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[Mgs] Welded rear axle? Need advice

To: MG List <mgs@autox.team.net>
Subject: [Mgs] Welded rear axle? Need advice
From: Matt Trebelhorn <matt.lists@trebelhorn.com>
Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 15:46:50 -0500
No MG content, so apologies in advance.

I'm part of a team (loosely speaking) building a car for an event  
called the GRM $2008 Challenge.  GRM is a magazine, $2008 is the budget.

The challenge itself is in three parts: concours, autocross, and drag  
race.  Looks like a fun event, so we're giving it a try.

Partly for oddball-value, partly because we found one cheap, we're  
building a 1978 Toyota Corona.  Front engine/rear drive, 4-door,  
double wishbone front, rear axle on leaf springs.  Hoping for a final  
weight around #2300.  We're using a turbocharged volvo 4-banger --  
because the guy who's the real motivating force behind the team has  
experience building them up.  Shooting for 225-250hp.  15x7 wheels, r- 
compund tires.

I'm the only one on the team who's ever autocrossed (or driven at a  
track day), so I'm pretty much in charge of trying to get it to  
handle.  The fly in the ointment is that, because we're doing a dirt- 
cheap drag racer, we're welding the axle solid.  Never having driven  
such a beast, I'm not sure how to go about setting the car up for it,  
or what to expect first time out.  It might move under its own power  
this fall, but I doubt it -- we're aiming to test and tune at an  
autox event in late March.

What to expect, and how to make it work?  Assuming the car starts out  
understeering, I'm guessing that the axle will make it worse...put a  
big sway bar on the back to balance it, or just drive like a hooligan  
and try to steer with the gas?  I'd rather not do that too much, as  
it will eat up the tire budget!

So: what advice can you give?  Other than, you know, suggesting more  
productive things to do with my time ;-)

Thanks
Matt
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