kp60 starlet rally car

[dohca]

hello ive got a few questions for all you die hard starlet fans lol
ive got a hard decision to make im trying to build a kp60 starlet for a rally car now which would be a better conversion to do on a limited budget ether stay with the 4k engine and rebuild and work this engine to its potential or just go all out and put a standard 4age in. bearing in mind ive already got a 5spd and everything for the 4k and the engine i have is in good condition etc its going to be competing in tarmac rallys and prehaps a few hill climbs and will be repainted stripped etc and all the other usuals added so im considering staying with the 4k to keep me in a lower class any help would be appreciated

[strx7]

how much money have you spent on it so far? cause what you have to ask is how long do you want to have the car and how serious you want to get. if you plan on keeping onto it, and plan on doing lots of events you either better have 5 parts cars or know someone that does. Its not a matter of IF you bend & break things, its a matter of WHEN. If you haven't already forked out heaps of $$$ you could be better off quiting it and getting a AE92 or AE101 if for no other reason than you will still be able to get parts easily in 3 or 4 years time.

[Leon]

If you want to say thousands and thousands, buy a car that's already built. There's tons of them out there, and they'll all be for sale at half build price or less.

[dohca]

well i brought the car for $750.00 about a year ago and its just sat around ever since.. i havent got many spare parts but ive got access to lots so i might start buying up. ive got a ae92 corolla i can use insted so prehaps i might be better off converting that but the problem is its a 4 door liftback but the parts for that are a dime a dozen and its already got a 4a-f standard which surpisily runs really well and preforms well to. i dont really care how long i have the car for as itl be my first rally car ive built and competed in. i plan to get pretty serious when i acctually get some experence under my belt so ether way the car i build now is gunna be replaced in a year or so

[strx7]

90 series 2dr or 4 dr hatch would be a good base, or 100 series 4dr sedan

[AJz]

check out Burning Angel's starlet in Projects section. Hes building it for rally use

[Cahuna]

You're looking at around $2.5k simply for cage, seats and belts (the basic safety equipment you'll want. Next step will be to upgrade the suspension and brakes to handle the demands of racing etc etc... it is definitely cheaper to buy than to build.

Having a quick squizzie on Trademe there are a few Starlets for sale. One that particularly caught my eye is an EP70 going for $4k - you couldn't build one for anything like that price, parts are still in plentiful supply and there is plenty of knowledge on how to get them to go and handle.

However, if you are building your own my recommendation would be to spend money building the best base you can, which means suspension, brakes, gearbox and diff. So many times the underpowered well-setup car will beat the mega-power monsters and when you are driving that underpowered car you get a real buzz

[ezy10s]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =113038647

this is a sweet looking deal (no i dont know this person )

[TRD Man]

dohca, generally speaking the other writers are correct when they say it's cheaper to buy than to build.

However there's nothing more satisfying than building a car yourself and then using it to win. Especially if it's a little different to the masses of other cars out there.

Trademe, and other sites, has made 2nd hand parts more accessable so the difference in built versus buy cost has lessened considerably.

To answer your question, 4K or 4AGE. There's no easy answer to this.
You'll spend thousands of dollars modifying the 4K to get it performing at the level of the standard 4AGE.

But a lot of fun can be had with the standard 4K and the lack of power will demand you learn a faster smoother style of driving in order to keep up.

Bear in mind too, that in rallying, the 0 -1400cc class is not very well supported these days so class placings are achievable whilst you're learning which will give the encouragement to continue development.

Remember, the cheapest car you'll ever buy is the one you already own.
Apply that rule to motor, gearbox etc... also.