MK1 GOLF RACE CAR (Rebuild)

This is my other racer. Currently putting a new engine and box in it. This is for britcar, looks like i may have secured a full season including the 24hr race for next year. This has lapped brands in 49's!!! crazy fast

 

No vids of mine at all. never put a camera in it, i'm always timing but not really looked into video. Thanks a really kind off o=to borrow your and i'd love to, should really get one. Defiantly will for the Britcar season. i've watch your vids loads!! its a proper pedaler your mk1.

 

Thanks Nick.

That looks fun! So the speed of the your Mk1 will be familiar. Can you share brake pads and tyres!?

Obviously keep us informed about britcar!

 

I do enjoy reading this thread, a lovely looking Golfy, the seat looks like a proper piece of work, any chance of a thread about that car?

On a side note, you mention you are not to enthused by the CAE shifter, any particular reason that you would not mind sharing? Cheers Tom.

 

Thanks Smudge, very kind of you to say. Will try and get a lot more pics soon as they always make threads more interesting in my opinion. More of a picture book kind of guy!

As for my opinion on shifters, it only my opinion formed from my experience and people like Maurice Reeves and Duncan Clarke who have been through the different options. I'm sure a lot has to do with personal preference though. Maurice cars has been in development for over a decade and it there was something out there that would help make the car faster it would be on the car. Duncan experimented with a CAE shifter and it lasted a week before it was ripped out! They look amazing but they don't function that well, they speed up the change but it tends to be to fast for the gearbox to cope so you just crunch your box. VW have a huge budget to development there equipment so often tends to be the best to use. CAE Shifter is still H pattern and uses the same cables and fixings, there is no gear lock out and you can still select the wrong gear. Possibly more easily as its got closer throws and extended selector so easy to get it wrong. Its more of a show motorsport type piece of kit (in my opinion).

As for the VW motorsport / type shifters, Chris Eyre is the man to speak to about these as he has invested a lot of time and effort into getting his working properly. I believe he is happy with his. There are threads out there already on these. To get these working is more to do with all the fittings used and set up. Again these are still H pattern and no gear lock out, i'm sure you could make something up though.

So there's my rant about shifters, best to use the good old VAG units, 10 a penny and works bloody well really! Fit a gear lock out and its safe as houses. Spend all the extra money you've saved on tyres and a track day and that will knock off more time of you lap than any shifter will!!!!

Sam, yes they can all be swapped over, i have boxes of new pads and loads of tyres and wheels to! Its great they both use the same platform now.

 

Thats great information, many thanks, so you are happy with the fundmental engineering etc but the critical throw and movement is too small, i think its around 70mm box?

I have made a shifter for my car, it is rod change and has no cables, i have kept the shift distances sensible, not to much smaller than the OEM VAG shifter, this was to make sure its easy to get the right gear at the right time etc. The main reason for my shifter was to reduce any slop that the standard item had - there was a fair bit which has now been removed.

I will have a think about adding a lockout for gears 1, 2 and reverse, it seems like a sensible idea.

 

Smudge, yup the engineering and quality seems great, but yes the throw and movement isn't great.

Just checked yours out! Rods are defiantly the way to go, how does it feel? Can you fashion a lock out in?

 

Good to hear that the SQS is in and working well, I am currently having all the bits you supplied fitted this week so hoping for good things,glad to hear the shoulder is on the mend

 

Thanks Nick. My VWM shifter was originally in the Reeves Mk1. It didn't work properly without the VWM gearbox tower parts. I was part-way through getting the parts needed from VW Motorsport to remedy back in ~ 2002/3, but Maurice decided to put an 02J shifter in, the hot turbo melting cables adding to his woes, so I bought the lot and eventually put it in my Mk1. It needs fine set up, but is reliable.

The VWM shifter does have a gate-width adjusting facilty as standard and this can be therefore used as a gear lock out. It was from this exact shifter that the idea of locking gears out originated with the Reeves, and this has been engineered onto their subsequent shifter set ups by Mark who maintains and translates ideas onto their Golfs.

Please if gear lock outs are engineered into other shifters, particularly commercially developed ones, then the credit for this idea is best given.

 

Yes, all thanks and appreciation should got to Mark and the team at Croydon Auto Repairs. He's always coming up this great solution to problems and constantly developing the cars.

 

It should be easy enough to add a lock in for gears one and two, i already have a reverse lock in place! just forget when posting earlier!

 

Credit to the Reeve's for the idea Its interesting that this has not been done before on other racing/track cars.

 

I had a renault 5 racer from the 80's that had one.

 

Paint going on, just in time for inters!

 

I am amazed that bodyshop manages to give birth to so many mean machines :-)

 

Mike, i take it you will be at inters all weekend showing your car off?

 

Looking mint!

 

Yes mate just waiting on my last puzzle piece to arrive (my tyres) so will be nice to catch up again & maybe a picture if possible if your car is done :-)
Harvey said the kettle will be on too :-)

 

Harvey from HR engineering is doing a great job on the difficult paint work. Its like having to paint a car 4 times!!







He's going to have his work cut out to get it ready for inters but we'll be there!!

 

Wing & Arch all fibreglass win win win :-)