I need input here.

Im having a cognitive attack about the possibilities of building a 4WD rally car from a 1991 RX7.

I saw the Rod Millen custom job for SCCA rallying when he built it, (All tube chassis and custom drivetrain) = $$$

At 8yrs old that car sold for 120,$000!!!
He is keeping the second one.

SO...

Am I breathing heavy over this idea for no reason or could the POSSIBLY work?

 

I though people rallied the fC in RWD form anyway

 

They do.

BUT what about 4WD ? this might be a way to do it? no?
I know that major modification would have to be done to either the feame of the rx-7 or the 323, but does anyone think this is possible without losing tens of thousands of $?

 

You can do anything with enough money and time.

You will need MUCH more than just a custom bell housing...

 

This I know.
But how much can I fit in the subject line?!

 

The 323 GTX transmission is ridiculously weak. Just so you know. It probably wouldn't hold up to a stock or lightly modified 13B-T, much less a rally-bred engine.

 

I see that all these cars are rally converted though.
This is done all the time.

Why dont those turbocharged cars break?

Is their turboed HP so much lower?

 

I don't think it would be worth it honestly. You'd have to run in the open class because of how much you've modified. In that class, you'd go up against the hyundai and subaru factory teams, and they've got lots of $$$. the question really is, would you be competitive in this machine.

 

well, the real question is not about rally competition, but about having fun.
if it seems too $$$ to do it for that reason, then i wouldnt.

 

Just get some adjustable coilovers and some gravel tires if you want to have fun. Converting an RX-7 to 4WD isn't my idea of fun.

 

The 323 uses a transverse engine and gearbox. The chances of successfully adapting it for use in a longitudinal arrangement are practically zero...

4WD conversions have been discussed before. The amount of work and dollars required would be beyond all but a professional race team.

 

The 323 Tranny is weak, however the newer GTR tranny is suppoto handle a pile more power


however i you were going to try to mimic millins awd car should follow in his footsteps. he used 626awd front end parts, im not sure what he used for a tranny though

 

The possibilities are directly propotional to the size of your wallet. And basically if you have to ask you can't afford it. I'm a GTX owner and know first hand how weak the transmission is in these cars. Did I mention expensive and hard to find also? Only 1248 of them imported over two years to North America. Parts are out there but they're expensive and hard to find. It's neat to theorize about the project but as long as you're dreaming you might as well dream about a 4G63 AWD from a DSM. Much more plentiful, cheaper and stronger.

Chris

 

well youd have ridiculous modding to do in the bay to incorporate the steering, axles, suspension, and i believe the engine would have to sit sideways instead of fans up front like normally. I'm not sure that the bay is wide enough to fit all that.

 

you could go for a drivetrain from a subaru, or some toyotas that have a normally mounted engine and the AWD system. or possibly some trucks. the engine would probably sit far out in front of the axle, but it would probably be easier than transversely mounting it, where the engine would still sit in front of the axle(probably).
with some major custom mounts, it might not actually be too bad.

 

I do have a wild dream from time to time... Such as the ATTESSA 4WD from a skyline GT-R behind a seriously built 13b in a tube frame chassis. Light, powerful, and seriously fast.

 

if this is for a rally car why not just put a 13BT in a 323 hehe much easier and cheaper I'm sure.

 

then it wouldn't be a 4WD FC it just be a rotary 323

 

i had the idea once and took my fantasy soo far that if i made all of he products for the FC i ewanted to and had my own lil company and decided to make anothe rcar it would be the MX3......throw in a 13bt with the all wheel drive setup from a GTX then ive got an all whell drive rotary car i could box out like a rally car...think peuogot MX3...thats just my 2 cents

 

That's been done by some guy in Australia.

 

I considered tube chassis. and then getting the racing panels for the car and just making a car tha LOOKED liek an rx-7.

But thats just not the same thing.
However, its possibly the best way to go.

I didnt consider the transverse mounting and tiny tranny that must have to allow that.

The 626 idea is one to consider.
So is the converted truck idea.

All these ideas were tossed across the table at dinner last night.

The GTX idea is now dead.

Unfortunately there are still the other two ideas that could commit me to yet another course of riduiculous monetary foolishness.

 

Stuffing rotaries (including turbos) into old RWD 323's is very common over here. Very fast, not entirely safe... Doing this to a FWD or 4WD 323 would be much more difficult because of the transverse configuration. There is however one ex-FWD 323 here that has been converted to RWD and runs a NA 20B.

 

use the 95-98 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX drivetrain might work!! its AWD!!

 

if you want a silly AWD mazda get a capella GT from aussieland or japan with AWD and put it and it's drivetrain into an MX6 (GD chassis) and turbo the FE3. it would look better than any other AWD turbo car in america.

 

interesting there, any pics of this capella GT, lol!!