Daewoo Lanos Rally Car

[Red_LaNOS]

Hi guys, Ive been hiding in the shadows and watching all your posts (creepy i know) for years, but its been a good learning experience. Ive recently taken up rally driving and it was my car that inspired me to do so. Ive gotten my rally license and have begun competing in my car, which in its current state is relatively stock. Ive recieved alot of advice to buy a used rally car as the cost of converting one is quite high. Nevertheless im exploring my options.

Ive done a few races in my car and its been alot of fun, my suspension however it not taking a liking to it. I have to back off in places where i want to push hard simply because i will hit the underside of the car. I am looking to modify my car in many ways while also complying with rally regulations so i need to remain somewhat conservative (no turbos/engine transplants, unless i want to stop competing with Hyundai Excels and start competing with WRX's!)

I have the stock 1.6L Lanos 2002 Sports. Its been kept relatively stock however some mods have been made:
-Removed the air-intake resonator
-2.5" exhaust pipe as well low restriction CAT and straight through muffler.
-Bosch Plat-Ir Sparks
-Bosch Super Sport Ignition Leads
-Slotted 256mm Front Rotors

Now for my problem(s):

-Suspension! I know that this car relies on the same Shocks as that of the Astra MK2 GTE and Springs as that of the Astra MK2 GTE and Kadette E16V but the problem is that i ned more that just stiffer suspension. I need actual rally suspension. With incredible amounts of stiffness so when i nail a bump the car gets itself together quickly. This has been really hard to find.

-Rear Sway bar, i know that i wont find a rear swaybar for the Lanos. It would have to be fabricated with custom bracketing.

-Rear Disc Brake Conversion, (can use that of the Astra MK2/MK3) OR (a bolt on of the Aussie rear disc hubs 2000 1.8L Holden Astra) OR (i can take the entire rear hub assembly of an Australian 1994 Holden Vectra 2L or 2002 1.6L Astra)

-Does anyone know what other cars also use the ignition leads the Lanos 1.6 Sports uses?

-Finally id really like to milk the performance gains of my preexisting exhaust setup by installing extractors. For the life of me i cannot seem to find extractors for the 1.6L Lanos! Does anyone know where i can find these?? I see forum posts that raise my hope a little only to find out the post was made in 2004...or 2007. I know that this does repeat some questions made by previous posts. But a time period of 5 - 8 years makes a large difference in terms of product availability.

I realise that in australia i will probably have to compromise on suspension somehow, all the parts i need are in the UK due to the popularity of the Astra over there. Being in Australia makes it soo soo much harder to modify a Daewoo as it seems. Would love to here from anyone who has any wisdom on the matter and would also love to hear from any other Aussie Daewoo enthusiasts! We are a dying breed down under!

If anyone in Australia is interested in rally and getting involved let me know! Id be happy to offer information on the process of getting to the kind of racing you may be interested in!

[Red_LaNOS]

I forgot to mention that finding an Astra MK2 GTE is very difficult in Australia and Opels and Vauxhalls and pretty much nonexistent. This means ill be working with the Aussie equivalents and raiding every single wreckers yard i can find!

[benzino]

the astra mk2 GTE is impossible to find in Australia unless it has been imported privately... but opels and vauxhalls are very common, it's just there's no opel or vauxhall tuning... the vectra A with the compatible rear beam was never sold in Oz... the TR GSI has rear discs though but they are rare... the 4 stud TS is much more common, in fact I have rear disc assemblies and a handbrake cable sitting in my garage that I don't know if I'll ever get round to fitting.

have you been over to opelaus.com? there's a guy over there (and on here, but rarely) his name is ant0ny and he builds mk2/daewoo rally cars. http://www.opelaus.com/forums/showthrea ... y-from-QLD

where abouts are you located? K-mac in sydney make custom swaybars. DMS in albury/wodonga do custom suspension setups that can be suited to rally but you are looking at $4-6k. What's your budget? If you just want stiffer, just order from the UK (make sure it's VAT-free). Also there were 2 types of front shock, one was an insert with an integrated hub, the other bolted to the hub. Another option is talking to GSL rally sport in queensland as they do a lot of suspension but it's a lot more expensive that way compared to the UK

your best bet would be for extractors would be to have a flange cut (maybe GSE_turbo on here can help you out) and then take that to an exhaust shop as the flange is the most expensive part.

magnecor leads are probably the best you can get: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DAEWOO-Lanos ... 3cc0397d7d

also, maybe it would be an idea to get a sump guard made up and fitted as well as some coverings for the brake and fuel lines.
and take a look here to get your mouth watering over some performance parts: http://www.sbdev.co.uk/Parts%201_6L%20Catalogue.htm

bmsc is also a good forum for rally stuff, https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en& ... G4AMgsvgpY
your progress with the car is really limited by your imagination and your wallet

[Red_LaNOS]

I am located on the Gold Coast. At the moment im competing in Khanacross events as they are the only events available to me that do not require a roll cage. I also use this car as my daily driver (yes i know i shouldnt). I graduate uni at the end of the year and so next year when i work full time i will have much more funds available to me. This year however i will compete only in Khanacross events and so will probably just do the Suspension/Rear swaybar as well as the rear disc breaks and will aim to keep these mods as cheap as possible as my overall budget is around 4000 for everything.

Your info has been so useful, i will definitely have to contact anthony. His advice would be golden!

Hmmm its so hard to figure out what cars were sold in australia and what werent, well i found it hard. So what you're saying is that the Astra TR had rear discs with a 4 bolt pattern that would be easy to find at the wreckers and what year? Ive also been seeing alot of mixed reviews on whether the disc setup would be bolt on OR the entire rear hub assembly would have to be installed. I know id probably need new breaklines.

Thanks for your response btw, very much appreciated.

[benzino]

The TR wasn't very popular and didn't sell nearly as well as the TS
you are more likely to find a TS(4 stud, no ABS).

The main reason why people go for the whole rear beam as opposed to just the ends is because of the brackets for brake lines/hand brake cables and also for rear sway bar.

If you get K-mac (or anyone...) to make you a swaybar, ask them for the price for 2 as I would be interested in one as well. When I talked to them last they reckoned it would be between $200 and $300.

For a budget set up, I would be going for stiffer stock height springs and koni yellow shocks. They would be about $1000 without installation and depending on how much you can get custom springs for. You will want stock height to retain ground clearance and suspension travel. You might be able to get away with just koni yellows and stock springs though.

$4000 should be plenty for the basics.

$1500-2000 for suspension and swaybar
$500 for rear discs and brake line fab.
$? for sump guard and bash plates wouldn't be too much. 6mm steel cut to size and bent to shape. look for a smaller metal fabricator and it should be cheaper
$0 strip as much weight out while still remaining practical for day-to-day use i.e. everything from the front seats back

and hope like hell that you don't break your only car

[Red_LaNOS]

See that would make more sense, I checked out the TR at the wreckers yard and it had rear drums. The TS had rear discs, in quite good condition too. It would make alot of sense to take the entire rear beam as it makes the sway bar option easier for me, so thanks for that tip. Looks like i'll be making a trip back there to find out the price for the whole rear beam.

Yeah suspension is the real budget killer here, it really does sap away the money like crazy! But sadly out of all the mods its the most important.

Today i spent most of my time looking at extractors, there used to be a Lanos series in Sydney similar to the current Excel series being run at lakeside raceway in QLD. This was several years back, apparently extractors do wonders for the lanos. I'd probably be going with 4-2 rather than 4-1 simply because even though 4-1 is better for racing i think given the nature of the rally events im going in and my use of this car everyday 4-2 for the extractor setup would be more practical. What do you think? I'm of course talking about sacrificing low end torque with the 4-1 setup.

I got rough quotes for Red Back extractors at $450 without labour. However that quote was for an "Astra 1.6-1.8" will that be compatible? A year model wasnt specified in the database when the guy at the exhaust shop looked it up so i assume that aspect of the engine hasnt changed between blocks over time? What knowledge can you share on this?

No probs, im actaully calling K-mac tomorrow, i gave them a ring today and they said they'd have quotes ready by tomorrow so ill be giving them a ring again and yeah ill ask the price for two! HAHA yeah, i am aware my plan is not logical but i just cannot wait any longer ive wanted to make the move for two years now, so i guess ill just be playing it cautious but learning and having some fun out there! :P

[benzino]

these might fit... http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Daewoo-Lanos ... 162wt_1037

the 1.5 has round ports and this has oval like the 1.6
I actually bought a set exactly the same a couple of years ago, but they were advertised as fitting the 1.8 in the astra!... what a waste of money... comparing the flange gasket to these it looks incredibly similar/same as the 1.6 (and also because it says lanos 1.5 DOHC, but only the 1.6 was DOHC...) if you look at the offers, someone bought 'em for $100 + postage, too bad if they have a 1.5 as they will not fit...

for $100 it's worth taking the risk I reckon

[gse_turbo]

I'm probably going to repeat whats been said or put a foot in my mouth for not not reading the whole post but I've gotta get back to the shop. (I'll read through shortly)

anyways, I'm starting a lanos ralley car with a friend and here is our plan...
- Saab 900/Opel Vectra (late 90's)front and rear suspension exact same as lanos just set for a heavier car. the stock springs on this setup will be stiffer than the lanos and it will raise the car up a bit for the bumps.
- the rear beam has a second sway bar
- all four discs with bigger calipers and rotors up front
- 5-lug wheels and hubs for extra strength from abbuse
- Koni externally adjustable shock front and rear
the brake booster with master cylinder bolt directly in place of the lanos setup so rear bias or lockup is not an issue

[Red_LaNOS]

@Benzino So you paid for a 1.8L Astra extractor and it didnt fit? As for the ebay advert, i saw that but wasnt sure. Though i know that in buying this Astra 1.6-1.8 extractor its really just "fingers crossed" that it fits, because if it doesnt then id have to have the entire thing made from scratch and will have wasted $450. So prehaps a $100 investment on this ebay extractor isnt such a bad idea comparatively.

Does anyone know the difference between different designs of extractors, i have absolutely no idea how to judge them!

@GSE_turbo, thats awesome that you're also doing that! If only you were in Australia! 1 question though, are you sure that the stiffer springs wont increase your center of gravity too much? What kind of rally are you hoping to do? Also the 5 lug hubs, surely you can get away with 4? The one thing about this car that i dont have faith in is the D16 gearbox, THAT im uncertain on how much abuse it could actaully take...Ive heard Daewoo gearboxes arent so good.

[PrecisionBoost]

-Suspension! I know that this car relies on the same Shocks as that of the Astra MK2 GTE and Springs as that of the Astra MK2 GTE and Kadette E16V but the problem is that i ned more that just stiffer suspension. I need actual rally suspension. With incredible amounts of stiffness so when i nail a bump the car gets itself together quickly. This has been really hard to find.

-Rear Sway bar, i know that i wont find a rear swaybar for the Lanos. It would have to be fabricated with custom bracketing.

-Rear Disc Brake Conversion, (can use that of the Astra MK2/MK3) OR (a bolt on of the Aussie rear disc hubs 2000 1.8L Holden Astra) OR (i can take the entire rear hub assembly of an Australian 1994 Holden Vectra 2L or 2002 1.6L Astra)

You can kill several birds with one stone, the rear disk beam from some of the Astra models has a sway bar ( I know because I have rear disks with a sway bar, came from Sweden )

You will need the correct proportional valves for the brake master cylinder, the drums use a different valve ( easy to remove )

The Astra/Kadett has a long history of rally, but unfortunately most of the MK2's are so old that companies no longer sell the parts ( very little demand )

I would suggest hanging out at Migweb.co.uk and see if anyone knows of a new or used rally suspension for the MK2

As well, there are conversions using Saab parts to move to an aluminum front control arm setup ( lightens suspension, would help with response during rally use )

Again you should be able to search around Migweb, I would suggest looking at posts by "Stefan" who has posted on this forum and is a long time member of Migweb, he even developed a set of adjustable camber plates for the MK2 a number of years ago, he may be willing to sell you some or give you plans, I believe he is an engineer.


Hope this helps a little.... Chris

[PrecisionBoost]

Oh..... I would really also suggest you spend some time on http://www.astra-mk2.com/

There are a few rally guys on there, not sure how active the old MK2 is in that scene but they may help

[Red_LaNOS]

@Precisionboost At this stage, becuase of my budget im trying very hard to avoid importing parts. So i will be trying to source or hve parts fabricated locally, i think fabrication may even be cheaper than importing. When you say "conversions" using Saab parts, are you saying they are not bolt on?

[Red_LaNOS]

In looking at the extractor suggestion by Benzio which was This Ebay Listing. I found another listing here from Hurricaneheaders, this is for the same part. I saw on another forum post on daewootech with alot of confusion over both these listings. Firstly the engine year from "1995-1997" I have a 2002 Lanos, mine being a 1.6 DOHC. This being for a 1.5 DOHC, i never knew they made 1.5 in DOHC. Is this a listing error? The price certainly is a dream!

[gse_turbo]

The 1.5, 1.6 and 1.8 "small block" DOHC Daewoo engine use the same heads basically. So, the manifold for the DOHC engine in those links appear to be correct. Since both the 1.5 16v and 1.6 16v appear to be available in Australia, I would start by visiting a parts store and comparing gaskets or even just the part numbers.

The 1.5 isn't offered in the states so I've never seen the engine first hand but I recognize the flange and it appear spot on.

[Red_LaNOS]

Righteo, well looks like ill be heading down to supercheap looking for product codes on those gaskets and the exhaust manifolds.

@Benzino The price for one rear swaybar was $280 the price for two being $560 (no discounted price), postage is an extra $25. Mind you that was for the Astra TS I-beam and not for the lanos I-beam.