I am looking to upgrade the front end on my 91 Loyale. at some point the rear end, engine, trans, etc, etc, etc.... will all be upgraded. however, I think my front end needs help ASAP.

 

eventually, I am going to set this puppy up as a rally car. I've wanted one since I was 15!!! what are my options if I go that route? high $$ and ultra cheap? should I save up and go for the Loyale/WRX combo?

 

any input is appreciated! Thanks!

Please clarify on what you mean by 'upgrading the front end'.

you know, better/more responsive, suspension, stearing, braking and what-not....I want to be under control while going fast or braking hard and have confidence that the whole thing won't blow up or break under pressure.

Okay gotcha.

 

I'm sure the rally 'ru folks will step in and give you great advice on upgrades.

Strut rod bushings. These are the rubber bushings that the arms that come back from the radius arms and attach under the car by the firewall. At the minimum, replace them. If you wan't to go further, some guy did a writeup on replacing them with Heim joints. Improving this anchor point will solidify the geometry of the front end and help handling immensely. Consider polyurethane bushings for such Items as the radius arms and the sway bar. Board member WJM did a thread on part #'s for EA82 body cars, which is what you have. Other than that, watch out for rust.That can lead to front ends falling apart under stress.

cool! thanks for the input...

 

So, main thing I need to do is upgrade the shock mounts and stearing bushings. are there any swaps from other cars that can improve durability or should I just stick with what I have?

 

basically, I am asking whether I should try to rebuild what I already have or would it be better to rebuild something else and make the swap into my Loyale.

If the shock mounts your thinking of are at the top of the struts,leave those alone. The ones that cause the most steering vagueness are the strut rod mounts. If you look under the car, they are ~1/2-3/4" rods that come back from the radius arm and attach at an angle under the body. The radius arm runs paralell and underneath the halfshaft.