Between the $500 BMW of Bill Caswell and the steady and continuing efforts of my friends in PIA's rally crew, I've gotten a little more than my typical passing interest in rally lately. So much so that tonight I sat down, downloaded the '10 Rally America rulebook, looked it over and tried to see what it would really take to get a season going.
First, I'd have to get a license. From what I can tell, you pay for it, and it lasts the whole season. OK, not bad.
Second, I've got to build a car. I can run in Group 2 (2WD, N/A, manual trans, 3.0L limit) or Open Light (AWD, 2.6L for OHC, 3.3 for pushrod, N/A). Considering that the only AWD car I've ever driven was a '98 Mitsu 3000GT, and I was just running up and down HWY 24 in the mountains near Colorado Springs at very high speeds, I'd rather stay with Group 2. Most of the mods are nothing...the 'cage and other weldables can be done by the younger brother who now, after getting my Ramcharger for free, will be donating his time to complete. ;D So, now the fun begins: What car? Originally, my ideal ride was the '78-'83 Dodge Challenger/Plymouth-Mitsu Sapporo. 2.6L, N/A, RWD. Perfect. But searching Craigslist and eBay turned up no examples. Next was the Chrysler Conquest/Mitsu Starion. Not bad cars, but they seem low and I couldn't find an N/A one. Then, I had an epiphany:
Really...I think maybe two BangShifters would mind me using one as a rally car. Plus, once I move up in licenses, I can upgrade to a max engine size of 5.1L and be just fine.
I'm seriously thinking about this. I don't want anything larger, I don't want to test the waters with FWD. What do ya'll think? Good idea, or no?
(And yes, I'm sober....)
First, I'd have to get a license. From what I can tell, you pay for it, and it lasts the whole season. OK, not bad.
Second, I've got to build a car. I can run in Group 2 (2WD, N/A, manual trans, 3.0L limit) or Open Light (AWD, 2.6L for OHC, 3.3 for pushrod, N/A). Considering that the only AWD car I've ever driven was a '98 Mitsu 3000GT, and I was just running up and down HWY 24 in the mountains near Colorado Springs at very high speeds, I'd rather stay with Group 2. Most of the mods are nothing...the 'cage and other weldables can be done by the younger brother who now, after getting my Ramcharger for free, will be donating his time to complete. ;D So, now the fun begins: What car? Originally, my ideal ride was the '78-'83 Dodge Challenger/Plymouth-Mitsu Sapporo. 2.6L, N/A, RWD. Perfect. But searching Craigslist and eBay turned up no examples. Next was the Chrysler Conquest/Mitsu Starion. Not bad cars, but they seem low and I couldn't find an N/A one. Then, I had an epiphany:
Really...I think maybe two BangShifters would mind me using one as a rally car. Plus, once I move up in licenses, I can upgrade to a max engine size of 5.1L and be just fine.
I'm seriously thinking about this. I don't want anything larger, I don't want to test the waters with FWD. What do ya'll think? Good idea, or no?
(And yes, I'm sober....)
Comment