First rally this weekend... wish me luck ;-)

moggy · Post by **moggy** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:32 pm

Yep... finally got the car in good performing order (not perfect handling yet but good enough), we've got our first road rally starting tonight and finishing Sun morning. 100miles of twisty turny Welsh back roads

As this is our first event we're ranked 50th (out of........50)

. As the saying goes... the only way is up. I'll post how we got on tomorrow.

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 1:46 pm

Good luck

Post by **Bootsy** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:13 pm

Good fortune to you and the car!

davidppp · Post by **davidppp** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:16 pm

Hope you have a decent navvy..good luck!

No 1 tip, use the motorway if you can!

David

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 3:32 pm

Good luck, look forward to hearing how you get on.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 3:57 pm

Sounds fun: have a great time

.

moggy · Post by **moggy** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 6:21 pm

Well we finished

Car, driver and navvy all completed the course which is a small miracle. We missed the last 3 time checks due to a small detour

which gained us 90 mins penalty!!. Out of a field of 50, 40 finished and we end up 37

All in all a great experience, huge amounts learnt by both myself and my navvy (first time for him too). The whites (off-road) sections were alot rougher than I expected hence we virtually had to walk them, it's here where we dropped most time. But on the tarmac we were keeping up with the experts, which was great (and totally unexpected). It just goes to prove you can't beat a 914 on twisty stuff no-matter what car you got e.g. Scooby's and the like.

Once my navvy gets more experience, the cars setup better for the whites and we gel better as a team we'll be really competive (even in a car that's about 30yrs older than most of the entries - apart from an orignal Okrasa engined '58 Beetle which was a suprise!).

We ripped one of the silencers off on one of the whites, so a new one's on the shopping list. What's a good exhaust to get for maximum clearance?

moggy · Post by **moggy** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 7:37 pm

Other things learnt were:

Need to get more ground clearance!!!
Need higher profile tyres with the extra reinforced sidewalls.
Need sump guards and other guards (e.g. steering rack) to protect the underneath more.
Need bucket seats and harness to keep us from flying into each other's lap on the tight bends.
Rollcage MUST go in before the next event, as I WILL crash at some point

One problem I have is all the aftermarket rear shock options I've come across seam to concentrate on lowering the car

does anyone know of any that can increase the height or at least bring it back up to stock height (there's a set of KYB's on there at present). I think raising the fronts to the max on the adjusters should be OK, but it's the back that worries me.

Bob_Salmon · Post by **Bob_Salmon** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:00 pm

Congratulations on finished and getting classified. Like everything else, you need to do it in order to know what needs doing.

Look forward to reading about your progress through the season.

Bob

moggy · Post by **moggy** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:37 pm

Here's some pics of the car in action

and here's one of me going wide at an expected hairpin, look closely and you will see my co-driver giving me encouragement, something like " are u deaf u f**kwit I said watch out for this hairpin.

Mick Cliff · Post by **Mick Cliff** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:52 pm

Well done Moggy!

L-o-n-g time since I drove the "whites" in anger but here's my experiences....

Before you increase the ground clearance DO fit guards (but these add weight and reduce ground cleance!) and higher, reinforced sidewall, tyres.
Increasing the ground clearance will detrimentally affect the handling. You need to work out percentages of "whites" in the overall event - altering the clearance may well slow you down in the (longer?) non-white sections. Better to ease off on the "whites" and gain elsewhere...

My time on the "whites" was in a 1275 Midget (now that dates me!). Lowered (!) slightly but extensively guarded. Shell lasted about 2 seasons before re-jigging and seam weldind.

Be aware that you'll spend inordinate amouts of money and time trying to get it right (if ever), but getting it right, now that's a big part of the fun.

Good luck and post reports of your progress.

moggy · Post by **moggy** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 9:06 pm

Mick Cliff wrote:Well done Moggy!

L-o-n-g time since I drove the "whites" in anger but here's my experiences....

Before you increase the ground clearance DO fit guards (but these add weight and reduce ground cleance!) and higher, reinforced sidewall, tyres.
Increasing the ground clearance will detrimentally affect the handling. You need to work out percentages of "whites" in the overall event - altering the clearance may well slow you down in the (longer?) non-white sections. Better to ease off on the "whites" and gain elsewhere...

My time on the "whites" was in a 1275 Midget (now that dates me!). Lowered (!) slightly but extensively guarded. Shell lasted about 2 seasons before re-jigging and seam weldind.

Be aware that you'll spend inordinate amouts of money and time trying to get it right (if ever), but getting it right, now that's a big part of the fun.

Good luck and post reports of your progress.

Thanks Mick, good tips. The whites were only about 5 miles in total out of approx 100miles, so I can see where you're coming from. However just these 5 miles were what really hammered the car (and took off the exhaust). The rear sit lower than the fronts due to the KYB's which were on it when I bought it. The next job is to get the rear sitting at at least stock height (like the front). Then the tyres (like you mention). Then the guards. ALL before the next event. Oh... plus a exhaust (Birsh I here is probably the best option). Cheers for your encouragement I'll continue to post the news on my events.

Mick Cliff · Post by **Mick Cliff** » Sun Aug 06, 2006 10:30 pm

Easily damaged pieces (e.g. your exhaust) - go for cheapest / standard / easily sourced items and/or invest in Kevlar / alloy [lightweight but strong] guards.
Set up trade accounts wherever you can - you'll need the discount!!
It won't be long before you're on first name terms with all the relevant parts-men

But above all - enjoy

Robster · Post by **Robster** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:35 pm

Hi Moggy,

great to see the car getting used (and abused!). To raise the front, all you need to do is wind the torsion bar adjusters. to raise the rear, I would recommend a set of bilsteins with adjustable spring perches, which allows you to easily raise or lower the rear of the car as you see fit. don't go too hard on the rear springs if you change those. I've got 160ib springs on the rear of the robster mobile, and it's very stiff, probably too much for bad roads.

kind regards
Robster

kevster · Post by **kevster** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:26 am

great to see a 914 being used in anger! good luck with it and keep us regularly updated on progress and what youve been doing to upgrade.

As rob says the front end should be easy to heighten, also may be worth fitting roll bars if you are going to be riding higher. Get that roll bar in quick