rally prep checklist

ummmiono

Member
theres many ways to go from quick and cheap to full on no holds bar. i am in no way claiming to be any kind of expert but here is my opinion and future plans.
complete stripping of the vehicle followed by acid dip.
stitch/spot/seam welding.
rollcage.
undercoating/paint
engine rebuild.
replace,upgrade,eliminate as much as possible, depending on class.
proflex suspension if possible, if not then dms or ohlins(i wish!)
reinforcement of everything! suspension/skidplates.
structural foam to stiffen chassis even further.
fuel cell/lexan windows/ seats/harness'/ hood vents/ wheels/ tires/ safety requirements.
i know its vague and incomplete but its meant to be added on by everyone because 2 heads are better than one. eventually i would like to build up the motor and tranny and diffs and use as much fiberglass/carbon fiber as possible. also i would eventually want cnc machined control arms and various other parts. so what do you guys think? btw this rally corner was a great idea!
 

WideFNopen

New member
I would concentrate on making the car as reliable and as tough as possible. It seems that with Rally, half the battle is finishing the event. I might would consider holding off on the extreeme mods that are really expensive and buy spare parts with that money instead, plus spare parts are money in the bank. The places where I would spend more money would be the roll cage, suspension, skid plates, lighting, extra tires, cooling, MLS headgasket,a huge heat exchanger with a good pump, and saftey/fire systems. Save all of the lightweight carbon fiber and body stuff that is super labor/money intensive for your factory sponserd ride or you might be too nervous to push it hard with it looking so pretty :p .
 

ummmiono

Member
well of course im not planning for any of that anytime soon but in a few years i would like to have a competetive open class car, like i said "eventually". spare parts are definately a must when competing. if you notice my plans for now are all strength and safety with a pretty much stock car as i plan on racing pgt.if i eventually do have a chance to make a badass carbon fiber everywhere rally car ive never been the kind of person that was scared of damaging body parts, i could care less about the way it looks. actually ive been looking into the v6/rav4 box conversion for years from now as you are only required to use a block from the same parent company and i think a twin turbo v6 with a closer ratio tranny would be pretty nice, not that i dont love the 3sgte. as for engine management im pretty broke so i like the price ad functionality of megasquirt. all in all the majority of the money will be spent on chassis stiffening/reinforcement and suspension because if you dont have those then dont even bother.
 

Wedge

New member
If you want to have a competitive open class car in a few years, then the best thing you can do is have a cheap 2wd car right now.

I've been rallying a production Toyota Paseo for a few years now. I built the car myself (except for the cage), and I learned so much from it about rally prep and driving, and rallying in general. It's been a fantastic rally car. Super reliable, easy to drive, and taken me to many class victories, and one novice championship. But now it's taken me as far as it can, so I'm selling it, and I've bought an ST185 to build into my next rally car.

My first rallycar was actually an AW11, that I bought used. That thing was a heap, it was no good for rallying anymore, so I ended up just ice racing it. But I learned many things from it, that I transfered to my Paseo.

Now I'm using all the knowledge that I've gained over the years to build my own ultimate rally car. The things to concentrate on at the beginning are definately cage design, structural reinforcement, and underbody protection. Once you've done those things properly, everything else can come in time. If you do those things half-assed, you'll just end up creating more work for yourself in the long run.

When I built the Paseo, I concentrated a lot on the cage design, and that ended up being very well done, not perfect, but very good. I built a basic skidplate for the front, and for the gas tank. They weren't pretty, but they got the job done. I did basically no reinforcement at all, and it's cost me for sure. That's because I just didn't know what to expect. But now I know from experience what things will bend, and what things will be taking a lot of hits.
 
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