'86 RX7 Rally Car

'03 Impreza Wagon NMNA

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: Not going to stpr, new job means limited time off. Bike trailer rig is done but no pics because posting from phone and touchscreens are the worst 944s are a big hell no for me, for the same reasons as BMWs- I don't get along well with German engineering, whereas on Japanese stuff I can actually work without taking a break to let myself stop swearing. Not sure where the merkur falls on that spectrum. Only real hesitation about another FC is the interior is really tight- a modern spec cage might make it too cramped.

Yeah, IDK what much else if you want to stay RWD. How about z31 300zx? IDK if the interior is an improvement over the RX7 though. Could always do a Volvo. Jason Miller is still selling his 240 with RA cage/logbooked and lots of spares, wheels, tires, etc.

Funny you say the Japanese vs. German. In 5 years of rallycross its always the Japanese cars that are broken it seems. The German stuff has its own quirks but if anything it's built tough.

I have an rx7 that I am thinking about getting rid of....

I can't get the damn thing to start reliably...

Rebuild engine with good compression. All new fuel system. No rust. Body is 7.5 out of 10. No real dents. Just scuffs and scratches.

Not sure what I'm looking to get out of it atm.

120k miles. 87 rx7 na manual (was an auto when I bought it).

Or so some other kind of larger sedan/coupe that's RWD. A filter search for non-German RWD cars on CL older than, say, 1995, with manual trans brings up:

• Various pickups (think Gary DeMasi's V8 Ranger, which seems to be up your alley)
• Mustang (huge aftermarket, just don't buy a POS like your old one ;))
• Z car
• 240SX
• 2G Supra
• Camaro
• Lexus SC300
• MR2
• Volvo 240
• ??

I vote Volvo 240. When you decide you want more power, all you could ever want is only a V8 swap away. Unlike the older Volvos, the 240 with its mac-struts has a roomy engine bay that welcomes swaps.

Strangely enough, it's the hardware that gets me the most about German stuff. Example: the RX7 and 318ti have similar suspensions (McStrut front, trailing arm rear). The RX7 needs like 4 different sized sockets to take the entire suspension apart. 318ti needs more like 11. I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal once I got used to it, but the Japanese stuff is infinitely more serviceable for me because I can tell what size every fastener is by looking at it, and typically every fastener in that assembly will be the same size. If I could find a car put together like my Buell I'd be set, that entire bike can be disassembled with 3 tools

I like Volvo 240s, and I've always wanted to own a Merkur- although if they have that 80s/90s American bullE36 M3 where half the fasteners are standard and half are metric I probably can't live with one. I really like Toyotas, and actually have a CAD model for what it would take to turn my pickup into a rally truck (similar to the Ranger). I also think an older Corolla/Celica with a BEAMS 3sge and different suspension would be fast, but both options are a lot of time/$$$. By far the cheapest would be picking up someone else's old car, closely followed by the "prep another FC" option.

I think the real answer here is "more data needed- do some more events"

Psst Volvo.... I dont think it ever sold.

In reply to java230:

I've been drooling over that thing forever- but if I bought it I wouldn't have the budget to run any events, or probably pay my rent... not to mention the cost of replacing any of the fancy E36 M3 when I break it.

In reply to ¯_(ツ)_/¯:

food and rent is over rated :P

I have been drooling too, but i think in my case volvo=instant divorce.

java230 wrote: Psst Volvo.... I dont think it ever sold.

Wow. That car looks awesome.

Ian F wrote:

java230 wrote: Psst Volvo.... I dont think it ever sold.

Wow. That car looks awesome.

yeah, wow. you had me at "ambulance spindles".

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ wrote: Strangely enough, it's the hardware that gets me the most about German stuff. Example: the RX7 and 318ti have similar suspensions (McStrut front, trailing arm rear). The RX7 needs like 4 different sized sockets to take the entire suspension apart. 318ti needs more like 11. I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal once I got used to it, but the Japanese stuff is infinitely more serviceable for me because I can tell what size every fastener is by looking at it, and typically every fastener in that assembly will be the same size. If I could find a car put together like my Buell I'd be set, that entire bike can be disassembled with 3 tools I like Volvo 240s, and I've always wanted to own a Merkur- although if they have that 80s/90s American bullE36 M3 where half the fasteners are standard and half are metric I probably can't live with one. I really like Toyotas, and actually have a CAD model for what it would take to turn my pickup into a rally truck (similar to the Ranger). I also think an older Corolla/Celica with a BEAMS 3sge and different suspension would be fast, but both options are a lot of time/$$$. By far the cheapest would be picking up someone else's old car, closely followed by the "prep another FC" option. I think the real answer here is "more data needed- do some more events"

Must be an e36 thing. I'm pretty sure I could take the entire e30 apart with a 10mm, 13mm, 17mm, and 19mm....

In reply to irish44j:

Maybe. Sizes needed for the 318ti suspension were 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 22. My e28 and e24 were better, but not much.

18? Ehhh Okay. 7? Brake bleeder or something, sure. 9? 11? What the berkeley.

In reply to RedGT:

berkeleying handbrake cables man. Let's not even get into how you need to remove the inboard end AND open up the brake lines themselves if you want the rear subframe off.

So I have a caged (built to SCCA IT) rust free clean shell with nothing on it (literarly its only a body with a cage) hanging around collecting dust. If you are interested shoot me an email czechwd (at) gmail, no rush just tossing the offer out there.

Wes

In reply to monsterbronco:

Sorry, unfortunately an IT cage is a negative for a rally car, I'd need to cut it out and start over.

no worries.

Is there a difference in wall thickness requirements? Looking at your pictures the cage in my car is a lot nicer (perhaps needing the addition of a few more gussets) but I would understand if the tube diameter and thickness requirements are different.

regardless its a rust free shell if you are looking to start over.

Wes

My cage is crap, and only allowed due to grandfathering rules. A modern cage would be 1.75x.095 DOM, and have about twice as many tubes. If your shell has a clean title I'll keep it in mind though.

Ah ok that all makes sense!

Sorry no title for the car though :-(

So here's the motorcycle solution for the trailer- a motorcycle "hitch hauler" unbolted from the hitch it's usually mounted to and attached to the tongue via u-bolts:

You can even load the bike without a ramp by lowering the trailer jack all the way.

Chief has fresh tires and is ready to go too:

Hitting the road to VIR a little later than I'd hoped, but at least I'm color coordinated

Oh so yellow. Light bar+tires FTW.

Good luck man...wish we could have made it down to run but real live gets in the way of racing sometimes

I saw you when I was headed the opposite direction on 81 around 7:30. Chief looked great during the quick glimpse I got. Can't wait to hear about your weekend.