Don't even think about building the Corolla. Banish any thoughts of that from your mind.

No spare parts available, very few shells in the junk yards.
Wussy little pos leaf spring diff.
Wussy little brakes and bearings in the front.
Wussy little recirculating ball steering box.
No f'n room in the car for a proper cage and todays rally seats.

It will cost considerably more to build the Toy into a crappy rally car than to buy and build a Volvo into a good rally car. It will cost considerably more to campaign the Toy for a season or two than a Volvo.

There are several of us here that can take that Toy apart and put it together pretty much blindfolded, none of us can tell you how to make a good rally car out of it. It only gets worse when you pay a $800 entry fee and have to drop out because nobody within 1000 miles has a spare framlich for an ancient Corolla. No refunds for being silly. Don't be that guy...

Understood ....clearly!! Dont want a money pit, and I'm 6'5 after a cage it would be hard to contort myself into that thing..

Dear God, 6' 5" and you CONSIDERED it?


I really hate saying this, but if you MUST RWD, go volvo. I'd take an xr4ti over a volvo though.. I dunno how plentiful they are over there.

---

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

Yea I know , HA I got the "under one condition" its gotta be drive able ...no problem so the rust bucket is out I called the awesome 800 dollar one and he has someone coming to look at it tommorow hopefully he don't sell it , jerk I called him about it first so we will see!!

Ask here why should you spend all the fixed costs such as cage, suspension, etc on something that has glaring defects for the intended use?
For example: the size of the front wheel beaings and hubs---problems just waiting----which would be a livable problem if you had a pile of front struts with the spindles, but you don't and the "Rally car Spare Parts Depots" cynically labeled by some as "junk" yard haven't had 79 Corolla struts for 20 years.
The size , strength and ratios in the MPG rated gearbox---for which it is a certainty that there are NO spares for anywhere--again a livable problem 20+ years ago when you MIGHT find a replacement box

The size and strength of the rear axle and the virtual certainty of not being able to easily get alternate ring and pinion sets for RALLY use. The size of the axle shafts at a whopping 20mm diameter--which will bend--and for which NO REPLACEMENTS

The tea cup sized rear brakes---for which it MAY be a problem even finding shoes and wheel cylinders for and which are inadequate

The tiny little motor with the horrible hemi head which means you cannot easily raise compression ratio to make it POP! (Angled valves means one edge of the valve is close to the edge of the cylinder You can just chop 060" off the head cause the valve will be cut thru..
Can't make compression that way, you'll have to think of pistons with enormous domes because the 90 degree included angle means the chamber is huge and tall...Pistons cost the same for junk design as good design so $$$ and still a motor that wants to detonate (from the dome itself causing weird pressure spikes and disturbing flame travel..

lack of easy spare:hoods, grilles, fenders, headlight buckets, blinkers---the stuff newb smash when they go nuts as invariably happens.

And lack of windshields, and roof replacements...

The size of the front lower control arm pivots, bound to die.
The lack of easy spare lower front control arms..

The weak and horribly slow and vague recirculating ball steering--for which there is no easy cure....

All things that mean more work, and more cost to have a completely uncompetitive vehicle--and more cost for less competitiveness usually equates to: Unhappiness

Unhappiness usually means: you drop out sooner or later.

Show your wife this, it's just 2 weeks ago and a nice guy comes here and wants to do a car even worse for no solutions than a 79 NorollaPlus Juan on the last bit.
BP whatever your name is---you're supposed to j
have somewhere in the sidebar or the signature a real name and real location because many of us feel funny talking to made up names like they're not really people---
the number one question to ask yourself in every step of the way in competition is "What advantage does this ______________ (car, part, procedure, action (driving technique), purchase have over ___________ (the alternate car, part, procedure, action)..

You have to think of that in advance of every choice because a choice today sets you on a path or road or "way" that leads you to somewhere....maybe happiness, maybe personal enlightenment, maybe ruin, or frustration.

(I am refraining from re-posting the Noble Eightfold Path but I'll link and mini-quote it:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path)

So, to advise you, and help you attain _________ (happiness, enlightenment, whatever) we have to ask you a lot of questions, simple questions but very much needed questions.

Why a Rare-bit?
Why a diesel?
By why I mean "what advantage does a Rare-bit have over __________?" and "what advantage does a diesel have over _____________?"

Using the simplest analytic tool---"compare and contrast" helps. It's not Rare-bit diesel because it's the only car, its a Rarebit diesel in competition on SS against other cars which--it is the nature of competition---you are supposed to beat, and beat by driving the SS quicker--shorter time---than the other cars/driver.

What is the goal you are seeking to attain?
>Fun? (listed number one because that is actually the best answer)
>Self-enlightenment (listed no2 because that is often the more lasting accomplishment if you stick with the endeavor)
>Fame and adulation of the teeming multitudes of spectators?
>Recognition of how brilliant you are because you managed to make a really poor car which is a painfully slow econobox go so fast? 0-60 in 19 seconds?
> a big lip-lock on your thobbing love muscle from the Trophy Girl?

In the compare and contrast I find it a useful aid for my pooor oooooold knocked about brain to write 2 columns and sketch in likely costs for car R (Rare-bit ) and car __________ (some alternate, but I know what I would do if I was starting clean.)

Then you will see in both the columns some "same costs" like cage, suspenders, seats, belts, plumbing (brakes and fuel), oil cooling, instruments (Odo, oil temp and pressure) and since they're the same in both (or multiple) columns (nobody said it was Car R vs just one other car) you can regard those as "cancelling out" each other cause those costs are the same no matter what.
THEN! then we can compare the variables. Car R will cost $xxx to do this, while car V will cost nothing (for example)...

Thats the basic "build or start costs". Then do a new chart "I get hooked and dive in for the next ________years" comparison..
Car R maybe OK to start with cause beating anything, like pure silly hoon-ifying in the snow or gravel is fun, but what happens when you decide to "get serious"...
In this chart put costs of doors, hoods , grills, fenders, racks, better clutches, better brakes, better gear ratios , correct final drives, LSD---no no not the kind that gives you insight and self awareness, the sort that lets both wheels bite and gives you speed and control---which gives you insight and self awareness... (damn just drop acid and drive stages springs up as a direct path....hmmmmm never mind forget that), and then the inevitable thing lurking in everybodys feverish brains: more power..what's that gonna cost for Car R vs _________?

Do these two charts and I betcha a whole nickel that you will being to have serious doubts as to the wiseness of looking at a Rarebit diesel or really any FWD platform....

I mean it, write them out in columns and compare..
Ask 'what advantage?" maybe add a column---what would it cost on this 'un just to reach where we are beginning with car B


I just got back from a day in the hospital I gotta go too tired

Go LOOK at the Volvo.

---

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.

I used to be the owner of a reasonably well built 1974 Dodge Colt. It had a 4G54 instead of the 4G52, and simple things such as an altenator was difficult. I was racing at PFR a few years ago and the severe vibration in the driveline toasted the alternator and subsequently broke the cast altenator strap. There's an event video floating around of a night time in town stage where I was driving without headlights, on purpose!

Sure there's parts around, but they're not readily available.

The nice guys from Rocket Rally rigged a semi compatible altenator up for me, and welded the strap.

When the rear tranny seal went, we popped in the spare. When that one went (driveshaft problem), the next closest one was driven from Vancouver to Merritt so we could install it (2.5 hour drive).

It was a total nightmare and that car was already "built". Mind you it had a combination of SAE, metric, regular tread, fine tread from the original build which didn't make things easier.

Ask yourself what you'd do if you all of a sudden need a new windshield, etc...

It's none of my business... but I'll poke my nose in... if you're waiting for a tax return to buy another car, perhaps you should wait until you've bought all the baby stuff. Stroller, car seat, crib, basonette, etc, etc,...

I became a first time dad 4.5 weeks ago, and all that stuff adds up pretty fast.

Even though my Colt was built "reasonably" well, I put a lot of money into it over a short period of time and ended up selling (more like giving it away) for a very low amount. Yes that's the price of exhileration and fun!

You should type out a list of all the things you intended to buy during the build and assign $ items to them, then post it here for feed back. You'll see that you very quickly rip through $7500+ and that before you're even on stage for which you need tires, spare parts, entry fees, safety gear, HANS, Etc, etc.

Oh and I'm 6'5" too. When sitting in the Colt with the Sparco Corsa's mounted as close to the floor as possible, while wearing my helmet, I had to slightly tilt my head so it didn't hit one of the bars.

Lots to consider...

Absolutely, I have money to build the car it just comes in the form of a nest egg sitting in the bank, so I've snuck away enough to get a car then I figured I'd get a cage with the tax return so I wouldn't have to "dip" into the nest egg.. I don't plan on competing till next year, and we wanna move to the Portland area, we just need to get transfered, we both work for the va.

Congrats on the childbirth pop, I can't wait myself..