Need help classifying MKI VW Rabbit GTI for SCCA

Hi Everyone,

So I'm thinking about buying an already fairly heavily modded 84 VW Rabbit GTI. Given that "reversing" some of these mods out of the car would not be an option due to a lack of stock parts or difficulty (i.e. I do not have a full stock interior for it) I can't really see myself trying to remove parts and bringing it down to a lower class level. So for the most part "it is what it is" to me at this point.

Frankly the point of me owning it is to have FUN with the car. I will not be butt hurt if I am not regularly winning autocrosses with it. I will also be trying to do some occassional HPDEs with it as well. This isn't something I want or expect to try and compete nationally with. I don't have the money, time, or knowledge to. I'd be owning it to have fun with.

I would like to get some advice on what class it would be considered for SCCA, and what kind of competition I would probably face with it. FYI I have been trying to read and make sense of the SCCA rule book for a few hours tonight and I do realize that the moment I pull it into an event someone can probably class it for me pretty easily. But at this point I have not bought the car, so I'm hoping someone can give me an idea of what class it would be in.

So here's the full mods done to it:

Engine

Modded airbox, Dubspeed intake, Audi 5K throttle body w/ ported intake manifold, TT 280 cam & valve springs, Pacesetter header, BFI oil pan and windage tray, Neuspeed adjustable cam sprocket, Autotech intermediate shaft sprocket, G60 valve cover, Eurosport Race Exhaust, USRT short shift kit, Autotech 10.4mm plug wires, 16V clutch, Eurospec litghtened flywheel, ATL Well Cell Fuel Cell, ATL surge tank, Aeroquip braided stainless steel fuel hoses, Aeroquip aluminum fuel line fittings, Allstar Performance valve cover breather catch can, VW Motorsports Tranny mount, Poly motor mounts throughout,

Wheels and Tires

15" Jax Light wheels, 205/50 Falken Azenis

Chassis Custom made lower 4 point X brace, Poly steering rack bushings, Eurosport upper strut brace, Eurosport rear strut brace, Hawk HPS front pads w/ slotted rotors, Scirocco 10.1" brake swap, Tilton proportioning valve, Battery relocated to p/s floor board, Neuspeed Race springs w/ Bilstein Sport shocks, Neuspeed rear sway bar,

Exterior Hella e-code lights with Sylvania Silverstar bulbs, Clear turn signals, deleted rear wiper, Cabby tail lights will filler panel, OMP hood pins, scirocco single wiper conversion, Allstar Performance master battery disconnect switch,

Interior Schroth Rallye 3 belt, Corbeau Forza seat, Autometer shift lite, Autometer Pro Comp gauges (oil temp, oil pressure, volt, water temp, fuel level, A/F ratio, tach and speedo) Longacre Ignition and start switch panel, STRIPPED interior (dash, seat and door panels are left),

So what do you guys think this would fall into for an SCCA class?

What kind of cars would I be competing with in this class?

Of the mods you see listed are there any that are somewhat easily reversible that would help me get into a lower class?

i.e. 14" wheels and street tires vs 15s and some type of R compound tire?

Any particular mod that is just killing me for points?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Put the interior (from any rabbit, and keep the front seats that are in it), stock brakes and a stock cam back in and it would be pretty close to being an FSP car I think.

ITB for SCCA Club Racing

It is a pita to figure out where to get this info from SCCA's site but best bet is to download the GCR - General Competition Rules - and then search for your car.

http://www.scca.com/clubracing/content.cfm?cid=44472

"TT 280 cam & valve springs"

For autocrosses, the non-stock cam bumps you out of street prepared and into race prepared. Looks like EP is your class. The good news is that you can run real slicks in that class.

My first thought was a Prepared Class.

jstein77 wrote: "TT 280 cam & valve springs" For autocrosses, the non-stock cam bumps you out of street prepared and into race prepared. Looks like EP is your class. The good news is that you can run real slicks in that class.

There's also GP, which I think he'll fit into as well. Look at the limited prep section.

Did you buy it yet?

Also, since that sounds like my old car(exactly) it has a 282 cam.

chandlerGTi wrote: Did you buy it yet? Also, since that sounds like my old car(exactly) it has a 282 cam.

LOL What's up Adam?!

Not yet. I'm debating due to the rust repair needed. The Passenger side rear bream mount is rusting out and so is the seam with the outrigger and the wheel well. I gotta send some pictures to a friend of mine and see if it's something he could tackle (he welds for a living). Couple of spots along the rockers are showing a bit of daylight too.

What I really need to decide is this a strip it down to a shell and get it painted worthy project.

Thanks for the input everyone after doing some more research I think you guys are right. E Prepared looks like my most likely class. You might be onto something with GLP too tpwalsh. I'll have to look into that since it lists the car directly.

I Think if I do get the car I will pretty much run it as is this year. While I have autocrossed in the past (one full season) I am definitely short on experience and this year I will be more concerned with learning the car then my times. I might think about trying to find a full interior to put back in it and removing the cam to get me back into street mod someday.

I had to run EP when I was autocrossing my Rabbit with stripped interior and cam amongst other mods. It was fun but not competitive. Wishing you better luck with competition and much fun. Sounds like it would be a fun car.

It was built to compete with CVO, it did that well. I ran with scca twice and both times I was classed with some crazy cars. I preferred to run in the "other" classes of local one make clubs, I daily drove it for four years also.

The parts make it Worth switching into another chassis if that one is to bad. It is fixable though; or was when I sold it.

Yeah, and it's a shame that CVO is no longer running autocross events. I'm sort of close enough to have raced it with them. I think they were kinder to some mods like cams too.

Looking at some of the race results pages of local SCCA region clubs that I may end up running it with I may not have many people to compete with in any class I run with anyway. So it may very much be something I do just for my own enjoyment. I may switch out some mods down the road if it really drives me nuts.

jstein77 wrote: "TT 280 cam & valve springs" For autocrosses, the non-stock cam bumps you out of street prepared and into race prepared. Looks like EP is your class. The good news is that you can run real slicks in that class.

I think the brake swap is probably also not SP legal.

With some interior bits it keep the cam and be SM/SSM (not sure which of these a Rabbit goes in). Not likely to be competitive there, but...