Hey everyone,

I'm going to post my project for my rally balt. I have never professionally entered in an scca rallyx (dirt or snow), but I do practice on my friends track for his Subaru.

Current specs on car:
2008 Cobalt Lt

Engine/ Powertrain
(2.2 N/A)
Stock auto 4 speed (I know its auto, but I couldn't pass on the price of this one)
Stock air box, drop in kn filter.
Mostly stock except motor mounts and belts

Suspension:
All moog linkages
New Urathane bushings
Fe1 shocks w/ tall rubber Bunp stops.
Rubber shock covers
Stock springs
Front strut brace (made on cnc at work)

Wheels/ tires/ brakes.
195/65/15 Winterforce (for dirt)
195/65/15 General Altimax Artics for snow
Stock tires for long trips.

All mounted on aluminum rims

Slotted front rotors (large slots for dirt/mud)
Green stuff brake pads (work best in dirt)
stock rear drums (for now, want hydraulic hand break)

Frame/ Structure mods
Engine bay skid plate (currently fabbing)
Corner welds (triangles)
Strut tower supports
Working on full body skids (pain in rear end)
Powell tow hooks (not really a supporting mod, but I've had to use them)

Interior
Stock everything

Lighting
Building front light rack (small one)
Have piaa 510's long range. (not mounted yet).
Stock headlight housings w/ Silvana's brightest bulbs.
Stock rears

Extras for looks not really functionality
Mud flaps (kinda work?)
Wheel well quick detach bolts.
Wheel lock nuts
Duralast gold battery


Like Stated before, its a build in progress. Its not my daily driver (Audi A4 is, awd is nice).

Anyone got any suggestions/ help in the engine/ Powertrain dept? (keeping it realiable, no more power is needed and its staying auto)

Thank you

 

I know this probably isnt what you want to hear but you should just buy a 1st gen talon or eclipse. Cheap, awd, plus much more after market support. Just my opinion. What made you choose a cobalt? Just curious.

 

Supercharged setup can be pretty reliable

Get some fender extenders! : seems like a neat project. Any pics of the car as it sits now?

 

well whatever you do.. dont half ass it, like that one guy did, who slapped LS bumpers, LS springs, mudflaps and fat ugly tires/rims on an SS S/C and called it a rally car... It looked like a piece of ****

 

God can't wait to see this project done.

 

I remember that. Dont forget the custom rally intake haha.

 

Post pics..Good Luck!

 

To be honest, this will be cool....but it is a bummer you dont have a manual, you most likely would enjoy it more if you did

 

Hey all,

thank you for the support.

I will post pics of car as is now, (nothing to special yet)
My goal is to just have fun with it.

Ramrod1337 I chose cobalt because I picked it up for 2.9k , reason so cheap is because someone swerved to miss deer and it went down an Embankment into a pond/lake. So its deemed totaled with water damage. I do drive it around town sometimes because its amazingly awesome on gas, but like I said couldn't pass on price.

I'm looking for an 06 evo ix RS to build for scca/ Detroit pro rally and maybe one day Sno* Drift.


Ill fill you guys in on my background, I'm 20yrs old and I'm a fulltime college student and i have a degree in Tooling engineering technologies (Advanced Cnc applications) , going for my BS in Manufacturing Engineering Tech,. I love rally and want to do it as a hobby, the way I see it is to build a semi rally car (all supporting mods) no power mods and pratice braking/ driving lines, then go for power/ awd class. So, not to burst any bubbles, but I'm planning on finishing up skids and support braces first, then maybe work on things like looks and power.

Thank you all for your time, (I will post pics in a few hours cause I'm on my phone).

 

If you don't want more power there's not really anything you need to do to the engine. Just keep up on maintenance and you'll be good. Maybe upgrade the timing chain tensioner because I imagine you'll spend a fair amount of time in the higher RPM range an they have been known to fail. Not sure if that's as much of an issue on the autos or not.

 

Here are my photos, nothing very special about them right now.

Please no hating, its a work in progress.

PS: I have the Cad model of my front skid drawn up and the plasma table is in service right now.





This next one is after practice at a friends.




Just a shot of my snow tires (Altimax Artics for ice and snow, not the winterforce)



Feed back? I know its mainly stock now and I dont plan to cage it or anything, but I do want it to be better on a few local tracks I go to for RallyX. Plus I drive it around for the gas milage instead of the A4.

 

I've always wanted to do this, but never did (obviously). The only reason that kept me from this was the fact that our cars are mainly for street use. Aka FWD econobox lil race cars. I would leave it for the subies, evo's, and overall AWD cars. I think it's cool that your trying to do it anyways though. Good luck.

 

Thank you, to me its about time behind wheel practicing braking and getting a feel for good lines. I know from experience awd is better for these terrains, in fact someday I would like to build a evo 9 RS, but you have to start somewhere, plus its relatively easy to fab things for the balt. (not that it may not be for evo or Sti)

 

Because Rally Cobalt



I thought for sure adding the mud flaps would make me invincible against mud

 

 

Thats pretty funny.

Saddly, I know people like this.

Iv never attemped to mud or will I ever in this car.

Thank you for the photos.

 

send me that cad file

 

if I went in any mud on my summer tires I'd get stuck

 

I will send the Cad file once its completely fool proofed. Currently I'm trying to find a good way to measure where the oil drain plug sits so I can have it cut a pocked out of the steel and then I will have it cut a plate to be bolted on there for easy removal.

I have the rough dimensions, but I want to take a piece of cardboard and lay it under car while suspension is fully uncompressed (lift the car) to verify clearances.


On this subject this is what my idea is gong to look like minus the holes,



(something like this maybe a little bigger)

 

Hahahah, I was on Pirelli summer tires

 

Cool idea, good luck!

 

Yeah whatever happened to the other rally guy? He was an lsj though. Put on a bumper like yours so he would have more clearance and really he was choking the H/e

 

bonylad

he scrapped the project.

 

I just looked up what you guys were taking about, he may have had the will, but I don't think he had the off roading experience (not that my car is really off roading). I didn't understand why he went with the ls1 stuff? If i was going to buy shocks they would probably be some that can adjust rebound...

Also wide tires? I've always used 195s in dirt and snow, they work very good. Cuts into snow and loose dirt.

Some comments made me laugh out loud.

 

EVO Mod.