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Kens KE70 Rally Car


Kens_KE70

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So October last year I decided to look for a RWD car to take on khanacross/rallysprint days.
I have never raced a car offroad before, so I wanted something light and durable, and didn't care too much about the power.
Came across a 83 KE70 that had been used in some motorkhanas, bit rough, but cheap like I wanted.
Took it home and over the next month I cut out some rust and prepped and painted the car. (Very cheaply and not all that great looking)

End of November was it's first outing at a local dirt track for their last Khanacross of the year.
I dual entered it with a young apprentice, Tommy, from work who has been paddock bashing since he was 9 y/o.
The car did great, we both came above half way in the field overall, and bloody Tommy beat me in my own car.

With the start of 2017, we did a few more khanacrosses, and had a few problems;
-Electric fan bracket broke and smashed the blades off, and punctured the radiator. Went home early.
-Entered a day/night khanacross and lights stopped working just on dark. Went home early.

Fixed the radiator up with an MX5 radiator and Holden Vectra electric fan. (All donated for free from dad's hoarding) :D
Still haven't fixed the lights, but plan on running some decent lights.

So with a few race days on its belt it seems like the cam bearings are gone, noisy as hell.

Bought a full 4K engine, 5 speed and all accessories for $100.
Plans are to rebuild it, and get it running hard.
Bought some NOS oversized pistons for $100, used lumpy cam for $100, and currently building an intake to convert it to EFI.
I hand ported the head and shaved it 1.2mm.
I should be able to get some of the parts for free, as my dad is a bit of a hoarder, and has injectors, and throttle body that I can use.
Going to buy the cheapest Megasquirt I can get, probably even build/solder it myself, and get the rest of the EFI conversion stuff for as cheap as I can, but try to get quality parts.
I know it would be cheaper to do a basic 4AGE swap, but I wanted to keep it in the 0-1300cc 2WD class, to be competitive.

I have some lightly used rally tyres to go on and have a rollcage builder that needs some work.

If anyone has some suggestions as to what to do after all this, regarding suspension, I would be grateful. (keeping in mind this project is on a budget)

16924106_1107611056034612_1825733385_n.jpg.ae6152ddcb794dfd86e4291a09b6daf0.jpg
Young Tommy giving the thumbs up mid corner.

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EFI intake I'm working on currently.

Edited by Kens_KE70
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Sounds like fun!  What are the diff plans?  If you weld it, don't weld the teeth together, fill the opposite teeth & leave some play in the diff.

The real answer is a T-series out of a Jap car, Celica or whatever, then an LSD, but that's expensive.

Same for shocks, anything for road use will suck you down onto the dirt, but Bilsteins for rally work are $1600 for a set.  You''ll have to pull the original wet struts apart, change the valving with some Araldite and put in fresh oil.

Take off the front sway bar, or even both, which is how we run. Find Sigma or Corona LCAs for more camber, everything to help it turn in.

Read these-

https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/64027-how-not-to-build-a-rally-car/#comment-641089

https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/69126-how-to-build-a-rally-car/?gopid=680040#entry680040

https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/42407-the-girls-ke70/

There might be something useful in them, we work cheap!

 

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Thanks for the reply, I think I PMd you last year about some of these.

I have read all of those threads, and will try to replicate what you guys have done, if the budget allows.

For the diff, unfortunately the previous owner welded the teeth together, I assume for 'mad drifts'...
So will try to find either a spare open diff, and weld it how you described, or wait for a bargain on a T-series LSD.

I doubt I could afford $1600 for shocks, but I'll see what I can do. It seems it currently has gas OEM replacement shocks, so rebuilding/modifying them isn't an option.

I will take the swaybars off, and I believe it already has longer LCAs, as the camber looks more than a standard one would have.

I have a pretty serious turbo MX5 track car that soaks up most of my motorsporting budget, but it should be finished by the end of the year.


Ken.

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All you can do is chase up an old pair of struts with the wet inserts.  You can make them stiffer going down by closing off one of the valve holes and easier coming up by taking out one or two of the spring shims.  I haven't done Toyota ones, although we have a couple of stripped ones in the Woolshed somewhere, but we used to do this when we rallied Datsuns 40years ago.

The track MX5 is exactly the opposite to what you need now...

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