Hello all,

I've been thinking about having a go at rallyx for several years now and have yet to take the plunge. I guess all the other various events and cars have been getting in the way. About an hour from home is Summit Point and I hear they are back at it and I would really like to start giving it a go myself. One day I would love to see myself trying a stage rally, but lets be realistic, it has taken me this long just to get to this point. Here is a little introduction.

With that said, I am getting married very soon and she is into doing this kinda thing, possibly even more than I am. Therefore I think I can justify a car for rallyx in some weird way. A cheap one at least.

I grew up on a farm, and have a shop which I specialize in fabrication, not as a day job but weekend warrior/part time kinda thing. Building various cars on the side currently with my two younger brothers. However I am looking for something fairly "turn key". Just too many projects to take on any kind of build right now. See lemons miata car attached below, along with the mk2 in the background which has taken me waaay too long. Brothers 240 drift car is off to the left of the mk2 out of sight which he uses regularly.

I have been covering c'list in the area for something that I can play with. Here is what I am searching for but need advice on various cars/ideas or items to look for on each. Trying to stick with RWD for fun factor. Not to mention I need to learning to drive something of that nature.

List:
volvo 240
944
e30
e36
miata
merkur
ae86

Looking to do some general maintenance on whatever I get, add some Bilstein struts or the like, winter tires and go have some fun for a couple seasons building some of our skills. Not looking to spend more than 2500-3k on the entire package.

Missing anything? other options? thoughts?



Thanks

-Paul

Lemons Miata.
No, seriously, just use that to do rallycross.
You can also do the Rally America Rally Cross at NJMP.
Why not also make it stage rally legal. Might be hard with a Miata though.

But there are many cars that could be legal for stage rally, Lemons/Chump, and Rally America Rallycross and SCCA Rallycross. You could at least get through all but stage rally with the Miata and why have multiple race cars?

---

Grant Hughes

I would use the lemons miata, hands down, but it isnt mine. Building the cage for a friend so I get to race a couple events. If he sells then I'll pick it up but not likely.

You landed on a good point I would like to continue to keep in the conversation.

Is there something I can do to have the car double in events. She wants to learn to drift asap, and would love the thought of doing a stage rally with it after a season or so of rallyx. We have the mk2 as a track car/autox car. (spent too much time painting it)

That would be worth putting time into full cage. Keep her safe at drift events, and us both safe in stages.

Thoughts? would any car be any better than another. Too bad the suspension set-ups are a lot different. Volvo straight axles would benefit here, if we swapped it out per event. Also is there a volvo motor that can make decent torque cheaply for drifting?

Quote
catapultkid
I would use the lemons miata, hands down, but it isnt mine. Building the cage for a friend so I get to race a couple events. If he sells then I'll pick it up but not likely.

You landed on a good point I would like to continue to keep in the conversation.

Is there something I can do to have the car double in events. She wants to learn to drift asap, and would love the thought of doing a stage rally with it after a season or so of rallyx. We have the mk2 as a track car/autox car. (spent too much time painting it)

That would be worth putting time into full cage. Keep her safe at drift events, and us both safe in stages.

Thoughts? would any car be any better than another. Too bad the suspension set-ups are a lot different. Volvo straight axles would benefit here, if we swapped it out per event. Also is there a volvo motor that can make decent torque cheaply for drifting?

You're in Richmond. So call me and we'll talk, then you drive out and talk to my friend and sometimes partner in the Volvo end of my business who is out North of town just a bit in Ashland
(Knox Motorsports LLC©2007 email. lawrence@knoxmotorsports.us
phone. 804-496-6763 9am-7pm EST
fax. 804-368-0379)

So the ideal car is one that is not just cheap to buy but cheap to progressively build up, and hold onto for a number of years.
Has to be fun enough at near-ish stock and have inherant potential beyond the average clubman so you don't get bored with it and distyracted by some shiny thing before you have it half built.

Cut top the chase: 240 Volvo....$800 gets a runner, less gets a thing with a dead fuel pump of PS rack.
ANY n.a. Volvo with a milled head, a stupid cam, exhaust and some short final drive can work really surprisingly well in grass-o-cross, drift-o-sis or Stage rally with just tire changes....
ANY with a correctly sized --not very big---only a teenisie bit bigger than stock---turbo is just more fun..

Same with an Xratty.

Both are well balanced, large enough to be stable, short enough to be nimble.. Both eventually can be upgraded as needed using the same parts (gearbox, diff, final drive, rack, turbo...same shit)(ain't surprising since the motors are so close to same.)

Done right the Volvo or Xratty are both good cone-squish cars and of course there's no problem taking then to track days for fun----it's ALL just for fun...and not splitting limited resources into another car means you build a BETTER, funner-er, more reliable ONE CAR.

Call, I am recuperation from an appendix operation so I can sit and blab.

---

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.

John,

Thanks. I would love to call and chat it up. Expect something around 5:30 my time from 540-907-0607. I would also love to see a volvo in some kind of rally trim as well. I have PM'd your buddy in this neck of the woods.

I had appendicitis this time last year. Its no fun.

Miata can't rally, even with a bolted down hard top

---

Welcome to the cult of JVL drink the koolaid or be banned.

Yes they can. You just have to replace the roof with a metal one and prove that it's equivalent to or stronger than the original.

They're a lousy candidate for rallying though.

---

Self-righteous douche canoe



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2012 02:53PM by hoche.

Ok, possibly for NASA, then. But not RA, so why gimp yourself to only ONE sanctioning body?

Common sense says build to the rules that limit the most, so you can do either...

---

Welcome to the cult of JVL drink the koolaid or be banned.

Miata out, Volvo and Merkur in!

240 or 740? 8v turbo like John mentioned?

Having a easy time finding them on c'list, hard time finding anything slightly prepped. What gives?

Quote
catapultkid
Miata out, Volvo and Merkur in!

240 or 740? 8v turbo like John mentioned?

Having a easy time finding them on c'list, hard time finding anything slightly prepped. What gives?

In a (part of the) world where rally is sport less popular than underwater lacrosse, and boxy but good Swedish iron and orphaned Euro Ford cars are nowhere near as popular as NNAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWSSSSSSSSSS injected Hondas (VTEC kicked in and caused danger to manifold, yo!), the only place you are going to find any interest in these machines is here, turbo bricks, and/or merkursport.

There just ain't no market for the older iron with the General Population, which isn't necessarily bad; it's the very reason you can find dirt cheap beater cars!

Although my visit to my (former) favorite junkyard left me nearly empty handed today. They had a part for my nine-year-old Subaru Legacy, but no 20-year-old turbo Volvos to speak of, no Merkurs, no real Saabs. There were some 240SX Nissans, but no RX7s (never should've sold that oil cooler, oh well). The "old" stuff is now getting to be all mid-90s out here.

---

Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

I guess I was hoping that there was a forum hidden away somewhere that have loads of them, slightly modified or the like. No such luck huh.

Quote
john vanlandingham
... so I can sit and blab.

Boy can he ever! But if you have the time you will learn some shit. I am planning on doing much more than just stage in my Volvo. SO excited to get it done that there is no way I won't being using it daily for weeks. Track days, auto cross, hill climbs. Funny because after starting out in rallyx, I doubt the car will see many of them in the future. Just too much mud. EVERYWHERE!

---

Zap zap my ass...

Quote
fiasco

Quote
catapultkid
Miata out, Volvo and Merkur in!

240 or 740? 8v turbo like John mentioned?

Having a easy time finding them on c'list, hard time finding anything slightly prepped. What gives?

In a (part of the) world where rally is sport less popular than underwater lacrosse, and boxy but good Swedish iron and orphaned Euro Ford cars are nowhere near as popular as NNAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWSSSSSSSSSS injected Hondas (VTEC kicked in and caused danger to manifold, yo!), the only place you are going to find any interest in these machines is here, turbo bricks, and/or merkursport.

There just ain't no market for the older iron with the General Population, which isn't necessarily bad; it's the very reason you can find dirt cheap beater cars!

Although my visit to my (former) favorite junkyard left me nearly empty handed today. They had a part for my nine-year-old Subaru Legacy, but no 20-year-old turbo Volvos to speak of, no Merkurs, no real Saabs. There were some 240SX Nissans, but no RX7s (never should've sold that oil cooler, oh well). The "old" stuff is now getting to be all mid-90s out here.

How many oil coolers you want Andrew? MkII? Mk1? Got many of each.
And Mercedes diesel (what Ford used)... And Jag...
Quantity deal? No Problem.

---

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.

Guess I missed you John when I called back. No worries, hope your getting over the appendicitis nicely.

Well I guess I have some time before I NEED anything so I will be looking and looking. 8v with small turbo sounds right up my alley however.

Quote
hoche
Yes they can. You just have to replace the roof with a metal one and prove that it's equivalent to or stronger than the original.

They're a lousy candidate for rallying though.

What makes you say that? Have you ever driven one hard on gravel? I have, and they work very well. Very easy to drive, teaches good car control skills, and durable. There are 2 of them owned by dirt fish employees, and they get thrashed on for a full day usually once per week during "teaching days"