Well it runs good... I found that I need a new suspension. And exhaust, and some good tires.
I will be starting to do a complete cage, and minor engine work...very minor. I am planning on "Ram Air" instead of turbo (reliabilty) So far I bought a Kenny Bell ram air package for a Grand national from a guy in town, and I plan on cutting up my bumber & support to glass this in.
I do have a few questions though.
1.) What are some good dirt/gravel tires...this will be a rally car
2.) What minor engine mods do you suggest?
3.) Do I need to cut my roof off to install a complete cage? Never installed one.
4.) What is a good 5 point harness, and seat?
5.) Most importantly......What suspension? Needs to be adjustable:confused:

1.) What are some good dirt/gravel tires...this will be a rally car
Always Heard some truck tires or Snow tires

2.) What minor engine mods do you suggest?
cam gears (timing adj),better Cat?, muffler, manafold,lots of weight reduction get ride of all the stuff that has no use like carpet door panels all that, back seat ,plastic under the hood, ac, mis. brackets anything at all that has no use what so ever for a Dirt car

3.) Do I need to cut my roof off to install a complete cage? Never installed one.
NO!!!! just have to pice it together incar has to be welded in car (am i wrong?)

4.) What is a good 5 point harness, and seat? Spartico Seats and harness and Stearing wheel

5.) Most importantly......What suspension? Needs to be adjustable
KGB or Koni Adj Shocks

Best of luck

You will need to do lots of stuff:

Strip Interior
Have Custom Skid panels made for under the car
Add a terratrip or equivalent
Purchase good tires, and many spare rims with tires mounted
Lots of spare parts
Perhaps coil-overs at their highest setting


It appears most rallyers spend most of their money on the suspension than anything else. If you want a good one, I would expect to have a custom setup made.

I wouldn't spend very much on power mods initially, work on your driving skills first. When you find that the car is way to slow for you, then start adding some power mods.

and take plenty of pics


jr

OK cheap rally tires - cooper weathermasters if not kumho makes some rally stuff as well michelin and a tire co called silverstone. There is a guy who rallyes a sentra in production class who is a dealer for silverstones.

Also you will need a welded in cage with bracing to rally.

you will also need a RALLY computer and a intercom between driver and co/driver.

for rules get an SCCA CLUB RALLY rule book.
Group2 is alot different than production class.
G2 is like STS with more allowances.
production is like STOCK with cage and suspension.
Plus there is ALOT OF SAFETY you have to carry in your car
VERY IMPORTANT GET A RULE BOOK AND ATTEND A CLUB RALLY CLASS!

ou can rally with stock seats

for ALL the rally info and stuff for sale goto www.specialstage.com one of the best rally sites with a forum.

as for shocks drummond motorsport(DMS) makes rally shocks for the sentra. now with you RAM AIR think about the rocks and dust youll be eating when you compete (not to mention the water crossing and mud). One thing is for sure you WILL hit something when you rally so it has to be easliy fixable.

A SKID PLATE IS A MUST ON THE MOTOR AND FUEL TANK!!!!

If there is anything elsae i can help with please let me know.


scott dobler

Go to sportcompactcarweb.com and go to the project cars section. There you will find the saga of the rally beater, where they show how they turned a Datsun 510 into a rally car. They even put an SR20 in it, so it's even cooler. It has a ton of info on the things you need to do to make a rally car.

Did you catch the last SCC.
They had a 1.6 Sentra Rally car.

Yup. I would rather start with an S-ER myself, but to each his own I suppose. The guy put a ton of money into that car.

1.) What are some good dirt/gravel tires...this will be a rally car

The cheapest good rally tires are the Kumho's - available from tirerack. Also peruse the specialstage.com forums for used tires. they can often be had for 50 bucks or less. If you just want to get out and learn, just run winter tires.

2.) What minor engine mods do you suggest?

Don't bother for now. You will have more than enough power stock in a 2wd car. Focus on safety and suspension.

3.) Do I need to cut my roof off to install a complete cage? Never installed one.

No. Also, don't bother with Autopower bolt-ins for rally.

4.) What is a good 5 point harness, and seat?

Any SFI-approved harness and any FIA-legal race-seat.

5.) Most importantly......What suspension? Needs to be adjustable:confused:

Any good rally suspension for a sentra is going to be expensive. The very best you can do is DMS. expect to pay 2500+. If you just want to get out and go, you might be able to get away with AGX's and GC's with longer than normal springs. Dump the front and maybe rear swaybars.

But, before you do anything, get the rulebook and start hanging out at specialstage.com in the car construction forum - it sounds like you haven't done a whole lot of homework just yet... I don't want to rain on your parade or anything, but be SURE you are committed to doing it if you plan on anything more than the occasional rallycross. :) Why do I say that? I originally started to build my car for rallying, but was sidetracked last year when we started trying to get the SE-R cup race series off the ground. I assure you, building a rally car from scratch and doing it right is rediculously expensive; more so than any other thing you could race it in. Be prepared to Spend a LOT of money. I know I may sound harsh; don't get me wrong, you can certainly get a car out there in a race for not very much money, but in rallying you will pay for it in the long run. A cheap cage will cost more in body repairs in the long run than getting a good cage upfront. Same goes for suspension - you'd probably replace AGX's every other race.

That said, I wish you luck! I hope you get out there playing in the dirt before I do. Track down Eric Seppanen - he races an se-r in several proRallys and has learned a lot about things that routinely fail. (motor mounts, oil pan, etc.) Where do you live? Let me know if you have any more specific questions - i may be able to answer some of them or at least point you in the right direction.

one last thing - do you have a sunroof? this usually ends up being almost a universal 'issue'. :)

andris

also, don't install the ram air - you'll be better off with a stock airbox or a warm air intake. one water crossing or muddy road and your motor will be toast with an exposed air inlet.

andris

first thing. get the scca rule book.
after that. do more research. yes you will need an adjustable suspension (if you are in group 2/5) and the springs have to be tuned to the struts or the car will go all over the place (if i was on my computer at school i could post the links).
if you are going group 2 (might be 5 now because i seem to remember them putting group 5 and 2 together), then you need to strip the car. you will need a roll cage, fire suppressant (sp) system. rally computer (terratrip makes good ones but there's a place in canada that makes a better one that's cheaper).
suspension is key. hot bits (canada) makes one, dms. i wouldn't use agxs and gcs if you are spending money.
skid plates covering at the very least the bottom of the engine and the gas tank. i would get more. mud flaps. you will also need an overhead vent system since the windows must be up. footboard for the navigator (with horn, wiper controls on it). intercom system, overhead lights. more lights for night stages. move all of the brake lines, fuel lines, etc, into the car. seats and belts per rule book.
extra wheels with extra tires (including some street ones in case one stage is on tarmac)
some type of support vehicle (van suburban, etc) with extra lights, panels, wheels/tires, and food.
you will driving suits (per rules but they will cost a lot), good helmet (sa2000) and you'll want it to be open face so you can talk to your navigator so get a neck support)
this is the beginning...

Hi , it's nice to see someone else interested in rallying.

In addition to Eric, you can try and track down Ted Mendham, The Tabors, and Gabe Pari - they all run SERs (Pari runs an XE) also Roger Sanderson in Waterloo, Ontario runs an NX.

I just finished building a '91 NX into a Production 3 rally car. My first event with the car is June 15th. This is the third car I have been involved in building (the last two were 510s)

Get an SCCA rule book before you do anything. Mine is built to CARS (Canada) rules.

My as-built spec (after a ton of research):

Interior completely gutted, including sound-deadening asphalt stuff.

Custom weld-in roll cage - 6 pts, 20 tie-ins, main hoop, two lateral hoops, two backstays, cross bracing (in backstays), windshield bar, door bars. Main cage is 1.75 diam, 0.120 wall DOM, the other parts are 1.5", 0.095 wall DOM. Cost: $300 Can.

Seam welding here and there. Mine's not complete - the idea is to put stitch welds every 1.5" along every body seam you can find - under the hood, in the car, in the trunk - everywhere. This isn't legal for SCCA production, but everybody seems to do it anyway. Cost: (slight spike in hydro bill)

2 Cobra Imola II seats - fibreglass, FIA-approved etc. Cost: $1000 Can

2 x TRW Sabelt, 6pt camlock belts. Cost: $400 Can

ES motor mounts (bottoms only)

ES front ctrl arm bushes

ES sway bar bushes, front & rear Cost: $80 Can? can't remember

Hot Bits custom rally-valved coil-overs with Hot Bits springs - 55kg front, 35kg rear. This is the best deal going - check it out for yourself - DMS, Morriss Suspension, converted Bilsteins - whatever... you will come to the same conclusion.
Cost $2000 Can

14 OEM NX rims. Cost $500 Can

6 Toyo Observe G02. Cost $600 Can

6 Silverstone rally tires. Cost $1000 Can

Terraphone Intercom. Cost $300 Can

TWO AM Quantum odometer. Cost: $300 Can

TWO AM Custom 1/4" aircraft aluminum skid plate. Cost: $200 Can

TWO AM aluminum co-driver footrest. Cost $50 Can

Porterfield R4S pads all around. Cost $125? can't remember

Hood Pins, urethane mud flaps, tune-up parts, paint, decals, oil, shoes for my wife, dinner for my wife, flowers for my wife

You get the idea.

Robin

Gee I guess I opened a can of worms with this one...

Anyway. The ram air thing WILL be on the car. I am designing a valve to switch from the front inlet to an engine bay filter...not that big of a deal, unless the butterfly sticks. (I want to try it)

The roll cage, and skid plates are not an issue at all. I have all the metal for the cage, and I am prototyping skid plates from titanium (1/4") Any metal or metal forming needed will not ever be a concern. I have the equipment at work. The metal is being donated by my boss.

Suspension is still in the air... Need to check them out

Wheels and tires...15" Compomotive TH2's, with Pirelli Scorpions. A guy that rallies around here runs with them, and will set me up with his dealer for a good deal.

As far as personal safety goes. I have a Simpson Nomex-LX helmet and suit, and I am getting a Sabelt 5-point harness. Still no Idea on seats...maybe Recaro or Sparco. I will not race without a fire suppresion system so any ideas?

I have yet to see about the computer...

I was also thinking of installing a set of AD22's in the rear...ever been done, or is it worth it? I was also thinking of adding a brake bias adjuster and having the rear do most of the work in gravel/dirt/snow. I dont want to rig up the E-bake, but maybe that is the best thing to do.

And hey guess what....a roof scoop (STI). And to think I was getting flamed for asking about this...Sheesh.... The car does NOT have a sunroof.

AMR (local shop) fuel cell, and a walbro pump.

I just spent about $1200 on SS lines and fittings for oil. fuel, water.

Another idea I had was to move the radiator to the trunk, with hard lines through the cabin, and some big ass fans...?

Please guy do not be shy chime in if any idea or plan here is going to be shit. I promise I wont take offense. I am totaly new to this, but it is something I have always wanted to do. Money is not a huge deal, my boss Drumroll...Todd Berry, Pres. @ Precision Laser Manufacturing...shameless plug... Said he would sponser me, and help me out with whatever...he's a Porsche guy.

Anyway, thanks for the responses. Any help no matter how little is greatly welcomed.
Thanks,
Tim

I would take a hard look at the SCCA rules if you really want to compete with this thing.
The mods you are talking about would probably put you in Open Class with some crazy high-powered and AWD Audis, Eclipses and EVO IVs.

Obviously I have no idea what your driving skills are, but you may want to start in production class and move up to group 2 or maybe 5.

Most of the mods you mentioned would put you out of Production class and I think some of them would put you out of group 5 even.

You really need to build the car to the rules, not build a car and find out where that would put you , or you will wind up in Open Class and hopelessly out-gunned

--Eric

Sorry I should have said that most of the mods I have stated are nothing more than Ideas... I just wanna know if they will work.

As for the rulebook...throw the fu#@er out the window. No seriously I just left SCCA website and I want to know which book? Do I need all three or just one?

I am pretty confident with my driving, but I dont think I could run against the bigger boys just yet.

http://www.scca.org/amateur/performance_rally/02rulebook/

Article 10 lists all of the classes.

--Eric

3.) Do I need to cut my roof off to install a complete cage? Never installed one.

If you've never installed one, you should have a look at a few and you should talk to some people. Many car builders remove the roof - not to install a complete cage, but to reach the tops of tube joints to ensure a complete weld. In my case, the car had t-tops, so I was able to reach all the areas I needed to reach before I fabbed a replacement roof.

I would spend some time with some rally people in your area. They're a great source of information.

Robin

How did this car come out? Are we rallying yet? :)

Pics, pics, we need pics!

Holy 5 year old dead thread Batman!

solid mounts, all bushing new polyurethane , cusco fstb,active tunning rear 15' b14 rims ,clutch,nx2000 brakes,an your good to go... engine mods should be checked with those scca people