Corvette (C4) for rallycross?

C4 Corvette for rallycross? Why or why not?

why: because it would be fun to watch a Corvette lover's head explode when they see you taking jumps in a muddy pasture with one..

Ground clearance is the first thing that comes to mind. It's an intriguing thought.

Look up roadkill corvette on youtube, that would be pretty fun on a rally cross! No body work to deal with

The biggest problem I had rallycrossing a Corvette was ground clearance problems with the radiator and subframe. I broke both. Other than that, it's brilliant - Positraction and a delinquently bellowing V8!

coil over swap to lift car?

spacers between the leaf spring and lower control arms would seem to accomplish the same thing for less money..

I cracked an oil pan when I had mine, stock ride height, scraped in parkinglots.

The oil pan is low, (one of the lowest bits) but a skid plate could be made for the front cross member covering the pan.

The floor has fiberglass sections; the PO of mine lived on a dirt driveway; the floor had split and cracked in multiple places from a combination of low ground clearance and rocks. There are multiple things that "hang down" on the undercarriage. To repeat about the PO living on a dirt driveway: I cleaned rocks out of odd places for years.

Front radiator intake: its low and fragile. Aftermarket skids exist to tackle tough things like driveways. This may need a re-mount and outside the box thinking.

Wheels: you would probably want to go to a narrower tire, the wheelwells can eat huge sizes however the brakes are large and you can't exactly downside the wheel diameter too much.

The wiper system is not great.

The rear diff is sturdy in mtx cars. The ABS system is pretty advanced (when working). They sound awesome. I don't know if the forged AL suspension pieces would be a plus or minus for rallycross. The full steel frame would be (great mounting points for skid plates and underbody covering.) They can be had for great prices.

chaparral wrote: The biggest problem I had rallycrossing a Corvette was ground clearance problems with the radiator and subframe. I broke both. Other than that, it's brilliant - Positraction and a delinquently bellowing V8!

Pictures !! We need pictures !!

Unless you find one that is falling apart a little, they still seem to command a decent amount of coin. I also hear that they aren't cheap to maintain.

When I used to autocross a couple of years ago there was one guy who raced a C4 ZR1. I forgot what class he was in but he seemed fast and competitive. The LT5 is expensive to maintain but ye gods, the noise it made! Mellifluous!

I've bought a 1985 C4 for $800. It's hideous and horrible, no big loss to the Corvette world. I've got a 327 and a 4 speed to put in it, using the Lincoln Welders universal adapter kit.

My 300ZX has similar ground clearance. I didn't raise it, but it is skid plated with 1/8 steel plate.

Since you bought a hideous one specifically to hoon on, I'm wondering why you didn't already put a skid plate on it.

Yeah a bunch of old road signs, a drill and some bolts sound like the best bet!

I just got it about 2 weeks ago. Haven't had time to do much with it yet. It might not be competitive, but at least it will sound good. I'm gonna need a few gold chains and some cheap cologne.

A C4 would be the only car I'd replace the RX-7 with as a rallycross car. It'd have to be an early model with a blown engine, as I would want to fit 15" wheels relatively easily, and I'd want to have something like a 3.1 V6 in there because that is a good way to get ~250 drivable horsepower that will still bolt up to an easily sourced 700R4.

I'd have to put a seat cushion directly on the floor in order to drive one, however.

The 12" front brakes will work with a lot of 15" wheels. I have them on my car with pontiac rally 2s and a small spacer.

The passenger side glass floorpan has already been smashed somehow. I'm definitely gonna need to address the plastic floorpans, I don't want to get punched in the nuts by a 60 mph brick or rock.I've test fitted some Bassett stock car wheels, it's tight around the front calipers, but they fit, barely.

RexSeven wrote: When I used to autocross a couple of years ago there was one guy who raced a C4 ZR1. I forgot what class he was in but he seemed fast and competitive. The LT5 is expensive to maintain but ye gods, the noise it made! Mellifluous!

most of the fastest cars at any given autocross would be among the slowest at many rallycross venues (and yes, there are exceptions of course).

Toss out the sway bar and your good to go

Sways are still needed for rallycross... they keep you off the bumpstops in corners without having to resort to grip-killing springrates.

irish44j wrote:

RexSeven wrote: When I used to autocross a couple of years ago there was one guy who raced a C4 ZR1. I forgot what class he was in but he seemed fast and competitive. The LT5 is expensive to maintain but ye gods, the noise it made! Mellifluous!

most of the fastest cars at any given autocross would be among the slowest at many rallycross venues (and yes, there are exceptions of course).

I misread the title as autocross, not rallycross. Derp.