kalkan
20-10-08, 09:29
A rally car is built from the ground up with no detail overlooked. Here you will find a detailed account of the professionals at Vermont SportsCar crafting this amazing machine from scratch. Watch as an ordinary Subaru WRX STi is transformed into a dirt-eating gravel machine. Note the team's attention to detail and pride in their work while building this car. Next time you are at an event get a close look at this amazing ride.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b1.jpg
The 2004 Impreza WRX STi before tear-down.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b2.jpg
Stripping the car of all removable parts takes about a day.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b3.jpg
The empty WRX shell is prepped for seam welding. It is critical that all paint is removed from the seams before stitch welding them.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b4.jpg
A custom-made stand is used to hold the body shell and allows it to be rotated for easy access to the underbody.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b5.jpg
A Vermont SportsCar employee is seen seam welding in this image.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b6.jpg
Every seam on the car is stitched with welds to strengthen and stiffen the body shell. This also makes the car much more durable when used for rally racing.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b7.jpg
In this image you can see the hundreds of small welds that go into properly seam welding a rally car.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b8.jpg
View of the interior after seam welding.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b9.jpg
Stage 2: The shell is now put on jack stands for the custom rollcage to be installed.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b10.jpg
A hole saw is used to cut angles into the tubes so that they fit together. It is important that there are no gaps to maximize joint strength.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b11.jpg
After cutting / drilling the correct angle for the joint, a grinder is used to fine-tune the fitment.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b12.jpg
This is one of the "feet" where the cage mounts into the floor of the body. You can also see a support tube fitted into the joint before welding.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b13.jpg
In a typical rally car approx. 150 feet of tubing is used to build the protective rollcage.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b14.jpg
Here you can see a roof joint of the cage after it has been TIG welded.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b15.jpg
Custom sheet metal panels are cut and welded into the body to add additional rigidity and strength.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b16.jpg
Here you can see the cage starting to take its final shape. Make sure to look at the X supports in the roof.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b17.jpg
This is a custom jack point along the door sill. The tube allows a custom jack to slide in and securely lift the car to enable fast tire changes on course.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b18.jpg
Countless hours of welding go into the initial construction phase of building a rally car. Painting and assembly are next.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b19.jpg
At the rear mount on the rear strut tower, 6 tubes join together to create an incredibly strong and rigid mounting point.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b20.jpg
Building a rollcage can be quite complex. There are dozens of joints that need to be expertly fitted and welded.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b21.jpg
This is a top view from the rear of the car looking forward. Notice the double X cross bars in the rear.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b22.jpg
In this image one of the support tubes in MIG welded directly to the body. The stiffening of the bodyshell is significant and makes the vehicle more responsive.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b23.jpg
This shows one of the door bar supports. In the background you can see a hydraulic piston tool that is used to put pressure on the tubes for an exacting fit.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b24.jpg
Rollcage seen from the front of the car. Check out the diagonal supports that pass through the firewall and connect to the front strut towers.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b25.jpg
This is a close up of the rear mounting point on the passenger side. Thick plates are first welded to the body so that the tubes have a larger area to distribute the force in the event of an impact.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b26.jpg
Hard at work, the professional workmanship at Vermont SportsCar is starting to reveal the complete competition ready rollcage and bodyshell.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b27.jpg
Sheet metal is custom shaped and fitted, then welded in place. Such thin metal supports add a significant amount of strength, while adding a minimum of weight. Painting and assembly are next.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b28.jpg
The bodyshell is back from the paintshop and ready for assembly.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b30.jpg
Rear view of the chassis and interior through the rear window.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b32.jpg
Pedalbox installation on the firewall was one of the first pieces to go back on the freshly painted shell.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b34.jpg
Notice the custom sheet metal cut and welded between the rollcage tubes and the firewall to add strength.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b36.jpg
The Group N Spec WRX STi engine will produce approx 280 hp.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b38.jpg
Co-driver’s navigation computer is essential for tracking speed and location so that pace or route notes can be called out perfectly on time.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b40.jpg
A Vermont SportsCar employee works on installing part of the wiring loom along the transmission tunnel.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b42.jpg
Here you can see the seat bracket installed along with the fire suppression system in the background. Once armed, the fire system can be deployed from a button on the dash or a lever on the outside of the car.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b44.jpg
This is the top of the front strut tower where the adjustable remote reservoir is also mounted.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b46.jpg
In this image you can see the fuel cell mounted in the trunk along with the fuel pump and fuel filter. Braided stainless steel hose offers maximum protection from punctures and leaks.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b48.jpg
Shifter installation and dash wiring in progress.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b50.jpg
A custom stainless steel exhaust system is made and tightly secured with rubber mounts to the underbody. Also notice the carbon fiber heat shield above the tailpipe.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b52.jpg
Nearing completion, here carbon fiber hood pods for HID driving lights are being fitted to the car before the lens/bulb assembly in installed in the pods.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b54.jpg
This is a typical interior switch panel for a Group N car and usually goes in place of the factory radio. The large red button is what would deploy the fire system if needed.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b56.jpg
Here is the complete car at its first event in California for the RIM of the World ProRally.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b58.jpg
Notice the roof vent in this image. The interior of a rally car can get extremely hot and having fresh air entering the cabin is critical as there is no air conditioning system in rally cars.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b60.jpg
Ready for action.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b62.jpg
In its debut event, the #74 Subaru WRX placed third overall. An impressive feat when put up against more powerful and faster Open Class cars.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b1.jpg
The 2004 Impreza WRX STi before tear-down.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b2.jpg
Stripping the car of all removable parts takes about a day.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b3.jpg
The empty WRX shell is prepped for seam welding. It is critical that all paint is removed from the seams before stitch welding them.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b4.jpg
A custom-made stand is used to hold the body shell and allows it to be rotated for easy access to the underbody.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b5.jpg
A Vermont SportsCar employee is seen seam welding in this image.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b6.jpg
Every seam on the car is stitched with welds to strengthen and stiffen the body shell. This also makes the car much more durable when used for rally racing.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b7.jpg
In this image you can see the hundreds of small welds that go into properly seam welding a rally car.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b8.jpg
View of the interior after seam welding.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b9.jpg
Stage 2: The shell is now put on jack stands for the custom rollcage to be installed.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b10.jpg
A hole saw is used to cut angles into the tubes so that they fit together. It is important that there are no gaps to maximize joint strength.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b11.jpg
After cutting / drilling the correct angle for the joint, a grinder is used to fine-tune the fitment.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b12.jpg
This is one of the "feet" where the cage mounts into the floor of the body. You can also see a support tube fitted into the joint before welding.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b13.jpg
In a typical rally car approx. 150 feet of tubing is used to build the protective rollcage.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b14.jpg
Here you can see a roof joint of the cage after it has been TIG welded.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b15.jpg
Custom sheet metal panels are cut and welded into the body to add additional rigidity and strength.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b16.jpg
Here you can see the cage starting to take its final shape. Make sure to look at the X supports in the roof.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b17.jpg
This is a custom jack point along the door sill. The tube allows a custom jack to slide in and securely lift the car to enable fast tire changes on course.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b18.jpg
Countless hours of welding go into the initial construction phase of building a rally car. Painting and assembly are next.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b19.jpg
At the rear mount on the rear strut tower, 6 tubes join together to create an incredibly strong and rigid mounting point.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b20.jpg
Building a rollcage can be quite complex. There are dozens of joints that need to be expertly fitted and welded.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b21.jpg
This is a top view from the rear of the car looking forward. Notice the double X cross bars in the rear.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b22.jpg
In this image one of the support tubes in MIG welded directly to the body. The stiffening of the bodyshell is significant and makes the vehicle more responsive.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b23.jpg
This shows one of the door bar supports. In the background you can see a hydraulic piston tool that is used to put pressure on the tubes for an exacting fit.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b24.jpg
Rollcage seen from the front of the car. Check out the diagonal supports that pass through the firewall and connect to the front strut towers.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b25.jpg
This is a close up of the rear mounting point on the passenger side. Thick plates are first welded to the body so that the tubes have a larger area to distribute the force in the event of an impact.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b26.jpg
Hard at work, the professional workmanship at Vermont SportsCar is starting to reveal the complete competition ready rollcage and bodyshell.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b27.jpg
Sheet metal is custom shaped and fitted, then welded in place. Such thin metal supports add a significant amount of strength, while adding a minimum of weight. Painting and assembly are next.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b28.jpg
The bodyshell is back from the paintshop and ready for assembly.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b30.jpg
Rear view of the chassis and interior through the rear window.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b32.jpg
Pedalbox installation on the firewall was one of the first pieces to go back on the freshly painted shell.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b34.jpg
Notice the custom sheet metal cut and welded between the rollcage tubes and the firewall to add strength.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b36.jpg
The Group N Spec WRX STi engine will produce approx 280 hp.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b38.jpg
Co-driver’s navigation computer is essential for tracking speed and location so that pace or route notes can be called out perfectly on time.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b40.jpg
A Vermont SportsCar employee works on installing part of the wiring loom along the transmission tunnel.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b42.jpg
Here you can see the seat bracket installed along with the fire suppression system in the background. Once armed, the fire system can be deployed from a button on the dash or a lever on the outside of the car.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b44.jpg
This is the top of the front strut tower where the adjustable remote reservoir is also mounted.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b46.jpg
In this image you can see the fuel cell mounted in the trunk along with the fuel pump and fuel filter. Braided stainless steel hose offers maximum protection from punctures and leaks.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b48.jpg
Shifter installation and dash wiring in progress.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b50.jpg
A custom stainless steel exhaust system is made and tightly secured with rubber mounts to the underbody. Also notice the carbon fiber heat shield above the tailpipe.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b52.jpg
Nearing completion, here carbon fiber hood pods for HID driving lights are being fitted to the car before the lens/bulb assembly in installed in the pods.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b54.jpg
This is a typical interior switch panel for a Group N car and usually goes in place of the factory radio. The large red button is what would deploy the fire system if needed.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b56.jpg
Here is the complete car at its first event in California for the RIM of the World ProRally.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b58.jpg
Notice the roof vent in this image. The interior of a rally car can get extremely hot and having fresh air entering the cabin is critical as there is no air conditioning system in rally cars.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b60.jpg
Ready for action.
http://www.rally.subaru.com/building/b62.jpg
In its debut event, the #74 Subaru WRX placed third overall. An impressive feat when put up against more powerful and faster Open Class cars.