Hi folks, long time lurker first time poster.
joined up a while back but had some issues and only just getting back to cars. Been playing with the Barina for years ( Chev Corsa B ) for you guys. Started racing it this year but covid and my health put a stop to that. We got one meet in where it performed ok for thr fact it was on road tyres and got within 6secs of a wrx.
Some other interior shots.
Started the rx8 earlier this year as a way into a faster (much faster) rear wheel drive platform legal for formula drift and the aforementioned hillclimb. Plan is to build to fd specs pro1 while keeping sound under hillclimb 93db.
i started with a small front end damage shell and cut and tubed from there.
In reply to 2Girlsracing :
Ooh, I dig that Barina. I wish we had those here!
Are you planning on keeping the RX8 Renesis-powered?
Thanks Pete, I've had several of these Barinas but this one is all the best parts I've got with a 1.8Astra motor thats been played with a lot.
Plan for the rx8 is an LS swap with hairdryers.
So now Covid is dying down in Queensland Australia we're allowed to have a real race meeting the Australian championship has been cancelled due to state border closures we're having a club meeting. So two days racing (about 10 runs up the hill usually) on a specific course, not closed roads.
entries are in as of tonight for the 7th & 8th of November. Runnng 80treadwear Nankang AR1 tyres this time I'm keen to see the difference from road tyres 300tw. Doctors have cleared me to race so it's all systems go!!
Mod list for the beep beep Barina
Modification list
Z18XE
Hurricane manifold
2.25” stainless exhaust all v bands
200 cell race cat
2.25” straight through stainless muffler
Thermostat removed and bypass deleted
Power steering and ac delete
Filled engine mounts
Derestricted air box
Astra fuel pump and regulator
Depo’d headlights
Corsa c overflow bottle
Wheel stud conversion
Gsi rear spoiler
Corsa c side repeaters
F15 gsi gearbox
Gsi instruments
Momo steering wheel
Rear strut brace/harness bar
Centre harness mounts
Roof vent
Carbon fibre centre dash
Carbon fibre horn button
Tailight wiring loom hidden
Sound deadener removed and interior painted
1kg dry powder extinguisher
Braided brake lines
17* 7 race wheels with nankang AR1 semi slicks adds 40mm track width
and the 80 series which we use to tow the trailer and camper. Along with the puppy , she is part irish wolfhound part staffy so 50 kg now and a lovely dog with the kids.
Looks like a fun car. Always neat to see builds of cars we don't get in the states.
Thankyou, they're a bit of a weirdo. Chassis design was done by Colin Chapman of Lotus fame, and they were later developed further by Sydney Meake into the rally kit car as driven by Kris Meake WRC driver. What it means is they are actually a quite capable well handling little beast which is much underrated. Add the horsepower increase of the 1.8 swap (up from 1.6) and they end up at 170hp and 700kg.
battery change to a fullrun race battery and front end rebuild happening this weekend ready for November, If i get time I'll probably add the recommended front end bracing too.
Front end rebuild done, new ball joints and tie rod ends, while i was in there i discovered a blown front strut (thought something felt wrong) so now I need to swap in the spares and order some coilovers. Picked up oil and filters so probably a job for tomorrow. Also need to rig up a mount for the gopro ripoff.
Had a Garmin Virb I've used for years but these came up at $30aus so thought I'd give it a try.
Entry has been accepted so we are set to go racing on the 7/8th November. Oil change done, no surprises in the pan which is a bonus!
Quick dry compression test is still showing 255psi per cylinder in all 4 and all plugs are showing good mixtures.
counting the days, it's been too long!!
Pretty cool!
How do they manage to run a hill-climb on roads that aren't closed?
2Girlsracing said:
and the 80 series which we use to tow the trailer and camper. Along with the puppy , she is part irish wolfhound part staffy so 50 kg now and a lovely dog with the kids.
I just picked up an FJ80 from "down under" NSW. It has a manual transmission, no sunroof or power accessories. The climate controls are all manual sliding levers. It's RHD of course. My biggest adjustment is having the turn signals on the right side of the steering wheel. It's so routine to slap that left side lever and there goes the windshield wipers.
TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) said:Pretty cool!
How do they manage to run a hill-climb on roads that aren't closed?
It's actually a dedicated track, sorry if my description wasn't so good
maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:2Girlsracing said:
and the 80 series which we use to tow the trailer and camper. Along with the puppy , she is part irish wolfhound part staffy so 50 kg now and a lovely dog with the kids.I just picked up an FL80 from "down under" NSW. It has a manual transmission, no sunroof or power accessories. The climate controls are all manual sliding levers. It's RHD of course. My biggest adjustment is having the turn signals on the right side of the steering wheel. It's so routine to slap that left side lever and there goes the windshield wipers.
I'm not familiar with an fl80? I know mine is an fj80 and the next model is the fjz80 with the 4.5litre injucted motor but not sure on an FL?
Ran the first day of hillclimb today and the first couple of runs were a disaster! The worn out stock front suspension did not like the semi-slicks in the front!! Would go into this porpoise action where the wheel would buck and twist and the whole front end would start diving up and down. After two runs switched to the road fronts (300tw) and left the semi's on the back. Much happier . Took 3 seconds off my personal best, going to reinstall the front swaybar tomorrow and hopefully that will tame some of the bucking! New coilovers on order for Christmas.
2Girlsracing said:Plan for the rx8 is an LS swap with hairdryers.
Welcome to GRM!
So the wrap up for the weekend is times improved 5 secs over the two days. The car didn't like the slicks. New suspension needed. More camber and castor required. A diff wouldnt go astray either. Short shifter needed to deal with how busy it gets in the drivers seat.
We have one last event for the year, end of November. Entry is in so the thrash begins. Swapped the springs on the front to some thicker coils with less turns so we'll see how that goes. Changing to 195/50/15 semi slicks to alter the gearing and unsprung mass of the wheels.
kind of a intermediate idea while i wait for coilovers and top mounts to come from the uk. Hoping to take another couple of seconds off and get into the trophies!
lifting the rear wheel
and also lufting a front wheel! Oops!!!!
Back out on track today on the new tyres, managed to shave another .6secs off my previous PB at this track taking me to 53.8. Probably could have gone a tad faster but the 50degree celsius track surface was getting greasy and slick. Hoping to get a couple of decent runs in tomorrow morning before it heats up again.
parts have also started trickling in for the Christmas refresh of this car so hoping to go even faster next year.
Got a couple of runs in before i started having gear selection issues. So i jammed it into second and ran the whole run there. Rev limiter launch and back on the limiter twice more through the run. It did allow me to focus on my lines and braking points culminating in a new PB! Smh!! So we ended up at 53.6 for the weekend with a slightly hurt car, plenty to do now over X-mas.
Quick job fitting a gopro mount, can anyone guess where it came from?
spoiler -It's the box it came in!!!! Seemed like a perfect solution for the slightly curved panel it was going on.
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