New svt focus rally builder

Ok, I like my focus. I think it is a good rally car. It is definitely a big step up from the VW stuff that I was running before.

Does it have weak points? Yes. But I have had 0 DNFs because of the Ford suspension parts front or rear. And over all the shell if tough and very comfortable as a rally car because if the high greenhouse so lots of room for a cage and your head. It is american so general parts that any car needs like thermostats, transmission seals, axles, brake pads, etc, etc are much cheaper and more widely available that many of the foreign makes. I walk into an autoparts store in middle of no where rally HQ town they are likely to have Focus parts on the shelf.

Are some of the real go fast bits expensive? Yes, but how is that any different than an other car. The focus with the right motor is quite fast out of the box with just suspension and a diff. Lots of the cars discussed on here may have much cheaper parts but require thousands of dollars in fabrication equipment and skill in using that equipment to install correctly or overcome some design defect. All the money comes form the same wallet at my house. So if I have spend $300 on a part or $1,000 on a welder and $50 on the part the $300 part looks cheaper to me.

Would I build a focus again. Yes, I would. But I would spend time looking for an SVT or a Duratec car rather than a Zetec. And you have to do a fair bit of updating and backdating of parts to really build a top spec car. So it is not the best car for someone who is just getting into rally and has a limited tool set, limited mechanical skills, limited fabrication skiils? No, it is not. And if we are honest neither is volvo, or a bmw, or merkur, or VW.

The problem with the really any car at this point is that Impreza shells have become so cheap and available that if all you want to do is go rally and don't want to become a fabricator or mechanic they are nearly impossible to beat. Everything is figured out for them. They are easy to work on, few tools required. Easy to swap motors. You want a turbo buy a turbo. You want AWD just bolt it on. Want to go FWD, easy. Heck Randy Zimmer ran his as a RWD car at one point. Subaru used the same parts for long periods of time so they are available and reasonably priced.

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Andrew_Frick
Ok, I like my focus. I think it is a good rally car. It is definitely a big step up from the VW stuff that I was running before.

Does it have weak points? Yes. But I have had 0 DNFs because of the Ford suspension parts front or rear. And over all the shell if tough and very comfortable as a rally car because if the high greenhouse so lots of room for a cage and your head. It is american so general parts that any car needs like thermostats, transmission seals, axles, brake pads, etc, etc are much cheaper and more widely available that many of the foreign makes. I walk into an autoparts store in middle of no where rally HQ town they are likely to have Focus parts on the shelf.

Are some of the real go fast bits expensive? Yes, but how is that any different than an other car. The focus with the right motor is quite fast out of the box with just suspension and a diff. Lots of the cars discussed on here may have much cheaper parts but require thousands of dollars in fabrication equipment and skill in using that equipment to install correctly or overcome some design defect. All the money comes form the same wallet at my house. So if I have spend $300 on a part or $1,000 on a welder and $50 on the part the $300 part looks cheaper to me.

Would I build a focus again. Yes, I would. But I would spend time looking for an SVT or a Duratec car rather than a Zetec. And you have to do a fair bit of updating and backdating of parts to really build a top spec car. So it is not the best car for someone who is just getting into rally and has a limited tool set, limited mechanical skills, limited fabrication skiils? No, it is not. And if we are honest neither is volvo, or a bmw, or merkur, or VW.

The problem with the really any car at this point is that Impreza shells have become so cheap and available that if all you want to do is go rally and don't want to become a fabricator or mechanic they are nearly impossible to beat. Everything is figured out for them. They are easy to work on, few tools required. Easy to swap motors. You want a turbo buy a turbo. You want AWD just bolt it on. Want to go FWD, easy. Heck Randy Zimmer ran his as a RWD car at one point. Subaru used the same parts for long periods of time so they are available and reasonably priced.

All depends on what one wants to do.
You want to basically just drive down a gravel road in a essentially stock street car that looks like a rally car but is really just a econo-car with suspension, or to have a more proper tool for the job..

A lot of what people choose to do is completely optional. They chose to invest some work because the return is good over a longer time frame.

All depends on what you want to do..

I have 3-4 stockish or stock cars. I want my rally car to be different, to be MORE....and BETTER suited for THIS thing we do, others evidently are perfectly happy to just cruise along.....

Or are they?

Seems like an awful lot of people in what we might call "barely warmed over" econo cars seem to tire of them and sell them after a very short while.

At a huge loss.

Oh well it's only money.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
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john vanlandingham

All depends on what one wants to do.
You want to basically just drive down a gravel road in a essentially stock street car that looks like a rally car but is really just a econo-car with suspension, or to have a more proper tool for the job..

A lot of what people choose to do is completely optional. They chose to invest some work because the return is good over a longer time frame.

All depends on what you want to do..

I have 3-4 stockish or stock cars. I want my rally car to be different, to be MORE....and BETTER suited for THIS thing we do, others evidently are perfectly happy to just cruise along.....

Or are they?

Seems like an awful lot of people in what we might call "barely warmed over" econo cars seem to tire of them and sell them after a very short while.

At a huge loss.

Oh well it's only money.

I agree that it is only money and it really up to the want of the person spending that money. I am glad you want your car to be more and better and the absolute proper tool. Your definition or my definition of what the "proper tool" is may not be the same as everyone else.

I agree that lots of people sell their cars at a huge loss and drop out. Is it because they are warmed over econo cars? Or the never finish their perfect car? Or that they realize that the costs of actually going to events over even a moderate time frame dwarf the costs of the car? Or that they really don't enjoy car maintenance or upgrading as much as they thought? Or do they change their minds and find something else to do with their lives?

I honestly do not have the answer, and I really don't think anyone does.

With retention rates what they are. Maybe we should be pushing people to build almost completely stock cars that are basically disposable. If you are only going to run 2-3 events in the entire life of the car it should be cheap, cheap, cheap. Why stitch weld, or buy $$$ dampers or, fancy difs, etc, etc. Cage it, put some tires on it. Do enough maintenance to keep it from braking down and run it as hard as you can until it dies. Again its all about what people want to do. Do they want to go rallying, build cars, or both. Sometimes the rally community seems to only value the people that fall into the last category.

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Andrew_Frick

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john vanlandingham


With retention rates what they are. Maybe we should be pushing people to build almost completely stock cars that are basically disposable. If you are only going to run 2-3 events in the entire life of the car it should be cheap, cheap, cheap. Why stitch weld, or buy $$$ dampers or, fancy difs, etc, etc. Cage it, put some tires on it. Do enough maintenance to keep it from braking down and run it as hard as you can until it dies. Again its all about what people want to do. Do they want to go rallying, build cars, or both. Sometimes the rally community seems to only value the people that fall into the last category.

I think this is a great idea... kind of a one design concept... but low budget. It has been talked about before.

Pick one or two car models... define and limit the upgrades (suspension, tires etc.)

I just don't know if you could get people to actually do it.

Hey, man just wondering how the project's going? And was wondering if your still planning on rallying in the Magnum Opus Rally in June? Because im looking for some old/worn out stage rally tires that I could run some rallycrosses in.

Thanks, Conner