Thanks everybody. Time for some more shiny. I got some more engine bay details done. I added billet adapters with AN fittings to the valve cover and crankcase and plumbed in the PCV system with braided lines. All you can really see of it is this, but it really cleans things up: I also had AN fittings welded onto my catch can: After I figure out figure out how to mount it, I will have it smoothed and polished and then plumb it in with braided lines. I also got longer braided fuel lines so they go down through the rail and under the car and then I used billet separators to keep the lines neat and tidy:
MKIV door handle tack welded and working: Unfortunately at the beginning of all of this I wasn't going to use it so I sold the lock cylinder. VW will sell me one with a key matched to the car for $198. Since I only have one key and I get a 25% discount, I will probably go ahead and do it so I have a spare key and I will be able to lock the car finally. I bought my catch can back in early June and could not figure out a way to mount it so it would look good. It really just looked cluttered in there and the hoses for it looked sloppy compared to everything else. Well I finally figured out a way to make it work. Here it is mounted and ready to go to the polisher: With the AN fittings welded to it I will be able to plumb it in using braided lines with polished ends. I finally got my custom plate too: Funny thing is I ordered this back in July and it took this long, but the euro plate took just 9 days to come from Germany :sly:
The MK2 door handle activates a lever that pushes down on the door release for a MK2 latch. The MKIV latch is a cable that needs to be pulled. The handle on there before was for a MK2 that pulled to open, but was sloppily rigged to pull on the cable so it was tough to open and cheaply made. The day before I took this in it broke off in my hand opening the door. Basically now the handle and latch are both made for each other so it all works right.
Well I didn't make it to Dubfest today, but I got some more done on my car. I finally got the braided lines and AN fittings together to hook up the catch can: I am going to pull it all off tomorrow and have it all polished. I also got rid of a big eye-sore in the bay: I got the billet power steering reservoir installed. Why delete the power steering when it can look so good.
Paint is pretty much last on the list. I have a lot of body work and mods to do still and i am kind of enjoying the sleeper look. I did change my mind on what color to paint though after I saw one of these on the lot next to a MINI dealership:
Took my car out to Willow Springs last Sunday for a track day. I learned that Rokkor coilovers suck for the track, Hoosiers are only good for a few track days regardless of how they look, and grabbing the wrong gear at 80+ mph (3rd to 2nd instead of 3rd to 4th) will throw the rear around and send you off track. It would of been no big deal, just a really dirty car, but there were hay bales there that dented the door and trashed my exhaust: New Sidemount Exhaust. It was rubbing on the tire so I borrowed a Dremel to cut it off and get back out there. Here is a shot of where the hay bale hit. What I believe happened is I was sliding sideways and one hit the door and the other happened to slide under the rear bumper and take out the exhaust. Filthy engine bay: After the third session my tires were toast and I was worried about breaking something else. So we packed it in and called it a day. This was a great day because the cars were limited to 40 total and I never saw more than ten cars on the track at the same time. It made for some great driving time. Engine has been cleaned and the exhaust has already been repaired. The body dings will take some time, but it isn't like the car didn't need it anyway. New muffler, Magnaflow free flow can and back to a single pipe tip: It was a lot fun but, I don't think I will be taking this back to the track. The suspension isn't up to it, track tires are expensive, and after that close call and thinking that I could of wrecked all of my hard work, I just don't think it is worth it. I'm just glad that I hadn't painted it yet.
Nah, it was weird. I knew I was going off and then everything slowed down. I just held the wheel straight, pushed the clutch in, and let it go where it was going to go. I wasn't even worried until I saw the hay bales and then I got mad because I knew it was going to mess up the car. The impact didn't even feel bad, but I was in a harness with my helmet and neck roll. It was later after I was back in and parked it that I realized I could of rolled it.
Yeah, kind of weird how everything slows down... And the funny things you notice. I remember when I was young, I was driving a delivery truck for a blueprint company and the tires were bald. It was pouring and I hydroplaned on I-95 (right at Okeechobee Blvd in WPB, FL back in the mid-80's) and spun down into the median and came to a stop just into the left lane in oncoming traffic. I could see the guy's face in a T-Bird coming at me... It was almost comical. I sat there for a sec to catch my breath, then drove back across the median and crossed the interstate with a blown tire and got off. It all happened so fast, yet I still remember the look on that dude's face. It was kind of like this: :eek6:
I had this exact same experience. I came around a turn (Ricochet at MSR Cresson, TX) a bit too hot and off line from a pass and thought I could save it until the back end snapped around on me. Time seemed to speed down to 1/5 of normal. I can remember watching my hands move in slow motion as I straightened the wheel and can remember seeing both feet head to the brake and clutch. The very moment where I thought to myself "OK... I've done all I can do... it's time to hold on and hope it comes out OK", my local time jumped into hyperspeed and tried to catch up with the rest of the world. I did 2 complete revolutions (1.5 of them in the dirt) and coasted out of it WAY off track. One of the tires had unbeaded, collected several handfulls of grass and then re-seated itself, amazingly. With the windows down, it was like someone had tried to throw a bucket of rocks, dirt and grass in one window and out the other, but I came out of it relatively unscathed. The sensation of time in these types of events is very strange. I remember hearing a story on NPR about research into these types of events. It came down to the way the brain discards large amounts of information from our daily lives but seems to kick into overdrive to capture as much information as is possible when this kind of thing happens.