EL ENCIERRO

[Senor_Taylor]

Great shots, Joey!

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[D_Eclipse9916]

Great job guys! Looks like a lot of fun!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ScottyB]

awesome shots, i realize now more than ever that El Encierro needs some big FU mudflaps.

mulling over finding myself a car to run next season.

miata, E30, or impreza. the crustier, the better. or find a P71 crown vic and just be a hero.

that's this car from the GRM boards. very talented driver and a good example of a budget stage rally / rallyx build.

[*insertusernamehere*]

So it looks likes these are the times. Looks like James went faster and he didn't infact take out 6 cones...or they missed it? *Shrug* it was a blast. Now that I'm feeling better I think I'm down for one more round. However that isn't until September. They have nationals in a couple weeks but I can't make that. They're skipping August so September it is. The tauruses times overall weren't bad considering we're brand new, bad tires, limited to first gear and questionable classing. I like it!

Maybe I can find one nearby to go to in August if another close region has an event. From what I've gathered the DC region is actually one of the biggest!

[SlimKlim]

miata, E30, or impreza. the crustier, the better. or find a P71 crown vic and just be a hero.

1.) too small
2.) too expensive
3.) 100%
4.) yes, but I'm not dealing with shoving that fat piece of shit in my garage to work on it. I also may have to boot the VW out and store this thing in the garage full time depending on how pissy my HOA is, and I'm not giving up that much real estate to a weekend rally beater.

I haven't been able to stop looking at 1st gen Impreza listings since Sunday though, it seems like there is an ample selection of <$1000 cars out there. Even more alarming is the fact that neither Lauren or my friend Michelle (who commonly and happily criticizes my financial liberalism) are violently opposed to the idea, so that means its a good idea right? Right?

Taylor and I were talking through this while hanging out Sunday, what would you consider the bare minimum budget for a RallyX car that'll take a whippin'?

This is what I have so far:

$750 - Car
$22.50 - Tax
$4.07 - Registration
$302 - Insurance (annual)
$250 - Mechanical Repair Budget
$300 - Expired Seat, Harnesses & Mount
$336 - Slightly Taller Winter Tires Mounted & Balanced (new for $61 each, dramatic savings could be found with a used set I'm sure)
$200 - Ancillary Dumb Shit Slush Fund (material to cut into mud flaps, material to cut into skidplates, stickers, etc)

$2,001-2,201 - Total


Am I missing something? Anything I don't need? I was arguing with Taylor that it wouldn't need a seat, but then I rode along with Justin in his Volvo and my helmet was getting battered against the roof. I think it'd be worth the cost of the seat just so I don't feel like I'm going to compress a disc in my neck if I bounce up into the roof too hard.

[davej]

you should get a 94 530i. I may or may not know of one. Just toss a clutch in it and you're in business.

[SlimKlim]

you should get a 94 530i. I may or may not know of one. Just toss a clutch in it and you're in business.

I'll give you $20.

[ScottyB]

I haven't been able to stop looking at 1st gen Impreza listings since Sunday though....its a good idea right? Right?

why would you even ask this? :lol:

$750 - Car
$22.50 - Tax
$4.07 - Registration
$302 - Insurance (annual)
$250 - Mechanical Repair Budget
$300 - Expired Seat, Harnesses & Mount
$336 - Slightly Taller Winter Tires Mounted & Balanced (new for $61 each, dramatic savings could be found with a used set I'm sure)
$200 - Ancillary Dumb Shit Slush Fund (material to cut into mud flaps, material to cut into skidplates, stickers, etc)

$2,001-2,201 - Total

Am I missing something? Anything I don't need?

you don't need the seat. if the stock one bothers you, get a 2002-2003 WRX two-tone seat or a 2004-2007 WRX 1-piece black seat without airbags. they're very comfy and have great bolsters, and there's always one for sale, somewhere. if you really need the headroom i understand why you'd want the aftermarket one though....that's your call.

used winters are fine but $60 new for a tire is so cheap its hard to pass up. Firestone Winterforce and General Altimax Arctic are hot ticket tires for rallycross. beware they will chip and chunk in jagged gravel or high heat...that's just the tradeoff.

buy an impreza with the EJ22. the 2.2 is much tougher and less prone to headgasket failure, and is the engine that gave subaru the "unkillable" reputation in the 90's that carried them through their increasing unreliability in the 00's :lol: . you give up 20hp to the 2.5 but if you're gutting the car anyway, you'll make up for the loss in weight reduction.

alternatively, if you go out seeking a 2.5, they're all old enough the HG is either failing or has been fixed. if you want to pay more for a fixed one, its a pretty reliable engine from there on out and you'll get the best N/A power the impreza got. be very cautious of ones that need fixing....most likely the owner realized it needed fixing after it overheated, in which case the block/heads are borked and not worth whatever you can talk them down.

other areas that you'll want to have money for is possible radiator replacement due to the vibration and punishment on the old plastic (the plastic fails after 10-15 years anyway) and wheel bearings, probably the rears first but you'll have plenty of warning before they go. all subaru manuals are noisy but if its really whining you've got a trans swap on your hands. t-belt, water pump, and belt pulleys all get replaced every 100k. be SURE the pulleys were replaced with the belt, beyond 100k they are grenades.

prepare some money for a front skid plate and a rear sway bar. fill up with Rotella 5W-40. new or upgraded shocks will make a difference but its not necessary. that's it....go out and beat the shit out of it. subarus like and respond well to being driven angrily in dirt.

if you're not going to daily it, there is lots of weight to be dropped from a gutted interior, front/rear bumper beams, and removal of the AC. you should be able to get a 1st gen AWD chassis below 2700 lbs. without much effort.

[SlimKlim]

What years/trims were the 2,2? Bulletproof sounds right up my alley, I'd scrap the whole thing before I pulled the motor out to do a headgasket.

I mean, I don't want to pay for a seat, but I'm 6'4" with a neck like Littlefoot. There are very few cars I can sit in with stock seats and a helmet and not be wedged against the roof. Normally it's fine, but with all the added bouncing of a RallyX i think it would be problematic. I should definitely try to test one out and see how I actually fit in one with a helmet, maybe ripping the headliner out or some other trick would give me enough room.

[Senor_Taylor]

Yeah I would say the "repair" budget is a little low. Everything else seems good. I'm telling you we can find an expired seat for cheap with all of the connections we have.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[davej]

you should get a 94 530i. I may or may not know of one. Just toss a clutch in it and you're in business.

I'll give you $20.

I couldn't let you pay more for it than I did.

[Jake]

I think a seat/harness is absolutely worth it. The effort you don't expend keeping your body in one place can be used to focus on driving the car.

Just buy my Pro2000 and expired G-Force 6-point.

[ScottyB]

What years/trims were the 2,2?

i want to say '95 to '01 in the impreza and outback sport. you could get a legacy or legacy outback with them too, but you don't want those.

they're SOHC torque-biased appliance engines, and have basically no aftermarket compared to the 2.5, but if you just want to get in and drive on your time off there is no better subaru power plant aside from some of their Flat 6's. an enormous (comparitively) part of the rallycross community is devoted to subarus, so you'll probably always have someone at an event to help you if something goes sour.

Just buy my Pro2000 and expired G-Force 6-point.

bam! problem solved. compared to a miata you can practically fit a La-Z-Boy in there, so hopefully its an easy swap.

[davej]

this is the least fun option I've been throwing Joey in chat, but dang, seems like a grab and go till it blow kind of thing?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/6147746659.html">https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva ... 46659.html</a><!-- m -->

[SlimKlim]

That does seem like an infinitely wiser purchase

[davej]

That does seem like an infinitely wiser purchase

but....but...
[youtube]bbAWATHjR7c[/youtube]

[Senor_Taylor]

this is the least fun option I've been throwing Joey in chat, but dang, seems like a grab and go till it blow kind of thing?

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/6147746659.html">https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva ... 46659.html</a><!-- m -->

Also the fact that car is 10 minutes from me and Joey.

[Senor_Taylor]

[youtube]Ir9G3Fw0Ia4[/youtube]

[*insertusernamehere*]

The ending after the run is the best part

[ScottyB]

you guys have no idea how lucky you are to have access to a course that huge and awesome