2007 Scion tC RallX build

So, just joined because I heard this was an amazing forum for help with builds and getting stuff done. Moving on to the build now.

So, I have been DD'ing a 2007 Scion tC since January of 2010. It was my second car after some chick t-boned my Ion, thus totaling it. Being a tC owned by a (now) 21 year-old, it had the typical stuff. Tein springs, 17x7.5" alloys, blacked out taillights, that stuff. The original plan was to do a DD autox build.

But, then this happened:

Yep, that's a semi right down the side of my beloved tC.

I told myself, "If the car makes it through this, i'm doing whatever I want to it!"

Well, it made it through, so i'm following through with my promise to ressurect the car. This time, going with SCCA prepared rallyx instead of autox.

So far, I have acquired new rims (old ones were damaged in accident), a set of stock springs, removed the door panel's (aesthetic reasons) and fixed all the small issues with the car. Future plans include: roof rack so that I can carry a set of 15" steelies to run, bucket seats, harnesses, gutted interior, CAI, exhaust, and, anything else as I think of it or need it.

So, there y'all go. My first build, and a ressurection of my DD. Any tips, hints, advice, criticism, etc. is appreciated.

Look very carefully at suspension components you're considering purchasing. The vast bulk of stuff made for the Scions are for poseurs who only care about "stance" as opposed to functionality.

And, yes, you've come to the right place. Welcome to the dorkmunity.

Sky_Render wrote: Look very carefully at suspension components you're considering purchasing. The vast bulk of stuff made for the Scions are for poseurs who only care about "stance" as opposed to functionality. And, yes, you've come to the right place. Welcome to the dorkmunity.

Thanks for the welcome. For now suspension is gonna remain relatively stock, with the addition of maybe a rear brace and maybe sway bar. Working on a budget, so not gonna be an out there build.

Good stuff. Welcome aboard. I almost bought one before my dance with Mazda... I still wonder where i'd be if I had bought that.

It's a good little car. A better looking version of the last Celica in my opinion. Has the 2az that is put in most modern Toyota's, so parts are easy to get, whether new or used. To me, the tC was just a new gen Celica for a brand meant for a younger generation. Just like the FR-S/BR-Z is a new Supra with a four banger instead of an I-6.

I had a tC when they first came out. I sold it after the engine blew at 14k miles. I did like while I had it...

Sports Compact Car once had a multi-part project car using the tc. While they were able to extract a few more horsepower with the TRD supercharger (which I think is no longer available), they found the handling to be somewhat hopeless. EVERYTHING they tried to improve it just wound up being a waste of cash. Apparently, the tc is a relentless understeerer.

In reply to integraguy:

And they were right. That thing has so much understeer. With a 14 inch steelie in the back with a 17 inch on the other side, it gets even worse! (buying a new tire this month so I can finally get rid of the steelie!) The TRD supercharger is, in my opinion, a waste of money. $2k when new for it, then pay for installation from the dealership so that you don't void your warranty, then tune so that everything is right, and then you only get a few more ponies out of it. By the time you spend all that money, you could have turbocharged it and found a bigger gain, but you would have no warranty at all.

Anyway, not much progress. Got the call the other day that I finally have an apartment and can move back out of mom and dads place, again. So, all the money has been going towards that. On the plus side, found the seat I want, got stock springs, ordering new struts (mine are blown), and have a switch in place for ABS turn off. Now I just need to get a schematic of the ABS so I can wire the switch in place. If all goes according to financial plan, I should have seats by mid to late November, springs and struts on in about 2 weeks, and a new tire in about 3 or 4. Then it's up to saving for a rack and basket, finding a harness bar, buying a harness and then i'll be able to run stock without seat and modified with. So, maybe first quarter next year i'll be in my first event.

I wouldn't bother with more power anyhow. Rally-x is less dependent on power than any other motorsport out there, IMO. At our events the fastest cars are mostly the N/A GC subies, and my 100hp e30 has been hanging near the class-leading RX7 in MR all season (though yet to beat him at any event yet).

One of the fastest 2WD cars out there is Carl's "blurple" Ford Probe in stock class, which I can't imagine has that much power, lol....

Depending on what clas you're going to run, think about trying to balance out the weight some...>AC delete, battery to trunk, etc..

The biggest problem I have with a AC delete, it's my DD and I live in FL. Battery relocate would be possible, but would it really make that big of a difference in weight distribution? Wish I had some scales so that I can weigh it and get as close to 50/50 distribution.

Yep, RallyCross is all about skill and tires

chrisrook, it looks like you already found the awesome tC build on DirtyImpreza, so that's good :) For those that want to watch in horrified, amazed fascination, here goes an hour of your life:

First click here: http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/forums/showpost.php?p=295248&postcount=8

Then click here: http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22149&highlight=scion

Yeah, it was the real inspiration that got me into looking at rallyx and getting to the, "it's my car, i'll do to it as I please" idea. Great read though. Awesome to see the progression from street to offroad.

In the right hands, any car can be fast.

I used to run in region with a national champion. One day his racer wasn't running right, so he bolted his rally tires to his wife's Cavalier automatic. Wouldn't you know, he took FTD that day.

Another instance of a similar situation... Driver's STi wasn't running right, drove his wife's Forrester XT on snow tires and FTD'd that snow event.

It's not about the equipment, it's the user. Run what ya brung, boyo.

Clearance and quite a few tough parts are what you need. Keep in mind though, most my Cavalier is stock although she lives on a rally track. Stock in regards to performance modifications. The interior is completely stripped except for the cage, aftermarket seat, harness, and quick release wheel. The exhaust is straight through and the timing is adjusted, but thats all that should effect the engine. The weight reduction makes a huge difference.

She slides through the grassy, muddy, dirty mixture like a ballerina on an awkward mixture of bath salts and Jolt Soda.

Sadly, this project is not gonna get done. While driving my girlfriend to work the other day, someone side swiped my car and hit every single part that was replaced from the semi accident. So, needless to say, i'm done with the car. I love it, i'll always remember it, but once it's fixed, it's going up locally. Probably take it to a few dealerships to see what they'll give me. I'll take the money saved for the project and fix it up, and use the rest towards gas and payments on the next car. Been eyeballing the G8's, but we'll see.

Well that sucks! Best of luck in finding another driver you like, there's plenty of fish in the sea.

True, hopefully it doesn't take me 6 months to decide on one like it did for the tC. Gonna go test drive a G8 tomorrow and see if it's what I really want. If it is, i'll be in the market for one. Might do straight line with it, even though i've never been a drag fan.