Mk2 Scirocco 1.8t RWD

Discussion in 'Members Gallery' started by Mk2daz, Mar 25, 2020.

  1. rubjonny

    rubjonny Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    getting a little on the high side, check the fan runs if you jump the thermoswitch pins for starters. once run up to temp and stat opens feel the rad see if it gets nice and toasty around the fan switch and drop the switch in some boiling water to make sure it actually works. should cut in around 95 degrees for stage 1
     
  2. Mk2daz

    Mk2daz Paid Member Paid Member

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    Car is going away for its cage on the 19th which im pretty excited about. Looking forward to getting things moving again with the build when it comes back!

    In the meantime I have modified my handbrake to be a bit shorter so i can relocate the shifter back a bit.

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    Lick of paint and its in, works great, chuffed!

    I have also cut out the floorpan bracing support things to lose some unrequired weight and also to make some space for welding in some bucket seat mounting rails.

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr



    I've also had my 02A gearbox refreshed and rebuilt by Martin at Gas n Gears. Turns out the risk i took on the Wavetrac diff payed off, he took it right apart and informed me its mint, phew!

    He was able to tell me exactly who had fitted the diff to the previous owners box and how they hadn't pressed in the bolts properly and how it was so poorly fitted!

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr



    Any bearings and seals that needed replaced were replaced and the whole tank was given a hot clean. I chose to keep the original final drive as it was quite short and will prove to be benficial for acceleration which is really what im looking for.

    Great service from Martin providing all these pictures along the way.

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr

    [​IMG]Untitled by Daz Scirocco, on Flickr



    He said its now ready for some track abuse, which is what i like to hear [​IMG]
     
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  3. Savagesam

    Savagesam Moderator Staff Member Moderator

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    I’d not send my gearboxes anywhere else! He’s the best by far. Definitely worth to drive, regardless of where you are in the country.
     
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  4. Mk2daz

    Mk2daz Paid Member Paid Member

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    Caged up!

    Full MSA/FIA spec tubing to meet blue book regs

    I'm well chuffed with it [​IMG]

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    erreesse and Jon Olds like this.
  5. 1990

    1990 Paid Member Paid Member

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    Bloody hell, you have some serious skills!!! Love it!!
     
  6. Mk2daz

    Mk2daz Paid Member Paid Member

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    I can't take any credit for the cagework, that was done by Aiden at Lochaber Stainless in Fort William.

    He's done a cracking job, all the tubing is blue book/fia/msa compliant. Should keep me safe!

    Cheers
     
    1990 likes this.
  7. Savagesam

    Savagesam Moderator Staff Member Moderator

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    Damn! ive been waiting for an update.

    cage looks insane!
     
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  8. Mk2daz

    Mk2daz Paid Member Paid Member

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    Slight change in direction with this build now...

    I've always thought with the shape of a scirocco it should be RWD and going sideways, I also kind of want to sway away from the common transverse 1.8t conversion that everybody seems to now be doing!

    While the car was away for its cage i spent hours and hours reading into the conversion. Initially thought i would use an entire setup from a rwd car like a bmw, use its subframes, engine, box, diff, suspension etc etc but then i started to think how i could keep it VW powered and since i already have this AGU engine sitting here with the ko4 hybrid etc i may aswell use that.

    Sat it inside the bay longitudinally to see what was what. Got pretty excited seeing it like that so decided to crack on with it.

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    Next up was the issue of what gearbox to use...

    Theres a few folk out there making bellhousings to mate up 1 or 2 ford gearboxes to the VAG bolt pattern, type 9s and T5 cosworth gearboxes seem to be the common ones. With 300+ horse a type 9 would shit itself and a good T5 box is easily over a grand to buy, so they were out the equation for me.

    Started looking at japanese stuff and to cut a long story short i went for a mazda rx8 5 speed box. picked up for 80 quid, they come in a 5 or 6 speed version, 5 speed is actually stronger of the two as it uses the same internals to an rx7 gearbox with a different bellhousing. Should be good for 400hp/400ft.lbs - plenty for me.

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    Heres the adapter plate I am using to mate it to the 1.8t block. There is a quite specific starter/flywheel/clutch setup to make this work. can use VAG stuff for flywheel, starter and clutch, but i need to use a ford pressure plate to match the rx8 splines.

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    Anyway, here it is mated up to the AGU I have.

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    Now i need to find a rear diff/axle setup. Again spent hours and hours researching for something that would be strong and be able to withstand the 1.8T power.

    My dad is a bit of a classic ford guy and suggested an atlas axle from a capri with a 4 link suspension kit. These axles have been used for decades in rallying etc with high torque application so should be easily up to the job. New parts for these are readily available too which is handy. Picked this one up the same day i picked up the rx8 box.

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    With a quick shot of the propshaft from my dads car the drivetrain was essentially mocked up. Im using a spare 1.8t block i have for all the mocking up/fabrication work while the AGU slowly gets tarted up on the stand.

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    Fired on a longitudinal style sump from an Audi a4

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    Heaps of intercooler and rad room!

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    Plan here is to use a passat style manifold which brings the turbo flange nearer the front of the engine and to weld on a ko4-023 flange so the turbo sits like this (ignore the manifold for now). That way the snail is facing the correct way and the downpipe can head straight through the tunnel which you'll see a few pics down.

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    Time to start chopping, no going back now...

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    Wanted to have the engine as far back as possible, with everything sitting straight and roughly where i want it i started building the gearbox/prop/exhaust tunnel. Took an entire week of welding cutting grinding with various burns to show! Utilises the original scirocco handbrake mechanism too.

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    Working my way to the front of the car, needed some way of mounting a subframe to the car. Used some 2" box section that I welded to the front crossmember and the chassis rails, fired on some thick plated gussets to tie it up to the main chassis legs and will put on some more as I progress. I did start to make the subframe and was away to start making some engine mounts but then i realised i hadn't figured out the steering. So the subframe got chucked to one side for now and steering was mocked up.

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    Was going to try and retain all the scirocco front suspension etc but flip the front hubs over from each side so the steering arm was towards the front of the car, my plan was to also just cut the end of an outer cv joint to support the front bearings, a bit ghetto but don't see why it wouldn't work.

    [​IMG]



    Finally rigged up all the steering components but when i turned the wheel left they both turned right and vice versa [​IMG] I also wasn't very happy with the geometry of it all either - more on that later.



    [​IMG]



    Turns out I need to use a steering rack designed for a post axle car. This is where I found out a bit more on the history of the Porsche 924 and how it was made from a lot of VW - more specifically mk1 golf - parts.

    The front hubs are the exact same apart from they have a stub axle and the steering arm is on the front side. They bolt right up to mk1 golf wishbones and struts, which is the same as a scirocco, which is VERY handy! The steering rack is also the exact same with a quicker ratio and it of course turns the wheels the correct way being post axle. So now i have a pair of 924 hubs and a steering rack assembly ordered. Early 924's also have a wheel PCD of 4x108 the same as the capri atlas axle halfshafts which is all very handy.

    As i mentioned a bit above i dont like the way the tie rod ends are sitting at such an angle, I would rather they are dead on straight when the wheels are aligned straight. After a fair bit of head scratching i decided to move the engine back another 2.5" which meant more modification to the tunnel and the bulkhead for the additional clearance.

    Here is the new (and hopefully final) engine position. Should bring the steering rack in slightly further and provide overall better geometry. I'm also going to use some mk2 style tie rod ends that are slightly curved at the end so that the tie rods sit even more straight (providing the mk2 ends fit which i hope they will). It should also handle alot better now too!

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    With the engine now in place i started to modify the bulkhead again, access was tight to the back for the coolant flange off the head so i decided to create an 'inspection hole' that could be accessed from behind the dash if need be. First time using a rivnut gun here, rivnuts are ace!



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    Thats where I'm at so far, next step is to get the Porsche stuff fitted and working and then i can look to get the engine and gearbox mounted to the car. Theres a fair bit of fabrication work to do at the back for the diff tunnel and the 4 link / watts linkage setup but i'm keen to get fired in.

    Cheers for reading if you made it this far [​IMG]
     
    erreesse, Skool, dodgy and 1 other person like this.
  9. Savagesam

    Savagesam Moderator Staff Member Moderator

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    Woah, I was not expecting that turn! Although I do agree, yes they should be RWD
     
  10. valvemiester

    valvemiester Paid Member Paid Member

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    Wow what can I say but you've done fantastic work there, really like the way you have the engine gearbox installed especially that transmission tunnel. Keep up the great work :thumbup::thumbup:
     
  11. dodgy

    dodgy Paid Member Paid Member

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    Very good, did you buy gearbox adaptor, or make it?
    Was looking at rx8 gearbox for my minor when built that, as the type 9 boxes were old and expensive even then. Rx8 used a carbon fibre prop I believe?
    Great the Porsche hubs match rear pcd.
    Mgf uses metro front hub still, with outer cv joint but no shaft for the steering end, suppose you could have done that and even gone mx5 rear axle set up, lotus style kit cars I think are now that thinking instead of Sierra.
     
  12. Tristan

    Tristan Paid Member Paid Member

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    Blown away, bloody awesome.
     
  13. Mk2daz

    Mk2daz Paid Member Paid Member

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    I bought it, there is a gent that runs 'rx8 gearbox adapters' and produces them mainly for Fords, but he did have a couple he had made for the VAG PD engine, which of course is the same bolt pattern as the 1.8T so i snapped one up. Yes that was going to be my initial plan just to chuck the end of a CV in to support the bearing. I went for the Capri atlas axle because there was about an inch or so difference in the rear track width (I went for the widest atlas you can get as standard, 52" from a Laser, they can easily be re-tubed even wider too) and there is so many new parts being made for these thanks to the mk2 escort rally scene. They are quite over-engineered too compared to more modern stuff so should be up to the task.
     
    dodgy likes this.
  14. BISSONE Forum Member

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    Awsome turn of events! Loving the solid rear axle aswel, I have been watching alot of Roadkill over lockdown and been thinking indipendant is way over rated you should put a line lock in aswel so you can do some tasty burn outs!
     
  15. Jon Olds Forum Junkie

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    Great read, makes my rally projects look 'ordinary'. Keep up the good work
    Jon
     
  16. Mk2daz

    Mk2daz Paid Member Paid Member

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    Sorry I missed this in my previous reply, yes they do, the propshaft I have there in my drivetrain 'mockup' is a grp4 mk2 escort propshaft, it slips right into the rx8 box which is handy but its a fcouple inches too short so I guess I'll use something along those lines. Alot of people in the ford scene have used the carbon prop however, something to do with pressing the yoke out, shortening the prop and then pressing the yolk back in, and there is a gent making adapters to bolt to ford diffs. Prop shouldn't be much of an issue as plenty places out there that can make up a custom one if need be :)
     
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  17. Mk2daz

    Mk2daz Paid Member Paid Member

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    Also thank you all for the comments, I will keep the updates coming!
     
    dodgy likes this.
  18. dodgy

    dodgy Paid Member Paid Member

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    Really good mate.
    Years ago used to mess with odd stuff, bmc1100 cal look, v4 prefect, lancia twin cam minor, lowered singer gazelle with RS alloys, then 29 minis, did a supercharged Morris minor about 14 years ago, then few small car derived Vans (mk1 clio and seat inca), mgf, then got 2 mk2s this year,
    Have kept looking at kit or hot rod ideas, and as the usual donors are getting old I try and see what else is around, mates son did a minor with mx5 gearbox which seemed a lot easier than the type 9, and cheaper. Rx8 box is great due to the ford compatibility, input and output.
    Looked at the adaptor again, A4 tdi flywheel, and other bits to fit 1.8t to it, pd130 in a classic would be best of both worlds, reliable economical and different.
    Good luck with it.
     
  19. Mk2daz

    Mk2daz Paid Member Paid Member

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    Quite the selection that! Its amazing how many different cars you can combine parts from. As for the adapter plate yes I think you are correct, i need an A4 starter as it is now on the exhaust side of the bellhousing through the plate, VAG solid mass flywheel (probs a4 as you say )and clutch, with a ford pressure plate which should be easy enough to get hold of.

    cheers.
     
    dodgy likes this.
  20. dodgy

    dodgy Paid Member Paid Member

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    Not sure if the A4 flywheel is same as the fwd, but the skoda single mass tdi is same as G60 one, super cheap on ebay, go by part number.
    On my 6 speed fwd I got a new starter for about 60 quid, wasnt worth me even getting dirty and thirty pounds at a scrapyard.
    Try the A6 pd130 as well, the one that looks like tha a4b6, same engine as a4 and loads bits interchangeable as upgrade. So probably good for starter etc, unsure of when dmf came in though, but guy who bought my A4 put a new dmf in it for no reason, said actually got it supplied and fitted for £250!!
    Is there a spigot bearing issue on the 1.8t, know there was an issue on a K series conversion with type 9, curious if problem like that on other amalgamation?
     

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