Starting a rally car build

[Nike30]

Hi all

So I just joined r3vlimited and this is my first post.

I'm 17 so I don't have much car building experience but I really want to learn and my uncle is a mechanic so he can teach me how to do the mods myself. I'll worry about engine mods once I get more experience under my belt. I'm mainly wondering about what suspension I should use. I recently bought a 2 door 91 325is and was wondering about what mods I should start with to have a basic rally car to have fun on the weekends. Here is what I have so far.

Stock M20b25 engine
G260 transmission with 8 ball shifter
4.10 LSD from an 87 m3
Bilstein sports all around
Hawk hp plus brakepads and centric rotors
Skid plate
Gutted interior. AC and stereo are removed also.
No power steering

If anyone who has rally experience could give me some advice on what to do next that would be great. Thanks in advance.

[frankie591]

8 ball shifter lol.

[ttrousdell]

8 ball shifter lol. may as well slap a dildo on there and call it a day.

I'm glad I didn't have dickheads like this giving me advice when I started my first e30 build. I think a lot of people forget that they were young and ignorant to the car world at one time. I wish you good luck with the build kid.

[IronFreak]

^^^No kidding, at least he's not asking how to "Stance" his ride. Give him a break! I don;t Rally, but I would highly recommend looking at your local SCCA club and get in touch with those guys. I've seen all types of cars rally race, two of my friends run stock suspension on theirs.

[kingston]

I'd recommend Bilstien HDs over stock suspension. Skidplate's a good call! There are a couple of really good Rally build threads on the project forums. Take a look at those, for sure!

EDIT: This one's the gold standard: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...ighlight=rally

[mohamed...]

get a condor speed shop power steering delete.

[Jaxx_]

get a condor speed shop power steering delete.

I'm getting tired of this bad information

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=302828

[Gary Horneck]

Sounds like you have the good beginnings right there. I would not ditch the power steering, you will have a bitch of a time muscling the car around in the dirt. Do a E36 rack upgrade, and leave the power steering alone. You should add some bracing, strut and shock towers. Then you need wheels and tires that get the job done. A harness bar and at least 4-point belts sure help too. Its fun stuff.

[jlevie]

Suspension would be the logical next step. New control arms, tie rods, subframe, and trailing arm bushings are obvious first steps. But also replace the motor, transmission, and differential mounts. Then go for better springs and sway bars. This being essentially a track car think H&R race, Bilstien Sports or Koni SA's, camber plates, and rear toe/camber adjustments as the minimum coupled with 22/19mm sways. Oh, and because it is a rally car, invest in a heavy duty steel skid plate.

Then there is a safety stuff. A well built 6-point cage, real race seats with halo protection, 6-point harness, and HANS device should be the minimum.

Ditch the 8 ball, rebuild the shifter and use a tall Jaffster shift knob.

[Northern]

I wouldn't go for H&R Race for a rally car. I do think Bilsteins and stock springs would work well until you feel like getting coilovers (can buy sleeves/adjusters cheap and eibach or hypercoil coilover springs for rates/lengths you want)

would definitely throw some large, beefy mudflaps to protect the car as much as possible. KAmotors makes, or made, some that seem to hold up well.

[TobyB]

First things first. Littleton, CO? Get in touch with the sanctioning body that runs the rallies
that you'll be competing in. Find out what rules they use, and then read them-
first for safety
second for classing. You may find your 8- ball shifter moves you up
a class... and no, I wish I was joking.

Next, go to a couple events, and wander around the paddock(s). Rally's harder
than road racing, but the cars always come back to the trailers... one way or
the other.
If anyone else is running an E30, make friends. Not the 'Hey I have an E30 and
I'm gonna rally and what do you do for tires and suspension and my uncle's a mechanic
and I'm so excited and I just keep talking"
kind of friend, but the
'I'm interested in your car. Can I help out?' sort of friend.

Then see what happens.

You may very well find yourself trading the E30 for a Subaru.

Or rallying it successfully.

Go see.

hth

t

[henryki]

8 ball shifter? woah serious hp gains there, i'd leave that stuff for the honda kids. But a rally E30 is something I've always wanted to do. Pics!

[Stephen]

I would shy away from H&R race for rally applications. The best place to start is likely going to be Bilstein HDs and stock springs. From there you may be able to go to coilover springs, but longer ones can cause coil bind. Swift springs makes long springs with pretty incredible stroke to prevent this. Good luck, I am working on a rally car as well

[squidmaster]

Stay stock with at least the springs. Its rally, you don't want low. Save your money for tires and a spare set of wheels.

[SoundByte]

A skid plate is a good idea. You should at least thoroughly inspect all of the rubber (bushings, boots, etc) and major suspension components, and replace tired parts. The stock E30 suspension does a pretty good job with a bit of help. Strut braces really help these cars a lot as far as keeping things rigid and tidy go.

Also, the E36 rack swap is a great mod to do whether or not you're building a rally machine.