New Guy In MN

Hello.

I'm new to this site and rallying. I've only turned left in my racing career. I'm 25, and I've been racing since 16. I've ran multiple classes, from entry level converted street cars to fully fabricated chassis late model fiberglass bodied late models.

I currently own a 2000 VW GTI 1.8t that I daily and a 1991 Mitsu Galant VR4 as a project.

I'm currently racing a Legend car on a part time basis. I was lucky enough to win two feature races at Raceway park in Shakopee, MN. Me and my father want to sell the Legend. We'd like to continue racing. I want to suggest doing something other than circle track, while staying on a budget.

A fellow VR4 owner on galantvr4.org suggested rallying. I think it's a great idea and a DSM would make a great economical platform.

Sorry for the longwinded post, glad to be a part of this site.

CarRacer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello.
>
> I'm new to this site and rallying. I've only
> turned left in my racing career. I'm 25, and I've
> been racing since 16. I've ran multiple classes,
> from entry level converted street cars to fully
> fabricated chassis late model fiberglass bodied
> late models.
>
> I currently own a 2000 VW GTI 1.8t that I daily
> and a 1991 Mitsu Galant VR4 as a project.
>
> I'm currently racing a Legend car on a part time
> basis. I was lucky enough to win two feature races
> at Raceway park in Shakopee, MN. Me and my father
> want to sell the Legend. We'd like to continue
> racing. I want to suggest doing something other
> than circle track, while staying on a budget.
>
> A fellow VR4 owner on galantvr4.org suggested
> rallying. I think it's a great idea and a DSM
> would make a great economical platform.
>
> Sorry for the longwinded post, glad to be a part
> of this site.

Welcome aboard, James.
Good choice of car, they're an excellent size, have good outward visibilty, an easy motor to make good torquey power with, and there are decent upgrade paths for brakes, diffs etc.

Only annoying thing is the way the rear shocks are mounted on the trailing arms with that BIG FAT HERKIN' PIN.

Now where you are you're deep into RallyAmerica country which is owned and run by a couple of guys who dove in deep end with turbo 4wd cars as newbs and after crashing them repeatedly decided to make a rule that newbs have to start with a 2wd car.

So if you wanted to build a 235 bhp 2wd car and give it short short gearing so it accelerates like stinks up to 90, those guys have decreed it won't hurt if you smack that up, but you drive a turbo 4wd car, hitting a tree with that equals instant death.


Now that've had dozens of exceptions to their rule and maybe with you background they make up some just for you rule and let you do it.
You'll have to ask them and be all I don't know what.

Anyway be really careful that when you design your cage it meets their rules.

Don't discount Ontario events which may be a bit of a tow but are cheaper and fun.

Don't be shy, ask questions, the need of one car that size and weight ain't a lot different from the next car that size and weight.

You don't need a killer motor, but you need good suspension and good brakes.

There's some guy here that makes excellent reasonably priced real rally suspension which is very strong and works really well.
I'm sure some of the Subaru guys or VW or Volvo or Xratty guys could tell you how to get in touch with him.
He's done one Evo 3 setup and your Gaylant is similar.

By the way you know the "oafish-al" name of your car round these parts is "Misterbitchy Gaylant" (and oafish-al is the correct way for the word some people spell'offical'. but we don't like official stuff 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.

Thanks, but I've experienced the Misterbitchy Gaylant firsthand.

I won't be racing that car though. The Gaylant is made by MMC, I plan on racing a DSM. I'll be buying a Talon/Eclipse/Laser for rallying. I'll have to check rules and whatnot before I do anything though. Racing is a long way off.

Rally America is the sanctioning body in this area? I'll have to learn about them.

CarRacer Wrote:
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> Thanks, but I've experienced the Misterbitchy
> Gaylant firsthand.
>
> I won't be racing that car though. The Gaylant is
> made by MMC, I plan on racing a DSM. I'll be
> buying a Talon/Eclipse/Laser for rallying.

WAIT! Whaddya mean not using the gaylant?
As good as the Gaylant is, the Ecipsed things are seriously BAD.
Seriously.
Very poor interior room stock, totally fucked with a decent cage.
Pooor outward visibility, poor ergonomics inside.
EXTREMELY crowded engine compartment.

Dude, seriously. Gaylant is an excellent and proven at WRC level chassi.
Eclipsed is a style excercise.
I've driven both and seen both built.
And very often Eclipsed guys are seen selling their cars soon after.



I'll
> have to check rules and whatnot before I do
> anything though. Racing is a long way off.

Yep. There is no logic in many of the rules, they just are and getting a "free pass" just depends on who you are.
Are you famous? No problem!
>
> Rally America is the sanctioning body in this
> area? I'll have to learn about them.

---

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.

Im taking the Galant out of the equation because I'm not cutting it up.

I'll have to go to an event and see what most are running. Best thing would be to buy a used car. Let some other sucker eat the build costs.

CarRacer Wrote:
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> Im taking the Galant out of the equation because
> I'm not cutting it up.
>
> I'll have to go to an event and see what most are
> running.
Unique in the world, half the field is Subarus.
Also unique is the prevalence of turbo 4wd cars.
There are a lot of Golves--again something not seen anywhere else in the world.
Both cases shows that a lot of guys are just following what they see, and I call it "the Blind following the blind"


Not always the best thing to do.


>Best thing would be to buy a used car.

Not always. It's a faster way to be in the woods but every single guy I know or have heard of in the last 10 years who bought a used car has spent TONS of time AND money making things up to snuff.
Seen cages cut out, wiring re-done, tired trannies junked, and too many guys throwing away the junk so called "rally" suspension and buying new.

> Let some other sucker eat the build costs.

I say "Why are they selling a car they just built and ran just a few events?"


A LOT of guys have done the"spend like crazy, build a kick ass turbo 4wd thing" and are either dropped out,
OR have scaled back and built or are building simpler 2wd REAR WHEEL DRIVE cars.

And in the whole rest of the world, especially in those countries where gravel event predominate, REAR WHEEL DRIVE still accounts for 85% of the cars.

It might be smart to think of that.

---

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.

If you do buy used, be aware of what you are buying. Do the research on the car and find out what makes it quick as a rally car, not a street car. Just because a guy is selling a car doesn't mean it's competition built. I bought a relatively cheap VW ($2,900) thinking all I needed to do was add some seats/harness/safety/cage additions and I was good. As the list of mods kept growing just to make my first rally I'm close to $5,000 in extra parts (wheels/tires/belts/hoses/skidplate/intercom/etc) and I still have a stock engine/tranny and a slow car.

If looking for a FWD N/A, make sure it comes with a good gearbox with a proper clutch type diff and a close ratio trans with an aftermarket final drive (stock A2 GTI trans isn't good enough). As JV said, you want to get up to 90mph as quick as possible with a torqueless engine so you'll need lots of close gears.

And take a look at the car in person. If you can't make it in person, ask for 1000 pictures (and I'm not kidding about a thousand) to document the car. And ask questions, what suspension setup did he have, were there any DNF problems with the car, are there any problems with the car currently, what material is the skidplate and underbody protection made of. Any leaks? Rust?

If you get a lot of, "I don't remember" answers, just walk away and find another car.

Yeah but Billy, despite that your car doesn't have a leet gearbox or engine you are rallying. Think about that, I mean had you waited for the perfect car you could likely be sitting on the sidelines.

As far as entering the sport my opinion is to get in on the cheap so you can learn what works/doesn't work and get some seat time. Focus on the cage then wiring then suspension then tranny then engine.

Of course, you want to pick an inherently good platform. The DMS Talon/Eclipse seemed popular up to about 6 years ago when the Subie invasion began. But John's cited reasons for why not to do a DMS seem to be what I recall the complaints were. So....

PS I hate wiring.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2008 03:06PM by Eddie Fiorelli.

Eddie Fiorelli Wrote:
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> PS I hate wiring.

What about replacing brake pads after each event?

Good to see you over here, James. These guys will do right by you. Don't discount the chance to maybe pick up one of those rolling shells on the Galant board and giving an otherwise parted-out GVR4 a second chance at glory. Of course, you've got a VW as well, so...

And I'm surprised there isn't any Ovlov talk in here yet. I tell ya... You get a second job and can't get online as much as you used to and the whole internet goes right to hell.

PS - My Ovlov is gone now. Replaced with another Gaylant. I can haz two.

PPS - I'm still trying, guys. Hopefully this second job thing plays out well enough that I can have my house downpayment and put a cage in 195/2000.

---

Brian Driggs | KG7KCA | PHX, AZ | 89 Pajero
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest

Racing yes, but now that I look at it there was a VW rabbit on the left coast I could have picked up and should have (had custom final drive, LSD, fully race ready). You don't NEED a LSD or a good trans, but it's just a nice thing to have if you're looking at placing well.

I'm already looking at my V2.0 car and depending how long my current VW lasts me, it's going to either be my STI or a civic with a K-series swap.

My point is, don't get a car thinking it's a simple "fix it up" because it might bite you in the butt in the end as things add up. Get something that you could buy and esentially race the next day. It will save you a lot of hastle in the end.

DR1665 Wrote:
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>
> What about replacing brake pads after each event?
>

That too.