'85 Merkur XR4Ti Rally Car

the coopers had an oil pan issue for that event too. 

fidelity101 said:

the coopers had an oil pan issue for that event too. 

Yep, I used to crew for that car when Jesse Yuvali owned it and ALWAYS thought the skidplate setup looked pretty vulnerable. It's alumimum with no stiffeners behind the U-brace, and was always VERY close to the oil pan so any direct hit could do exactly what it did to them at NEFR. It's the reason I'm currently reinforcing mine (and mine was already stronger than theirs, being stainless steel). 

Plus unlike my old M42 which was a 2-piece pan and easy to replace, the M50 is 1-piece and a major hassle to replace.  So, I'll add 10lbs for more toughness :)

I got the car torn apart and up on the lift for post-rally inspection:  

Everything looks remarkably good, no loose bolts, no major damage other than some gravel blast and predictable exhaust dents:  

How close can you run your exhaust to your driveshaft?  This close:  

It was nice and hot out, so I took advantage of the conditions and powerwashed the underside, wheel wells, and shop floor:  

Then Sara and I resprayed the suspension pieces, rocker panels, and wheel wells to stop the rust that had already started after the paint was chipped off by gravel, rocks, and probably the power washer as well:  

After some measurements and research, I decided the best radiator solution was probably just a higher performance version of the Saab 900 turbo radiator we have already- there's not a ton of room for anything else, and we can keep using the same fans (which we have 5 of), the same intercooler, the same oil cooler, and have at least one (and probably more) good spare radiator laying around already.  A fancy racing radiator for a weird Saab is shipping from Sweden right now.

In an effort to help the cooling a bit more, I made a big ugly vent between the radiator and the engine.  Cut:  

Bent:  

And a little paint and edge trim to keep it from being a giant cheese grater:  

We also did a lot of cleaning, but that's not any fun and we're not thorough enough for it to photograph well.  After my fancy new radiator arrives I'll get that installed, get the car off the lift, and get to work on stiffening up the pedal box.

1. The new power steering hose looks so out of place in that photo

2. I can't wait for photos of your next water crossing to see up-spray through the hood, it's gonna look epic. 

2a. I like that hood vent idea. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

Other notes/anecdotes:

-Downey makes the rest of us look like fools with overpriced cars who can't drive.
-Havas and Whitsell need to have some sort of bus+racecar showdown.
-TXratti is super nice and also constantly hops into racecars with strangers and somehow hasn't died, and I'll never remember his real name because I met him on the forum first.
-Foquette will take literally any excuse to pee on a Merkur.
-Mt. Washington is a gnarlier road than Pike's Peak.  I've been up both now, fight me.
-We are, statistically, better at old turbo Fords than Ken Block.
-Brolin dropping his SOFR catchphrase at the finish nearly made me poop my pants.  "Hell yeah, brother!"

Haha, Names indeed, It's Ryan.  It definitely brings out the nerds, myself included! Was great to meet you guys.

Somehow I didn't die again this weekend at Rally CO either, and we left the road on a L3 at 60mph... and was witness to the Fiesta getting washed away in a flash flood in the desert. I must be crazy but I love it, and get to see the country (and world, co-driving in Ireland was unreal) and meet cool people like yourself and Sara.

In reply to TXratti :

Colorado looked super fun!  Assuming there's not some sort of NDA you sign regarding this stuff, what actually happens in terms of financial responsibility when one of the O.D.D. Fiestas gets totally balled up?  Somehow I think this one is going to cost a bit more than the rental fee will cover:  

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

In reply to TXratti :

 what actually happens in terms of financial responsibility when one of the O.D.D. Fiestas gets totally balled up?  

Craigslist ad: Pro Rally Car F/S. Has minor body damage and is perfect for LS swap!

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

In reply to TXratti :

Colorado looked super fun!  Assuming there's not some sort of NDA you sign regarding this stuff, what actually happens in terms of financial responsibility when one of the O.D.D. Fiestas gets totally balled up?  Somehow I think this one is going to cost a bit more than the rental fee will cover:  

No NDAs ha. I was actually co-driving in this particular car at NEFR, but in this case it was one of the main guys at ODD, Ed McNelley, who was driving. For the typical renter though, the policy as far as I know is 'You break it, you bought it.'

Fancy Saab radiator inbound!  

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

The alternative would have been the "Shorty" Aluminum radiator from Merkur Depot, which bolts up to that Cossie IC and doesn't need a cradle for the bottom like the Saab 900 rad. (I have the Saab / Cossie 2WD combo myself but will be going aluminum soon) I had looked for an alumuinum Saab fan, but didn't find anything.

In reply to TXratti :

I talked to the Merkur Depot guy- the shorty radiator won't work on my car without remaking the skidplate brace, but it could be a good solution for a car without a bunch of stuff already welded to the frame rails.  The Saab radiator I ordered is from Do88 and I'm hopeful that it'll be pretty high quality.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Do you use the Saab fans? I have a couple extra that I'm getting rid of, if you wanted spares.

In reply to TXratti :

Yeah, I have 5 of them in varying degrees of functionality so I think I'm good for now.  They pull a lot of air until you get them packed with dirt, then they slow down a bit.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Cheers! Yeah, I've had a single on mine, and its fine for driving in traffic in TX on 100+ days, but inadequate for romping around on a track.

A few more pictures have surfaced- Heat?  Yes.  Dust?  Yes.  Hood?  No.

and the always popular bridge shot:  

That bridge feels like its about 5 feet long when you're crossing it at speed :)

In reply to irish44j :

It feels a little longer if you drop a wheel off the tracks by accident 

Shiny parts from Sweden!

This is clearly too nice for my car:

Fans bolt up:

The radiator was a snug fit, and the intercooler was a "swear at it a lot" fit above it since it's a little taller than the stock Saab unit, but it's all in now:

I sure hope I didn't hurt anything installing it since this is definitely the prettiest part on the entire car.

Whoa, hold the phone...  what size are the inlet and outlet?

I might need this in my life for my gm v6 swapped rx7...

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

1.25", but you can fit a way bigger radiator than this in an FC.

I might steal that hood vent mod. 

In reply to Stampie :

If I were to do it again (and I might, if it's effective) I'd bend the rear part down first (since nobody sees it unless the hood is open) and then clamp the front part between two pieces of wood or something to get a more uniform bend.  I used my hands and a crappy Harbor Freight sheet metal seamer and it's... good enough.

Now you are one of the "cool" kids...

OK, let's hope this eliminates the overheating issue.  

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Depending on which way you are space-constrained, I've heard of people using Jeep Cherokee (the 90's ones) radiators. They're something like 30" wide but only 11" tall and are able to cool a 4 liter tractor motor. 

I think you should shroud your fans so that all the air leaves through there it will work even better.