My wife jokingly mentioned that Mr joshua's wife and herself needed to team up and build a challenge car for next year after seeing the cougars car at the hotel thursday night. Well walking out of the grandstands yesterday I noticed Jwdmotorsports' orange gti challenger sitting there with a for sale sign on the back, needless to say my curiousity was piqued. Long story short. I ended up babying a broken challenger home. After my wife looked over the pictures I got of it Friday, she's realized she shouldn't joke like that, but is excited about it, and already trying to come up with a theme. There in lies my problem, I've never even worked on a FWD euro much less hot-rod one on a budget. Where to start? It's already pretty stripped out, so dropping more weight is going to have to include lexan, or hatch removal. Fwd cars get tail happy with a butt-load of spring rate in the rear right?
The part I truly find hilarious about all this is the fact I've been trying to get her interested in cars/performance driving for years, and now with her own challenge car she's mentioned she prob needs some practice autox'ng. I didn't even mention yet she's prob gonna need to drag strip time too.
So as the post states, learn me on VW performance, particularly a 92 gti.
Step 1: adjust shift linkage.
Step 2: tires tires tires.
Step 3: Nitrous.
MrJoshua wrote:
Step 1: adjust shift linkage.
Step 2: tires tires tires.
Step 3: Nitrous.
Step 1 is definate, step 2 I'm already looking, step 3 turbo+ big jet of nitrous step 4 need a replacement just incase the big jet is too much for the ticky engine.
Big nitrous + big turbo + spare engine = Fast drag times AND most spectacular failure award! 
< brings pinkey to corner of mouth>
MUAHAHAHAH muahahahaha muahhahhaa muahahhaha Muhahaha muhhhhaahaha
< removes pinkey>
If you dont care about staying legal for an autocross class you would be compteitive in, there are tons of things you can do. The ABA 2.0 from a MK3 will fit pretty easy, and you already have the right wiring in the rest of the car so only the engine harness would need changing. A corrado transmission and shifter gets rid of the terrible vw shifter linkage and the weird clutch setup (and is alot stronger). For the suspension, a corrado rear beam has a built in swaybar, and a wider track. You can run Mk4 aluminum calipers on the back, but i think you have to buy special lines. In the front, passat a-arms, r32 control arm bushings, and an mk3 steering rack (or a MK2 manual rack with canadian MK3 manual tie rod ends), and either corrado g60 brakes (or g60 rotors with audi calipers, although im not sure of the details on that swap), and bilstien shocks (the people i know with vws have never had troulbe getting good ones at pick and pull for $35 a set), and cut passat vr6 springs would help make it into a pretty fun car. I have driven a few stock ones, and they are less than impressive, but i drove one with most of the stuff done and it was pretty good.
Is it 8v or 16v? I'm sure I can come up with a sweet engine build recipe for you, and point you in the right direction to build it cheap. The previous post has some pretty good info, but I wouldn't bother with the 02A trans swap (corrado/passat transmission). They are stronger, but they also cost money and are heavier. The 020s (the trans that's in yours) are a little on the weak side, but it only has to last another weekend, and maybe some testing. I would also suggest not going with the Corrado front brake conversion, because it's more expensive, heavier, and the 11" rotors require 15" wheels to clear, so if you don't already have 15"s, that's more money out of the budget. Instead upgrade to the 10.1" rotors. Any MKIII or 4cyl Passat has them. Get the master cyl, rotors, and calipers w/brackets and it's all a bolt on swap. Buy Per's book to get an idea about setting it up for auto-x.
Didn't know Per had a book on the subject. I'll certainly check that out. Unfortunatly it appears to be a single cam so I'm going to play it safe and say it's a 8v. Not really worried about an autocross class, as much as staying in challenge budget and keeping it cheap and safe enough that if we ball it up on a track somewhere we won't be crying about it on the way home. Not really worried about power immediately either as my wife needs to learn more about car control and driving before adding power, but seeing as she's already an above average street driver (in my opinion) I think the learning curve will be quite steep.The plan is to have quite a bit more power comes challenge time though.
The reasons I suggested a transmission swap are that every car i have driven with that transmission has had a sticky clutch cable, completly worn out shifter linkage, and reverse barely works anymore. Its true for a challenge budget its probably not necessary, but I do think its needed to make an MK2 into a good car. Building one for a race car should be easier, but with how old they are now, most of them need major work to be very pleasant to drive (mainly the transmission as mentioned, and driveability issues with the 8v cis or digifant fuel injecton system). The good thing is preally much all of the bad parts can be replaced with better parts from other cars.
Believe it or not, the only problems I found with the tranny in it's current state, was that I had trouble finding first, and it was tight as heck shifting. The previous owner stated he replaced shifter bushings just didn't adjust them properly.
Well as long as everything is still in good shape it should be good then, I think when people drive them a long time with worn out shifter linkage they end up damaging things by not shifting right. A shifter rebuild is a farily big job on those cars, so most people that dont like working on those things wont do it.
The car has all new shifter bushings. I put it back to where I thought it was before and it felt okay around town. Discovered on the way down that 1st was too far to the left but didn't crawl under the car to adjust it. Reading online before driving it down it seems that the shifter is not the easiest thing to get adjusted properly. Also, after changing the bushings I can tell you that in my opinion the shifter design in an mkII is terrible.
The only suspension upgrades are sportline springs and KYB GR-2 shocks. I can tell you that it needs a lot more than that after running it through the autocross. The PO told me that it had poly suspension bushings. If it does I believe they are worn out. They were making a lot of noise.
Looking forward to seeing it back next year in a little bit better form than I brought this year. (This year's goals were to be at the challenge, run every event, and not finish last. I accomplished all my goals so I'm happy.)
Let me know if you have any questions about it.
Heh just a weeee bit to far left, 1/4 inch between 1st and reverse LOL, but hey I'm happy, my wife is excited and has been bouncing soooo many idea's off me that I've bought a notebook to write them all down. Poly bushings make a ton of noise, but as long as u know that's what it is, it's no big deal. I'll make sure I double check them though.
yes, poly bushings can squeak a LOT.
Hmm......never driven a car with poly bushings so maybe that's all it was. Newby ears maybe.
Spinout007: my wife has been shopping cars, reading old challenge car issues, and reading the forum since we got back in prep for $2010. I may need to start writing stuff down in a notebook as well.
jwc38
New Reader
10/13/09 2:44 p.m.
In reply to jwdmotorsports:
the front/back motion of the shifter can be easily changed as well. unbolt the little bracket and pound it to an L shape, then drill two holes the size of the original linkage hole, swap the bushing and the linkage down to the inner hole for comically short shifting (seriously, it was ridiculous) or to the center hole for reduced travel.
I like comically short shifters.....if it's like flipping a switch I'm game for it.
You need to go pick this up and throw it in the mix.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/classifieds/1383/
You could buy that and still have plenty of money left in the budget. I don't think it's even a question. It has to be done.
I have a spare 16v head that you can have. 16v head on 8v block + boost = good setup so I hear? Also have a spare trans if you end up needing one.
MrJoshua wrote:
jwdmotorsports wrote:
You need to go pick this up and throw it in the mix.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/classifieds/1383/
WOW!
WOW is right, but umm I'm not up for doing that in a weekend ANNNDD going to work Monday morning.
Evan, Thanks for the offer. I might take you up on that, we may be taking a trip to West Virginia in a month or two, might have to swing by and take that off your hands.
Now that I think about it..... I wonder what that shell weighs? You're rubbing off Mr. Joshua, I better not let my wife know.
Sounds like the Protoge needs to take a vacation to Boston.
