Chassis jig necessary on a car with no accidents?

I am going to prep a 93 RX7 for stage rally (and drift/track). The plan is to take possession of the car in a couple of weeks and seam weld it and put an FIA rollcage in.

The car I'm buying has 2 owners and no recorded accidents. I want to make sure that the chassis is perfect, so the plan is to media blast/epoxy prime/etc.

Should I spend the $$$ to get the car on a chassis jig, or should it be okay? I'm alright with spending the money, but only if it's warranted.

Any opinions?

Rally car? Straight? Ha ha ha ha... as long as you can look down one side and not see the wheel from the opposite quarter it should be good.

YMMV...

Sell the FD RX7 to a fanboy with more money than sense (easy). Use the proceeds to buy something cheap and far more practical for rally and a pile of spares, or a turnkey rally car. Buy another cheap car for drifting (if that's what you're into) and suspension. Hell, buy a chassis jig on top of all of that and charge others 50 dollarydoos a go to use it. Use the remaining cash for a weekend bender and bail money.

Or if you're dead-set on such a silly idea, get the FSM for the car, spend a few bucks on a tape measure (or get one free with any purchase at Harbor Freight!), and measure dimensions for any indices of concern and compare to the data in the "chassis" section (assuming said data are included). But probably not worth bothering with, as noted above.

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Rolling Blunder
Sell the FD RX7 to a fanboy with more money than sense (easy). Use the proceeds to buy something cheap and far more practical for rally and a pile of spares, or a turnkey rally car. Buy another cheap car for drifting (if that's what you're into) and suspension. Hell, buy a chassis jig on top of all of that and charge others 50 dollarydoos a go to use it. Use the remaining cash for a weekend bender and bail money.

Or if you're dead-set on such a silly idea, get the FSM for the car, spend a few bucks on a tape measure (or get one free with any purchase at Harbor Freight!), and measure dimensions for any indices of concern and compare to the data in the "chassis" section (assuming said data are included). But probably not worth bothering with, as noted above.

ALL of this.
The FD is a dumb car to start with, overpriced bullshit is not what you want to have fun with in the woods.

Body parts dude, think replacing body parts.

And diving a car fast in gravel will make the metal under your car thinner, do you think your expoxy or whatever will last?

And why the hell would you seem weld the car? You mean stich right?

---

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If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2018 04:25PM by Vincent Gagnon.

If you want rotary, an Rx-8 would be a better buy since you can get a lot of them in mint condition for under 1500$ (need an engine), way bigger in terms of interior space. I would think of a 4-link toyota axle for an easy & solid rear end but this will require a fuel cell.

Check Marcus van Klink for examples.

Mazda manuals have a page that gives all kinds of chassis dimensions for verification.
For any Mazda wankel manual:

http://foxed.ca/index.php?page=rx7manual


Back to the FD:

1-The FD is a good car for track use but if you look at the body panels for too long they dent...
2-There's a huge fast & furious tax at acquisition.
3-Can't use a turbo wankel in north american rally.
4-Not sure there is any more room in them than a FB (an issue for tall people).
5-FB has way more background in rally so no special development needed on your part, just do what is proven to work.

Ah, number 3 probably just nixed that idea. I'm aiming for Rally America/NASA Rallysport.

I'm definitely keeping the RX7 for a track day/autoX/drift car, but I see what you guys are saying about it being an impractical rally car. I was hoping I could get away with just building one race car, but it sounds like I'm better off with two!

Maybe I'll scoop up an FC, 328is, or a 240 or something for rally.

I'm not trying to crush the podium or anything, just slide around a bit and have fun.

Thanks for the advice!

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Philippe Bellefleur
5-FB has way more background in rally so no special development needed on your part, just do what is proven to work.

This this and this.

Choose something that actually worked for many people.

This is the reason, for me, that makes me want to say that a rx-8 is equally delusional.

Not a bad car, just too much potential for spending too much time and money on the thing before it works as a rally car.

People have successfully rallied FB and FC's.
So why the hell not I might ask.

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Ask for work.
If they don't give you work, ask for bread.
If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread.

- Emma Goldman

If the car can do 3rd in group B rally acropolis in 85, I think it's good for any of us.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2018 05:36PM by Philippe Bellefleur.

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Philippe Bellefleur
If the car can do 3rd in group B rally acropolis in 85, I think it's good for any of us.

This is a logical fallacy.

The FB is not a good car FOR US NORMAL GUYS AND GIRLS "because group B".

According to that logic the Lancia 037 would be even better for "any of us", but would you be able to buy/build/maintain one?

The FB is a good car FOR US NORMAL GUYS AND GIRLS because it's not too expensive to buy and NORMAL people rallied them for years.

But you know, a greater number of normaller people have been rallying other things for even longer.

---

Ask for work.
If they don't give you work, ask for bread.
If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread.

- Emma Goldman



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2018 07:08PM by Vincent Gagnon.

By the way: Hi Bryan Bickford and welcome to the forum, it's a little bit of a shit show but there is knowledgeable people here... and a few bullshitters, I'm pretty sure you can make the difference between both.

---

Ask for work.
If they don't give you work, ask for bread.
If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread.

- Emma Goldman

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Philippe Bellefleur
3-Can't use a turbo wankel in north american rally.

Yes, you can. Where'd you get that idea?

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Self-righteous douche canoe

In canada you can't use turbos or p-ports, in california you can?

http://rally-america.com/rules

10.2. CLASS RULES A. Open Category

1. The Open Category is comprised of five Classes: Open, National Limited Open, Open Light, Group 5, and Group 2. It is the intent of these Rules that vehicles competing in the Open Category be based on production vehicles. Innovation and modifications within the rules is encouraged. Non-production based vehicles (i.e., "one-off" vehicles) built from the ground up, are explicitly prohibited. In general, freedom is given to modify any component of the vehicle providing that it is not otherwise restricted below.

2. The engine is unrestricted.

3. For Open Class and Group 5; adjusted engine displacement must be no greater then 5100cc using the following multipliers:

Rotary :1,8
Turbo/supercharged : 1,7
Pushrod : 0,8

All applicable multipliers must be used in determining adjusted displacement.

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Ask for work.
If they don't give you work, ask for bread.
If they do not give you work or bread, then take bread.

- Emma Goldman

Quote
Vincent Gagnon
http://rally-america.com/rules

10.2. CLASS RULES A. Open Category

1. The Open Category is comprised of five Classes: Open, National Limited Open, Open Light, Group 5, and Group 2. It is the intent of these Rules that vehicles competing in the Open Category be based on production vehicles. Innovation and modifications within the rules is encouraged. Non-production based vehicles (i.e., "one-off" vehicles) built from the ground up, are explicitly prohibited. In general, freedom is given to modify any component of the vehicle providing that it is not otherwise restricted below.

2. The engine is unrestricted.

3. For Open Class and Group 5; adjusted engine displacement must be no greater then 5100cc using the following multipliers:

Rotary :1,8
Turbo/supercharged : 1,7
Pushrod : 0,8

All applicable multipliers must be used in determining adjusted displacement.

Keep reading and besides that only Wawwy Amewica and they are collapsing to the levels of Woo-wee Hextweem Chawenge.....

Moot point, the cars are 'spensive and there's better cars aout there eassier to find, buy, build, service and drive..

And for gods sake everybody blows over the poor noobie guys major malfunction in thinking that a new shell must be "Perfect"..
Brand new cars are not "perfect"----far from it.. Not fucked up is considered perfect..Corrosion is more to worry than anything because it is insidious.

And lesson in language for Vince..the enrish terms "stictch" and "seam" weld are like the endless stupid nerds who argue "motor" versus "engine"
Example "run a half-inch stitch every 1 and a 1/2 inch or so along every seam you can see and reach in the car"

The seam is where you stitch.....if ya wanna do any good, eh?
99% of the arguments about it are from guys who have never welded a fucking thing in their lives.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
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Just for a point of reference, how long could I expect a rally car chassis to last before I need to bust out the angle grinder and start hacking up the sheet metal? Assuming that I prep the shell with epoxy and use high-density plastic for underbody protection?

I don't necessarily mind replacing body panels on the FD (isn't that what zip ties are for anyways?), but I do need the chassis to last.

My father-in-law's Renault 5 Turbo is sitting in my garage now - THAT would be an expensive rally car