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Rally America Car #666 Pictures

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    Rally America Car #666 Pictures

    I was asked politely for some pictures of my roll cage so I figured that it would be nice to post them for everyone to see. They're just in the order that I took them and if I get the inkling, I'll reorganize them so that they're grouped together based on what part of the car they're on.

    My car was built in 1998 by Ken Kovach and has been grandfathered into the current regulations. The current regulations require compliance with FIA Appendix J Article 253 but allow a material substitution of DOM (Drawn Over Mandrel) steel in place of CDS (Cold Drawn Steel) since DOM is easier to come by and has comparable properties to CDS.

    A lot of people get excited about using Chrome-Moly steel but the truth is that it doesn't matter as long as the cage is made from steel and the welds are good. I could talk for hours about different material benefits but I won't unless someone wants to know.



    Per the current FIA regulations, my cage would need a bar going from the top corner of the windshield down to this location. You're allowed to cheat it out a little so you have some clearance for the steering wheel but other wise it needs to be straight.





    A very appropriate bumper sticker considering what this car has been through.




    It looks like a jungle gym in there so I took a couple of close ups of the different intersections. We're required to carry 3 of those DOT triangles and one of them has to be within reach of the driver or co-driver. The third one that I carry is usually strapped to the door bars on the passenger side and then pinched between the door and the cage.




    This is where the main hoop meets the floor on the driver's side. The shot is looking forward. With how many bars come together at this point, it is a very stiff part of the car.




    I'm not really sure why this bar was tied in right here.




    The top part of the main hoop and the intercom strapped to it. The car is extremely loud on the inside when you're on stage. It's not so bad when you're transiting on pavement and not driving balls to the wall. We'll just say that I'm glad my new helmet has built in hearing protection.




    This is a decent picture to indicate how the front of the cage was constructed. This cage uses a halo design where there is a continuous bar that goes along the top of the car (like a halo) and ties into the main hoop. This design is no longer allowed but I'm allowed to continue to use it because my car was built and logbooked before the rule went into effect. This is also the location that the extra A Pillar reinforcement needs to tie into on the top.








    The seats have to be hard mounted to the floor.





    I need to get this car back in the garage before it rusts apart.



    Some body damage. You can also see the fuel cell protection which is required.

    Loose nut behind the wheel...

    #2
    Fuel pump tucked away from getting knocked off by a rock.







    A new cage would also require gussets in this X brace.





    Spares equipment strapped down so that it doesn't fly around in the car.







    Here you can see the halo design a little better. One more requirement that was added after my car was logbooked was the roof X which my car lacks. This is probably the one thing that would stiffen it up the most if I was to add to the roll cage.






    Under body damage.





    Well, hopefully that was pretty comprehensive. If anyone wants a picture of something specific, let me know. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer them to the best of my ability. Jim Pierce could probably pipe in with what he thinks about cage building too.

    Paul Donlin
    The Paul Donlin Experience
    Owner, Driver, The Experience...
    Loose nut behind the wheel...

    Comment


      #3
      Are you racing this year? How competitive is the Escort?

      Comment


        #4
        If I had my **** together and actually finished a race, I'd be competitive. The car is surprisingly fast compared to some of the other cars out there. And the BG chassis is a good platform for a cheap, nimble car, not to mention: tough as nails.

        A good friend of mine races BMWs and he has a 91 318i rally car. He has broken everything on it and in the straights, my car walks away from his. If I didn't drive so hard and kept the car on the road, I'd be mopping the floor with him but I drive too hard. Even so, my car has held together better than his.

        I raced at Sno*Drift but we had an accident on the way there in which I lost my tow vehicle. If that hadn't have happened I would have been competing at 100AW last weekend. I don't know which race I'll be competing in next. Maybe Rally Idaho, maybe Ojibwe, maybe LSPR.
        Loose nut behind the wheel...

        Comment


          #5
          Damn.. you travel far for races.

          1988 White GTX - #1 parts
          1988 Black GTX - #2 reliably broken touge monstar (294,000 miles no rebuilds) - dead
          1988 Blue GTX - #3 in progress (view here)
          1988 Blue GTX - #4 BPT swapped weekend warrior.
          1988 White GTX - #5 Rally car

          Comment


            #6
            Oh I'd put that X in the roof. The halo is fine but that's a lot of unsupported surface area if you go upside down. The gurus round here BTW prefer DOM, and I thought chromoly cages were no longer legal, being too stiff. They have to be able to deform, some.
            Awesome car number...
            '90 AWD Protege, full GTR drivetrain swap, ~320 whp daily driver, RIP, and
            '90 AWD Protege, yet another GTR swap, Open class rallycar with a Toyota GT4 gearbox swap, thus crossing the line between hobby and mental illness. And a Brabus E55 K8, removing all doubt.
            http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/vbpi...?do=view&g=110
            http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2599486

            Comment


              #7
              i was talking to brian barton about their 323 rallyspec back east... have you ever seen them? they REALLY don't like the car.. but the Canucks i talk to all praise the bg's lol.. kinda funny. Told them if they end up selling the 323 (jdm motor with bpt setup) to lemme know. i'll find a transport for it to get it out my way lol
              1992 Ultra Blue Metallic EGT - The 'scort with no name - crap>reliable daily>rallycross prep>stage rally
              Featured in Rally Gearbox Magazine 3/1/11
              "There's a hierarchy of insanity in motor sports. Normal people think all racers are crazy. Folks who race sedans think people in open-wheel cars are nuts. People who race cars of any kind think motorcycle racers are absolutely off theirs meds. But there's one group that everyone agrees is made up of the most extreme, the most daring, and absolutely craziest people in racing - rally racers."

              Comment


                #8
                Yeah, unfortunately the closest race to me is 100AW followed by Rallye de Paris in Texas then it's kind of a toss up between Ojibwe, LSPR, and Sno*Drift for major events. Rally Colorado would be close(ish) but as far as I know, it's canceled. There are a number of regional events held in Minnesota and Wisconsin but those are going to be far away too.

                Basically, if I want to go to an event that's near by, I would have to organize it myself.

                Cage Design:
                chrome-moly isn't any stiffer but it is much stronger. The danger of using chrome-moly is embrittling the welded joints. If the cage is welded properly, there is no issue.

                I suspect the reason why people think chrome-moly is better is the strength difference. This is really a false benefit since a roll cage will most likely fail in bending or buckling. Both of those modes of failure are greatly affected by the dimensions of the members and modulus of elasticity of the material. Chrome-moly steel and mild steel (like DOM or CDS) will have basically the same modulus making use of one over the other moot.

                As far as adding the X brace into my car, I might if I ever have the roof off but I don't see that happening in the near future.
                Loose nut behind the wheel...

                Comment


                  #9
                  I know one reason why rallycars might have their roofs off but won't mention it....I'm right there with ya, here's hoping the roof stays on a nice long time.
                  '90 AWD Protege, full GTR drivetrain swap, ~320 whp daily driver, RIP, and
                  '90 AWD Protege, yet another GTR swap, Open class rallycar with a Toyota GT4 gearbox swap, thus crossing the line between hobby and mental illness. And a Brabus E55 K8, removing all doubt.
                  http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/vbpi...?do=view&g=110
                  http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2599486

                  Comment


                    #10
                    i finally got around to viewing this thread! again thank you for posting the pictures!!!!!
                    ---Has ClubProtege helped you in someway? show your support by Contributing--- Click Here---

                    1992- project FE3..... 313 WHP @ 9.3psi




                    I pet my dash when I get into the car..."good car"
                    he actually has a mazda tree, parts grow on it

                    Comment


                      #11
                      No problem. I just got some new springs in yesterday and I was going to add my spring swap to this thread. Esentially, I'm going back to a gravel/tarmac set up.
                      Loose nut behind the wheel...

                      Comment


                        #12
                        You're car has seen a long hard life for sure, but still hangin in there. Out west here, my car barely has any rust on it. I wonder if I ever did a comprehensive shoot and posting of my rally car. I think the BG Escort is a fantastic platform for rallying, once you work around it's couple of weak points. I'm heading over to crew for the latest one, the PINK one Jim P. helped build.

                        -Jon R.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Hey can I buy you a can of WD40??!!
                          sigpicwww.piercemotorsports.com www.piercemotorsport.com Like us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/p...91292610897146

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I'm sorry that the midwest has crappy weather. Most of the rust was caused from the salt that had been sprayed on the car from towing it to Michigan. Then it sat for 2 weeks in Chicago, got buried in snow, then dragged back to Wichita where it sat for another 2 weeks and it finally started raining this week, washing off at least some of the salt.


                            BTW, I use P'Blaster.
                            Loose nut behind the wheel...

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Having grown up in Kansas myself, I know just how much winter kills a car, especially states that use salt on the streets for melting ice. Jim and I are spoiled by the SW, even more so for me in Phoenix. (Jim lives too close to the ocean!!) LOL

                              -Jon R.

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