hi i just bought a 1985 tercel 3door 2wd and i plan on building it into
a rally car to compete in local Rally America(http://www.rally-america.com) events.
right now it is stock with a 4speed manual in it. i was wondering if any of you had any suggestions or help for me, such as performance mods, places to strengthen the car to take a beating, places to protect from water.
thanks for your help i will keep you posted on my progress
ranskaa wrote:hi i just bought a 1985 tercel 3door 2wd and i plan on building it into
a rally car to compete in local Rally America(http://www.rally-america.com) events.
right now it is stock with a 4speed manual in it. i was wondering if any of you had any suggestions or help for me, such as performance mods, places to strengthen the car to take a beating, places to protect from water.
thanks for your help i will keep you posted on my progress
I haven't checked out your rally america link yet, but the modifications you do to the car will be defined by the class you race in.
As to what you want to do to it...how much money do you have?
May I ask why you've chosen a 62hp fwd econ box as a rally car? I don't mean any offence...it's just not a very popular starter vehicle for rallying.
Easiest way to make it faster is to swap out the entire drive train... Maybe you could install a fwd corolla GTS drivetrain? This would give you the 4age engine which is more suited to racing than a 3ac engine.
the new rules only let me race group 2 or production i plan on running group 2, so i am limited to non turbo 2wd with a engine less than 2.4 liter.
so i choose a car i dont see everyday, and maybe i will get some attention and when i get better maybe a sponsor will notice me, and i figure with only 62 hp i wont be able to crash that hard, so i will be able to finish more races and get more coefficents, so i can race a faster car. does that answer your questions.
minus the cost of building the car (cage, saftey equip.,etc) i have about 1500, so i might save up my money and just run it with the 3ac until i have enought money for a swap,
WOOO go group2! hehehe... i ran a group2 car in Northern BC in 96/97 (1980 volvo 4dr)
bracing - strip the interior weld up any seams you can see ... when you install the cage, brace to the front and rear suspension towers too (and across) also either link the two subframes underneath or in the cabin with the cage
performance... we've been talking about the strength issues of the trans used in the pre 87 tercels ... for rallies I would honestly stay with reliablity then all power... so find a good 4afe and snag it's whole harness/ecu.. it'll give you more power and still be very reliable. stick with basic bolt ons (mostly to make it fit) being intake, exhaust
suspension - I'm not exactly sure how hard it will be to fit (it may bolt in) but try and put a 4wd wagon suspension in. this should give a decent "cheap" balance between suspension travel and stiffer in a smaller car. make sure all your bushings are in good shape (or replace) ... this includes engine/trans mount bushings.. a good set of sway bars will help here too... maybe 4wd wagon, FX 16 corolla... or SR5 variant of the pre 87 FWD tercel
Brakes - power slot ae92 corolla Front discs (may need the stock corolla calipers too ... 87+ tercel/paseo calipers work too!) .. Hawk brake pads... I would suggest Rear disc's too.. but it's not a huge thing right now.. (I don't remeber the pattern of the FX-16 corolla.. but that may work)
basically... if in doubt spend your money on the safety and reliability stuff... if it's broken/in doubt... Upgrade it instead of just fixxing it with stock
Finishing on top is GREAT... but you'll find the people that win out on top at the end of the season, are people that showed up to every race finished every race in a semi decent spot
looking for an 88 4wd tercel once current project is "done"
78 datsun 620 kingcab 2wd - race and show
86 Camry LE - Daily driver till modded tercel 4wd is "done"
