Project Rally Smart - Phase I

"Mercedes Streeter" (smart) 05/03/2017 at 12:58 • Filed to: rally smart

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Well, you know how a few weeks ago I floated around the idea of turning Tucker into a bit of an offroader? I wanted to make that idea a reality, but wanted to do it on a tight budget. After doing some price research and gathering a parts list, I finally drew up a three phase plan!

I know, I could just fully restore Tucker to factory condition and be done with him. But seeing as I plan on keeping Phil close to factory stock, maybe I should do something fun and unique with Tucker?

Phase I - Cosmetic and emergency parts.

In this stage, Tucker is going to get:

- Rally lights! :D I’m finally going to get rid of that ugly front license plate box like I’ve always wanted.
- Tow hitch spare tire carrier (with a spare, of course).
- A winch (if I can figure out how to make it work, still working on it).
- Roof rack? Not sure about if I want one yet or not.
- Maybe a jerry can and a tall antenna to compliment the look.

This phase should be completed around 2 weeks from today.

Phase 2 - All Terrain Rubbers.

- Getting all terrain tyres (I can’t find any offroad rubbers that will fit my wheels). They won’t be installed until Phase III if they can’t fit without the lift.

!!! UNKNOWN HEADER TYPE (MULTI-LINE BREAK?) !!!

This is in the third stage as it’s the most expensive parts...and for the meantime the smart can live as a rally car as some have used it for.

- Lift kit.
- Replace worn suspension parts.
- Alignment.
- Shaving the bumpers (if necessary).

I believe I can do this for under $1k using my connections and have it done before the summer is out too. This would be my first serious car project ever, so I’m excited!!!

The end result will look something like this, but with my own flair (this smart is lifted with about 10 inches of clearance. Mine would have about 11.5 inches):

Thoughts? Advice?

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Mercedes Streeter 05/03/2017 at 13:05

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Thoughts? Yeah.

GET OFF OPPO AND DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO IT

Oh, and come back when it’s done, though. I need to see this.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Mercedes Streeter 05/03/2017 at 13:20

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Thoughts?

Rubbers are overrated.

Captain of the Enterprise > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/03/2017 at 13:38

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Only if you want stis and pregnancy

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Mercedes Streeter 05/03/2017 at 13:59

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That’s awesome! I would say, if going with rally lights, go with an EVEN number...odd numbers of lights look weird to me (also, odd numbers of non-factory lighting are illegal in the WRC, and in Canadian and American Rally championships, so there is that detail! :P )

Captain of the Enterprise > Mercedes Streeter 05/03/2017 at 14:05

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If nothing else it’s interesting. I’m surprised by how much I like the look of the blue one at the end. I think that the front rally lights and grille guard really make it look better than the lifted one without them. Best of luck with the project I’m looking forward to reading more about it if you go through with it. What size are the all terrains by the way I’m surprised they make them that small but I’m not sure what size smarts are rolling with.

just-a-scratch > Mercedes Streeter 05/03/2017 at 14:16

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It seems you’re keeping it 2 wheel drive. Anything else would be a LOT more money.
While the round rally lights do look nice, the newer LED light bars are probably better in a practical sense. I expect they’ll be brighter, while consuming less power (less load on your alternator and battery).
Careful with the hitch, it’s easy to go too far with trailers. That said, I think a lot of people in the US are too conservative about what vehicles can tow any trailer at all.
The off-road concept might not be too bad. The approach and departure angles are not too bad, and given the short wheelbase, the breakover angle might not suck.
You might look into adapters and/or wheel hub conversions that would allow you to use different wheels. I imagine the wheels available are very limited, given the three lug pattern. I don’t know if this is even a thing for these cars. If they are out there, maybe you could get a much better variety of tires to use that way.
Whatever you do for wheel & tire combo, make sure you have enough clearance and articulation.
Good luck with this one. It will be interesting and unique.

BritishLeyland™ > Mercedes Streeter 05/03/2017 at 14:48

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Other suggestions:

Oversized red mud flaps.

Matte black bonnet AKA hood.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Captain of the Enterprise 05/03/2017 at 15:15

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They make pills to take care of that.

Mercedes Streeter > just-a-scratch 05/03/2017 at 15:41

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Thanks for the information!!! :)

Europeans and Americans have tested the smart hitches to be safe for up to 1,000 pounds of weight. There have been a few to take it further...

But generally don’t go over that.

You do make a good point. From a practicality standpoint, a LED bar will blow halogens out of the park...that said, halogens are more aesthetically pleasing to me. But we shall see!

I might go the spacer route. There aren’t many wheel choices for smarts and most of them are tiny. I first wanted to get an initial build going then improve it where I can. I mean, I don’t expect to conquer Moab, but maybe have some fun in offroad parks and such. :)

Mercedes Streeter > Captain of the Enterprise 05/03/2017 at 16:02

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No idea on the ATs yet. I’ve merely been researching them. They do seem to exist, but are unsurprisingly not that easy to find. That said, the ones I have found so far are amusingly cheaper than the cheap all seasons I have on the car now. I mean seriously, the ones I have were made in China by a Chinese manufacturer. I don’t even remember how I found them.

Mercedes Streeter > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 05/03/2017 at 16:03

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Oh I will! I will be starting a build thread once I kick it off! I already have a secondary goal of having it not only be a cheap project (I hate projects with high costs) but most parts are easy enough for anyone to do.

Mercedes Streeter > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 05/03/2017 at 16:04

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Of course I would go even! I’m thinking at least 4, but maybe 6 or 8 total when finished...well it would be something like 10 including the fog lamps.

shop-teacher > Mercedes Streeter 05/03/2017 at 23:06

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I’m going to be very disappointed if you don’t bring that thing out to Byron.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Mercedes Streeter 05/15/2017 at 14:51

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I hate to be a downer and not saying outright to not do it, but are you sure this is safe? Being a very narrow and surprisingly tall car that’s banned from SCCA events because of the rollover risk, lifting it and going onto a soft surface that the tires can dig into doesn’t sound like a very good idea to me. I see a pic of one sideways on dirt, so maybe other people have done it, but you might want to talk to some of those people on their thoughts on it. Having seen lower cars flip in the dirt, this sketches me out. I’d love to see it, but I’d hate to see it flip on you.

Mercedes Streeter > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/15/2017 at 15:11

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Good questions and even better concern! :)

As far as safety goes, well that depends. If I go with the basic lift kit, I should be okay. We have quite a few people on the forums rolling around with lifts. Generally, it’s recommended to get the widest rubbers available. All in all, you typically go from 5.5 inches clearance to about 11 inches clearance.

The rollover risk is definitely increased. Though, from what some folks have reported (including the owner of that blue one above), the rollover risk seems slightly higher than just getting super wide tyres like I already have. Since most of the car’s weight remains low, it stays more stable than it looks like it should.

If I go with the idea of getting both the lift and the Electric Drive suspension (something that’s unheard of so far), I definitely need to get spacers, widen that tack.

In general though, I should avoid going crazy with the car, as I don’t want to roll it! :(

Mercedes Streeter > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/15/2017 at 15:19

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Actually, I do thank you for this. I should probably do the spacers regardless of my lifting choice for stability reasons.