Quote
Matt Brady
Alright, thanks.

Quote

Honestly, I was planning on opting for JVABs, suspension is the stuff about which I know least, and from what I can gather, those apparently are one of the few options and they are really good.

Good, call. Now is better than later in the year, and we deffo don't want to be waiting till Spring.

Quote

As for brakes, I was going to do a rear disc conversion and replace the fronts with a better set.

Good the car needs better---and better doesn't mean "merely bigger" it mean BETTER---and modulation is the goal, POWERFUL but "non-intrusive to use".

Quote

I'm on a bit of a budget, and I know brakes are quite important, but I was going to use Focus SVT rotors

I do not believe the SVT stuff is the way forward for us since the "hat" is so shallow, which means the calipers will overhang outboard a lot, and that'll make wheel selection a pain in the ass.
We need deeper hat than anything i can find EASILY or AFFORDABLY.

Quote

(I think they're 11", so should fit with whatever wheels I use, Saab or otherwise, thinking about that NASA-Konig contingency) for the front, at least. There are a few calipers that apparently fit nicely on these with a plate that shouldn't be difficult by any means to make.

Will the hat problem---and the knock on effect of that means I have to keep looking, I DO right now have a couple of rear arms all set up to test-fit various discs cause i'm looking for an acceptable entry level set up, but its hard to meet the function AND fit with off the shelf stuff..


But I'll say this: BE VERY WARY of what "everybody" on the Merkur forums say..
Most really don't know much, nearly all are merely repeating what they've read somebody else repeating...

That goes for every area.

Quote

One more notable issue, actually. Where do you guys end up finding these Supra diffs? I may be stuck welding the whole thing, both because good diffs cost money and I honestly can't find any of those things.

I dunno I just go downstairs to the underside of that bench and there's 5-7 there.
I don't know where they all come from. I just found one in Scotland for a guy in Norway who traded a case of beer for a MkIV diff before he discovered MkIV is wrong.

Lemme look and see if i can find one close by.

I gotta get the girls up and to Kindergaerten, but I'm going to come back and ask what in the world would posses you to not use the 2300 turbo motor.

What in the world would posses you to NOT use the 2300 turbo motor?

Quote
Matt Brady
I'll keep the diff options in mind, see what happens.

At first glance, the SVT stuff seemed sort of logical because of that 4x108 pattern, then I found a few people talking about calipers. The one Merkur forum I found seemed sort of useless, a bunch of people doing aesthetic stuff, but thanks for the tip. Considering the hat issue, what do you all use for brakes? I guess I would be willing to spend a bit more on the them.

This being my first time out, I have to fit into group two (at least for Rally America). The Duratec seemed like a good way to drop myself into group two while also lightening the front end a bit, and the car I bought had the block and that was it.

Quote
NoCoast
And TCE rear brakes were 800-900 if I recall, but I also had to ship a hull rear arm and hub to him just to be safe. Now it's been done and he should have the program to replicate the calipers as well as record of what off the shelf parts he used. The hub will have to be turned down slightly in outer diameter. That'll be the case with John's front hats if there's ever a design to use those in the rear as John planned.

Quote
mothra
Let me know if you are interested in some Saab wheels for that XR. They have been breading behind my garage and its time to send some to a new home.

Quote
john vanlandingham
But there's a pretty good rule on projects: just cause you got something for free doesn't mean you have to jump thru endless hoops just to use it...

Quote
NoCoast
XR4ti is a sweet car. Personally I'd never bother with an engine swap. The only benefit of going to any Duratec would be the weight savings on a 2.3.
Sell that piece of shit 3.0L and find a good 2.3T. It makes plenty of easy, cheap, and most importantly, reliable power. You could always pull the turbo and run a few events NA if you had to.

For brakes, I think there are only two smart ways to approach them. Plan to do this: