The Merkur Club of America Forums

Hey all, I just wanted to toss up a quick intro post.

I actually picked this XR4Ti up last year but life got in the way for the better part of it and now I'm getting back around to this new to me car. It is a 1987 model year in really beat up Azure Blue paint. It leaks like a sieve from basically everywhere so I'll slowly patch it up and then my plan is to convert it into a racer to get some wheel to wheel action in the Chump Car Canada race held in Edmonton.

Now if anybody is getting upset about another XR becoming a race car please be aware that this thing is BEAT. A previous owner backed their camper trailer into the side of it and the guy I bought it off of blew the clutch up.



So I picked it up and trailer'd it to my families farm where we have a hoist and air.



I got around to changing this garbage.









and after a couple drives I've been a dink and let it sit. But now the need to drive something more fun than my 06 TDI Jetta is creeping in so I'll have to get to work.

Oh also I'm an 11 year Ford parts person for a dealer in Calgary here so I may be able to chuck part #'s out from time to time although pretty well everything has been discontinued.


Cheers!

Good luck with your project.
There's at least a couple of guys doing Chump or LeMons with XRs.
Let me know if I can help with anything.

Thanks Mike! I'll do my best to keep people informed on the progress of it. Fingers crossed I can find enough free time this winter to make it happen for next year as this years race is on the 28-29th of this month.

Hej another Calgary Xratty...There's a real nice one in town but he hasn't entered any events yet (I hear he got a promotion at his work so he on the road being brilliant constantly.) Matt Watson is his name....With about 300 phone calls and one visit down here in The Unexplored Southern Area he did a really fantastic job of a first build including his FIA legal cage...

The 2 cars he got were a couple from a crazy guy I know up there on the edge of the prairie and he got 2 for around $850..You know Pat Hoogendyck?

I found a link..Its on some Saab site cuase he'd been a long term Saab-perv and had seen some rally results up in Canada with me in my Saab (First Canadian National was way back in 1987 Rocky Mountain National..down around Pincher Creek ..Volvo 240 turbo in real Group A spec driven by Canadian Champion--and really nice guy---Bo Skovronek from Saskatchewan won going away and I think I was 7th Overall..It was the second time is 6 months I got to see just how good 2wd--RWD turbo cars work..*


http://www.saabrally.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3612



Looking for Matts blog I found a fun video from '87 Rocky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Qir5uSClE

Anyone upset with anyone turning an XR into a race car is simply not seeing the highest purpose to which they can be dedicated to, and has their priorities all wrong.

Best of luck with the endeavor, and don't forget to bring us along!

John V wrote: ↑Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:00 pm Hej another Calgary Xratty...There's a real nice one in town but he hasn't entered any events yet (I hear he got a promotion at his work so he on the road being brilliant constantly.) Matt Watson is his name....With about 300 phone calls and one visit down here in The Unexplored Southern Area he did a really fantastic job of a first build including his FIA legal cage...

The 2 cars he got were a couple from a crazy guy I know up there on the edge of the prairie and he got 2 for around $850..You know Pat Hoogendyck?

That's Awesome and I'll have to dig up some info and see if there can be a meeting of the minds. This thing won't be getting the Million Dollar Man treatment because I want to do a Chump Car event with it.

I don't know Pat but if he's been around for a while I do know a guy who's met every one involved with racing back in the 80's and 90's. Also that video you linked is by the owner of rallysport.ca and I didn't know he had a YouTube channel. Thank you for that!

John Brennan wrote: ↑Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:27 am Anyone upset with anyone turning an XR into a race car is simply not seeing the highest purpose to which they can be dedicated to, and has their priorities all wrong.

Best of luck with the endeavor, and don't forget to bring us along!

Honestly, as sad as it makes me to say it. These cars will almost certainly never be more than 2.3L engine donors to other projects for anybody not looking for a Merkur specifically. With race suspensions having to be imported from the UK and brake packages having to be pieced together from other cars it isn't easy as say building a 240sx or Mustang. On top of that the ones out there (at least in my region) go for 500 to 1000 dollars and are beat up making them less desirable.

However that makes them perfect candidates for an affordable racing series so I am in full support of anyone who dedicates their time to making them into race cars.

Thanks for the support and I'll definitely update as I can.