Hi everyone,

First off my name is James and I am new here. I have been in to rally racing for 17 years now. Ive attended several events and watch all the coverage I can on TV and the internet. Ive been watching it and dreaming of the day I could actually drive in a race. The only racing I have actually done has been autocross. I have 5 years experience with autocross and 2 rallycrosses under my belt.

Finally after all of that time I am building my car. I have always wanted to build my own car so I didnt even want to consider a used rally car. I know it is much more difficult and expensive but it is more fun for me.

My car is a 2002 Mazda Protege 5 and I am preparing it for G2. I am about 50% done with the car. I plan on having it finished before the 2013 Sandblast rally. I plan on Sandblast 13 being my first event.

I will get pictures of the car whenever it isnt dark out. I work during the day and get there so early and leave so late that it is always dark. I have a carport for the car which sucks.

I am sure I will have many questions along the way so be prepared for that!

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http://rallyhq.weebly.com/

Welcome James! Good for you for building your first car, that to me is a huge part of the experience. Would love to see the pictures.

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phlat65
Welcome James! Good for you for building your first car, that to me is a huge part of the experience. Would love to see the pictures.

No! No! No! Sean. Gawddammit youse been around long enough ferfawkssake, you have to start repeating the old dogmas one of these days.


I'll help youse out:
Try this [phony British flat hat and pipe on] Wull Laddie, don't build your car, go out and buy a used rally car. You see if you buy a used car, you will be into your first rally sooner, right? Mind ya! nothing in your life is more important than quickly satisfying your every whim, dya see that , Laddie? So just buy a used car, and make sure it's slower than sheeeet, son, cause youse gotta LEARN TA DRIVE, thas the important thing"[/phony British flat hat and Briar pipe off]

No if if you can do that in a 1960s Midlands Shop Steward accent, ( that was the "Wull laddies...) then all the better.

Now go back and try it again, you'll get the hang of it.

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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.

Hey James,

Good to hear from you and best of luck in the build. Lots of good advice herein, some conflicting, based on the writers' prefereneces and expereience. (But what else is new in this world?) SB is a good 1st event choice. and you are in a good area for a good number of rallies being within striking distance of Columbus (Geez, I went to grad school at OSU 'cuz there were more rallies nearby than MIT or Caltech.....how's that for having your priorities right!?!) I presume you are builidng to meet both RA and NASA rules? And keep and eye on CARS; Ontario is not that far.

Regards,
Mark B.

Yeah my build is for RA and Nasa rules.

I have a couple of pics of some things ive gotten. No pics of the car yet. Daylight savings time soon so I will be able to get some after work. Or maybe on sunday.

OMP WRC seat. My co-driver still needs to find one.


Cheap wheels to test the Dmacks


Dmacks 175/70 14

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http://rallyhq.weebly.com/

http://www.aggressiveautoculture.com/wp/

big brake kits and rear link kits and lots of other stuff
friend of mine the link are my parts and the brakes will be done soon.

not my first choice of car but if your are married too it. the formula i like is
tons of spairs for the parts you know will go south like trans and get fast at
changing it.

if you need anything we have a mazda test car. adjustable front controle arms are next.

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TSSFAB.US No HYPE just parts!!!! And check us out on Facebook!!!

Hello James,

There are several good rally people in Columbus. send me a PM and can put you in touch with some of them. A P5 is a pretty good car. Plus you get Mazdaspeed contingency money.

Have you talked with Eric Burmiester about what is needed to make that car rally worthy? He took great pains to put the rear suspension out of that car into his monster Mazda3 so it can't be all bad.

I built my car in Columbus, OH. Who is doing your cage? Since Rahal lives in Cbus there are a lot of good racing resources in town. And I wished I still lived there from a towing perspective, lots of rally choices that are a fairly easy tow away.

Looking forward to seeing you at SB next year.

Cheers,
Andrew

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SteelSolutions
http://www.aggressiveautoculture.com/wp/

big brake kits and rear link kits and lots of other stuff
friend of mine the link are my parts and the brakes will be done soon.

not my first choice of car but if your are married too it. the formula i like is
tons of spairs for the parts you know will go south like trans and get fast at
changing it.

if you need anything we have a mazda test car. adjustable front controle arms are next.

This is a little bit of a misnomer here. The "weak" transmission was a problem with the Mazdaspeed protege limited slip differential failing. This was a very limited production unit that had a rather major engineering flaw.

The box in the car is the old Mazda / Ford IB5 that while not the best transmission in the world it is not frail enough that someone would need to get get fast at changing it. This was a popular transmission in both product lines and has aftermarket support.

This will be a killer car. I am always bummed how bad I get whooped by that damned red mazda 3...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2012 09:14PM by alkun.

Got a few pics. Id say I am not quite 50% done like I thought. I did some work on the weekend. Replaced the motor mount inserts on all but the rear mount. Replaced the alternator/water pump belt and the power steering/air con belt. Tightend the power steering belt a bit too much and caused it to whine a bit. Also fluid started coming out a lil. Loosened it and the whine went away and so did the fluid leak. Drove it a few miles and all seemed well. I hope it stays fixed.

Next on the list is:
Dry ice sound deadening removal.
Sand and paint fender.
Remove other side skirt.
Replace hood with non bent one.
Door panel removal.

Even though it may not be pretty it still drives well and the mechanical parts are good.

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http://rallyhq.weebly.com/

That engine looks like its been stored underwater!

So glad I'm living in Colorado now b/c I remember seeing stuff like that all the time when I lived in MA!

Dave

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DaveK
That engine looks like its been stored underwater!

So glad I'm living in Colorado now b/c I remember seeing stuff like that all the time when I lived in MA!

Dave

Yeah it does look terrible. It works perfectly though thankfully.

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http://rallyhq.weebly.com/

Due to a damn hernia I had to get surgery. That has put me behind on the build. I have done only what ive been able to. I cleaned up that mess of an engine, sanded painted and primed the fender, installed a new standard protege front bumper, installed new hawk pads and standard rotors.

Next on the list is getting rid of some rusty spots around the car. The more i work on this the more it makes me think i should have bought a used rally car. That would be no fun now would it. Hahahahaha.

Oh well im in too deep now. Im going to do a few rallyx soon to make sure the car can even survive bumps in the road.

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http://rallyhq.weebly.com/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2012 10:04PM by electric_eel.

Welcome to the rally world. Does your car have a sunroof? If so, you will need to weld a plate into it as sunroofs are no beuno.

Hello and welcome!

50% complete? What have you done that gets you to your first rally? Cage? 2 seats? Harnesses? First aid kit, triangle, tow strap, fire extinguisher and spill kit? Skid plate?

My point is that it is critical that you prioritize and stay focused. Basic maintenance is vital, painting is not.

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Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.