a GT car wiring harness to work in IT, just to let us remove the stuff we don't need, within the IT rule set, and do a nice clean re-wire of what is left if we choose.

Just for the record, I was told by a National licensed tech inspector during an annual inspection a couple of years ago, that my stock wiring harness looked messy and that I should consider 'cleaning it up'.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Just for the record, I was told by a National licensed tech inspector during an annual inspection a couple of years ago, that my stock wiring harness looked messy and that I should consider 'cleaning it up'.

Sure, and what he meant was, degrease it, organize it and/or route it through some plastic snakes.

[RacerBill]

Sure, and what he meant was, degrease it, organize it and/or route it through some plastic snakes.

Actually, it was pretty clean, and was running thru the original plastic snakes!!!!!!!!

[Gary L]

As far as this specific topic, just let me clarify, that the intent of the request was only to allow removal of wires that are no longer connected to something on one or both ends, either due to allowed modifications (aftermarket ecu) or OEM configuration (optional power antenna lead).

Chris - I'm going to respectfully suggest that if this ^^^^ was your intent, you need to do a re-write. The letter in your first post says something altogether different, IMO:

Request: Please provide an allowance to remove or replace wires and connectors in vehicle and engine wiring harnesses.

I read that as a proposal to allow removal of any wiring that isn't necessary to make the car function. (Which, BTW, as the owner/driver of a 40 year old car, I would favor highly... selfish or not! )