VW PRO 54 - 20vt drag mk2 *now a 9 second car*

Edit 25/4/16 pb is now 10.86 @133mph
Edit Doorslamers 2018 ran a PB of 10.44 @135mph
Edit 6/9/20 went 9.95@146mph

Below is a thread i started on our closed VWDRC Forum covering my first year, sorry if it rumbles on a bit lol......


Well now that my racing is finished for the year I suppose its time for me to start a build thread for my car, this season has been really fun and I plan to race next year too.

I started building the car two years ago mainly because I fancied building a fast car and the old commuter car was sat in a corner of a barn and i had tried to sell it but failed....



I then built the first incarnation using an AGU engine from a A3 1.8t I bought as a runner.

the first spec of the car was

Bone stock AGU
stock k03 turbo
020 td mk3 box
new stock 8v clutch - more on this in a minute
all running on megasquirt ms2 extra
using the stock 8v mounts (note dont do this)
intercooler that i picked up new for 10 from an autojumble (bmw one)
Qpeng 2.5 inch downpipe into a reducer into the stock exhaust
everything else was stock....

I then went to big bang 2013 and did 27 runs and netted a best of 14.7 which i was quite impressed with, on road tyres - only removed passenger seat and rear seat and anything that wasnt needed....

I then drove home fine then on my way to maplins to pick up a couple of switches etc the golf spun 5th gear so the box was changed to the old 8v box (not a good choice for this conversion btw)

The next event I went to was Apex festival after putting some track tyres on (federal 595 RSR) my ronal turbos (they are silly heavy though )



note the black wanger in the background!!

I was having fun however the engine mounts had the cam wheel too close to the master cylinder and round left hand bends when driving enthusiastically it would hit and make a really horrid noise, I found that I could make it not hit by wheel spinning round the corner.

I did about 40 minutes of track time but had to retire due to a slipping clutch, I only just managed to drive it home (needed help and got pushed up the hill from the paddock :? ) once I took the clutch out i was greeted with this



I then decided to upgrade to a 02a box with a g60 style flywheel (vr6 clutch) this normally requires a conversion to a hydraulic clutch however certain seats used a cable mech for the clutch, I found a seat toledo TDI (mk1) for sale for scrap money so i picked that up took the gearbox flywheel clutch cable and gear linkage. i also took the front cross member (mk3 style mount)

Whist i had all of this out i also changed the subframe for a mk3 cabrio that my dad was scrapping also fitted the front brakes (256mm) and tried to fit the widetrack mk3 setup however the cabrio was a auto and I didn't have the longer mk3 manual driveshafts to I fitted new mk2 wishbones (the extra width is in these) I also used the mk3 power steering rack which now needed the mk2 arms fitted (width again) I used all the Toledo engine mounts

Once the car was back together I realised that I had no compression on no 4 looking at the logs I had over revved the engine to about 8k so rather than messing about I wanted more power so I found an early s3 engine (apy) without the ecu so next up was a new downpipe this time from trackslag for the K04 engine still with the reducer and the 8v exhaust, a few tweeks to the map (mostly for the bigger injectors) and she ran on the maiden test drive I found that my fuel pump was not good enough (stock digifant) and I burnt a valve changed the valve and on the first run up it dropped the new valve (apparently they can do this if fitted incorrectly ) this killed the S3 enigne ...

****ed off I bought another AGU engine for a couple of hundred, fitted all of the s3 parts and got her running again on a mk2 16v fuel pump

BUG JAM 2013:

I took the golf and managed a few low 14's then got a 13.5 also got this awesome pic


I was also talked into racing next year, but I was struggling to decide if to run in sportsman or pro ....

over the winter I fitted a full 2.5 inch trackslag exhaust and Rob Judge fitted my cage after I stripped the interior out, he did an awesome job with a very quick turnaround (dropped the car off and picked it up a week later) its also been tagged down to 10 (the tech guy said a 8.5 will be no
problem ) I also picked up a wizards of nos nitrous kit off an old drag car, also bought a set of 22-8-15 inch slicks used. oh and a big ish holset turbo



my dad then painted it (twice) - Thanks dad



over winter I found an issue that occurred twice if I didn't limit the boost down low on a hill the stock rods would end up like this:





I bought a set of IE Rods off the shelf and fitted them to the first engine that I bent rods in it ran fine however it smoked badly, as I had honed the bores and fitted new rings I thought I had made a mistake, so I bought a cheap (200 delivered) set of eBay rods which arrived next day fitted them to the other engine I bent rods in and still had the same issue, turns out that the turbo was dying, sent off for a rebuild whist the K04 was off I decided to take this pic showing the new turbo next to the K04



then came Big Bang 2014....

had a rubbish time it ran ok until about mid track then would misfire badly my pb over the weekend was a 13.4 tried the gas anyway and blew my intercooler apart

I skipped the Easter event and ordered a new intercooler (eBay special 70) and spent the weekend trouble shooting, midday Sat I found the issue i had changed the feed line to the ECU and it was dropping voltage when load was applied reverted back to the old feed, and like magic the issue was gone....

Spring Speed

first run out netted a 12.7 without gas turned the boost down a bit (was at max boost) and still ran a 12.8 I decided to run a 50 shot dialled in 12.4 ran 12.37 with a 1.78 60ft Very happy carl

Apex

Went and played at apex on the Sunday had a good time car was driving well I saw off a couple of track prepped 944's and held my own with a lotus


Summer Nats

had a good time, tried a 100 shot of gas and managed a 12.5 @ 114mph

Bug Jam

had an awesome time, after the second run my car felt very strange on investigation the diff was locked solid, as the box wasn't leaking I decided to run as it was did a couple more runs and managed a new pb of 12.2 @115 but broke the box on the return road (how lucky) as I was coasting down the bit that had lodged in the diff came out and smashed through the diff housing

a quick call to my dad had him coming up early doors Sunday to bring the gearbox that I had been building up (with LSD)

box was almost out by the time my dad arrived with the box and the trailer



after a hard mornings work we had the box back in but the front was still off the car, we were called 5 minutes later they asked if i was going to run... I asked how long do i have? about 2 minutes was the ladys reply about 4 minutes later i was staging next to Dave with most of the front on the car.... I need to say thanks to everyone that helped me with this and also to Dave for waiting till the last pair for me..

great weekend ended up getting through 2 rounds

after bug jam I had the wishbones off again to change the subframe bushes as I thought they were getting tired and upgraded them to R32 ones also took the opportunity to stich weld the wishbone halves together.

on to Open sports nationals

I had a very bad start to this event about 8 miles from Shakey on the Friday the golf dropped an exhaust valve on number 4, RAC recovered me home and I got home about 3 in the morning, spent the next day (my birthday btw) fitting the spare engine (from when the turbo got rebuilt) when I took the exhaust manifold off i was able to see the valve head, It had not gone through the turbo..... Happy days



I managed to get it in an running and drove upto shakey for about 8pm and had a massive welcome from everyone in the pits (Thanks guys and girls)

next day I ran another PB a massive drop to 11.62 @ 119 mph

On my way home from Shakey one of my output flanges on the box popped out, so I swapped in a spare that I had borrowed 5th from (TDI box) and ran that

VW Action

this was a testing day for me the golf ran fine (although my bottle heater broke so nos pressure was all over the shop) managed a few 12's also lent the golf to my little sisters Boyfriend as he was a massive help at bugjam fitting the box, first time on the strip 12.5 I think he might have the bug.....

National finals

I decided to end the season on a high and try a 150 shot of gas, although the engine was fine (new mph PB 121) it just span on the start line sad times so dropped back to 100 shot.

GTI Festival

I really enjoyed this event, managed a new PB of 11.57 @ 117.9 and won my class (F)



Jap Show Finale

Because i didn't want my first year drag racing to end I decided to enter the final round of the FWD series, armed with a new bottle heater, I tried my luck racing in this heads up class, Knowing that I am at least a second off the pace of the slower racers it was a good chance to see how I could do, I only managed an 11.8 as I was struggling to launch it, still the car drove there and drove home although I think a cv joint is going.

so that was my year I hope I didn't bore you too much and I hope your year was as fun as mine.... see you next year

 

Welcome Carl, good to see you here

Hope to race you next year as i will be doing (hopefully) all the Vwdrc rounds in my 4wd Lupo

 

Thanks dude, will be fun to line up against you

just got some upgrades to do over winter then 10's

 

I remember your Golf at Apex 2013 along with the Wanger Bug that span off at Paddock Bend!

Fantastic story!

 

Thanks Toyotec,

Are you doing apex next year?

 

Hope to have the Club there.

 

nice one Carl

good to see the MK2 on Members Gallery


Santa Gunna bring you a Progressive Controller ?

 

I liked that! Good to see a years worth of story summed up in one place

Is that 11.57 still on a ko4 with gas? That's bloody shifting!

 

Hi Richard,

I think i am going to stay fixed hit and just have my ecu control it just for spool so once it hits a certain psi it cuts the nitrous..... will be good racing you next year although i need to be more consistent

Prawn, yes its still a k04 @ about 1.5 - 1.6 bar not really safe for the turbo but hey it runs the times (although i fully expect a buggered turbo when i pull it off in a couple of weeks) and a 100 hp shot of nitrous, i haven't had it dynoed but i suspect its in the late 300's at the crank as with me in weighs about a ton (with me in 1110KG)

 

What a year!!! Thanks for sharing

Have you had a few mk2's in the past?

 

Cheers, Mk2 golfs I have had a couple of gtds and this, I bought the gti to break for my gtd. But the gti was too nice so I sold the gtd

 

Was a mad read that ....Just proves when your young nothing hits you
I would have burnt it at the side of the road

Well done

 

Thanks Eddie,

im not that young (early 30's) but thanks anyway, i did have a few nights when i thought F**k it and went had a few beers and thought do I want to be doing this.... but it has been fun, but when you are pushing the car beyond its expected limits then you need to be willing to fix it then fix it again and upgrade if it doesn't stay fixed

 

I'm slowing down here ......Once again Red Golfs Rule!

 

here's a vid of last weekend the only two golfs racing that weekend and we get each other in the first eliminations - and i miss a gear hence the 12.3

 

I have been having a go at lightening, and have been stripping the sound deadening I found the best way was to heat and scape then use thinners to clean up here is a progress pic

 

Well its race season again car is back together and now looks like this:



ended up painting the whole car

from this

to this

to this

to this


and finally this


its about 65 kg lighter (polycarb windows etc) also managed a new PB at the weekend of 11.48 @ 118MPH

 

Congrats on PB Carl

 

so after the second event I damaged the car and ended up changing the engine (now a BAM bottom end 9:1 compression rather than 9.5:1 with uprated rods) and rebuilding the turbo





I managed to get the new engine in an running (and diy turbo rebuild) done in a week for the next event at the weekend but the engine had a funny noise and was leaking loads of oil so I dropped into VW sportsman and raced my old camper (pb of 20.9 @ 61.9 1679cc type 4 with twin 40's )



the following weekend I fixed the golf (the noise was actually the starter and the oil leak was the oil filter housing) and took it to a local vw show called APEX at lydden hill was real good fun and the engine and turbo was flawless







hopefully I will be racing again in a couple of weeks 8)

 

^^ Mentioned you in the Apex Festival report >>here<<