"Those cars aren't really built for rallycross, Desu..."

"Desu-San-Desu" (Desu-San-Desu)
07/24/2016 at 18:50 • Filed to: None

... So? You think that’s going to stop me? :-P

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DISCUSSION (25)

KatzManDu > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 19:01

There is a lift kit for Minis.

http://www.crapindustries.com/coopercrap-hom…

shop-teacher > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 19:04

Nice! Loving the Thunderbird.

Desu-San-Desu > KatzManDu
07/24/2016 at 19:07

Actually, the ride height never proved to be an issue. I don’t think a lowered Mini would do too well, but stock height handled everything just fine. :-)

Desu-San-Desu > shop-teacher
07/24/2016 at 19:09

Everyone loved it, haha. It was sideways a good 95% of the time. I felt like this would be a great last hoorah for the old bald tires before it gets some super high-treadwear replacements.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 19:14

This image is majestic:

Kinja'd!!!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 19:16

I am going to start running my Cooper once I get a skid plate. I don’t want to risk cracking the oil pan.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
07/24/2016 at 19:17

It also looks like your locations are a lot smoother than the venues we have here in New England.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 19:23

How do you keep your trim looking so black? Mine’s an awful uneven grey and looks horrible.

MM54 > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 19:55

Very nice! I wish we had rallycross around here, I think it would be a blast.

Desu-San-Desu > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
07/24/2016 at 20:30

Mother’s brand ‘Back to Black’ once a month. :-)

Desu-San-Desu > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
07/24/2016 at 20:31

Yeah, this was in lowland S.C., so it was just grass and some very dry, very dusty sandy top-soil. No real gravel until you get closer to where I live, in Greenville. The only real precaution I took was putting a pre-filter over my power steering auxiliary fan.

Desu-San-Desu > MM54
07/24/2016 at 20:33

This was the inaugural rallycross for the S.C. region through SCCA. They wanted to just do it as a feeler to gauge interest. Considering they got over 50 competitors? It’s a lock for future events, haha.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 20:40

In New England we dig up what are referred to as “Baby Heads”. These are rocks that are roughly the size of an infants skull which get dug out of the ground. There is one location we go to which is basically sand with these large rocks mixed in which I will never compete at in my road car. Also have you reinforced the front shock towers on yours? I am still debating how I am going to reinforce them on mine.

daender > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 20:41

Damn, Harlan knows how to really control that T-Bird! Shit, I need to be more weary of him come next autoX in Charleston.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 20:45

My dad applied back to black to mine about a month before I got back from school and I didn’t even realize that he had done it when I got home (which was the first time I actually saw the car). Consumer Reports found that Wipe New actually works the bast out of the consumer stuff so I grabbed one of those from work to try. I am tempted to pull all of the trim off and paint/plasti-dip all of it but I am worried that I may damage the plastic clips and not be able to get it back on.

Desu-San-Desu > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
07/24/2016 at 20:49

Try carefully using a heat gun on it, see if that helps.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 20:51

I’m going to try the wipe new first before taking heat to the plastic.

Desu-San-Desu > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
07/24/2016 at 20:52

Yeah, mine are reinforced with M7 Defender Plates (bought them cheap and unused from a local club member) and a set of Ireland Engineering fixed camber plates.

And I’m familiar with baby heads up in New England. I was at the 2010 Rally America New England Forest Rally when Bill Caswell DNF’d because one of those destroyed his front left....everything.

Desu-San-Desu > daender
07/24/2016 at 20:53

Agreed. I gained a LOT of respect for him as a driver after watching him do a couple runs.

daender > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 20:55

It’s amazing that only a few years ago where pops and I met him and his pops at Cars and Coffee...back when Harlan was driving a Rav-4.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 21:01

Are the defender plates a top mount solution or sandwiched between the strut and the tower?

The one Bill hit was a bit more than a baby head (more like a full toddler). Baby heads won’t rip suspension off but they will happily attempt to give your crankshaft a hug.

Desu-San-Desu > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
07/24/2016 at 21:11

Top-mount. Camber plates act as the second. :-)

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 21:14

I’m mostly looking at the sandwiched solutions as I don’t believe I could use a strut bar across the tops with a top mounted solution. Though the top mounts are much easier to install.

MM54 > Desu-San-Desu
07/24/2016 at 21:25

Damn, we need that in NE Ohio!

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > Desu-San-Desu
07/25/2016 at 14:01

Butbutbut...

Kinja'd!!!

I’ve got nothing for the T-bird though.