off and on .........finally going to build 83 rabbit

well i bought it to race it , decided to not spend the time and $$$$$ on racing again......no-one wanted to buy it so i'm going to dive into the racing scene once again . i bought this 83 rabbit from a fella reaaaalllllllly cheap . actually a trade . previous owner was going to oval race it. there was no engine or transmission with it . the body however was in very good condition.

previous owner also hacked the wiring up so a complete re-wire in in the future .  with the wiring to be replaced i will be faced with the choice of making this a track only car . with that being said how far to build it ? i understand that if i choose to replace the engine i have a choice to put a 16 valve that will put me in a much tougher class . choices choices choices . i look forward to hearing previous builders thoughts as to how far to build it .

not sure as to how far i can go with the build. do i have to use the stock seats,  front and back ? does it have to have carpet? do i have to use the factory suspesion ?

Following with interest as I have a 82 2-door shell and a shed full of parts that I’ve been hoarding for years for when I finally build a garage or atleast pour a concrete pad. 

This is the status engine bay when I got the car 

The first thing you have to do is decide where you will race it. Then read the rule book for that organization before you start your build. For wheel to wheel road racing there are a multitude of options regarding how far you prepare/modify and what class you run. Same for autocross. I am not sure about your west coast hillclimb group. Get involved with the organization first, it will help you decide what class before you commit to the build. 

In reply to TurnerX19 :

I totally agree. I will race mostly in autocross . The local club races scca solo rules according to their website . That being said if I wanted to road race also I would most likely have to put a full cage in it for safety reasons . 

In reply to mod9 :

To start with, check the SM and related classes, where you are allowed to do an engine swap.   It's possible that you can use the update/backdate rule for a 16V engine in your car, but I think the SM/ST classes that allow engine swaps are where you should start.  From there, you can build the suspension around it.  And the classes will also tell you what the interior needs to look like.

There are a number of classes where the GTI would road race, but making a dual purpose autocross and race car is pretty hard and limited to very few class options.  But you could build the chassis up, and then fully convert to road racing.  For now, unless you really want a roll cage, I'd go with a roll bar at most, and do track days with whatever you autocross with.  We did that with one car from 1996 to 2011, and had a great time.

Of course, that very much depends on what is around you- are there a lot of autocross choices or is road racing easier to find?

One thing, too- it sounds like you want to do it on a tight budget.  So keep the GRM challenge in the back of your mind.  If you can make the budget, the event is a blast.

I did a Mk1 Scirocco with a 2.0 ABA bottom end with CIS head. Put down 105 horse to the wheels and 115 lbft of torque. 020 2h 5 speed with LSD from OPM Motorsports. Roll bar, minimal interior. Bilstein HDs with Neuspeed red springs, no front bar, biggest stock rear bar. I drove it on the street, autocrossed it in SM in Atlanta, and did track days with it. Was an awesome car. BUT...

It was a compromise. Loud and uncomfortable on the street, not as good on track as it could have been.

Now I'm going track oriented first with a 2.0 16v MK2 Roc with the intention of doing some kind of endurance racing. Probably with AER.

As has been said above know what you want to do with the car first and build to that end. And scour the web for examples and good deals on parts.

Thank you so much for the reply’s and advice . I am hoping to have someone that runs a MK1 in scca autocross chimes in . I am a electrician by trade and if anyone knows that the code book can read in a third language . Kind of how the rules in the rule books read

Took the carpet out today . Just removing the insulation from under the carpet saved me 20 lbs

Mod9,

I am in the middle of doing an engine swap in my 84 GTI. I plan on using the rear half of the wiring harness spliced into the swap harness. That means I have the front half and full engine side, if you need wiring harness parts. I have sun damage to connectors, but everything is still there. I also still have the 4k 020, but it is pretty expensive to ship a tranny. If you are keeping the dash, I also have a spare center console that holds three gauges (GTI and Cabriolet part), but you may be able to find one of those pretty cheap locally.

Matthew

In reply to matthewmcl : thank you. Do you know what class you will be in when you change the motor ? 

At this point I am just getting my "daily" resurrected. I am swapping in a G60 motor that I bought 20 years ago. Eventually the car will be autoX. I am swapping in the Corrado dash and electronics, so I have the GTI fuse block, front wiring, gauges, etc. The back half of the car is on its own plugs, so separating that out is easy.

Cleanded up the the floor. Getting the undercoating off was NOT fun to say the least. 

Removed the brake booster and all the wiring . Degreased and pressure washed areas that have probably never seen the light of day since being put together in the factory in 1983

If there are no dents or bends in that thing, you have a great start on a fun car!  

Plan on removing the rusty battery tray and moving the battery to the spare tire area . 

When I do the engine swap . What with the engine should I get . I know that I need the wire harness but should I get the fuse block along with it ? Should I get the tranny with it ?? 

In reply to alfadriver :

No dents and very very small amounts of rust . Basically the battery tray is about all I have found as of yet . Nothing inside on the floors . I’m going to build one of those tip over jigs so I can see the bottom a lot easier . 

1.8t aeb code number. The block still has holes for all the mounting brackets. Easy wire up with the stock ecu and a arp chip.  4k tranny? with a lsd will work fine. Where in Washington are you located? Fellow electrician.

In reply to brad131a4 :

I live in the South Hill area of the mighty metropolis of Puyallup 

is there a year limit to have the mount holes available? 

I think there maybe one more generation after that not sure. I have a friend that has a 83 gti with a old school autocross suspension he wants to change out for a more stock sport spring shock combo. I'll ask him if he's interested in selling it if you want.

I have a bunch of little bits and pieces for earlier rabbits that may work for you. Think I still have some prothane control arm bushings and others from a kit I got years ago. Going to be cleaning out my garage and shed and of all my vw parts if your interested in anything.

I'm up in Sammamish just north of Issaquah. Have a few people at my site located down in your neck of the woods.

In reply to brad131a4 :

I sent you a message. Thank you for the help 

In reply to brad131a4 :

What about a AJH engine from a A4-A6

Previous owner ( owners ? ) installed a sunroof . Looks good but it does leak a lot and the hacked apart the roof supports . I think I should remove it a patch it back in and re support the roof. 18 gauge  steel should do the trick but what thickness should I make the supports ?