deveous9
deveous9 Reader
11/23/11 10:43 p.m.

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Received a gift from a friend. A 1983 vw rabbit gti 5 speed. It starts and runs and compression in all 4 cylinders is a solid 150!! What to do with it ???? auto x, track days, daily driver, tow vehicle for my jet ski maybe. Anyone have some advice for some simple performance mods?

singleslammer
singleslammer New Reader
11/23/11 10:45 p.m.

I recommend a bath. I am super jealous though...

neckromacr
neckromacr Reader
11/23/11 11:08 p.m.
singleslammer wrote: I recommend a bath. I am super jealous though...

Agreed, but I got my Scirocco fix so it fills the MK1 needs in my blood.

CIS is pretty reliable when its well sorted, I've been dailying my Sciroccos for the last 3 years. Just replace all the vacuum lines, and do the normal tune up stuffs, oh and replace your ground wires with bigger wires. They can also be quite fun with a few simple bolt ons.

Suspension would be first, Bilstein Sports and H&R Race springs have done well by me. Get an upper strut brace and a lower subframe brace. Eurosport makes good ones or find the "K-bar" from a 16v Scirocco.

Depending on your time frame for plans I could give a hookup on my H&R springs as I'm going to Ground Control coils in the Spring.

Flogger00
Flogger00 New Reader
11/23/11 11:54 p.m.

I vote for autox toy. IMHO, it's a little too underpowered for track days, not super pleasant for daily driver use ( although I did that w/mine for 12 years) but a boatload of fun at autocross speeds. Sensory inputs are amazing and it feels a lot faster than it actually is. Tons of info available on VW Vortex and the old Yahoo group VW Autox archives along w/many other sites. Since mine's been an autox toy for the last decade it even has historic vehicle plates and insurance is ~$35 a year.

Jim Pettengill
Jim Pettengill HalfDork
11/23/11 11:58 p.m.

Bought an '84 new back in the day, Soloed it a lot in Stock, delightful balance, should have been really good with springs and shocks. Wheelspin off corners can be a bit frustrating, but the overall package will bring out the aggressive driver in you. Plus, with the A1's chassis setup, to paraphrase Dylan, "To dance beneath the diamond sky with one wheel waving free..."

deveous9
deveous9 Reader
11/24/11 10:13 a.m.
neckromacr wrote:
singleslammer wrote: I recommend a bath. I am super jealous though...
Agreed, but I got my Scirocco fix so it fills the MK1 needs in my blood. CIS is pretty reliable when its well sorted, I've been dailying my Sciroccos for the last 3 years. Just replace all the vacuum lines, and do the normal tune up stuffs, oh and replace your ground wires with bigger wires. They can also be quite fun with a few simple bolt ons. Suspension would be first, Bilstein Sports and H&R Race springs have done well by me. Get an upper strut brace and a lower subframe brace. Eurosport makes good ones or find the "K-bar" from a 16v Scirocco. Depending on your time frame for plans I could give a hookup on my H&R springs as I'm going to Ground Control coils in the Spring.

Yea I can pm you with my info so we can get in touch for the springs. Thanks for the tips.

N Sperlo
N Sperlo SuperDork
11/24/11 10:14 a.m.

Had a guy bringing me one when he crashed and the car flew off the trailer. He kept it. Looks sweet, but yes, it needs a bath.

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