Well i got my racecar finally.

[Turbo Tin Can]

After learning a hard lesson last year i spent a whole 1500bucks and got a racecar. I went with a rwd platform cause its new to me and honestly seem to have the most fun factor. I purchased an 85 corrola gts, motor is very strong and mechanically the car is not bad.

Highs: Rwd platform, forgiving and should be a great learning car
Car is very light and for 20years old is a pretty good bang vs buck racecar. Decent sized aftermarket with many experienced owners. Cheap insurance and cheap cheap tires 14 " :)
4 wheel disks all around and toyota reliablity.

Lows: Its old, some parts are hard to find. Live axel rear end isnt the greatest for track but its tough at least. Flippy light thingers are prone to breaking.

So far ive taken sometime to start repairing the normal old car issues. It has some rust in the rear wheel wells that is pretty bad. I plan on just welding new sheet metal to it and cut out the bad. Powersteering fluid leaks a tiny bit and its got a dime sized hole in the floor behind the passenger. Spare tire wheel well isnt in perfect shape, same deal cut place weld. The frame belive it or not is very solid. No real big issues except this, the rear drivers shock mount, which can be seen inside the hatch looks iffy. Its got some rubber goop on it which seems factory, but it looks like it has a crack and rust has started around it. When i do suspension im scared it will be to much for that weak link, especially under heavy load with r compounds. Any advice? I wish i had pics to show u, ill try to get em soon. As it stands its completly gutted, only a dash sidepanels and drivers seat, i guess iLL POR15 the few rust spots that im repairing and just spray CT rubberized paint on the floor.

Everything is so simple, i love the 80s' the layout in the engine bay is simple, the brakes are simple even the wiring harness is a joke.

So if anyone can help me with some rust repairs or welding that would be great, im trying to keep it grass roots so the cheaper the better lol.

Anyway things to look out for that i need, oil pressure,oil temp and water temp guages. An electric honda rad assembly, fuel cell SS fuel lines, and an FIA raceseat, non recline for a skinny guy. A guy in rockland is building my bar hopefully, the same who did chris's focus.


[img]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid127/p6e00b074d2d829dfe49203a6f84dae3a/f7e5b8f6.jpg[/img]

My best "gangsta jdm" pose lol


If the welding is beyond me can anyone recommenda good sheetmetal body man?

[-Ferdinand-]

Bennett had the exact same car. I used to have a black 86 GTS. Loved that car.

My only complaint was that it tended to lift the weight off the inside rear wheel on hard cornering, spinning that wheel thereby limiting traction out of corners. It really needs a limited slip diff. They are available for this car. I'm sure you can find one cheaper than this brand new LSD: http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2478483475

Also, (okay so that's two complaints), it eats the outside shoulders of the front tires under hard cornering. You're going to find you need more camber on the front suspension if you intend to race the car. The engine is bullet-proof. The higher you rev it the happier it gets!

[Turbo Tin Can]

Heheh ya, im pretty exited the good news is most suspension parts are very cheap. I dont plan on doing much to the motor yet, but the lsd is very expensive. A 2 way trd is the cheapest but i don't think my driving skills can handle a 2 way yet. Kazz makes a nice 1.5 but its almost 1200 :( Camber plates, adjustable roll centres, pan rod, fourlinks and paradise racing coilovers are what i plan on getting. Good news is all my suspension should only cost about 2k when im done. Unlike my subaru which was upwards 3 for what i wanted! Now if i could get the rust fixed lol. It wasn't the easiest car to use, unlike a 240 or civic, but ive been a toyota guy for a long time.

O and parts are skyrocketing due to this new drifting phase, i pay a heavy Initial D tax.

[-Ferdinand-]

quote:

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i don't think my driving skills can handle a 2 way yet...

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Eventually you will find you need an LSD. It actually does make it easier to drive the car. There will be times when you want to give it the boot to kick the back end around. Sometimes it'll spin both rear wheels, but without the limited slip it'll sometimes spin only one rear wheel. The other wheel just keeps rolling along and refuses to come unstuck.

My 86 BMW 325 has a limited slip diff. There is an advantage from knowing that both rear wheels will always be there giving traction. But I find the primary advantage comes from the confidence gained in knowing you can consistently control wheelspin on both rear wheels simultaneously. It's much more 'driveable' this way.
[img]http://www.iprimus.ca/~trauttf/temp/Cdn-325.jpg[/img]

[Turbo Tin Can]

Yea ino ... Is yours a 2 way or 1.5? Its in the works, im spending the next few months fixing the body, ect. Id like to clean it up a bit first before i start spending a bit of money. To bad i got it so late in the season, but thats life. Can't wait till next year.

[-Ferdinand-]

quote:

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Is yours a 2 way or 1.5?

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To tell you the truth, i have no idea what that means. [huh]

As far as I know the ramp angles are equal so it works the same on accel and decel.

[rmicroys]

All I can say about making a good racecar is starting with a clean chassis. Spend the time and prepare the car for what you're going to be doing. If you are going to ever race the car, you need to get the cage in first. I would leave all the repairs up to the people you're having do the cage. Hopefully the chassis is still up for it. To do it right, make yourself a rotisserie, and take all the doors, panels, etc. off. and have at it. Clean it, cut all the problem areas out, and prep it for getting new metal welded back in to repair it. I don't know if you'll be able to buy new rear unibody panels for it - or if it may be easier to make them - that sounds like a lot of work either way to make a good reliable machine. Start with a good cage which properly triangulates all the suspension pickup points and you will thank yourself later when you want to go racing. Good luck!

[Turbo Tin Can]

Thx for the insight rob, Ya im in no real rush, i have all winter to work on it. Id like to do most of teh sheet metal myself as a learning experience. The good news is teh major frame components and chasis are very good. Its mostly just sheet metal that are main issues. I plan to daily drive it so ill probably just get a 4pt bar put in similar to chris' focus. As far as teh rotissery, ive seen it done but im unsure of the mounting points on the car. Its my understanding that u basically weld up a bunch of metal and bolt it to the frame. This allows u to rotate the car. It would of been much easier to buy a used racecar or even a fwd civic but I'm really gonna enjoy wrenching and learning on this car. Real issues will be welded by pros :0 Its great tho, ive been pricing and cage and fuel cell aside, i can do suspension and lsd for under 2grand. I just scored a set of old supra wheels which im sandblasting to check for cracks. I got them very cheap and are 14x7, more than enough for 225 560 14 and thats more than enough tire to learn on. Now i just need brake pads n rotors.

Is fire suppression expensive and does it have sensors similar to that of restaurant gear?

[rmicroys]

Fire suppression sensors? They're all analog. There would be five, the most important two being sight and smell. If you can hear or feel the fire burning, you're in trouble. If you can taste it - we'll it may be too late. [wink]

All kidding aside, it's just a pull handle, usually 2, one on the outside for marshalls if you are unconcious, another you can reach while belted in and that's about it.

Most people bolt the rotisserie right to the bumper attachement points. If you have grand plans for the car and want to keep it for a long time - I really suggest prepping the body, cleaning the bujesus out of it, fixing all the rust and painting it. That way you'll never have to go back to that route again. Trust me on this. If you spend the time cleaning the chassis, COMPLETELY, you really will enjoy working on the car more - and also, welding to a car that hasn't been cleaned of all the rust proofing etc, usually means that it catches fire a lot when ever you are welding to it. And trust me on the rotisserie too - it is NO fun at all lying on your back trying to clean the underside of a car which is on jackstands.

Good luck with the project!

[Turbo Tin Can]

Thx Rob seems a racer from the area has a caged lexand shell kicking around. I bet its already prepped :) I may buy it and do a complete swap over. Only thing with this is i would need a full blown trailer for it. I have the truck to pull it tho, my dad would let me borrow his big dodge.

[rmicroys]

That would be Bennett - who has Frank Smith's old chassis. AFAIK. Don't know who 'owns' it though, whether it's Bennett's or Franks.