sumoco Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Hey guys I want to build up a brat with a swapped ej22 turbo as a rally racer but was wondering how well they hold up and if the hatch or the wagon or anything i'm forgetting would be a better option. Also i just want to hear everyone's opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 the 2 door coupes were rallied.They are the lightest and structuraly strongest cars,except perhaps for a hatchback.A hatchback with a turbo AWD EJ would be insane though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjschlag Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I would second the hatchback... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subruise Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 its also important to consider where youre gonna get spares. hatchies/brats/and coupes are in short(ish) supply when compared with todays counterparts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 The hatch in my sig was Tcased with a NA EJ22 and 31" tires and 4.11 gears.In RWD it was a struggle to keep it straight-pavement or otherwise.It essentially was a 4wd toyota AE86.I said that a turbo AWD hatch would be insane-It would be horrible for rally because its too short-it would be twitchy as all hell.On a 1.5 lane gravel road I spun it 360* in a corner at 45 MPH and was still on the road after that.Find something with some wheelbase,also get a subaru that you can find body parts for.So like I said 85-94 3dr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) Check this Videos, Third Gen Subaru Leone (a.k.a: Loyale) Racing in a recent Rally: ~► http://www.youtube.com/user/czechsubaruteam/videos Might serve as inspiration, Kind Regards. Edited February 9, 2014 by Loyale 2.7 Turbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferox Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) One of the '80s vehicles that came with FT4WD with a lockable front differential would make a badass rally runner, but they are extremely rare and impractical. I know you are looking for pre-90's, but for rally I would go with an Impreza or '90-'94 Legacy. As others have stated, finding body and mechanical parts is starting to get more difficult for ea81 rigs and even ea82s. I have been planning a build on my Hatch for years, but now I have to reconsider how I am going to use it once I build it. The junkyard situation has changed a lot in the past couple years. It wasn't that long ago that there would be 6-8 ea81 vehicles in the yards near me at any one time. Now, sometimes there aren't any. Ea81 vehicles have bad understeer too. Having the steering toed-in properly for rally would burn through tires for regular driving. You could of course adjust your toe per driving activity, but that's a little bit of a PITA. The bulk of the Subarus in the yards now are the '90-'94 Legacies. The best rally option would probably be an AWD Impreza sedan or possibly the Lego sedan with a 4x4 by-pass switch. The Impreza would be lighter, but the Lego would have a longer and wider wheelbase. You might want 4.11 or 4.44 gears. Rear LSD, front OBX helical LSD. Many of the parts on the Legos interchange with the Impreza. If you start with a car that already has the engine and transmission you want, then you can spend your time and money on customization. Edited February 9, 2014 by ferox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The real answer here is: Which ever one that somebody else has already built. They put in all the hours and dollars and most likely, you'll get it at a discount. Best part is, you have no emotional investment in the build process and will drive the living piss out of it. It might even result in faster stage times, who knows... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 The bulk of the Subarus in the yards now are the '90-'94 Legacies. The best rally option would probably be an AWD Impreza sedan or possibly the Lego sedan with a 4x4 by-pass switch. The Impreza would be lighter, but the Lego would have a longer and wider wheelbase. You might want 4.11 or 4.44 gears. Rear LSD, front OBX helical LSD. Many of the parts on the Legos interchange with the Impreza. If you start with a car that already has the engine and transmission you want, then you can spend your time and money on customization. +1 to all this except that Legacy and Impreza (not WRX) are the same width. WRX sedans are wider by about 1-1/2" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferox Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Legacy and Impreza (not WRX) are the same width. That's good to know. Probably should have expected that from Subaru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 +1 to all this except that Legacy and Impreza (not WRX) are the same width. WRX sedans are wider by about 1-1/2" Not just WRX....all GD sedans are wider. First off, what are we talking about? Are you actually building a car? Are we talking just back-road bashing, rallyX, Rally-America regional, National, Nasa? My experience is in Rally-America, mostly regional, but I've worked with some National teams....so I'll address that. With my experience in rally, yes, a GC impreza is probably the best Subaru chassis to make a competitive Open class rally car without spending a fortune. But, sometimes it's not about winning. It's about having fun, and getting noticed (THAT's what brings in the sponsors). Working with Ziptie Rally the last couple years, I got to tell spectators that we had the white GC Impreza......oh wait, there are at least 5 of those at every event. Yawn. I don't love the rear suspension on the EAs, very difficult to fine-tune alignment settings, and R-A frowns upon cutting up the floor pan and strut towers. You might be able to graft the subframe from a multi-link EJ under an EA without doing too much, but you'd need a fuel cell for sure. I have given some thought to building an old-gen subaru rally car, though. It would either be a high-compression EJ25 (not a franken-motor, probably WRX heads on a new EJ251 block with Mahle or CP 12:1 pistons) in an EA82 coupe for Open Light class, or an XT6 with an EG33 for open class. Spare parts would be difficult, but if I were getting competitive, I'd probably just build Tubular suspension arms anyway.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibreakstuff Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) The best rally car is the one you can afford and finish a race in. That said, I navigated my first stage rally in a 93 FWD GC Impreza with stock suspension and no skid plate (Prescott 08). We finished but burned up exhaust valves after removing the entire exhaust on a "! dip ! dip" early on the first day. Try yelling notes without a working intercom and open headers... Edited March 16, 2014 by Ibreakstuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 ... afford and finish a race in ... Those are Key Words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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