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Rear Wheel Drive.

Thirsty

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Sep 6, 2007
Messages
53
Location
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
Ok Tech heads. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Would it be doable, turning a 4WD Galant into a rear wheel drive only car with the same east west engine transfer case arrangement? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
i.e. I do not want to turn the engine round 90 degrees...
Cheers
Ross
 

turbowop

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Apr 29, 2001
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Yakima, WA
Why is it that everybody interested in this seems to come from Australia? Is there something in the water down there?

I'm not sure why you'd wanna do something like this... Welded center diff and a couple of stub axles in the trans to keep it from spilling out the fluid would work, but I don't condone it. Stupid, IMO.
 

Thirsty

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Sep 6, 2007
Messages
53
Location
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif Ouch...
I used to rally a small NA rear wheel drive car before my current VR4 ride.
There are not a lot of rear wheel drive cars out here for rallying. Some V8 General Motors Holden Commodores.
Too hungry on fuel.
And need to go old shells as they are lighter, '82-89 ish era.
Nissan Silvias are being pedalled, one of the Aussies is over at a Rally in the US now doing just that.
I like the VR4, so if it is a simple as welded centre diff, I would machine some blanking plugs for the front diff and give it a go...
Cheers
Ross /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif
 

citymunky

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Sep 22, 2010
Messages
1,761
Location
Chesapeake, VA
Quoting Thirsty:
Ok Tech heads. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Would it be doable, turning a 4WD Galant into a rear wheel drive only car with the same east west engine transfer case arrangement? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
i.e. I do not want to turn the engine round 90 degrees...
Cheers
Ross




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBau7Hsprw8&feature=related But why?
 

LIV4PSI

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Nov 24, 2011
Messages
1,774
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O-H-I-O
Making a rally car have less traction, with the only benefit being less drivetrain loss does seem just silly. The fact these cars are Turbo/AWD is what makes them worth owning IMO.

Edit: I suppose being RWD might help the car rotate easier /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
 
Last edited:

JNR

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Apr 23, 2004
Messages
9,814
Location
ca
Just triple the power so you can do AWD craziness /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I agree it's kind of silly to turn these into RWD, other than maybe to smoke the tires for show...I like RWD vehicles, but just wouldn't change this from awd to rwd, as I don't really see the point.
 

James

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Apr 7, 2012
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Location
Port richey Florida
because drift car
 

Thirsty

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Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Messages
53
Location
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
G'day.
Just to clear the air.
Driftin' and burnouts NO NO NO!!!
I fully appreciate the car control but it is a waste of tyres.....
I am considering it as an FUN exercise and to run a season in gravel rally as a rear wheel drive.
Personal opinions do not build rally cars, facts and solid information do.
I will chase up the yellow burnout car owner to see how he did the exercise.
Thanks for the input. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Cheers
Ross
 

fuel

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Feb 23, 2009
Messages
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Location
Toronto, ON, Canada
seems stupid to me. The VR-4 was made 4WD to compete successfully in the rally! If you want something small light and RWD find an older Datsun/Toyota or Ford Escort.
 

kartorium

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Jan 14, 2002
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2,962
Location
ellensburg,wa
I don't know much about the rules of rally (and definitely not for australia), but I seem to remember that campaigning a 2wd car is easier than an awd. Which is why 90% of the time people that are new to rally do a rwd or 2wd car. Not to imply you're new, but based on this I can see why one might want to run their car in 2wd for a season or so, then go awd and maybe more hp to bump classing down the road in one's career.

Granted, most people would just go with a 2wd VW or mustang or some sh*t, but I guess if you could do it in one car then make it awd in the future you could effectively be much more comfortable with a given car and have built it's reliability while still progressing in class. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
 

turbowop

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Apr 29, 2001
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Yakima, WA
I thought there were other issues running these cars like that though, due to all the power now running to the rear the axles and other items become a weak link?
 

Thirsty

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Sep 6, 2007
Messages
53
Location
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
G'day.
I have been campaigning the VR4 since 2006. Won Clubman Championship in 2007, finished in top 10 in Queensland three times since then and shared First place in P6 in 2009. Wrote off one VR4 and built a new one for this season. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

click

click

The rear wheel idea was a thought, I have a gearbox I could sacrifice to a welded centre diff, but I do so enjoy the acceleration of a 4WD..

Cheers
Ross
 

belize1334

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Joined
Nov 18, 2003
Messages
3,316
Location
Bozeman, MT
Simple answer: it's not hard.

You need a welded center diff in the transmission so that the rear wheels get torque no matter what. That's the primary expense and effort. Then you need a pair of hacked front axles. The inner stubs go in the transmission to keep oil in / dirt out. The outer stubs go into the hubs to keep the wheel bearings intact. You just eliminate the shaft from the front axles so that the front wheels spin independently from the transmission. Voila, RWD galant.
 

cheekychimp

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Apr 19, 2004
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7,333
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East Sussex, U.K.
I can't find the picture (it must be on my old laptop) but I'm pretty sure one of the Aussie or Kiwi boys had a RWD Galant-VR4 that was a recce car for rally stages. I remember thinking then how ironic that was but that car saw more action in it's native environment than most of ours ever will so I don't think you can knock it that much. If it was me I'd keep AWD for sure if I could but if making the car RWD works to get into the game easier (at least initially), then why not? The welded diff and modified axles is not much of a hurdle and you could revert back to 4WD at a later stage relatively easily.

One other option (though probably not as good) would be to see if you can find one of the 2WD/4WD switchable transfer cases from a JDM car and put the car into FWD mode. I have a GTi Galant in the UK and the FWD Galants are actually still pretty good to drive.
 

fuel

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Feb 23, 2009
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Toronto, ON, Canada
the switchable trans are only meant for limping home if the rear drivetrain got broken. You can't put power through them in 2WD only mode.
 

cheekychimp

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East Sussex, U.K.
You mean no more than stock power, or you genuinely have to limp home without putting your foot down at all?
 

fuel

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Feb 23, 2009
Messages
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Toronto, ON, Canada
I would say the latter. People have reported to break the mechanism when the bolt is removed and driven as per normal.
 

cheekychimp

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Apr 19, 2004
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East Sussex, U.K.
That's quite surprising. I mean I take your word for it, I'm just surprised that since Mitsubishi went to the trouble of designing it they didn't make it stronger than that!

That maybe easy to say though, I imagine there are technical constraints involved designing a part like that!
 

cheekychimp

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Apr 19, 2004
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East Sussex, U.K.
I am guessing yes, perhaps an equivalent of the GGSX. I am curious too though. The Dynamic 4 which I believe is the European equivalent didn't have that option as far as I am aware and I don't recall any JDM NA Galants having that specific transfer case either and yet everyone refers to it as a JDM specific part.
 
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