MK1 Racer (ALL BROKEN PHOTOBUCKET PICS FIXED) - Painted and out of the bodyshop....

Next up was the new exhaust system.

Previously this was a 3" side exit exhaust with only one large silencer mounted within the exhaust tunnel and approximately underneath the gear lever. Although the car sounded great (or at least most agreed it sounded loud and a bit mad) and it always passed the standing noise test at Knockhill, the scrutineers always complained that it was too loud on track. Fortunately for me there was not any drive-by testing at Knockhill, and as I didn't do anything down south of the border, it was not an issue.

However as I wanted to be able to do some tracks in other areas, I thought it best to change the system. Eventually I decided against the side exit because it had too many complications for the new body work, and anything a bit more extreme that excited out of the rear quarter then became too close to the underside of the fuel box for comfort. Therefore the best option was a traditional rear exit silencer and also a centre silencer to help with noise.

This meant taking it over the back axle, and with a 3" system and a mk1 with OE fuel tank, that it a proper pain in the ass!!!!

Anyway, I tried to re-use as much of the first system I built and then bought the remaining bends that I needed to extend it and get it over the axle, then set about getting it mocked up. The 3" downpipe I made is unchanged from the original, I just changed everything from the front flexy back. This was also the first time I had welded stainless with the MIG, but I swapped over for 304 stainless wires, used the same Argoshield mix I use for mild steel, and it turned out pretty good I think.


Anyway, pics...




































I wanted to have the tailpipe replicating the old skool MK1 side up-swept angle and really pleased with how it came out. The bend round the axle doesn't touch even at full compression, and the fuel tank has received extra heat wrapping to try and keep the fuel temperature from rising too much - as it inevitably will to some extent. Finally I added some exhaust hangers so that it was securely held.

The mounts have absolutely no rubber anywhere, so only solid fixings, which you can just about see in the last picture under the floor. The mounts are slotted to allow for expansion in the system, as are the centre mounts, and the solid engine/box mounts will help isolate the exhaust from movement and protect against cracked welds in future.


Only complaint - now its too quiet!!!! lol


(Might change out the centre box to a smaller silencer later)

 

Avon a53 was hard compound for radical and durable enough for trackdays. i think they use this for OSS champs for 20min races. 700kg but lots of power. front tyres took a proper beating more than rears as they were only 205 section.

a53 might be a good rear tyre for your car but suspect too soft for fronts.

get radials too....

 

I think this is one of my favourite build threads at the moment

 

Thanks Rob.

What width are the rears on the Radical?

Thanks

 

While I was doing all of this, Craig (Goof) was really making progress on the electrics. Previously we had been short on time and things were not as we wanted, so a new switch panel was made that had a removable panale to allow easy access to fault find and also easier to locate switches when on the move.

In addition was a new cut off switch that had been faulty and the wiring from the engine harness back all sorted with improved fuse / relay setup and a really lightweight lithium battery which saved about 5kg over the old 'lightweight' Odessey unit.































A backing plate was made for the Stack dash display and additional warning lights added for low oil pressure, fuel etc.

Note, all of the these pics were 'work in progress' pics, so it looks pretty rough as was done prior to paint just so we could get it all mocked up, holes drilled etc. Next few instalments gets it looking good again with everything white!!

 

265 on a 10.5" rim, its a big tyre . Ive got a set of a53s and a15s in the shed.

 

Thanks. Have quite a few more posts to get up to date but they are the best bits when everything looks good again and not 'work in progress'

Hoping to get up to date by mid January as then can update the newer developments.

10.5" - big wheel also!

 

Pretty much the last project to complete before tidying up, paint and re-assembly was the addition of the wing.

With the large front splitter I decided that it would need something on the rear end to balance it out, as from the reading I had done, on a FWD hatch the already unstable light rear end quickly becomes even more lairy if you add a front splitter and no rear aero device. I started looking at options and found MVS wings online and they seemed a good choice as was more of a club motorsport supplier with wings that actually did something, rather than just some ebay special.

I spent a long time sizing it up and looking at the MS blue book regs, as it can extend above the roofline of the car or more than 100mm outside of the plan view of the vehicle, so this stopped me extending it up higher in the air or for having it hanging way out the back.


To get a feel for where everything should go, I first found some old pictures of the MK1 when VW had it in the wind tunnel....








So the wing arrived. It was a '2nd' as some light discolouring of the lacquer, but as it was available and also slightly cheaper, I went for it. It is a dual element carbon fibre wing, and I sized the width so that it was about half way in between the arches and the roofline. Some will hate it I am sure, but having driven with it now, the car is certainly extremely stable and rear tyres are getting pretty hot!
















Working out how to mount it seemed a bit complicated as I first wanted to position it in different places to work out the best position, especially given the tight MSA regs when trying to accommodate a wing on a hatch back, so I decided to suspend it from the roof before making up cardboard and wooden templates to mount the wing.





















My first thoughts were to avoid mounting on to the tailgate as with fibreglass/carbon etc, it is not particularly rigid, and I wanted any loading to be transferred direct to the chassis. Then I thought about mouting it on brackets that were bolted to the rear C pillars, but then I went off that idea as those panels are actually not very strong and mine also have some filler in there after panel warping after sand blasting many years ago, so I didn't want any cracks there from the wing flexing the shell.

Quickly running out of options, I started to look at going to a specially fabricated frame that would extend up from the floor and the rear chassis leg's. Unfortunately this has a downside of having to cut through the rear window and not being bale to open the hatch without removing the wing, but it seemed like the best option all things considered.









Wooden templates made and fitted, then on to the first part of the frame....





















Then on to mounting the second part of the frame. This was done to attach direct to the chassis legs and rear turret area...


















Welding completed....








First sketch out design of the final end plates which would be cut from 6mm aluminium....














End plates water cut

IN case you were wondering on the 'CAAM' - Since we have spent best part of 10 years on the thing, thought having Craig and my initials on it seemed about as good a name as any!














Anodized...







Finished pics soon but first pics I have of the wing finally mounted are after the complete car went for final paint of panels, so will have that up soon

 

The final messy job was the new mounts for the axles stands. Much like Yoof and Nige, after the fitting of the sideskirts I was concerned about access for lifting the car with the jack. I followed suit by adding in some mounts and welding up steel bar 'pins' to insert and use to jack against. Holesaw came out again, plates cut and then everything welded up.






















After all of the fabricating on the wing mounts, cage and being in and out of the car over the past 6 months, the inside was badly in need of a re-paint. Given that time was short and I was keen to get the 'interior' together again, I decided to tackle the job 'in house'.

I had wanted to use 2 pack paint, and even went as far as buying the stuff in the correct Audi Ibus white colour, but then after reading further on the health & safety risks, I decided against it. This left me with a few options but I just went for the rattle can in the end, mainly due to ease. Unfortunately it means the paint is not nearly as durable as it cannot resist spills of brake fluid etc, but it looks good and I can touch it up at any time. This is handy if I do any further work later on.

Craig made a great start by prepping the inside masking off and rubbing down the paint, then I finished off after a ridiculous amount of rattle cans! The smaller size worked out cheaper than the larger cans and I managed to get them at a good discount from the local motor factors.




























Then it was on to the final assembly of the inside. Standing back and taking the photos was very satisfying as you could finally see all of the effort from the previous 6 months.






























The wheels looked outrageous at first but used to them now!





















Foot plate was shortened and looks much neater now









First time seeing the rear axle down and the drear axle work certainly had it sitting low, too low... After this I wound the shocks back up to useable ride height, which was great as I just gained a huge amount more damper travel than it ever had before.










Added a centre 'quick latch' pin on the bonnet to stop the bonnet lifting at speed with the air getting under it. This was done by welding a tab on the I/C and this clips in - works very well.










I spent a lot of time thinking about the front end and blocking off as many open holes as possible so that airflow would be forced underneath the car instead of acting like a big sail and pouring into the engine bay at speed. It has a new front grille which as standard has the sides sealed, carbon plates were cut to block off the sides, while holes were cut in front of the IC to channel air through that and the radiator. Eventually I will improve on the sealing and aim to have the I/C / rad area sealed and all air ducted through that.

The gap between the air dam and the splitter was later sealed with 1mm HPDE






























I cut some holes into the arches to let high pressure air escape and to reduce lift, and 'was' very happy with how they turned out. As a side product, I though that aesthetically they looked simply awesome lol

Unfortunately, MSA scrutineers did not share my enthusiasm at the first event and now I need to look at sealing them off again (Louvre I feel will be too much time for me to get right)










After having them in a box for nearly 3 years, I FINALLY got to fit the full carbon fibre doors that I had previously purchased - 25 kg saving

Downside... the fitment is rubbish and they don't seal properly. Race car mod only imo. Sorted by drilling holes in the bottom to let water drain out, then just forget about it and remember that they are carbon fibre and awesome anyway.





















Nice place to sit now and hopefully I will be here for a few events in 2018!!!

 

Next stop is pics from after the bodyshop and then to the dyno

 

Looks ace Ali!

I've toyed with GRP doors on the Polo, but do have a concern they'd flap at speed.

 

Ali, you are taking us to another level!

Very rare to have an active racer come in public and share so much what he is doing to his race machine.


Credit to you sir and may you have lots of silverware come 2018 in this car!

I got to come back and read it all again.

 

Superb Ali ... come a long way since I saw it on the trailer, heading off the A90 towards Montrose !

Are you allowed vents in the front wing, above the arch extension ... a la GT3 RS ?

 

I cant wait for the next instalment a credit to you hope to see you race it this year

 

Thanks - Yes, that is a concern and as Knockhill is not a high speed circuit, I still need to see how they fare in that regard. Tethers might be required!

Thanks Eddie. That is the main reason for not updating until much later on. I didn't post any pics on the latest developments prior to this years outing as I didn't want anyone to know what I was up to with the car. That is a big part of the fun for me (and Craig), and I also would rather prove the car on track with lap times than talking it up online before. You see that a lot now with facebook and I never like it in case I have issues on the day with the car, as its all very public now when it doesn't run well at an event or you have issues.

The locals have all seen the car out now and know what it is like on track, but very few know what has been done to it and the many hours that have been spent during development of parts. Very little is available as an off the shelf solution for a mk1, and not many people are still pushing what can be done with an old 'classic' using modern hardware and ideas, save for a few of the members on here.

Its a balance as I want to show the car on here but not let too much away at the same time. I suppose it doesn't really matter much now, as most are racing Caterhams, Imprezas or M3's, so doesn't matter so much about protecting what you have done or are doing etc. It would be very different if using a car in a one make series or close championship though.


Thanks. Hopefully do some events south of the border for 2018 as its very isolated just using it in Scotland.

Thanks. It could well be! Stuart Coutts from Inverurie?! Small world!

He kept it very clean and was under 30K miles when I bought it in 2012. Does he know it is caged and used pretty much only on track now? lol

I still try and keep it clean though and still only on 57K miles

Hi Andrew, yes, its come a long way, but so it should after 10 years!!! lol

Not allowed as they are as you cant see the tyre through the arch, but yes, something 991 GT3 esque would work as has louvres. Downside is I don't have Porsche time or budget to develop something that looks half decent and is functional and bodywork is not my thing, so I fear I may just have to bond back in carbon sheet to completely cover just to get it looking acceptable for the time being. Might look to do something long term or speak to Egidio Pisano about something if I order another set of panels in future.

 

Last update for 2017, but I thought I would put this one out so that for the new year it was a focus on seeing the car actually running rather than endless pics of it in a garage not moving lol



I just realised in the final assembly pics, forgot about that wing. Sometimes I look at it and love it, but then at other times I am not so sure. It certainly seems to be working having used it at two events now, but I want to do some back to back testing with it fitted and removed to be sure. The rear tyre temp certainly seems to be there though




















After that it was off to the bodyshop for paint to all of the new panels, and also the rear quarters which had received work after filler when the old arches were removed. Last adjustments were made to the doors and generally it was a bit of a last minute rush getting it on to the trailer (usual story then!)









It was then on to the trailer and on the way to the body shop.









Its a big moment for anyone collecting their project from the bodyshop. Warren, Martin and Lee from Norteast Autobody know the car well having painted it the first time around, but I must say they did a great job on the fresh paint in the Audi Ibus white. Walking into the unit I was greeted by this sitting waiting for me...






















I then loaded it on to the trailer and took a little time to just take it in from all angles. I thought it looked awesome and suddenly at all seemed worthwhile

Also of note was that it was the first time towing with the trusty 150k mile 320d, and despite not having any rear air suspension and a dodgy clutch, it coped pretty well.

























After that it was straight back into the garage and some basic setup done on the camber, alignment and ride heights for its first outing at SLS in August 2017.

 

Looking over all of these pics while updating the thread reminds me of all that has gone into the build, and that includes the support from everyone else involved.

Massive thanks goes to Craig (Goof), as he has been a constant advisor, part-builder and long time supporter of the car since it went with the 1.8T engine. Also to Martin (12valver) for helping with the encouragement and keeping my enthusiasm going to get it over the finish line, and to the many friends and family close to the build also


Happy new year to all and hopefully see you on track in 2018

 

Looks bloody brilliant!

Good luck for the season ahead Ali!