LA Area Rally Car Race - Gorman Ridge Aug 28

[np75]

do you have your own car?

I work on that Escort so much it's almost feels like it's mine. I do have an old Corolla that I rally cross and am in the very slow process of getting turned into a rally car except it's ground to halt because I am poor right now.

my 2002 turbo should be a contender next year hopefully

Cool project. I hope to see you out next year then. I do have to warn you, doing a turbo car puts you in Group 5. If you run the So Cal, Nevada, and Arizona rallies you will be up against Bill Holmes in the 500HP F150 (the blue and yellow one in the first picture from this year).

[np75]

If either of you want to hear, I could tell you some things that we have learned about prepping street cars for rally, all non-vehicle specific type stuff. Nothing major just some small details that can make your rallying more pleasant.

[e30 grenade]

If either of you want to hear, I could tell you some things that we have learned about prepping street cars for rally, all non-vehicle specific type stuff. Nothing major just some small details that can make your rallying more pleasant.

yea that would be awsome im coming from a desert racing background but rally is definatley a different breed

[np75]

If you have been desert racing, then you may know all of this already but here it goes anyway.

First would be to seal up the bottom of the car as well as you can. The dust that comes in any holes in the bottom of the car can be pretty unpleasant. The worst offenders are the holes most cars have in the floor that have rubber plugs in them (to let out out water I think). Rocks knock the rubber plugs out and the holes are usually pretty big. I welded plugs into most of them on our car. Anything that you do to the car (removing stock parts, adding new stuff, suspension mods, etc) you should think about if you are opening up any new holes or leakage paths.

Second would be the temperature in the passenger compartment. When its 100 degrees, your wearing a thick one piece fire suit and a helmet, and your waiting to start with windows rolled up, it gets damn hot. If you don’t have window nets the windows have to be rolled up. I recommend not removing the ventilation ducting and fans from inside the dash. It’s nice to be able to blow some air when the car is sitting still, and if you’re ever racing when it rains it’s nice to have the defroster so you can see. The previous owner of our car took all ventilation stuff out, we are planning on putting it back at some point. Other ways to keep cool: cool suits (http://www.coolshirt.net/racing-all.html), or roof vents (Utilimaster PN 07100165, $30, https://parts.utilimaster.com/utilmstr/runApp?id=5 ). I just put the vent in the roof on my side for this event and it is a beautiful thing. We think that the vents help keep the dust out of the car as well by slightly pressurizing the interior.

Third is to make sure that your front skid plate is very beefy. Like not just an aluminum plate bolted to chassis front and rear. Our car came with a steel tube skid plate frame, and it was still moving around from the hits. We just remade it stronger and with more mounting points.

Fourth isn’t car prep, but safety equipment. Make sure that the head and neck restraint you get allows you to turn your head a ways. The ones we got don’t allow much movement (Def-n-der), and neither do many others. HANS ones do if you get the right type. You have to drive on public roads with the public part of the time on most rallies and you don’t always have time to take the safety equipment off. Backing up or checking for cars can be difficult wearing ahead neck restraint that does not allow you to turn your head.

That’s all, like I said nothing major.

[e30 grenade]

thanks a buch i hope to maybe meet soon to talk more about the ins and outs and as far as windows up its a rule alwayse or just for special stages?

[np75]

The window thing is only on special stages, transits you can have the window down. It might be less of an issue on your car while waiting to start, but on ours the window cranks hit the cage, you have to have the door open to roll the window up or down, and it's hard to do while strapped in. So basically I roll the window up (one inch open is OK) before we pull up to the arrival time control (ATC) before the start.

I would be happy to help (if I can) if you have any questions. Let me know.

Are you building the car to NASA rules or Rally America (or Rally Car or whatever they are calling themselves now)? What class are you going for?