I am new to this and want to know if I can get some advice.
I have a 1991 Volvo 740 wagon. It is a 2.3 I4 RWD with a Dana 30 (Volvo 1041) geared at 4.10:1.
I want to Rally an I'm in the Nor Cal Area (Sac).
I have no experience other then a good amount of time sliding around logging trails in a I4 Nissan PU.
My main questions are:
1. What Group/Class can/should start in? (NA 114hp/134ftlbs @ block)
2. Where is a place I can practice?
3. Does anybody have any advice on mods? Suspension and engine.

I go to college full time so I don't have a ton of money. Anything that can be fabricated, or swap parts, over bought is preferred.

Thanks,
Dave

Hi Dave, I didn't even pay any attention to the fact your car was not just a fawkin 747 K car, but a wagon..

And full time college..

OK folks this poor guy has been getting the Turbobrick Noob Welcome nd has been told all the important stuff in a long painful thread where he gets chewed out and oddly I get chewed out for the sacrilege of suggesting that a certain California 240 Volvo guy who did the "spend millions routine", and never really did much with it---aside from on SoCal events---which I foolishly hinted that there's nothing unusually "car breaker" about the old Rim of the World roads and got screamed at....

So what should we do here?

I thought Dave had a plain 740--wheelbase 109" .

And I knew it was a daily driver..
So naturally I suggested he come here, talk about his plans and meet the Nor Cal /Bay Area guys---which he has to do sooner or later....

And you guys can help convince the guy to DAILY DRIVE THE FAWKIN HOUSEWIFE GROCERY HAULER while he finds a 240 or 244 for $200
Somewhere.

Like out back of Al Kun's house.

Anyway Welcome aboard Dave, pay attention.
Look for Al Kun, Micheal Hoche-Mong, Tim Taylor (mad, insane inventor somewhere in San Leandro busy making aluminum chips fly for a turbo 6 speed coffee maker.
Maybe say hi to Myles known on Turbobricks as mylesofsmiles.

(There's actually a surprising number of Turbobrickers over here.)

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Hey thanks for the welcome John. Warmer than the TB welcome lol.

Quote
CaliMeatwagon
Hey thanks for the welcome John. Warmer than the TB welcome lol.

Everybody on Performance forum there is an ex-spurt.. Don't know what they're spurting but often its watery and stinky...

Problem really is that mosta the guys are in their 20s (not their fault) and maybe they built maybe one motor in their lives, or jammed in some motor and made some really "pretty' headers and suddenly they're a spurt on everything.

And the thing is I've watched guys full of enthusiasm start off on plans that I know will lead to either tears or "the wall"---some big fawking built in obstacle that will impede the FUN---and eventually lead them to dump their project---and take a big loss in terms of the dough and time and effort they laid down..

THAT is why I hammer away to you "FIND A $200 240". because that car is FUN out of the box, and you can grow with it and progressively build it..

The wheelbase alone of the 740 means if you don't charge HARD and pitch it right every corner that fucker is going to plow like Farmer Jones...all those guys talking about the design of the front end being the source of the understeer is all hooey.... the WILL go sideways, just takes more aggressive driving than we can pull off every time when the visibility of exactly what the corner is like is like it is in rally, especially for Newbs,,,

I gotta get down to the machine shop, maybe i'll call some of "de guys' and encourge them to come harangue you about this 745 wagon madness.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Hi Dave,
-Dave.

High Dave,

- Dave
lol

Edit- I say it once already, But I want to reiterate, I have VERY little experience in rally (relatively). I am just sharing my experience thusfar, Because mine has been similar to yours.

Cali,

Ive been keeping track of your TB forum stuff...

I just went through something similar. I priced parts, took lots of notes, and got LOTS and LOTS of info from all kinds of people who I suspect are "in the know"

They all pointed me to a non-turbo Impreza.

I bought it, started to get it ready, and it became clear that the car, with its massive industry support, needed a whole lot of that industry support to make it work reliably. Unfortuneately, That support cost serious cash.

Depressed, I sold the Impreza for less then I should have.

After a while I started talking to the gentlemen here. They keep talking about the 240, and It seemed so odd to me... Always was a yuppie semi-lux car to me. After hearing John rant about parts availibility from the Junkyard, (rather then Internet buisnesses with fancy logos) I started to look into it.

It seems the parts are there, The know how can be found if you talk to a few people, and the prices are low(er)

I say 'seems' because I've not gotten past the "stage 0" part of my Volvo yet. So I'm basing this all on research, rather than actual first hand knowlege. The real reason I shared this here Is just because I was in your same exact shoes not long ago.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/11/2011 10:39PM by BobOfTheFuture.

What are you going to college for? Wait, that didn't come out right. What are you majoring in?

Hey there Dave,

Despite what JV says you can't haz any of my 240s. I am using them all right now. But I do usually send 1 or 2 240s to the scrapper every year, after butchering them. I even took one of the special 1983 "homologation" 242 to the crusher last year. Ha! Take that turbopricks!

If you can you should come up to the http://mendocinorally.com/ Aug. 6. Check out working it as a volunteer, its a new event and I bet they would appreciate help, plus you get to wear a cool vest.

Quote
CaliMeatwagon
I am new to this and want to know if I can get some advice.
I have a 1991 Volvo 740 wagon. It is a 2.3 I4 RWD with a Dana 30 (Volvo 1041) geared at 4.10:1.
I want to Rally an I'm in the Nor Cal Area (Sac).
I have no experience other then a good amount of time sliding around logging trails in a I4 Nissan PU.
My main questions are:

1. What Group/Class can/should start in? (NA 114hp/134ftlbs @ block)

Start out in group 2. Its going to take you a few years to build a stage rally car, from the sound ot it, but thats cool. Start hoarding now. Get a 242 or 244 that will be your rally car and get used to having a second car. You just can't have a rally car for your daily, as much as we all want to, unless you can get away with having your daily being diassembled a lot of the time. If fees and insurance are spendy, look into splitting it with a like minded friend. Figure out about where it gets parked and worked on.

2. Where is a place I can practice?

Rallycrosses and TSDs are good.


3. Does anybody have any advice on mods? Suspension and engine.

Take your new $300 volvo 240, strip out whatever you can for weight, remove the the interiour, AC, get used to messing with the car, maybe get the diff welded or a lsd of some sort, do above rallycrosses and TSDs. The jump to actually rally car takes some serious commitment, but I know lots of people who blow their money and time in much sillier ways.


Where did the 4.10 rear come form, a 740 GLE?





I go to college full time so I don't have a ton of money. Anything that can be fabricated, or swap parts, over bought is preferred.

Thanks,
Dave

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2011 02:43AM by alkun.

Quote
Slowwpoke
Hi Dave,
-Dave.

Hi Dave,

-The REAL Dave Clark

Yeah, 740's are understeering pieces of shit. Just take a look at this and see how bad it pushes out of every corner. Nearly undriveable!

Quote
Doivi Clarkinen
Yeah, 740's are understeering pieces of shit. Just take a look at this and see how bad it pushes out of every corner. Nearly undriveable!

Wow Dave, cool! I guess those are Swedish teenagers who have mainly driven pick ups around...complete beginners just like this new Dave



See while I did say it was ironic that the single best 2wd driver in the US was Jardevall and his best driving was done in--the ironic point--a 740, and I guess its also ironic that Jardevall is a Swede---I did sort of hint that they work fine IF you drive really aggressively.

So, Dave, you reckon this guy should just build his wagon and he'll be able to drive just like in the vids, huh?

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Ok, so I can tell you all kinds of peculiar things about PVs and Amazons and 140s and 1800s, but them newfangled ones are all confuzzling. I thought a 740 was just a reskinned 240? A brick in new britches, so to speak?

Quote
alkun
Hey there Dave,

Despite what JV says you can't haz any of my 240s. I am using them all right now. But I do usually send 1 or 2 240s to the scrapper every year, after butchering them. I even took one of the special 1983 "homologation" 242 to the crusher last year. Ha! Take that turbopricks!

If you can you should come up to the http://mendocinorally.com/ Aug. 6. Check out working it as a volunteer, its a new event and I bet they would appreciate help, plus you get to wear a cool vest.

if I had ps skillz I'd switch it out to a ovlov


and yes, come to mendocino, my friend Seana and I will be there (she's the one who takes the pics I get to share once in awhile) we'll be camping (because we are poor and cheap)