I was all set to buy a new dirt bike (2019, ex-demonstrator Beta 200RR) but missed out by literally about 20 minutes.
This was pretty much a bit of retail therapy...
Obviously it was a Charity Rally car. It belonged to a mate who'd begun turning it into proper rally car but was stopped by health problems.
I went to have a look just to get a feel for it. He haggled himself down pretty spectacularly, and while I was discussing it will El Wifeo, he haggled himself down another $250.
So my poor impulse control meant that I bought it.
It's a 1996 318ti M-sport. It is basically the same spec car as the 'real' rally car (1.9 litre twin cam) with a few little differences.
This particular one had a 4.1 LSD, nearly new Bilsteins, nearly new Cobra race seats, nearly new harnesses, a Semple trip meter, and a current spec rollcage.
First mod, because I am a child:
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First real mod was to swap the seats - one Cobra was the fay boy size, the other was "Standard" - but Cobra's standard is tiny! Despite my fat arse, I can usually squeeze my hips into most race seats - but not this Cobra!
I had the 'almost pair' of Velos in the shed so they went in instead.
The Cobras were on rails but mounted badly. The load from the seat was heavily cantilevered which had worn out the inner rails on both sides. I solid mounted the navigator's seat, and used the remaining good rails under the driver's seat.
This photo also shows the spare wheel mounted.
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Removing the centre console took out mounting points for the window switches and hazard light, so a piece of scrap aluminium was pressed into service.
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Some de-stickering.
The tyres in the pile were freebies from the Monaro Stages rally - I was trying to scab some ordinary tyres from one of the tyre trucks, and he offered me a quite good set instead! Yes thanks!
They're 205/65R15s, compared to the 185/70s I've been using on the other car. Plus they're +20 offset rims instead of +43s - these are both experiments.
See in the first photos, how the bottom of the front bumper was cut off? This is because the front was way too low.
This photo is pretty useless by itself, but it is a Mitsubishi Mirage spring seat, that raises the front by about 20mm and allows the Chinese strut tops to work.
So the CCC car has this car's short Bilstein struts, this car has the longer front Bilsteins that were originally in the main rally car but have been in the Cheap Car, and the main rally car has the MCA golds.
Rear shocks from earlier in the thread, installed. Longer term, these are destined for the main rally car, and this car will get its ex-Commodore shocks.
Which would you choose? Poxy faux Momo with tacky chrome bits, or basic cheap Chinabay suede wheel?
Yeah, me too.
More de-stickering, and replacement front bumper.
This bumper is from the blue 316i parts car. Paint is cheap silver from the local hardware store with aerosol clear over the top. Passable colour match!
The 4.1 LSD is going into the CCC race car. Instead, I fitted a...
Also swapped the King rear springs to stock 316i springs. These are taller and softer than the 318ti springs, lower and softer than the Kings that were in the car.
The engine bay was filthy. The power steering was leaking (and had obviously been run low because the pump was very noisy) and there was an engine oil leak between the block and the oil pump housing. Add in 4,000km of outback driving and there's enough gunge to sink a ship... This photo is after THREE separate goes at degreasing the engine bay.
Also swapped the PS pump and 'fixed' a busted RH engine mount with silastic to replace the missing oil and superglue to hold it back together... Still needed spacers to lift the right hand side of the engine up.
Fixing the PS leak is an easy, standard-issue E36 fix: replace both the hoses to/from the reservoir.
The filter housing leak is a bigger repair, which I don't have time for. This is as rough as guts, but seems to have worked... It's literally Knead It pushed over the leaky gasket. I am not proud.
Log book photos:
CAMS doesn't demand roof diagonals for sub-national cars. But I discovered that AMSAG does (bit of flakeyness in their rules.... but it is a rule).
So, in a bit of a panic, I got a bar bent and mitred it, and then took the car to a workmate's place to weld it in. Would have been heaps easier at literally any earlier time, but we got there in the end.
Another false floor. They're getting easier, but the, um... *speed hole* may show the outcome of complacency... *blushes*
Mudflaps. Again, something that gets easier with practice. The big 205/65 tyres mean that they mudflaps have to be held hard back against the inner guards to stop the tyres rubbing on them.
At this point, it is pretty close to being "finished", at least enough for the Rallysprint in Tumut next weekend.
