what are some thoughts on turning a 924s into a dirt rally car. good idea bad idea?

 

do you need good ground clearance for an off road rally car? also, the clutch and tranny may not be up to that kind of on/off abuse.

i have been wrong before tho!

 

Talk to Campeck... he's tried it... generally the gearbox ring and pinion won't hold up to much abuse...

HOWEVER... it's your money, if you wanna try it, by all means do so, and please, post pics!

 

I think it would be a cool rally car. Suspension travel will be everything though.

I don't think the R&P will see any more abuse than on-track.

 

Didn't the 924 start development as a rally car?

See here

I don't see why you couldn't do it, but I think you might want to use a different gearbox than standard, I know the rally cars did.

 

i have been known to see the occasional dirt road.

although being RWD just doesnt make it such a great rally car i think. fwd and awd can just pull their way through. while a rwd car its pretty much just a fight to keep the back end and everything from going off the road. lol

 

Lancia used to run RWD cars in the WRC (Stratos and 037 come to mind). Have a look at some of the national level rally events. You should see a few RX7's on the entry lists. It does get dicey in muddy conditions, though. I've been torn between keeping the 924S a street/track car OR a rally car.

 

924/944 works fine, see avatar.

However, it isn't competitive. 50/50 balance means a lack of traction on loose surfaces compared to a 911 (a great RWD rally car, but expensive). Obviously, one has to stay out of the FWD and AWD classes. The biggest problem is a lack of available 16" rally tires.

Tarmac works better. So far, there's a turbo S, an S2, and a 968 entered in this year's Targa Newfoundland ...

 

Better convert the 944 to AWD then

 

Derek, It's called the open class and you may as well just build a WRX and save the 924 as a road toy.

 

my old boss used to rally an 80's corvette and did pretty well at it if you know the cars boudaries. but IMO using a 924S as a rally car just seems rediculous. although for everyone else, i think the R&P would hold up just fine, its dirt so less stress.

 

Aw where's the fun with that?

 

Maybe not as good a rally car as a circle dirt track racer, that'd be fun. I live on a dirt road and drive 3-4 miles of twisty dirt every day, I gotta say though, my 944 can definatley hold its own in the dirt. Its hard for me to make it break loose in the dirt, but when it does, it is kinder hard to regain traction quickly.

 

I was just gonna say that a 924/944 rally car has been done many times in teh past and it's not competitive due to it's configuration.. but it's a FUN car to drive on gravel nonetheless!!

 

See above... This is the correct answer to the original question.

The next question needs to be - what are you planning to do for spare parts? You're going to need a good supply.

I've done a lot of rallying in my day and have driven every configuration there is on unpaved surfaces. My 944 is a ball in the gravel and a 924 would be fun as well. As Rich says, don't expect to be competitive - but there should be no end to the fun if you build it strong and reliable.

Mavfan - tell me about this Corvette. What kind of rallies are you referring to? I know of only two Covettes that have been used in stage rallies (unless you don't mean stage rally). One is Ken Weidbusch who ran a late 60s Vette in the mid-70s (here in Michigan) and a guy in the mid-west (Missouri, I think) in just the past couple of years. Maybe this is the same guy you are talking about. I thought his was a late 70s car though.