Scirocco Track Car Development

[filmidget]

If you are using a top/rear engine mount (novel idea BTW) there isn't anything 'significant' in front of the engine mounts, could the front upper and lower members join to a strengthened chassis legs at the engine mount? (A vertical tube/sleeve could be welded into the chassis leg) Would triangulate nicely, and the engine could help with the bracing assuming you mounted it very 'solidly'.

Bonus would be keeping some of crumple zone of the chassis legs in front of the engine mounts.

[MikeH]

Re. the top rear engine mount - I've seen a Mk1 golf with the same engine mount setup, ... a very quick Mk1 golf with a 200+ BHP 8v lump in it, and a similar thing was employed on souped up minis, back in the day.

Anyway, I was thinking of stiffening up the front end around the X-member, but on reflection I think that most of the load is on the area around and behind the turrets. I'm taking the view that adding weight in front of the engine will damage handling and bring less benefit than stuff between the turrets. The Mk1 golf mentioned above doesn't have much of a front X-member left in it, and the front panel is a formed sheet of ally ... no welded strength involved.

My reckoning is that when you pitch it into a corner, the loads on the outside wheel is trying to push the wishbone backwards and under the engine, and twisting the whole front end, but it's the area between the turrets, the bulkhead, and back to the A pillars that's taking most of the load, so welding a bar between the front struts and back to the bulkhead will stop the top end flex, and building the old Autocavan style lower strut brace into a tubular subframe should help to combat the twisting of the front end.

I may leave the front engine mount in place for now, but the surgery that's required to move the radiator forward and down will weaken the front X-member a bit, so the rear upper engine mount will help with that, without adding a load of extra weight to re-strengthen the front X-member. A feel around inside it with a finger suggests that there's some bracing inside which I'll be cutting through when I make a step for the radiator.

[MikeH]

Some pics of my dodgy welding - the rivers of molten wax running from the seams made it interesting trying to get a clean and tidy weld. Maybe they'll make someone else feel better about their welding :D

[MikeH]

Blimey! It's been a long time since I updated this thread. Well, there's much to tell.

This year's project (due for completion March 2013 - oops) was

- X-Flow engine conversion
- ITBs (maybe)
- Lumpier cam
- Stiffen up the front end of the car.
- Paint and general tidy.

I've been working on this 'as and when' so I've not made a huge amount of progress this year - too many other projects - and as a result it's still not done, but here are some picture-story highlights.

Rough Plan


Lower brace idea... not started but bought the tube.



Seam welded the whole front end - some bits are prettier than others! Getting the rubber underseal / seam sealer off is NOT fun. Lots of grinder wire brush, blow torch, etc.




Chopped out the front X-member to lower it and fit a bigger radiator.


Rebuilding the engine mount into the lowered panel.



With 'Big Rad'



Chopped out the scuttle, bent and welded a Chrome-Moly pipe in there as a strut brace. Welded into the bulkhead as well.


Note the reinforcing plates on the turrets. Sleeve pipes are because my mate didn't have a forming die the right size (well, he did but it broke).


Measure, trim... measure, trim... etc New direct master cylinder in place (Polo 17mm) to check for clearance.


Reinforcing for new master cylinder and welded up the clutch cable hole while I was there.


Close enough to weld


Welded


Scuttle back in place, cut around the brace bar, then After much sanding and de-greasing, zinc 182 primer... then Ford Transit White 2 pack paint.


Escort Mk1 PolyBushes and a bit of spare pipe.. this is the start of a custom rear engine mount


Inner Sleeve

[MikeH]

Offering up ITBs to check clearance - this bit is out of sequence, but you get the idea.



Dipstick tube 'adjusted' slightly. ABF dizzy cap for extra clearance.



Custom ITB Manifold made by Tylah Motorsport (a mate)


X-flow head ported... Jason Moyle Racing (JMR)



Make the engine look pretty while it's out. Halfords Engine Lacquer. Car Plan stuff goes on better if you can find it.



298* Hydraulic Cam with 12mm of lift from SportCam S.A. - about £120 delivered - lurking in the box behind the head.

[MikeH]

More to follow on the mechanical stuff. In the meantime, one side of the car was very scruffy. Rust coming through near the rear arches, and a big scuff down the side where I dragged it out of the workshop and the side caught the carb studs on an old Alfa engine.

So, before the weather gets too cold I got busy with the paint. Quite pleased with the results, although there are a few faults in it - runs in the lacquer will flat out easily though.

Decent shine straight off the gun. 2 pack lacquer tends to be quite forgiving to the novice sprayer, but isn't forgiving to the lungs (cyanide and arsenic), so don't go near it without a proper respirator.



Mask-up for primer. Workshop sheeted up to keep the dirt out...


There are a couple of thin skims of filler/stopper where it was dinged, but basically it's all sound metal. Primer and guide coat - I quite like the Messerschmidt camo look :D
Didn't really need to primer it all, but you get a better finish if you're painting on top of a uniform surface all over.



Note the wet floor - keeps the dust down.




Bit of a run at the front. The bumper might hide some of it, but easily sorted


Shape of the panel makes this one a little bit tricky, but it's do-able with care.


Quite pleased with the results, for a dirty old barn and a ham fisted amateur.

[GTXTRA]

Merged topics for you Mike as requested.

Hope all is well.

[MikeH]

Thanks Sean

Hopefully I'll have some more updates in a few weeks. Busy rebuilding a Mk1 golf at the minute.

[Hillclimb]

I would like to see your reinforcement on the lower
Body by firewall because I will do something similar,
I have a 4 point rally subframe but it is only bolted on
After exhaust and etc as it is really in the way

There aren't many mk1 race cars around
And my first rocco was a mk2 so I can't be a purist
So nice job man :)

My mk1 is at 1000 lbs with cage, the cage ties into the
towers front and rear. But I want to make this thing bomb proof
I'm definitely interested in welding tube from front tower into
Bumper tubes

It's nice to browse the kit car cabilis cupra, seat Leon and scirocco hill climb builds for
Ideas and inspiration

[MikeH]

This one's just a trackday toy, so I like to try out ideas on it, some of which might find their way onto the Mk1 Racer I'm also building (very slowly) but a lot of them will be ruled out by the classic touring car regs - bolt-in 6 point cage limited chassis strengthening, etc. I think a bolt-on strut brace should be allowed though.

If you've fitted a subframe, are you mounting the wishbones on it, or is it just a more comprehensive brace for the existing mounting rails?

I hope you're going to post a project thread on your Mk1 - it sounds very interesting.

[Hillclimb]

My build thread is at top of this forum under my user name


The brace with the x shape is what I was talking about it bolts to frame rails
And then bolts to where a-arms bolt onto body
Painted it primer and it's black again now
THe other brac in pic goes between rear strut towers