Mk2 Golf VR6 Turbo Track Toy winter refurb

Hey!
I’ve been on here a while now, bit of a lurker!
This is my mk2 which I’ve had for 23 years.
It started out as a 16v with big wheels, leather, stereo, suns etc.. everything a 19 year old wanted at the time.

A year or so later I did my first engine conversion and put a VR6 in. Then over the years it got more performance related to eventually being a track car with a turbo’d VR6 lump in it.

How it started:

How it is now:






I’m about to pull it all apart this weekend to refresh the shell and have a list of mods planned.
The wrap is coming off and I’ll paint it inside and out grey again.

Spec is as follows:

aaa vr6
Spacer gasket
ARP head studs
Garrett gt3076r
3” exhaust head to tip
Tial 44mm wastegate
Forge blow recirc
Grp boost controller (best mod!)
ATP clone manifold
Delphi 440’s
Custom short runner
Custom intercooler and larger rad
4”maf
Standard ecu with united motorsports software
Walbro 255 pump
K n N filter
Solid front mount, vibratech rear mounts
External oil cooler
Bc racing coilovers with diresive valving
Compbrake top mounts
Noarth ball joints and extenders
G60 brakes
Ds2500 pads
Gt3 brake ducts
15” Td 1.2’s with AR1s
Safety devices cage
Standard box with quaiffe
Probably loads more I forget now..

YouTube footage:

 

Oof, that's a bit saucy.
Grey gets my vote.

 

Looks like a serious piece of machinery!

 

Cheers!
The green wrap was definitely a marmite colour choice! I like it but it’s time for a change.

without the wrap:



I’ve a load of work to the shell to do and the bay as well.

I’ve a pretty painted fully forged 3.0ltr low comp engine which spun a bearing on the dyno some years a go sitting in a container I should probably look into sorting to put in. This engine was just a spare engine I threw in. 5 years later, numerous Ring trips and track days and it’s still going strong, seems a shame to pull it!

I’m looking at trying to move the engine back to move some weight backwards, it’ll involve boxing the bulkhead and chopping the tunnel about.
The driveshaft on the driver side rubs the chassis mount on fast left corners such as exiting Craners at Donington so I need to address that anyway.

 

Had a good day at a damp Donington on Friday, bumped into some mk2 lads, got some good footage following them.
Got home and decided to start taking the wrap off but got a little carried away taking stuff off.
It’ll end up a full refurb now, it’s a little ‘frilly’ around the edges! I’ve not painted in 15 years so to be expected.

 

Funny video. There is a lot of people just driving about ain't it?
And that pit exit on the race line, just doesn't seem about right if you ask me
This Nicole lady likes to slide that ass out in the corners

What kind of tires are you driving? They do complain a lot. Still the AR1s?

 

Test days have got expensive so you get a lot of race cars testing and seemingly just driving about, I guess they are data logging.

Yes Donny is a bit awkward to get onto the track sometimes. The ideal turn in point is the very end of the dotted pit lane markings where it meets the start of the turn. It puts you right in someone’s braking area, just have to keep an eye out.

I’m on AR1’s which worked surprisingly well in the damp, I was pushing to keep up, I blame Rob as my ballast!

I did have an off down Craners a month before, never got round to checking the alignment, I do suspect something slightly out so there’s my driver excuse!!
It was an interesting comparison as we were all on 15” AR1’s, it doesn’t matter if you have 200 or 400hp, you can only corner at the same speed.

 

Yeah I wasn't really happy with the AR1's at first. I know you have to drive-in the semi's carefully so they will also last longer (we're all privateers here), but it was on the third or fourth day they finally stopped screeching around in corners and give me faster times than 10 year old(!), worn-out and hard R888's I compare them to (on the same day!).

I think they need some man-handling before they get into order and start working for real. Ofcourse, I don't drive the high HP you do so there is where they also start screeching due to the higher loads applied.

 

I think the key with these is pressure management. I tend to go out do 8-10 laps come in and drop the pressures, do this once or twice and they are usually dialled.
A mate of mine in an ep3 was saying how disappointed he was with his, he wouldn’t listen to me, I checked his fronts and they had shot up to 48psi!! Funnily enough they became amazing once we put them back down to normal pressure!

 

I log the tire pressure and temperatures after every session I drive incl weather conditions
So yeah I know about the pressure sensitivity I used to drive Toyo's on 2,1 bar but the AR1's are better on 2,0.

 

So work has been hectic, my daily Phaeton threw a hissy fit, had to sort that, finally I got to spend a Saturday on the mk2.

Took cage out, removed sunroof, old battery tray, old strut brace, and wiring to the rear.

I’ve a few redundant brackets to get rid of but I snapped my last spot weld drill so I’ll do a bit more in the week.

Sunroof lid is 5kg, the frame and mech 9kg, so 14kg out the roof. I might go carbon yet I haven’t decided

 

Nice weight saving!
That cage looks it could use some extra braces though (at least they're not in the picture)

 

Well spotted!! It does have side bars, rear horizontal bar behind the seat, just not in the pic!

You wouldn’t think it but I weighed the box of cage bolts and that came in at 2kg!

I’m going to weld and gusset the cage when it goes back in. I’d quite like to tie the turrets in to the cage as well.

I might be going for a carbon roof, just had a price back, I’m not sure yet. mid be happy with a fibre glass one really as I’ll paint it anyway

 

Yeah my cage is also approx 45 kg if I remember correctly.
But it does have the FIA/DMS additions and some improvements we engineered ourselves.

A carbon roof would take the weight down quite nicely but I imagine it isn't really cheap.

 

I'd say it wouldn't lose that much?
The bare metal skin isn't very heavy?

 

Maybe..

I was thinking more along the lines of an easy way to plug the hole.

 

Not pushing on yet I see. BIN that and fit proper pads! Would not run them on an 8v!

Nice build!

 

Hawk all the way baby.

 

I’ve heard a lot of good reviews about Hawk pads. I’ve been looking at aftermarket brake kits, they often come with them.

 

Do not need brake kits on a MK2 like that unless you really start pushing on. At this stage, for brakes, just make sure you have good brake lines, Super DOT4 brake fluid, working OE or aftermarket bias system, and good brake pads and sticky rubber for the dry.

The fact your were ok with DS2500 pads, in a high accelerating vehicle, is good evidence you are still getting use to various tracks, corner entry speed is lower than optimum or you are very economical with your braking.
When you do increase your pace in the dry, pads many of us have used are Ferodo DS3000, CL6. Some who were more extreme have also used Pagid RS blue pads.
It all depends on what is available for your Lucas/Girling 54mm mono piston floating caliper.

Many of us have been there and get tempted to spend because trackday/racecar/track car.
But really trackdays are about improving your drive craft. So you update the vehicle as your seat time and confidence develops.

That is my 2p.