Backo n H's Mk1 build

[gldgti]

All aluminium motor? You're talking about the 1.8 20v aren't you. For a minute I was hoping you found a cheap source of aluminium blocks to suit my ABF head.

Why do you recommend 14" wheels? For normal road use I've found 15" with 50 profile to be better handling over 14's with 60 profile tyres. Admittedly I don't race but I do push hard enough through corners to occasionally slide.

14" wheels hive you a much better overall suspension package in a mk1 -touge! A mk1 doesn't have heaps of suspension travel on the front, and the extra tyre flex helps to keep contact with the road on bumps.
In my experience, on the road, 14's on a mk1 is faster than 15's. When you can guarantee a smooth road, OK sure you might find some advantages with larger diameter wheels, but roads are typically very bumpy, particularly when you are going fast!

[sports racer]

You tell me this on the day after I've sold my 14's?

Next you'll be telling me how much better a turbo diesel will be in my MK1 over my 2.0 16v with twin 40's re driving 200 ks each day.

If only I had a well sorted turbo diesel MK1 cabby instead of my MK2.

[gldgti]

Lol, still for sale. Unfortunately I have 3 cars and only enough garage for 2

[Peter Jones]

Yes the ABF head will go the aluminium block but it's not a simple exercise, much easier to use the 20v head. Also consider the newer, smaller capacity motors they've got good numbers and are very light. Having said that though the 1600 is still a very competitive motor.

I would choose 14" wheels for tarmac racing. Rims and tyres are cheap and you're going to use a lot of both of them.

The 14s will be more durable and you'll stand a greater chance of finishing the sections.

The quality of the tyres will impact handling more than the profile.

There's no need to go nuts with tyre sizes 185/60/14 on a stock MK3 wheel is plenty and keeps all the suspension geometry working right.

Keep an eye out for second hand semi slicks or splash out and buy some new ones. Toyo R888s are my preference but Yokohama and others make great tyres too.

Semi slicks are the single biggest handling improvement you can make. Doesn't matter how much you spend on suspension if the tyres aren't up to it.

[Preen59]

14x6 is the perfect choice for something that's road rego'd and not outrageous.

I've been using Hankook RS3s lately and they're fantastic. Reports say they're very good for the service life etc in comparison to others, too.

If you want to talk 16vs etc drop by some time and we can chat. I probably have some bits here you can use, too.

[Backo]

Cheers Chris, I will do in the near future.

Well, last time I had just given the old girl a bath and started to strip down the block. The head bolts were M12 12 point headed bolts that I didn't have a driver for. H came to the rescue and found a set lying in the bottom of his toolbox. So tonight I ripped the head off to see what we would be working with.

[Backo]

The bores were badly rusted and cylinder 2 was full of water, probably from the steam clean. Piston 1 has indentations in it so maybe a ring has let go.

Here is the head. Its in good nick, ready for some big valves and top spec valve gear with a wild cam. Notice lots of burnt oil all over the place. H said last time he had it running it was using oil.



I gave the bores a quick hit with WD40 and some wet/dry to have a better look at the condition they are in. I haven't measured them yet but it should bore out nicely. The rings must be absolutely rooted as the bores are very glazed. This old thing has done alot of work.

[Backo]

H and I have decided to run in the Australian Tarmac Rally Championship.
The Australian Tarmac Rally Championship
We will build the car to the higher level specs and run it in at a few track days to see how it goes before entering formal competition. We looked at doing the Australian Targa Series, Targa Tasmania etc but the entry fees are bloody ridiculous. Nearly $8K just for the Targa Tassie alone! Maybe one day down the track but not yet. Bathurst Light Car Club is just over an hour away, but we want more run time than 2-3 minutes per run. I have also been looking at the Improved Production series, but I want to keep that for my Civic.

The rules state that we must retain the same number of camshafts so that rules out 16 & 20 valve applications. Gearbox is free, however we must retain the original H pattern in the shifter. Works good for us as the 2.0 has a 5 speed with LSD in it. Perfect!
The weight can be up to 15% lower than original manufacturer's numbers. I am told that the 2 door weighed 810kg standard (need to check this) so that puts us at about 690kg minimum weight. I don't think we could get down that far but we will try. A screaming 8v in something this light will still be pretty fast.
We can widen the track overall by 100mm with flares and wider wheels which is an advantage we will be taking. H is considering making widebody front guards up in fiberglass after making a plug so that we have a steady supply if needed. Rear guards will be done in steel.

Screaming 8v race motors being researched now before anything else is done. Is there a short throw gear shifter and cable conversion available for these or will I have to make my own?

[Peter Jones]

16v may still be possible, the MK1 was homolgated to run a 16v Oettinger motor back in the day.

You can find the paperwork here VWMotorsport.info | Definitive information source for VWs in competition, worldwide

Depends on the exact wording in your regs if they'll allow it.

Cable shifters are available for those gear boxes and you can also make your own. It's possible to adapt a late model cable shifter into the car with a lot of DIY.

CAE make a nice unit but it's very pricey CAE Ultra Shifter VW Golf 1, Scirocco 1&2 / 020, 1.249,00 €

I think the fastest I got my 2.0 8v out to was 186km/h as a rough indicator, there might be some useful info in my wreck to race thread

Do you require a rollcage? They add a lot of weight back in.

[Notso Swift]

I know a few hillclimb people who are silly like me and think there is the 2% tolerance!
Lesson learned!

I would suggest some of the hillclimb rules are not that well enforced

I know of one (former national champion in IP, know's better) who was running Hillclimbs with a WRX scoop stuck on the bonnet of a honda with a big hole to feed the carbs

[Notso Swift]

Homologation Document numbers you need are
1.6, 5731 for Group 1, later 5172 as Group A
1.8 is 5096 (Group A)

16S is a Group 4 (667) I am 99% sure that will be NOT allowed, Gr4 is the precursor to Group B, only Group 1 and A if you are looking for homologated parts



I would suggest, and I say this from a lot of experience, do not build your car into a corner you can't get out of
Things like glass guards are easy to replace but if you chop into some parts the car can only ever be used for one thing. Turn up to a hillclimb for some fun and it is a bit of a downer when you get put into a class with slick shod sports sedans and you are in a road reg, for example

As Peter said, keep it as light as you can, and I am including the 2 bodies inside, Don't fuss that much about power, (if you keep it light,) Remember torque is what accelerates you, good gear ratio's (gears are what is used to multiply torque) will be faster than 15% more power on bad ratio's. Power is your top speed, you will not be going over 200 on a rally stage anyway

[sports racer]

As an indication my road registered MK1 weighs 840 kg with driver (the young bloke I bought it off). It still has the complete interior so could go a lot lighter and doesn't need mega horsepower to get it moving quickly.

[Backo]

Thanks for the info there re homologations. I will look into it. Yes, this car will be getting a full cage.

A few engine internal pics tonight from the strip down. A minor post really, just because. I need to purchase a pulley remover to take off the distributor drive shaft pulley and crank pulley.

The sump was removed. It this windage tray common? I'm not sure if I will use it. On the lookout for a good quality steel item. I will fabricate my own large volume full baffled sump as well.



Silicone in the oil pickup



Stock pistons and rods. Bearings looked good as did the big end journals. Some minor staining there on the big ends.

[Water Boy]

Thats the stock plastic windage tray!

[Peter Jones]

You can buy sump gaskets with a built in windage tray for that motor.



You can even buy off the shelf extended & baffled sumps too although they're a bit pricey.