Jonathan Rallyboy, come here and discuss honestly this business of Truck vs CAR

don't do it. Making that truck handle safely on stages is going to be expensive. I used to bomb down local dirt roads in my old ranger 2wd it was fun but so are mopeds.


You would be better off getting Carlos's old 2wd audi and giving it the TLC it needs. or build the rabbit. or trade the rabbit to Chris for one of his mkII's (Chris is a rabbit fan).

If you must I have some corbeau forza tube frame seats and out of date belts suitable for rewebbing that I could sell you for a song. Ask Mark Bowers about using corbeau forza seats for NASA.

---

Matt Smith

Racing in glorious black and red

My daily life is a Saab story (sold!)

mothra Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> don't do it. Making that truck handle safely on
> stages is going to be expensive. I used to bomb
> down local dirt roads in my old ranger 2wd it was
> fun but so are mopeds.
>
>
> You would be better off getting Carlos's old 2wd
> audi and giving it the TLC it needs.

What would be wrong with some simple rwd car?

or build the
> rabbit. or trade the rabbit to Chris for one of
> his mkII's (Chris is a rabbit fan).

Our local Tom B driver of "the overall Doo Wop 08 winner except the fuel pump died" vicious Rabbit loves how his Rabbit goes, but last time he was here he said "If I'd known how flimsy they were, I would have never done the Rabbit. But now that I'm in the middle of running it, I'm sorta stuck with so much maintenance, I have no time or energy, much less money, to work on the Golf II shell I have sitting."
>

>
> Matt Smith
>

---

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.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2008 12:59PM by john vanlandingham.

If I may interject...

I had a 1987 2wd Toyota truck I bought new. Since at that time it was my daily driver, I did almost everything with it (towing, hauling), which included autocrossing it. I had to do SOOO much stuff to that truck to make it competitive, and it still was a handful to drive fast. I have photos of the truck cornering with stock tires and stock suspension the third week I owned the truck, and the bed is misaligned with the cab by almost 2 inches. A bit flexy...

The funny thing is, I also used to like ripping around a local gravel pit with the truck, and it got it's ass handed to it by my cousin's bone-stock Mazda B2200 truck, even though by then my truck was sporting turbo pistons, a Camden blower, header, 2.5" exhaust, etc. That Mazda was 3 times better than a Toyota in the dirt, simply by virtue of the suspension. The Toyota front end bottomed easily, ripped off lower shock mounts regularly, and had about 25° of steering lock-to-lock (slight sarcasm, but it did have a crappy turning radius), which limited the degree of sideways you could get away with without spinning out. Ironically my bone-stock 1974 Opel Manta Luxus (automatic) was eternally faster than either vehicle off road, with nothing more than KYB's and Vredestein snow tires, FWIW.

I think a RWD car is a better rally vehicle any day over a mini-pickup.

Bob

---

Opel is a 4-letter word...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10498579@N07/sets/

john vanlandingham Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> rallyboy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > yep.
> >
> > I roll so deep in the grass that I touch
> > roots...
> >
> And you talk to people in Colorado about
> manners??!! because they didn't make the effort to
> come up and introduce themselves and shake
> hands??
>
> That's the funny thing about manners, and
> conventions and the unspoken things that carry a
> message as well.
>
> My take on your behaviour is that you have just
> spat in a bunch of peoples faces.
> Its as if in the middle of a whole gang of guys
> trying to give you honest unfiltered advice, you
> can't even trouble yourself to even respond whit
> just a monosylable, you turn on you heels and walk
> away.
>
> Most of the world I know, that's considered
> extremely rude.
>
>
>
>
> John Vanlandingham
> Sleezattle, WA, USA
>
> Vive le Prole-le-ralliat
>
> www.jvab.f4.ca


John, you should know that there was a bit of wit and sarcasm there. I'm a beginner at the mechanical end of things. This is why I'm not talking more shop.
In actuality I'm at attention, turning about face, and giving you a polite middle finger while waving goodbye and thanking everyone here for their wealth of experience and this can be discussed further on my turf if you care to elaborate any further about the topic.

---

I roll so deep in the grass that I touch roots...
http://www.rallyboy.com

mothra Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> don't do it. Making that truck handle safely on
> stages is going to be expensive. I used to bomb
> down local dirt roads in my old ranger 2wd it was
> fun but so are mopeds.
>
>
> You would be better off getting Carlos's old 2wd
> audi and giving it the TLC it needs. or build the
> rabbit. or trade the rabbit to Chris for one of
> his mkII's (Chris is a rabbit fan).
>
> If you must I have some corbeau forza tube frame
> seats and out of date belts suitable for rewebbing
> that I could sell you for a song. Ask Mark Bowers
> about using corbeau forza seats for NASA.
>
> Matt Smith
>
> Of course the car has graphics...
> We did them in satin black, flat black, and gloss
> black


Hey Matt! Thanks! Email me a price, would ya. I'm pretty much set on building the Rabbit, but am interested in if you are talking about Chris from competition cages. This may be an option, but I'm quite fond of the Rabbit. I'm definitely game on the seats, harness', and such. Oscar has some suspension, and Ed has all the other bits. If I can get this together in a year with everyones help, and if Ed and I can piece together the cage and stuff that would ROCK! Whoever puts in will have their vinyl and advertisement plastered everywhere with the project. I would only do Sandblast unless my sponsors fork out the dough. I would then offer it as a rental from there on out in the season. I think Oscar it looking at making his a rental as well. BTW, everyone Oscar(Turoc) has a new baby boy!

---

I roll so deep in the grass that I touch roots...
http://www.rallyboy.com

The audi is fully built, log booked, and has completed rallies. IT haas been sitting and may need some updates and TLC. PRice is cheap.

RWd is more fun but.....

---

Matt Smith

Racing in glorious black and red

My daily life is a Saab story (sold!)

rallyboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Hey Matt! Thanks! Email me a price, would ya.
> I'm pretty much set on building the Rabbit, but am
> interested in if you are talking about Chris from
> competition cages. This may be an option, but I'm
> quite fond of the Rabbit. I'm definitely game on
> the seats, harness', and such. Oscar has some
> suspension, and Ed has all the other bits. If I
> can get this together in a year with everyones
> help, and if Ed and I can piece together the cage
> and stuff that would ROCK! Whoever puts in will
> have their vinyl and advertisement plastered
> everywhere with the project. I would only do
> Sandblast unless my sponsors fork out the dough.
> I would then offer it as a rental from there on
> out in the season. I think Oscar it looking at
> making his a rental as well. BTW, everyone
> Oscar(Turoc) has a new baby boy!
>
>
THe seats may not be NASA legal under the current rules. THe belts are definitely expired but I think safequip still rewebs for cheap.

I went with cam locks and lighter seats so these came out.

Not Shimmel Bre-Ann's Chris. THe rabbit would do.

---

Matt Smith

Racing in glorious black and red

My daily life is a Saab story (sold!)

>
> Our local Tom B driver of "the overall Doo Wop 08
> winner except the fuel pump died" vicious Rabbit
> loves how his Rabbit goes, but last time he was
> here he said "If I'd known how flimsy they were, I
> would have never done the Rabbit. But now that I'm
> in the middle of running it, I'm sorta stuck with
> so much maintenance, I have no time or energy,
> much less money, to work on the Golf II shell I
> have sitting."
>


The rabbit can be made to work well....unfortunately making it work well means doing alot more work than you should have to when more capable cars are available.

Why start with a weak shell when you can start with something more stout? Yes you still have to put the cage in, but you don't have to go back time and time again to strengthen weak and poorly designed suspension points...specifically the front frame horns and the strut tops. The transmission is notoriously weak and all of the std engines are underpowered...and don't get me started on suspension travel.

A Golf II is a much better start, cheap, plentiful, a front SUBFRAME to bend instead of the entire car, but still lightweight and semi-powerful in 16V form...swap in an 02A transmission and you have a fighter.

---

-Tom
DemonRallyTeam | Fine Tuning | CTS Turbo & RP Turbos | RalleyTuned | JRM | Meister Autowerks
Spitfire EFI | Product Apparel | JVAB Imports | NLS | AP Tuning | USRT

Add us on Facebook | Next Event: 2013 Olympus Rally June 22-23 Olympia, WA

rallyboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> this can be discussed
> further on my turf if you care to elaborate any
> further about the topic.

I thought your turf was more for a fan based approach and not technical aspects of building a rally car. I remembered that I never sent you the email I was meaning to.

---

Grant Hughes

Before my first stage rally I volunteered at an event and used my 2002 Tacoma TRD 4X4 as a sweep vehicle. Driving through the stages after the last car had raced was a blast. Tossing the truck left and right was great, and some of the course volunteers mentioned that is was more of a blast to see the sweep vehicle drive the stage than some of the competitors.

I thought... wow, trucks are great on stage - Then I got the Colt and raced that.

I had more control at higher speed in the RWD Colt than I did at slower speeds in the Tacoma.

But then... I'm just a newbie, so what do I know ?