I'm looking for something really cheap (few hundred quid). To mess around with on road rallies, use for club auto tests, scatters etc. Then throw away after 12 months or sooner if I bend it.
Should be small and powerful and cheap to buy / easyish to get bits for.
Ok the ideas so far are ;
309 Gti (easier to find than 205)
Metro gti
ZX 16v
Jetta gti (or whatever it was called)
What would you suggest?
James
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Assume that a roll cage is a pre requisite for entries into these events?
Obtaining and fitting that is where I would start first, then get the car to fit round it.
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How do you fit a rollcage to a car you haven't got yet?
I think the 309 GTi is a brilliant idea. My 1.3 309 always handled well and they were so solid that even a few years on it should not fall apart at the first bump.
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309 GTI is a good car, slightly less twitchy than the 205, fairly quick as standard and extremely rapid with a 1.9 16v Mi16 engine in it. The ZX isn't bad either
why bother building one though when you can buy a ready built one cheaply
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=...1
www.pughosting.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=30030
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Easy, if someone is selling a roll cage cheap you buy it and then buy the car it fits.
Makes sense when a new roll cage can cost twice the price of the car you are buying
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Road rallys and club autotests don't need rollcages if I recall correctly.
309GTi is a good move, if you're after something different the Citroen Visa GTi is probably quicker or I think the BX was available with a turbo.
Minis are good at this kind of thing but they're pricey if you want one that won't fall apart. A Metro could be a useful substitute. Plus you can get all the tuning parts you'll need.
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Where's that edit button when you need it?! I did some autotesting in an old VW Beetle which was quite effective (good traction, reasonable torque, chuckable, no understeer) and some club road rallies in an XJ-S V12, happy days :-)
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If you can find a citreon visa your doing well let alone a visa GTI. i would say that the 309 would be both quicker (1.9 v 1.6 in the visa) and also have a better spare parts availability.
The BX was available with either a 1.9 8v engine as in the 309 or a 1.9 16v as in the 405 Mi16.
i would tend to shy away from the A series powered metro's and get a k series 1.4 Metro GTI 16v as it will have more power as standard and also respond better to tuning.
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But do you know what has happened to it?
Persoinally I would rather have a roll cage that I knew was safe than a cheap one that might be ...
Mind you I don't like the thought of being squashed between the car and the ground :-)
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I used to road rally / scatter / PCT in a citroen AX GT - there are a handful in autotrader for under £500 at the moment
The pre catalyst GT (pre 1992, i think ?) was faster that the later GTi, but out in the lanes, its small size and weight mean it can easily give bigger cars a run for the money - I regularly used to beat another club member with an Opel Manta GTE !
They were made out of old biscuit tins, so don't drive into anything solid. Also bear in mind if your out in snow and it has the low profile tires, grip is limited and it's almost impossible to brake without locking the wheels
p.s. - whose' your motor club - they sound interesting
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Have a look at: www.britishrally.com/forum2/forum_posts.asp?TID=11...1
for suggestions.
But get yourself a decent navigator first of all.
On road rallies, following the correct route is more important than speed.
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Have a look at: www.britishrally.com/forum2/forum_posts.asp?TID=11...1 for suggestions. But get yourself a decent navigator first of all. On road rallies, following the correct route is more important than speed.
I've done a few events over the years as a navigator, with some limited success (we managed a 2nd overall once - that really cocked up our novice status)
I've started driving on stage events this year, with more success, but have run out of budget for next year. So thought we'd have a break from the stages and do a few cheaper club events.
The usual 205's Novas, Mk2's on events are too expensive, we just want something cheap to play in.
How about a Rover 220gti (saw a fairly good one at auction tonight, but it made a little too much)
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Any of the Suzuki range, light, well screwed together and in the case of the 16V GTi quick. Always thought a 1litre one would be good in upto 1000CC club sport.
Jim
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Is there not a restriction for road rallying of having a single camshaft/2 valves per cylinder/non turbo? 16v's would need twin cams would they not?
Certainly it used to be single camshaft but not sure about the other two. So Vauxhall 8v's were suitable but not 16v's.
Sorry cant be more specific but RAC Blue Book went in bin a few years go.
Fullchat
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Rover 216GTi (1993ish) with the 120bhp Honda engine.
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wait a few years and an ignis sport will be the business in this sector
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in fact a swift gti may be an answer?
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Watch out with 309 GTi Mi16 conversion cars- it is NOT an easy conversion to do IF it is done properly. The manifolds cause problems. You really need a to use a custom exhaust manifold. Lots of people fit these engines, but dont put them in at the right angle, which can result in oil starvation when cornering etc.
Mi16 engine is capable of huge power, cams are very mild as standard so just changing these improve power noticeably. Big valve head, cams and throttle bodies will give enormous performance, but you would need new drive shafts.
Handle well, but once lowered and uprated, can suffer problems with understeer, hence the desire still for good 205's which dont have this problem.
Best to look for the best shell you can find and have the engine and gearbox rebuilt by a decent engine builder. Watch out there a loads of useless peugeot tuners.
Jetta 16v's are quick and quite easy to set up suspension wise, but big power increases are not al that easy, a ported 2 ltr with cams will give about 160-165bhp if your lucky. Standard 1.8 16v's can be tweaked around with (vernier pulley, exhaust cam used in the inlet, modded fuel pressure regulator) to give as much as 145bhp if you get a good one.
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