Team Conte

[kleinkid]

https://www.facebook.com/teamCONTE

Our brother and sister at Rally America STPR this weekend.

[mike-tracy]

Woop!

[Imprezive]

I want to know more about his build!

[MConte05]

Well I'm right here. Ask away.

[Imprezive]

Well... I read you compete in Open Light, so you have an NA engine, is the chassis from a turbo model? I'm not too familiar with the rulebook so I am curious how extensive your build is. Also what seems to fail most on the chassis due to stress/fatigue?

[MConte05]

My old car was an NA engine that started out as a turbo. Swapping in the engine was a piece of cake, especially since the only wiring was just swapping two pins on the ECU side.

My current car is an Open Class Legacy turbo that has been pretty much bone stock except for a downpipe, MBC, and a custom intake. The diffs are cusco 1.5 way front and rear with a stock viscous center. The ECU is currently being shipped out to Rob for a RobTune on a stock VF11 with 440cc injectors. I'm excited to get that back.

Next event is LSPR with my friend filling in for my wife as co-driver. Looks like we are starting 12th on the road out of 52 cars so far.

As for things that fail, on my old car the rear subframe actually started to tear. But otherwise these things are pretty stout. It's really the body shell itself that takes a pounding, the lower rails, the rocker panels, etc. They get beaten and smashed up pretty good. However we are running at a very fast pace, a slower driven car will last much longer.

[MConte05]

[James614]

Seeing your car in action reignites my desire to get into rally. I hope where ever I end up after I'm done out here has events within reasonable distance.

[MConte05]

Thanks! I try and get as many people involved as I can. I take the car to car shows, parades, etc. Let kids climb all over it, rev the engine, anything to get their imagination started!

Here are some videos as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k_eY-7TZLw

Playing around with my Daily Driver at an AutoX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwGAOlR2SVE

[Legacy777]

That looks like a pretty wicked light bar in the front

[Imprezive]

Seeing your car in action reignites my desire to get into rally. I hope where ever I end up after I'm done out here has events within reasonable distance.

I'm right there with you! I don't know where I'll be in 2 years when I finish college, but I've got a 1991 legacy chassis and EJ22T waiting for me when I do!

Very cool pictures, Matt. I think I found my new desktop background!

[Imprezive]

After watching those videos, are you using the factory power steering system?

[MConte05]

After watching those videos, are you using the factory power steering system?

Yep!

Stock steering rack, but I have a Coleman 1:1.5 reducer built into the steering column. One of the biggest improvements made to the car without a doubt. Let's me be at full opposite lock without taking my hands off the wheel. That way I can bomb into a corner much deeper and recover from a large slip angle without getting hand over hand.

It was a pretty custom affair, not too easy to make. Helps to have access to a lathe and a welder.

[johnhuebbe]

I'll be filling the silly seat this next week at the LSPR rally. Should be fun in the Legacy!

[kleinkid]

2015 STPR starts today 1429 eastern time. Follow their progress on the Rally America website.

[MConte05]

Good news folks.

If your crankshaft can move in and out over a quarter an inch, guess what? You can still rally 120+ miles on it, plus 250+ transit miles, and it'll still be perfectly fine.

You just might win regional rallies overall, and set top 5 national stage times too!

[Legacy777]

Got any pics of that motor tear down

[MConte05]

Got any pics of that motor tear down

I'm probably not going to tear down the engine anytime soon. Will be dropping in an EJ20G instead, and will put the longblock aside as a spare setup just in case.

Here's a quick highlights video of our weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe8sfWF9FhU

[mike-tracy]

Sweet vid! Were you reinstalling the ecu at 0:36?

[MConte05]

I was! It fell out of its ziptie hold 3 corners into the very first stage and was banging against my leg for a good 12 miles. Right after the stage pulled over to get some big zipties around it. Awkward to do when you are wearing a full helmet and HANs.

[MConte05]

So a few days before we head to LSPR with a fresh EJ20G, a twinscroll TD04HLA-19T, FMIC, and a whole host of other custom affairs.

Was a frustrating process getting to this point, you can watch what a typical night in the garage with my buddy Ron was like here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPs6zOpBoqs

The good news is that the engine is now ripping hard, brakes feel amazing, and ready to unleash this weapon at LSPR this weekend. We'll be starting 6th on the road with the goal of being right on the Super Production guys heels, and winning the regional rallies outright.

[TurnNburn]

interesting POV through the video. Will be watching the RA live feed. Good luck.

[TurnNburn]

Good job this weekend Matt! Cant wait to check out some videos. And those halo headlights are siiick. Do you know why it doesn't list your name in the Rally America website for results?

[MConte05]

Won the regional on day 1, and 2nd on day 2. Well deserved win to our friends the Marsack brothers on day 2, they were flying.

http://rally-america.com/events/2015/OTRR

The reason the results don't show is because we weren't entered as a national event. Didn't want to pay the extra $800 to have my name somewhere else. If we had entered national however, we would have been 5th overall.

[TurnNburn]

I have noticed not being able to see there names before with other competitors over the years and never thought to ask. thanks for clearing that up. That's a huge difference in price!