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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Interesting choices for a cheap rally-x car?

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Oct. 10, 2009 7:32 p.m. irish44j Reader

I'm thinking of picking up a dirt-cheap rally-x car this winter, since the Subaru is too new and the GT6 is too fragile and I want to get back into rallycross and get a car I can just beat up and have fun in (without all the $$ modding to be mid-pack in autocross in the subie)..

Anyhow, I want to get something 1985 or older so to register it vintage (no inspection, emissions, etc), as I will only drive it to events and test drives...well within the VA vintage tags regs.

And the entire budget needs to be under $2000 (would prefer looking for a car for $1000 and then use another $1000 to get it in reasonable shape)

And...since this is for fun only, I want it to be something not super-common at rallycrosses (e.g. not getting an Impreza).

RWD/FWD preferable, as I don't want to deal with the extra mecanicals of AWD on the cheap. Must be a manual tranny...

A few ideas: - old Volvo 240 - old 3-series - corolla alltrac (if I could find one, would have to go with it!) - old FWD legacy (or maybe AWD) - old Sentra - CRX?

any thoughts as to something like that that a) is reasonably reliable in old age b) is "tough" enough to take a beating c) is relatively easy to work on d) has reasonable suspension travel

??
Oct. 10, 2009 7:33 p.m. parker New Reader

Toyota Celica, 1st gen RX-7
Oct. 10, 2009 7:43 p.m. irish44j Reader

so the RX7 would be a decent choice? Interesting, I have a buddy with couple 1G RX7s prepped for road racing that he's trying to get rid of.

hmm..
Oct. 10, 2009 7:50 p.m. ratghia Reader

Volkswagen Rabbit. I don't know a lot about rallying but they are reliable, cheap, easy to work on, and were used as rally cars back in the day.
Oct. 10, 2009 8:02 p.m. patgizz Dork

crown vic or caprice
Oct. 10, 2009 8:07 p.m. irish44j Reader

patgizz wrote:

crown vic or caprice

wife would definitely not allow an early-80s vic/cap to be parked in our driveway....

So I guess that does bring me to another criteria that the wife will require...hmm.

Plus a vic won't fit into my garage, where I'd need to work on it :)
Oct. 10, 2009 8:11 p.m. mndsm New Reader

Get a Ford Country Squire. Totally smaller than a crown vic.
Oct. 10, 2009 8:19 p.m. irish44j Reader

mndsm wrote:

Get a Ford Country Squire. Totally smaller than a crown vic.

family truckster on here autocrosses locally, I know how big those mofos are!!!
Oct. 10, 2009 9:33 p.m. NGTD HalfDork

irish44j wrote:

RWD/FWD preferable, as I don't want to deal with the extra mecanicals of AWD on the cheap. Must be a manual tranny...

A few ideas: an old Volvo 240

That is your answer right there! I am working on an 82 Volvo 244 for that very purpose.
Oct. 10, 2009 9:33 p.m. mad_machine UberDork

saab 900?
Oct. 10, 2009 9:38 p.m. patgizz Dork

get a new wife, mine doesnt mind the pair of crown vics in the driveway dwarfing her cavalier.
Oct. 10, 2009 10:07 p.m. jj New Reader

I rallycrossed an '89 240. Fun stuff being RWD. Only problems were that one of the lugnut studs broke off and my exhaust hangers broke.
Oct. 10, 2009 10:25 p.m. irish44j Reader

patgizz wrote:

get a new wife, mine doesnt mind the pair of crown vics in the driveway dwarfing her cavalier.

lol....she puts up with my constant "car stuff" (between the GT6 and WRX and previous cars, that's alot) as well as autocrosses, crewing for enduros, and constantly watching sports on TV. Oh, and the fact that her daily driver (08 4Runner) was not really what she wanted, but she humored me since I had always wanted a 4Runner....

I think I can give her the "no old crown vic in the driveway" lol...

(aside from the fact that crown vics are not really my style anyhow)
Oct. 10, 2009 10:26 p.m. irish44j Reader

I think people here are just jaded as to what "normal" wives allow their garages/driveways to look like, lol....
Oct. 10, 2009 10:27 p.m. wawazat New Reader

Corolla All-Trac in MI http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/1411687284.html

Looks nice!
Oct. 10, 2009 10:29 p.m. irish44j Reader

NGTD wrote:

irish44j wrote:

RWD/FWD preferable, as I don't want to deal with the extra mecanicals of AWD on the cheap. Must be a manual tranny...

A few ideas: an old Volvo 240

That is your answer right there! I am working on an 82 Volvo 244 for that very purpose.

I gotta say, the only reason I'm hesitant is that I remember how many nights my father spent in the garage trying to keep our '79 and '82 volvos running...there always seemed to be something wrong. He's a "car guy" even and to this day he swears he'll never buy another volvo, lol....
Oct. 10, 2009 10:31 p.m. irish44j Reader

wawazat wrote:

Corolla All-Trac in MI http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/1411687284.html

Looks nice!

that does look nice...if only Detroit wasn't 600 miles away from me. I actually know someone who has one...wonder if he'd part with it...
Oct. 11, 2009 8:51 a.m. ReverendDexter HalfDork

If you were closer, I would give you my Camry AllTrac. 5-speed, locking center diff, and the drivetrain is identical to the Celica AllTrac. The Camrys came stock with the boring 3S-FE, though, and mine has a hole in the side of the block I could put my fist through. BUT, all you have to do find an AllTrac 3S-GTE and wiring harness to make something that will make a Scooby crap their pants, hahaha. (I keep telling myself I'll get around to it....)
Oct. 11, 2009 9:32 a.m. famous New Reader

I keep thinking about a mid-80's Mustang as being something interesting for Rally-X - especially the coupe. Live axle should stand up to the abuse fairly well, proven engines/transmissions, easy upgrade to five lug wheels for strength, and cheap replacement parts if something does break.

Mark
Oct. 11, 2009 10:30 a.m. Xceler8x Dork

I'm with famous. I know that power is not the end all, be all of Rallycross.

The 4 cyl Ford Mustang would do well as it's robust and cheap to repair. Hell, if you get the need for speed you could go turbo or V8 swap.

1st Gen RX-7 would be fun as it's lighter weight and has the same power. Better like rotaries.

I'd go with just about anything that was tough and RWD. BMW 318 would go cheap and last a while.

FWD? Neon ala GRM project, Sentra, Mazda 323 w/ the 1.6 or 1.8 found in the Miata.

All of these cars are tough, reliable, and should be fun to destroy going full speed over gravel and dirt.
Oct. 11, 2009 11:06 a.m. jj New Reader

irish44j wrote:

NGTD wrote:

irish44j wrote:

RWD/FWD preferable, as I don't want to deal with the extra mecanicals of AWD on the cheap. Must be a manual tranny...

A few ideas: an old Volvo 240

That is your answer right there! I am working on an 82 Volvo 244 for that very purpose.

I gotta say, the only reason I'm hesitant is that I remember how many nights my father spent in the garage trying to keep our '79 and '82 volvos running...there always seemed to be something wrong. He's a "car guy" even and to this day he swears he'll never buy another volvo, lol....

Get a newer Volvo with the 2.3 liter engine and better fuel injection. I paid $1000 for mine, put 40,000 relatively trouble free miles on it, and sold it for $700. I checked the compression at 220,000 miles and it was almost like new at 195psi +/-5.
Oct. 11, 2009 11:20 a.m. mad_machine UberDork

why is it I keep finding volvos to be more and more interesting choices? I got teased by my father when I brought my saab home that the next car I bought would have to be a volvo.. he may be right
Oct. 11, 2009 11:29 a.m. Greg Voth Reader

I ran 1st gen RX-7s in about a dozen rallycrosses back when dcrally.com was having events down at that farm outside fredericksburg. Never had any problems and both cars I ran were stock. I took 2nd 2WD stock my first event loosing to an automatic cavalier.

In my opinion I would take a RWD for the fun factor but I do enjoy hanging the tail out. FWD might be just as competitive if not moreso but I get my enjoyment out of the driving than the winning.

The Rallycross Neon placed first and was closely followed by a well driven mostly stock Golf in the Super Rallycross Per and I ran at European Rally School.
Oct. 11, 2009 12:36 p.m. ReverendDexter HalfDork

famous wrote:

I keep thinking about a mid-80's Mustang as being something interesting for Rally-X - especially the coupe.

While I agree, the coupes are becoming more and more rare, so it may not be as cheap as you expect.

The only reason that I would suggest against them is the spring locations. The front has an inboard spring mchpherson strut, which means that it rides very stiff compared to the amount of body control the springs provide. In the rear, the lower spring mount is on the control arms rather than back on the axle, and you have the same issue.

The flexiness of the chassis might also lead to issues if your classing doesn't allow for sub-frame connectors.
Oct. 11, 2009 5:18 p.m. famous New Reader

valid points all...

Gotta love the Ford suspension compromises in the 80s.

Flexibility - the bane of all American uni-bodies of the day. While not great, the coupe was one of the more rigid designs.

Now, I don't know much about the classes, but if you could at least seam weld, use the convertible's structural "add-ons", and probably the Lincoln Mark V suspension arms to address some of the geometry issues, it should help most of the problems. The rear end suspension is the one thing I haven't thought too much about.

Mark

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