American cars in rally
Posted by Zagato78
Dan Chairadonna Elite Moderator Location: St. Louis Join Date: 04/09/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 57 Rally Car: still in process |
Matt Smith Ultra Moderator Location: Wilmington NC Join Date: 03/31/2006 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 546 Rally Car: xr4ti |
Dan Chairadonna Elite Moderator Location: St. Louis Join Date: 04/09/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 57 Rally Car: still in process |
I can accept the suspension travel problems, there would be some work to figure that out. The weight, perhaps, but again, a Stang isn't weighing all that much more than a volvo 240.
The flimsy chassis could be bolstered and reinforced. This could be a platform that has growth potential too. start with a 4 cylinder for beginers, then move to the more powerful stuff. That and you have a car that can double at some road race events LOL Rally-Stang! 
Dan |
Scott Manley Infallible Moderator Location: Spokompton, WA Join Date: 01/03/2006 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 226 Rally Car: XR4Ti |
Pete Remner Super Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
You could drop a lot of weight and fix the front suspension at the same time by ditching the seriously awful (geometry- and weight-wise) front crossmember/control arm setup.
Hell, Summit recent had tubular subframes for $150, although thwy were stock geometry. JVL is big on relocating the engine mounts so the crossmember can be dropped without touching the engine. At that point a lot of the mass in the crossmember is redundant, move the springs to the struts where they belong and the control arms don't need to be massive heavy things either, and a lot more mass in the subframe is redundant too... Some big-name guys say you can drop 150lb from the nose by going to their tubular subframe and coilover setups, and those are still supporting the engine... I am just thinking out loud. From what I have seen on the Fox-bodies, they are paradoxes. They make the tub really flimsy and with welds few and far between, splitting of seams and breaking the torque boxes loose is incredibly common (i do a few transmissions that die because the wheelbase shortens under load!) but then they have this enormously heavy front suspension all trussed up because they just had to put the springs on the control arms for some unfathomable reason. Especially as the car the Fox-bodies replaced had the springs on the upper control arms, lower control arms and strut rods a lot like what you'd see in an older Datsun/Mazda, and all loads were introduced directly into the tub. The only problem I see, at least from my vantage point over here, is that Mustangs earlier than SN95 are few, far between, and so sought after that they are absurdly expensive for what you get. Most 4-cylinder and V6 models are V8 models by now, too
Pete Remner Cleveland, Ohio 1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing) 1978 Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. |
Dan Chairadonna Elite Moderator Location: St. Louis Join Date: 04/09/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 57 Rally Car: still in process |
I can see where the suspension geometery could be a problem. There has to be an american rear wheel drive car that could be easily adapted to rally. Again, focused on the cheap and available thing.
Back to my old car books.... perhaps a Burt Reynolds era trans am???
Dan |
Pete Remner Super Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
UGH, those are AWFUL cars period! This isn't just general grumbling... they had the brilliant idea of taking a body on frame style car and removing the rear half of the frame. It's like the worst of both worlds.
American RWD car? Ex-fleet Crown Vics aren't too expensive, and imagine the fan reaction if you painted it black and white and put some gumball lights on it or something...  Extended cab S10/Ranger aren't too difficult to find, either, and fit the "plentful parts" bill to a T. See rallytruck discussion...
Pete Remner Cleveland, Ohio 1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing) 1978 Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. |
Dan Chairadonna Elite Moderator Location: St. Louis Join Date: 04/09/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 57 Rally Car: still in process |
LOL Pete, a rally cop car. Get it sideways and all 4 wheels would be off the road.
I read the truck discussion, that one got heated so i'll avoid it.
Dan |
Mustafa Samli Junior Moderator Location: Arizona Join Date: 01/10/2006 Age: Ancient Posts: 824 Rally Car: Gaylant VR4 |
John Vanlandingham Infallible Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Dan Chairadonna Elite Moderator Location: St. Louis Join Date: 04/09/2007 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 57 Rally Car: still in process |
JV, the idea is not gone. Was just more of a brainstorm as I sat there trying to avoid thinking about work.
Dan |
John Vanlandingham Infallible Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Kirk Coughlin Godlike Moderator Location: Saint Paul, MN Join Date: 01/08/2006 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 493 Rally Car: Dreaming of escorts and xrats |
Andrew McNally Senior Moderator Join Date: 01/08/2006 Posts: 1,217 |
John Vanlandingham Infallible Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
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