just getting in

im getting into rally racing. i was wanting to now whats a good car to buy on the cheap and what upgrades should beon the top of my list to do

Read this first...

http://www.rallyanarchy.com/phorum/read.php?1,6,6

Now that you've identified yourself, welcome!

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

I updated my profile.

Welcome to Rally Anarchy, Josh. We're not like the others.

There aren't many rules here other than putting a real name, age and location so we know where you're coming from. And threatening to call Homeland Security on somebody is likely to get you in trouble here, too.

So, you've been bitten by the rally bug. Two events are within an easy drive for you to go check out.

Rally West Virignia is nearby you in Elkins (early August http://www.rallywv.com/), and Rally Tennessee isn't TOO far either and that's in a few short weeks (http://www.rallytennessee.com/2008/). Go look, see, ask questions.

These are both events sanctioned by NASA Rallysport: http://www.nasarallysport.com/.
There are also two events put on by Rally New York http://www.rallynewyork.com/.
There's also the Rally America series http://www.rally-america.com/index.php.

John Vanlandingham will be on shortly to tell you to build a Merkur XR4Ti or Volvo 240.

Which aren't bad options if you have the facilities and/or bank account (these are probably two of the most cost effective options if you're going to build). But there are others, too.

So, what are you looking to do? Cheap car to buy? Probably going to be a Mk 2 Golf. Check out the classifieds here and at specialstage.com and rallyclassified.com.

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2008 06:20PM by fiasco.

war_machine1205 Wrote:
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> im getting into rally racing. i was wanting to now
> whats a good car to buy on the cheap and what
> upgrades should beon the top of my list to do


Josh,

You're asking the question of questions. Everyone is going to have an opinion.. all will be right and all will be wrong.

You will likely get more and better responses if you outline the following:

A) are you biased towards FWD or RWD

what cars do you own/owned that you've wrenched on

C) what's your in house fabrication ability (ie. welding, making things work)

D) what can you realistically spend and still be able to afford to race the thing

After you've told us all that, your best option is to buy some rally car that already exists and run that. Myself and many others have a tendency to want the ultimate thing.. but for the first while you just need a thing that passes the safety regs. This will give you more money to actually go out and race. (in case you didn't know, you can't build a rally car for what you can sell it)

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2008 06:21PM by hudson.

Want to go with a fwd i've owned alot of cars and i work on almost all of them my self and if there is something i cant i call my uncle and he can do it or tell me how to do it im leaning to weld right now and like 500 to 600 is what i can spend without my wife getting pissed that i brought myself a big toy. more detail on cars that ive had a ford fiesta, honda civic accord and a pile of shit vw

war_machine1205 Wrote:
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> Want to go with a fwd i've owned alot of cars and
> i work on almost all of them my self and if there
> is something i cant i call my uncle and he can do
> it or tell me how to do it im leaning to weld
> right now and like 500 to 600 is what i can spend
> without my wife getting pissed that i brought
> myself a big toy. more detail on cars that ive had
> a ford fiesta, honda civic accord and a pile of
> shit vw

Is the $600 cap on keeping the wife happy on something big and obvious like a car or all expenditures?

What I'm saying is it the actual physical car in the driveway and not the gearbox that's going to get her bent?

The most popular FWD car in NA (north america, not naturally aspirated) is a Golf/Rabbit. Someone VW guy will fill you in on them (I don't know much, but Rabbit unibodies are apparently weak. They all seem to suffer from a fairly bad rear suspension beam and the top strut mounts in the front are garbage-- which has been/is being fixed)

Your shopping range includes Saab 99s. I prefer them over the VW for nothing more than it's a Saab and not a VW (although the Saab has rally pedigree if that means anything to you). Body parts are getting expensive.. windshields are $400-600. But the general running gear is still cheap. Anything that goes into a 900 can go into a 99. (you could run a 900 as well.. i just don't like the look as much.. and think they are dimensionally bigger)

Some years of civics are being run successfully.. I think it's the early mid 90s generation. The hatch ones that look like something that could go/came out of your butt. The shells are almost all gone here (tin worm).. but in West Virginia they might still be plentiful/cheap. The biggest plus is aftermarket engine jazz is everywhere and anywhere.

There will be a few others, but fairly odd ball. Ie VW Scirrocco aka a squashed and sportier looking rabbit.

Generally, you don't want to be the first guy to figure everything out. So I'd suggest running something that's already been run (successfully of course).

There will be a lot of people trying to sell you on RWD. Growing up in the country and having owned 1 FWD vehicle to 10 or so RWD ones.. you can guess where on the fence I sit. The major advantage is the drive line is a lot more bullet proof and you can change the differential gearing for a lot less $$.


Edit: RWD is a whole lot simpler.. you can put a T5 (good, cheap and everywhere) behind just about any motor. If the car has a solid axle you can put just about any rear axle back there.

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2008 06:56PM by hudson.

$500 to $600 is maybe enough to buy a sheetbox rallycross car. Rallycross is like autocross in a dirt parking lot. Kinda fun to do, but I'd rather throw $50 at 50 laps of go kart racing, even if the karting is on asphalt.

You want to build a stage rally car from scratch, I'd say $10,000 minimum to meet the safety rules and have a car that doesn't completely suck, and that's if you do EVERYTHING yourself.

You might be able to buy a car that only needs a couple grand of parts to be stage rally legal for $5,000 or so.

Am I being negative enough? Sorry.

Front drivers, POS VWs (with all the POS electric stuff removed), 91-94 Sentra SE-R, some Civics. I'd love to see a Ford Fiasco...er Fiesta, but 99.8% of those rusted out 12 years ago. There are some Saab pervs around who dig the old 99s and 900s. Vanlandingham loves his Saab 96, and I have to say they are fun to drive. Neons? Omnis? K-Car?

A turbo Omni or K-Car would probably be fun to rallycross with the right crowd (i.e., a group who was more about "hold my beer and watch this" than having 17 different classes and being all about rules compliance).

But you shouldn't be listening to me, I've been standing on the sidelines for over 10 years with just one run in the codriver's seat in Canada. Let the voices of experience come forth with brilliant ideas!

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

The good thing is with parts i work at a junk yard/ recycling yard so i can get parts pretty easy. I know where i can get a fiesta that isnt rusted out and in pretty good cond. I was looking for something of a project to work for a cew months so i can get my driveing skill up alil more then it is right now. i grow up in the counry so mud snow and gravel is nothing now to me thats why this is looking really fun now

war_machine1205 Wrote:
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> The good thing is with parts i work at a junk
> yard/ recycling yard so i can get parts pretty
> easy. I know where i can get a fiesta that isnt
> rusted out and in pretty good cond. I was looking
> for something of a project to work for a cew
> months so i can get my driveing skill up alil more
> then it is right now. i grow up in the counry so
> mud snow and gravel is nothing now to me thats why
> this is looking really fun now

You don't want to rally a fiesta.

Do you know what it costs to enter a rally?

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

i was just fucking off about the fiesta and im really dont know what it costs

war_machine1205 Wrote:
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> i was just fucking off about the fiesta and im
> really dont know what it costs

I can't afford it, but I'd guess 1k is super duper cheappppppppp for an all in weekend.

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2008 07:37PM by hudson.

just have to put the cock to the old lady aqnd maybe ill get the money

war_machine1205 Wrote:
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> just have to put the cock to the old lady aqnd
> maybe ill get the money


The problem with rally is that it's absolutely fucking expensive.

LIKE EXPENSIVE.

You're looking at 6k bare minimum and 100s if not 1000s of hours to be given the opportunity to spend 1-2k to possibly write off your car for little to no prize money.

Buy a trike for 500 dollars, haul it out to the country (if you don't live in it) strap a 6 pack to the back and go have fun.

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

hudson Wrote:

>
> I can't afford it, but I'd guess 1k is super duper
> cheappppppppp for an all in weekend.
>

1K is totally out of question unless you drive your rally car to the event, stay in a tent and cruise on stages so you could drive back home. Entry fees are $500 at the cheapest, if you are novice you need to get to the event earlier than the rest, tow vehicle gas, rally tires, gas for race car, hotel, food will quickly add over 1K. At Sandblast our total expenses Were roughly 2.5K and thats with used tires and $50 hotel room. I will admit however tow vehicle gas totalled 400-500 bucks alone.

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rally gods would turn in their graves if they ever knew Lada's were now part of EU rallying!!!