An excellent subject for discussion.....especially as regards protetctive wear, but also as regards vehicle restoration and prep.
And of course..a big issue is that of expenses.........it IS costly to outfit oneself with appropriate ( approved) flame retardent coverings, a suitable skid-lid and assorted restraint devices.......not hundreds of $$ any-more..more like thousands of $$$.
What about vehicle hardware too......roll bars or cages CAN make an historic car look pretty woeful. Are they better than a life or a life spent disabled or in pain?
Ball-joints, tie-rod ends, axle studs ( lug-nuts ) and the like...all are critical to the safety of the competitor, but most importantly, they are equally critical to the safety of OTHER competitors.....and so we start down the slippery slope of historical (in)accuracy...do we 'improve' known weak-points or items that are known to be possible safety issues?...or do we trundle around in semi-'demonstration' mode?
My own dilemma concerns an early 60's British sports-car..mass -produced..and originally run at SCCA meetings; pro-rallied and then auto-crossed. The currently available BHP, is almost 75% greater than when it left the dealer's yard...so one might imagine that all of the items mentioned above, should be replaced as a matter of course..........and they have been. HOWEVER...when acquiring replacement suspension parts...for a car that's been out of production for almost 45years....how can one determine where they were made and to what standard?
It's all a bit of a challenge...bearing in mind that one has to take care of one's own safety and that of one's fellow competitors
Neville MILNE