Information overload

[Besty]

Hi to all. First post so here goes. Got a 1990 aus spec vr4 which I'm hoping to turn into a mildy competative rally car. Safety gears on order , now to the engine ???. Read vfaq over and over. looked at various forums over & over, still confused as to where to start and to what parts are needed and compatiable. Any help will be greatly appreciated . (note. been a mechanic for 20yrs but I am still struggling with the abbreviations for models etc ). Thanks in advance..

 

[dat16dog]

Hi to all. First post so here goes. Got a 1990 aus spec vr4 which I'm hoping to turn into a mildy competative rally car. Safety gears on order , now to the engine ???. Read vfaq over and over. looked at various forums over & over, still confused as to where to start and to what parts are needed and compatiable. Any help will be greatly appreciated . (note. been a mechanic for 20yrs but I am still struggling with the abbreviations for models etc ). Thanks in advance..

Hi Besty
I have a E38 VR4 RS gravel rally car i have decided to sell, Im asking 10 grand for it. it owes me WAY more then that!!
what ever you think your going to spend to make a VR4 "rally ready" double/triple it!
best option is to buy a rally car that somebody else has spent the money on already. (not particularly mine)

Robert

 

[Besty]

Hi Besty
I have a E38 VR4 RS gravel rally car i have decided to sell, Im asking 10 grand for it. it owes me WAY more then that!!
what ever you think your going to spend to make a VR4 "rally ready" double/triple it!
best option is to buy a rally car that somebody else has spent the money on already. (not particularly mine)

Robert

I know where your coming from, but some of it is the joy of modifying the vehicle and making it preform. Also owning my own workshop helps with some of the costs..

 

[DOUGMO]

to start your vr4 engine is a 6 bolt (refers to number of flywheel bolts)or 1g. A general rule is most engine parts you would need
must be from a 6 bolt engine. Things that are compatable between a 6 and 7 bolt(evo 1-3) engine are cams,cam gears, exhaust manifols/turbos,valves and valve springs.
There is plenty of info and smart guys on here to steer you in the right direction Besty

 

[blackvr]

We ( Brown/Dale of South Australia) have what is arguably Australias quickest gravel rally VR4 , if our results in the ARC are to go by. Ours is by no means a big dollar rally car. If you want to be steered down the "sensible" track, PM me, or preferably ring me, as it is quicker to tell you things rather than endless typing ... I build and maintain the car.

Cheers Mike mob 0417 083 682

 

[Velocity Racing]

Id agree with dat16dog, in the fact that the cost to build a 'mildy competative' is not cheap at all, you would be far better off starting with a solid baseand then modifying it from there rather than building from scratch.. Remember to really be compeditive, especially in gravel rallies, suspension and differential settings, etc are worth more seconds per km than pure engine performance. Once you start factoring in $3k for a good cage, $1k for brake components, $2k for seats & harnesses, $6-8k for suspension, $3k+ for diffs, $1k for turbo restrictor& exhaust = $16k for just the main things, then if you want to go in deeper seam welding(which is a must imo), engine builds, underbody protection & bash plate, kill switch, spot lights for night, intake, ecu and tuning, intercom, trip meter.. the list is endless you will be above $20k before you know it.

This car is another that would be a great start, its built from a propper Evo RS chassis, has the good suspension and diffs (just stick a mechanical front diff), and would still have the oppertunity for you to build a nice grunty motor for (buy one of Blackvr's his are the best going around).. and stick a dog box in etc.. I think you woul get it for 10k now.

http://www.bmsc.com.au/forums/rally-cars-sale/23418-91-vr4-evo-rs.html


I would also encourage you to do as Mike (blackvr) has said above and contact him. The car Mike runs for him and Gary is a weapon, and regularly runs inside the top 5 of the ARC in the forests here in SA, and just last month won the final round of the SA championship by 2 minutes over a 3 time South Australian champion driving an ex work Possum Borne Motorsport '05 STi and by 5 minutes over the current champion in his '02 STi.

 

[Besty]

Thanks to velocity racing for the info and link. It sounds that your idea of competative and mine might be slightly different. I was hoping to run in the rooky class in australian motor sport action group. (not quite as competative as the arc I would imagine). The rules state the vehicle has to be nsw registered so i have been told a bolt in cage is required. I know that the costs will add up and a cheaper option is to buy one already set up but I was really hoping to build my own from ground up and use it as a learning experience. As a mechanic I fix cars every day but rarely get the chance to modify one let along test it and drive it. I definately will ring mike asap. I was hoping for a direction as where to start so as I'm not doing things twice.. Thanks.

 

[dat16dog]

Thanks to velocity racing for the info and link. It sounds that your idea of competative and mine might be slightly different. I was hoping to run in the rooky class in australian motor sport action group. (not quite as competative as the arc I would imagine). The rules state the vehicle has to be nsw registered so i have been told a bolt in cage is required. I know that the costs will add up and a cheaper option is to buy one already set up but I was really hoping to build my own from ground up and use it as a learning experience. As a mechanic I fix cars every day but rarely get the chance to modify one let along test it and drive it. I definately will ring mike asap. I was hoping for a direction as where to start so as I'm not doing things twice.. Thanks.

Hi Besty
I run mine in AMSAG and CAMS events using a NSW rally specific unregistered vehicle permit. very cheap option. it has a tower to tower multipoint welded cage.I was told by somebody in "the know" that was a must have as the VR4 will bend/twist/break if not strengthened by a multi point welded cage. being a "rally or race only" import it cant be
registerd in NSW anyway (at the moment) hopefully a rally rego scheme that includes ALL motorsport providers not just CAMS will eventuate soon (been on the drawing board for years now!!) my VR4 has had all the "rally mods" done including seam welding, 50mm struts etc only thing needed now is more power, has standard RS engine so will give Mike a call myself and see
what he suggests to up the power.
Cheers
Robert

 

[Entaran]

If you're based in Sydney or around, go take the car to Meek and see chris. See what he thinks. If you've already done that much, you're obviously serious about becoming competitive speed wise and it's worth talking to guys who actually know what they're on about with vr4's rather than just any random performance workshop.