BMW Rallying Forum

Sorry lads for being an imposter but I was born in the valley's and lived in Cardiff until 2007 so I feel I belong.

Anyway after rallyinga Mini then two BMW 2002's in Wales and then building an Escort here in Australia i have gone back to a Compact.

Tarmac ralllying is the domain of the rich here in Oz so a special budget gravel Compact is my choice here.

Luckily for me i have met an exRalliart engineer also enjoying the sunshine and beach life so he is helping me build the cage and offering technical advice on geometry for the Safari like conditions found here in the forests.

The one thing you find here is there is no rust but everything plastic becomes brittle and any that can get hot will.

So far i have spent $800 on a donor 318ti sport (450pounds) which came with a good shell and lots of standard bits for my son's road going version.

I'm yet to decide on the future engine gearbox combination as i like the standard placement of the M44 behind the stut towers but it doesn't give any power even any in any kind of budget modification form.

What is the availability of 6 pot engines over there? Ally 2.8 motors are around the 200hp mark with little mods.

GAJ1 wrote:What is the availability of 6 pot engines over there? Ally 2.8 motors are around the 200hp mark with little mods.

They are overpriced here so they are not my first choice at the moment.

A few Pics of the cage...so far.

Nice to see another Aussie!! And another E36 hitting the gravel.

I'm looking to build an E36 sedan as a cheap gravel toy, so I'll be watching your build carefully to pick up some tips and steal a few ideas!

My car will only have a bolt-in cage (from AGI precision), and be essentially standard in the engine and drivetrain.